Two Vikings sit by the sea and talk about the old days. “Is this the end?” The bearded man asks the bearded man. And the old man no longer replies, just gazing pensively at the peaceful water level behind which the sun is about to sink. Because this is actually the end. The series “Vikings”, which has made blood, sweat and tears flow for its audience since 2013, will not have a seventh season, the TV saga of Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons is over.
On the one hand this is sad, because the controversy for the throne after Ragnar’s death was undoubtedly an exciting new beginning after the perceived eternal agony of the father in the fourth season. On the other hand, there are redundancies and weaknesses in logic in the bloody sweep of Michael Hirst’s sword and death opus, which suggest that telling the story was not an option either.
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Björn Eisseite is experiencing another “El Cid” moment
Anyone who was surprised in the trailer that Björn Eisseite (Alexander Ludwig) still appeared, even though he got a deadly iron rammed into his body in the war against the Christianized Varangians of Russia, will be Ragnar’s most important son – be careful: spoilers! – actually experience in a mythical finish on horseback, inspired by the Iberian “El Cid” legend.
The final has two other main locations: Björn’s brothers Ivar (Alex Hogh Andersen) and Hvitserk (Marco Ilso) conspire against the illegitimate ruler Prince Oleg (Danila Kozlowsky) in Kiev. And the fourth Ragnar offspring Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith) dares with his family and a boat full of companions the great crossing into the “golden land”, which the opaque Othere (Ray Stevenson) promises him.
First, however, he ends up in barren Greenland, where a stranded whale not only makes for one of the most impressive scenes in the series, but also puts the Christian God of love in perspective. Gods almost always mean death in the beautiful, dark Middle Ages of “Vikings”, regardless of whether they swing the hammer Mjölnir or wear a crown of thorns.
Some characters act against better reason
Sometimes the logic of the narrative weakens severely. Why do Ivar and Hvirtsek have nothing better to do than return to Kattegat, where, as traitors, they must face their execution? Why did King Harald, before the campaign against King Alfred von Wessex, appoint Erik, who was openly ambitious and insubordinately interested in his two queens Gunnhild and Ingrid, as co-regent during his absence?
It seems as if the last great Northmen and women of the series are striving to die, because a void rises on earth at the end of all sword singing. What to do if the equal opponents run out? One looks for the place at the table of the gods, where sweet mead, hot Valkyries and rough songs never run out. “There will never be heroes like this again” – this melancholy sentence comes up more than once.
Lack of knowledge is filled with imagination
Some things are historically true, but much is fiction. The massive lack of knowledge is filled with imagination by the serial producers around “Vikings” inventor Hirst until the viewer has a real “feel” for the era of Ragnar and the iconic longboats. The discovery of America, for example, is simply shoved into Ubbe’s boots in the last round and brought forward a good century (although a single Northman in the series, who should not be betrayed here, even made it to the new world a few years earlier) .
There is a real danger that Ubbe could oust Leif Eriksson, who was celebrated as a discoverer of America in Scandinavia, from the minds of the “Vikings” fans. The American memory researcher Elizabeth Loftus only announced last Sunday (January 3rd) in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” that the wrong information from so-called history series would be taken for granted by viewers. The comfortable brain does not differentiate between truth and fiction. Well, the main thing is that historians can withstand the roar of the opulent images. Skol!
Although, as is so often the case, it is precisely the small moments of being human that anchor themselves in the audience in “Vikings”. When Ivar, the most bellicose warrior, paralyzed down the waist, holds a crying child (Oran Glynn O’Donovan) in his arms when he leaves Kiev, who assures him of eternal love, one of this fatherly impulses touches more than 100 approaching landing craft from Russia. And even when Ubbe renounces swinging the sword and dares a new beginning after his murderous odyssey (of course there is still the obligatory fall into sin – the murder of a native inhabitant out of greed for gold), one is quite moved. A warrior makes peace with himself and the world. You don’t want to stop watching.
And still has to. When the sun hits the horizon and the two men fall silent at the beginning of this text, the final credits are running. Hero’s dawn.
A few sentences of consolation at the end: In probably two years, Netflix will launch a “Vikings” spin-off called “Valhalla” that will be acting 100 years later. And then there is the series “The Last Kingdown” about Bernard Cornwell’s warrior Uhtred von Bebbanburg (a fifth season is in production) from the same historical epoch, which has become more worth seeing from season to season.
Vikings are also great to laugh about
In the Norwegian production “Norsemen” (both series also run on Netflix), the men and women with the loose-fitting swords have been dragged through the Met for three seasons with tangible humor. The loud delight of the audience about it should still be heard in Odin’s hall.
“Vikings, Season 6.2”, on Amazon Prime Video, ten episodes, by Michael Hirst, with Alex Hogh Andersen, Marco Ilso, Jordan Patrick Smith, Georgia Hirst (already streamable)
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