Vikings Review 04×06: “What Might Have Been”

The return trip to Paris has begun and with it unseen obstacles. On last week’s Vikings the past comes calling and shapes the future of Ragnar’s fate.

There are many things that are inherent to living the life of a viking. One of them is the inevitability of raids and the need to defend your territory and in some cases your reputation. On last week’s Vikings, Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) has finally gathered his troops to make their way back to Paris and in so doing defend his role as king and a force to be reckoned with and also check up on the men he left behind in Frankia. Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard) continues to hold on to his bitter stance with the split between him and Ragnar, by bolstering his friendship with King Finehair (Peter Franzen) and his brother Halfdan (Jasper Paakkonen.) Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) keeps to himself for the most part under the cloaked threat of Erlendur’s (Edvin Endre) jealous and vengeful wrath while his mother Lagertha (Kathryn Winnick) seems to be using the raid as a chance to run away from her lands after securing them herself with the murder of Kalf (Ben Robson.)

Despite the return of the normal routine of the men, the women back home, most notably Queen Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) have been left behind along with her adopted daughters and her youngest son Ivar (James Quinn Markey.) Meanwhile, in Wessex, two other notable ladies are being left behind by King Ecbert’s (Linus Roache) in his meddling with Judith’s (Jennie Jacques) son being sent to the holy lands on his own with the aid of the resident monk and his son Aethelwulf (Moe Dunford) and by doing so leaving Queen Qwenthrith (Amy Bailey) in somewhat of lurch in defending her kingdom. The plot continues to stir and mix, so let’s take a moment to discuss some of the finer points of this episode together.

A journey long awaited.

It’s no secret that the returning raid back to Paris has been a much anticipated journey by the men of Kattegat as well as visitors eager to share in Ragnar’s renown and perhaps take their share of his hard won kingdom. With the boats heading back to Frankia, there is a fine mix of those that are loyal to Ragnar to a fault, to those who are leaning in another direction entirely to bolster their futures. It is interesting to witness how such a mix of men and women can unite for a common cause though, we all know that not all of them are on board with following or agreeing with those in charge for the journey.

For Floki, it seems the journey is one to show his new allegiance to King Finehair and his brother Halfdan. The falling out with Ragnar may be the most defining force but the extreme loyalty to his new friends no doubt stems from the undying bitterness over Ragnar’s friendship with a Christian. By expressing his want to be with those that love the gods as much as he, he is openly proclaiming that he will side with them readily if they so choose to overthrow Kattegat and take the kingdom for themselves. This move may be a good one on Floki’s part considering Ragnar’s continued unsteadiness and his continued recovery under the Chinese medicine of Yidu (Dianne Doan.)

“The northmen have returned and it is said they fly the black raven banner of King Ragnar Lothbrok.” - Emperor Charles

The biggest shock for the men, through their rather calm journey back to Paris is the change in guards and posts to their previously claimed piece of land back in Frankia. The cat is out of the bag when they all witness Rollo (Clive Standen) dressed as a nobleman upon horseback watching their arrival along with his Parisian forces. It’s obvious that he has betrayed them in some way, though the full extent will not be apparent to them until they all face him in battle. The ruling forces of Paris itself seem to be in turmoil on the inside of the wall as the continued questioned loyalty of Count Odo (Owen Roe) persists. The current standing is that Odo would like to rule Frankia on his own and without the presence of Emperor Charles (Lothaire Bluteau). That remains to be seen on the truthfulness of his intentions, as of now it is only a rumor spread by his mistress and perhaps harmless words he has spoken in the heat of passion.

The price of freedom.

When the ships set out, Queen Aslaug is left to tend the children, only this time it is not all of her children, thanks to Ragnar bestowing his two eldest son’s by Aslaug with their bracelets of adulthood and bringing them along on the trip to Paris. His remark that they will be safer with him is not lost on her as they last time he was gone both boys were almost drowned while she dallied with a stranger named Harbard (Kevin Durand). The young girls that she looks after, besides an obvious need for the youngest to be bathed regularly, are mostly self reliant and regard Aslaug as a guardian but mostly the mother of Ivar who is little more attached to Aslaug as we previously thought. It is not surprising to see the appearance again of Harbard as soon as Ragnar and most of the residents of Kattegat have disappeared. What this means for Aslaug and for the small invalid boy Ivar, is unclear. A promise of freedom could mean many things. Some of the things not so pleasant.

“Come to me and I will put an end to your suffering and heal you and make you free.” - Harbard

In a place where Judith perhaps thought she was free and unworried over the going ons of her life around her, suffers a speed bump with Ecbert’s announcement that her son Alfred will be going on a pilgrimage with the helpful monk and the King’s son Aethelwulf. It is apparent that she worries for his health and the trust that he will be safe under the watch of her husband who is not the boy’s father is a valid worry. Though, King Ecbert proclaims his special attentions to the boy, it is not likely that Aethelwulf will go to any length to harm him. In this case, it looks as if the King has placed his son for this task to take him away from his mistress’ side, Queen Kwenthrith. Without his aid in securing her place for the thrown, it is more likely that Ecbert will manipulate the battle to go in his favor and further his cause rather than the woman who seeks to take her place again at the top of her kingdom.

What makes you fight?

Puzzling yet understandable is Lagertha’s involvement in the quest to raid Paris once more. Having only just resecured her earldom by the murder of her to-be husband, Kalf, she had fulfilled a promise and restored what she felt was rightfully hers. In leaving again on the raid, she exposes herself once again to those left behind to take that land for themselves, though after what happened to Kalf, it wouldn’t be surprising if no one steps up to try and take the earldom for themselves in her absence. Time and time again, Lagertha has shown she is a force to be reckoned with and will not hesitate to do what it is she needs to do in order to take back what is hers.

“Who are you to talk? I’m not your wife.” - Lagertha

That begs the question, does she still love Ragnar? Does she still consider him to be something she plans to go back to someday? In the past she has proclaimed her undying love and the belief that they will reunite in Valhalla, but is that the only time she would consider such a union again? Ragnar does still hold a special place in his heart for his one time wife, but assumes that it was her choice to leave and this following actions of marrying Aslaug were not untoward. Lagertha fights for what is hers and does as she pleases, but she also knows when the time is right for certain things. Her forethought has served her well in the past and it will continue to do so as long as she is careful. The raid to Paris may win or lose her some allies if loyalties bend in the fray. She and her women that fight beneath her will no doubt defend Ragnar to the death if King Finehair decides to test his strength before the journey home.

Conclusion: The winds of change are not kind.

Ragnar is back in the raiding saddle, bringing along the usual suspects and some newcomers along with an assortment of women and children for the ride, however things are far from how they left them when they departed the shores of Frankia. After Ragnar’s illness and struggle during the winter, he is far from the same determined leader as he was the last time he made a stand to enter Paris’ gates. There are those that would oppose him within his midst as well as those that remain loyal despite his wrongful treatment of them. It will be a confused struggle for sure once the vikings assume some sort of plan to enter Paris again and confront Rollo on his obvious betrayal.

Michael Hirst continues to bring interesting points to light regarding the relationships between Ragnar and his men, as well as those that more than likely do not have his continued leadership in mind. The good of many outweighs the personal vendettas and longing for lands and loyalty in the one. Differences of all sorts are put aside in order to achieve greater things. This episode though full of ships and mostly a journey was directed well by Ken Girotti. The action was not lost and used to continue the unraveling of the overall story. A particular scene shown where Ragnar sees Athelstan (George Blagden) as well as a beckoning Lagertha and their long lost daughter Gyda (Ruby O’Leary) upon the shores of Frankia in what looks like their old homestead hits home and exemplifies the title of this episode, “What Might Have Been.” It’s a heart wrenching scene and one that shows that Ragnar regrets or perhaps realizes the path he has chosen may not have been the wisest.

Questions, Comments, & Concerns

• Will the raiding group remain uninvolved in their own personal qualms long enough to make it a successful trip to Paris?
• How will they confront Rollo on his obvious and inevitable betrayal?
• Will Queen Aslaug be able to keep all of the children left in her care safe?
• What does the return of Harbard mean regarding Ivar?
• Was it wise to bring Yidu along on the raid to Paris? Is she actually concerned for Ragnar or only seeking her further freedom by way of Frankia?
• Will Bjorn confront Erlendur about his attempted murder?
• Will Lagertha gain inner peace in joining in the raid and achieve a level head upon her return to her hard won lands?