Agree that Ragnar's days are numbered. I've read up on his family some and am curious to see what direction they take this. Ivar was a brutal Viking king in his own right. The story line involving Bjorn and Rollo should be interesting as well.

Anyone watch? Thought it was an interesting episode

Yea, I've liked it so far. I think Ragnar is about to be toast.

If so it probably won't happen until the end of the season.

I wish they'd hurry up and get rid of Aslaug

So what did people think about last night's episode?

I think I wish i'd watched it instead of our bowl game....

dlance said:

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nikator said:

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So what did people think about last night's episode?

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I thought the pit of vipers being full of pythons and boas was silly but otherwise great episode. RIP Ragnar. We'll see if the show survives without you.

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i liked it. I hope the show can make it without him because his character was so interesting and fimmel did a great job.

Just caught up on the last 2 episodes. Gonna miss Ragnar. Can't wait to see his sons lay waste to Ecbert

dlance said:

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nikator said:

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So what did people think about last night's episode?

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I thought the pit of vipers being full of pythons and boas was silly but otherwise great episode. RIP Ragnar. We'll see if the show survives without you.

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There should be plenty of fun with Bjorn's Mediterranean cruise and as far as the rest is concerned it depends how far they want to go with the Great Heathen Army.

They have a timing issue...in real history Ecgbert was about 20 years in the grave by the time Ragnar died and Alfred will need some accelerated growth potion. But then again, Rollo and William Longsword would not be in Normandy for another 60 years..and they are already around. I assume we have about one more season left

dlance said:

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Yeah they mish-mashed the sagas and history quite a bit but that is expected if you want a continuous TV drama series.

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yeah, but I'm not watching for a history lesson. The show has been great and it's probably in my top 3 shows that I can't miss

blackgoldag11 said:

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dlance said:

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Yeah they mish-mashed the sagas and history quite a bit but that is expected if you want a continuous TV drama series.

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yeah, but I'm not watching for a history lesson. The show has been great and it's probably in my top 3 shows that I can't miss

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I watch the documentary show they started about the actual historical basis and archaeological finds that inspired the show. Very much a documentary but I enjoy it.

If Ragnar's sons kill Lagertha, the loss of sex appeal will be vaginormous. I assume they will try to fill the void with hot Muslim women taken prisoner by Bjorn and Co., but it won't be enough.

I'm going to have to declare a vendetta against Ubbe, Sigurd and Ivar if they kill my girl Lagertha

If Lagertha dies....a piece of me will die as well.

I feel like she'll find a way out of it.

strange episode. too bad they made floki a 21st century viking. mesmerized by the most beautiful sound in the world and willing to sacrifice himself to protect unknown peaceful worshippers after kicking off the series gleefully kiling all worshippers he could find. turnover in the writing dept.?

Proc92 said:

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strange episode. too bad they made floki a 21st century viking. mesmerized by the most beautiful sound in the world and willing to sacrifice himself to protect unknown peaceful worshippers after kicking off the series gleefully kiling all worshippers he could find. turnover in the writing dept.?

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It's almost like he wants to be how Ragnar was with other religions and learn about the Muslims. I feel like last night's episode set up quite a bit for next week. And I'm in the same group of Lagartha better not die. Ivar is about to go off though on some people.

redline248 said:

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I feel like she'll find a way out of it.

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It very much felt to me like it was left open that, yes, a son of Ragnar would kill her, but not necessarily Ivar, and not necessarily now.

Perhaps Magnus, a "son of Ragnar", in a vengeance raid of England? Or Bjorn Ironside in a mercy killing after she is wounded in battle?

Yea the way the question and answer was phrased I immediately thought that maybe Bjorn will end up killing her for some reason, although I still think it'll be Ivar or Ubbe

TexasAggie008 said:

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Good ep

I'm surprised this show isn't more popular....I gave it a shot because Bob on the Ticket swears by it, and I have not been disappointed

A poor mans GOT is one way I'd describe it...which is nothing to be ashamed of

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I watched seasons 1 & 2. By the third or fourth ep of season 3, I had checked out.

It's progressively gone downhill. It was great when Ragnar was rising to power, defending his throne, consolidating his kingdom, overtaking other rulers and raiding, etc...but when he started losing it, getting doped up for half a season, etc...it started going downhill.

I wish they'd have spent an extra season of 'Ragnar the great' and his journey (with Lagertha), maybe on Rollo's time in France, and even Bjorn....before starting Ragnar's fall (which could have been done in a season or so).

That said, I still really like the show, and watch every one.

This just seemed to be a disjointed episode. I struggled to stay engaged. It seems like one of those episodes that the show runner will later say on the audio commentary, "yeah, we had to move some of the arcs forward but we spent so much time on the others this season, this one kinda got lost in the mix" or " that needed a different edit." But it is hard with all the moving pieces.

Haven't looked but wondering about the writing team turnover. Will keep watching and hoping the it picks up again.

On the history, one of the most under appreciated historical storylines dated to the very beginning season and didn't deal with a specific dates or events. Vikings is the only TV/movie that I have ever come across that explored the historical ways the Vikings/Scandanavians were exposed to Christianity. Historical records show the Vikings started to adopt its beliefs after being exposed by those they captured and enslaved while raiding. A few were monks grabbed on raids like Athelstan but most often it was by devout women that they took back home that had the greatest influence. The show got the complexity of the cultural exchange largely correct in the first two seasons before I think they ended up taking a more standard Hollywood muddling of things. I also think they did a good job with their treatment of the Norse pagan ceremonies - often very poorly understood by the Western worldview - during the first two seasons. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like they could land on what they wanted Ragnar to believe - he seemed like a 21st post-modern thinker until his final speech.

Not sure how well they will do with the Muslim cultural aspects in this season. (I also haven't studied the Viking interaction with the Moors, so not reallly an aspect of history I know - if anyone has any sources, would love to know about them).

Rome is the only other series that I think has done as good a job at doing a good historical portrayal of a pre-Renaissance culture - especially one that was pagan and not monotheistic.

I agree with the rest this episode was not great. I don't like where they are taking Floki seems completely out of character.

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he seemed like a 21st post-modern thinker until his final speech.

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I think he explained that was what he was going to say, even though he didn't believe it, so that when his son's heard the legend, they would think he was all norsed up in his beliefs

Been avoiding this thread since wednesday til i saw the episode this week. Suprised nobody mentioned oden. Epidsode was decent but agree that floki direction is out of character.

I was a bit perplexed about Floki's newly found love for the muslims. I don't think that a historically accurate Norse raider of the time would do something like that......just seems a little convenient for the times we live in that they don't want to show a large group of muslims being butchered in their place of worship but have no problem showing a monastery of Christian monks being put to the sword in S1..... seems they erred on the side of being PC which is disappointing. In reality, both the Christians and Muslims would be indiscriminately slaughtered, their stuff looted, and their women raped and sold into slavery. I'm sure at first, both cultures were not respected or understood by the Vikings. I don't know, maybe i'm looking at it wrong but it just seemed weird to me.

Still, it's one of my fav shows.

PvL-Vorbeck07 said:

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I was a bit perplexed about Floki's newly found love for the muslims. I don't think that a historically accurate Norse raider of the time would do something like that......just seems a little convenient for the times we live in that they don't want to show a large group of muslims being butchered in their place of worship but have no problem showing a monastery of Christian monks being put to the sword in S1..... seems they erred on the side of being PC which is disappointing. In reality, both the Christians and Muslims would be indiscriminately slaughtered, their stuff looted, and their women raped and sold into slavery. I'm sure at first, both cultures were not respected or understood by the Vikings. I don't know, maybe i'm looking at it wrong but it just seemed weird to me.

Still, it's one of my fav shows.

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I agree with this, well said. It just seemed extremely out of character for him.

I think he wants to be like Ragnar and open to learning new religions, unlike what any other Viking will do. He saw how far learning about Christianity got Ragnar and he may feel he can do the same this way.

giddings_ag_06 said:

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I think he wants to be like Ragnar and open to learning new religions, unlike what any other Viking will do. He saw how far learning about Christianity got Ragnar and he may feel he can do the same this way.

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Fair enough, i'll give it the benefit of the doubt but just knowing Floki's character to date, it seemed very strange. I can possibly buy that; however, the other Vikings? You think that those 2 brother Vikings who are going to betray Bjorn would just be like " Ok, sure Floki, I guess you are right, we won't kill this people" in real life? I think not, they would have been all killed and anything of value from the mosque would have been looted regardless if 1 Viking had moral reservations about what they were doing.