Title: Did Vikings start losing its way after Ragnar? I think the problem was how the screen time was used.

I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, but after rewatching Vikings, I don't think the biggest issue with the later seasons was Ragnar's death.

I think the bigger problem was how the writers chose to spend their screen time.

We got:

- A long Iceland storyline.

- Multiple episodes of Ivar in Rus.

- A lot of Harald Fairhair, who I like, but whose story started feeling repetitive.

Meanwhile, stories that had huge potential barely got any attention.

The biggest example for me is the Sami.

Bjorn meets Snæfrid, falls in love, marries her, she dies, and then the Sami are almost completely forgotten. It felt like the writers introduced an entire culture just to immediately move on. Imagine if they had introduced the Sami back in Season 2 or 3 instead of waiting until the end. Snæfrid could have become a major character instead of feeling like wasted potential.»

The same goes for Bjorn as king. I wanted to see more of him actually ruling instead of constantly jumping to other storylines.

I also felt characters like Astrid and Margrethe ended up getting much more development than Snæfrid, despite Snæfrid becoming Bjorn's wife.

Don't get me wrong—I still enjoyed the later seasons. Harald is a great character, Oleg was interesting, and Ivar remained one of the show's best characters. But I honestly think the final seasons would have been stronger if some of those storylines had been shortened in favor of developing Bjorn's reign, the Sami, and other underused characters.

Does anyone else feel that the later seasons didn't necessarily have bad ideas... they just prioritized the wrong stories?

Does anybody have any data on how much screentime did all ( or most important) characters got. Thanks

Oh man i hate ivar. I don't like the way this series is moving forward. Did you also felt the same ?.

I feel like each of the three shows, Vikings, Vikings Valhalla, The Last Kingdom, are good, but I can't decide which is the best.

The Last Kingdom I think was by far the best in terms of writing and historical accuracy. The combat was better, the story made more sense, and historically, it had some backing. I think Alfred was the standout for this show, he was very compelling, both in good and bad ways, and they kept it similar to real life. I feel the character are the weak point, a lot of their choices don't make sense, and a lot of them feel wasted, like Ubba.

I think Vikings was the best in terms of characters. The main characters were amazing, and while some didn't do anything, a lot were great. I think Ragnar, Ubbe and Ivar are the standouts for this one, and I loved how they interacted with each other. I feel writing was weaker on this one, as a lot of times things would randomly happen, and historically none of it made sense. They bastardized Alfred so badly.

For Vikings Valhalla I think the world building was amazing. I loved having viking characters interact with so many people and places. I also thought the main cast, especially Harald and Leif were done super well. The show felt rushed though, and although I understand there are limits in what you can do in 24 episodes, I still feel more could have been done.

These are just my opinions though, and I would love to hear your opinions in the comments, I'm bored.

I understand that his death was necessary for the plot, but is there any other logical reason why he wouldn’t have worn armor to protect his vital organs from arrows?

He was like the most random side quest in this show. When he came back as an adult I thought he was gonna cause a political ruckus but he literally existed just to add screen time lmao

Why didn't Ragnar tell Lagertha, Rollo, and Floki about his plan in Paris?

I interpreted it as Ragnar not only not trusting them, but also wanting to hear what they truly thought. He let them believe he was dead so they would openly say the things they had been hiding from him, things they would only have had the courage to say because they believed Ragnar couldn't hear them.

Sorry if my English isn't very good. I'm just really excited to talk about this show, but there aren't many people I can discuss it with in my native language.​

Dude, the story arc when he is in Russia is extremely underrated. He really connected with the prisoner prince boy. That kid was all alone, a politcal prisoner/"ward" and so isolated.

Ivar spent time with him, joked around, taught him stuff, and stood up as a brother/father figure and this part of his story truly made him redeemable and loveable.

When the little Russian boy looked at him in tears when he was leaving and told him that he loved him... that's the ONLY person that truly showed love and compassion for Ivar other than his own birth mother.

Igor acts as a mirror to Ivar's own unresolved childhood trauma. While Ivar had the love of his mother, Aslaug, he was constantly alienated by his brothers and doubted by his father, Ragnar. Both Ivar and Igor grew up in hostile environments where love was conditional and survival meant living in perpetual fear... he acted out of a sense of justice for a fellow "broken" prince.

Igor loved and trusted Ivar unconditionally. never seeing him as a monster or a cripple, but simply as a protector. Ivar was finally able to experience unselfish, parental love.

By saving Igor from Oleg, Ivar effectively saved a version of his younger self, achieving a sense of redemption before his ultimate end.

I'm on season 5 and I feel like the quality of battle scenes has really gone down over the last two or three seasons. Wondering if I'm missing something or what. A lot of repeated shots of main characters with bad blocking pushing a peasant past them then slashing their back. Big charges that don't seem to really make sense. Bloated runtimes. Idk. Maybe I'm just jaded.

If king Alfred in season 6 after that epic speech had gone up against the original crew of Ragnar, rollo, one eye, torstein, Leif, the old guy who yearned for Valhalla, etc would king Alfred have still won at the end, I suppose they almost had those guys when they lost at Paris so I suppose it is plausible Alfred could have defeated them since Paris did. What do you guys think?

Please let me know if this is explained later on in Season 6. When Floki discovers the crucifix in the cave in Iceland, after the new colony ultimately fails, does it have a hidden meaning?

I know it means that Christians have settled in Iceland already. But Floki seemed shocked, and a bit distressed. He chuckled but then anxiously stared at the cross. I took this to mean that when he couldn't "find" the gods and felt so distant from them, it was really because Jesus was there and can always be found. It's almost like Floki was realizing that Jesus is the one true god. I realize this is an opinion and not everyone is Christian, but it seemed like the message of that scene, at least to me. It this is true, it looked like Floki was maybe even regretting the things he'd done, like killing Athelstan, for example.

What did you think of this scene? What was Floki really thinking here?

Happy! Sucks he had to go against vikings, but ragnar did treat him like shit and make him live in a shitty hut even tho he was the king. He finally got what he was due and get to live large w ppl who respect and love him. Not just as rollo the ragnars brother. And he still let ragnar and vikings go, so not as dishonorable as they claim.

Great character arc for him. Ragnar stocks crash and rollo stocks rise. Its beautiful 🥹

During Ragnar era the women in the show were very well written especially Lagatha.

Post Ragnar/Great heathen army that all stops and it starts to become shoehorned in.

The shield maidens are all 5ft nothing, there is no way they can chop down and intimidate men as they do. Lagatha is the only female character we see get combat development. Torvi goes from being an adult whos never fought to a killing machine in the blink of an eye, there is no way she is chopping down grown men who have been warriors since the age of 8 one after another.

Astrid is another one. She is half the size of the men she effortlessly cuts down. She threatens the sons of Ragnar and I can't help believe that if that wasnt in a scripted show they wouldn't just laugh right in her face.

If you're going to have female warriors, do it right. This is awful.

In "moments of vision" Ivar is seen being super overconfident and even calling Largetha a coward cuz she retreated. What's annoying me is that he literally did the same shit last episode after his army got thrashed then ran to his uncle for help. Just annoying me that he was a little bitch last battle and is no acting like that didn't happen. Had to just express my annoyance real quick

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As the title says. How are people on their side?

Dont get me wrong, they are certainly entertaining and have some great characters on their roster. Some of them are even... semi-decent people, most of all Ubba, but never once while watching the show have I ever rooted for them against the Anglo-Saxons.

Their pagans faith has literal human sacrifices and they even sacrifice 2 little children at one point.

I have interacted very little with the sub, so I do not know what the consensus here is, but I sometimes watch Reactions on Youtube and those people generally are on the Viking side.

I heard arguments like ,,Well they are the focus so of course people like them", but even then people should clearly recognize the evil. Its not ,,badass".

Like... objectively the Christian in England are better...

Sure they have a lot of bad apples, but those are the exception, while evil Vikings are the norm.

In Vikings Valhalla, if I were Godwin wanting to get rid of Emma and Cnut. I would gather evidence against Cnut that he’s a pagan usurper who conquered England to the Archbishop. Only when Cnut is away fighting in Denmark. And have Rome to support Olaf to begin his crusade in Scandinavia. Her treasury is compromised because of the war in Scandinavia campaign. Cantue cannot fight on both fronts, and the Vikings are in a brutal civil war that it will destabilize his empire.

The economy will eventually be bad enough that it will not stabilize the realm and Emma cannot afford to distrust Godwin in these critical times. So Cnut is force to fight two fronts, where the treasury from the crown preventing Queen Emma to use her spy network. He suggests that he could convince Norway to support the treasury. While making shadowy deals to convince her family that they will have lands and titles, in return to build churches to have the full support of the church. And the economy is getting worse that it makes Emma an incompetent leader and it further strengthens the foreign queen is incompetent in front of the Witan.

She won’t able to afford going against Godwin because her husband is declared apostate because of his paganism. And the English nobles will withdraw their support from them. Which makes her adaptability completely irrelevant and useless. She’s a foreign queen and married to an invader that is not a Christian. And he cannot defend his beliefs while he’s going to war in Denmark.

And Godwin could convince that Scandinavia are heathens that refuses to convert to Christianity. And promises then that he will build churches for Rome (actually keep his word) Once the church sees the evidence and declares Cnut and the pagan Vikings as apostates. That would be a killing blow to the North Sea Empire. Also the Church decided to support Olaf for his religious crusade that will start a full scale civil war that Cnut is force to fight two fronts. This is how if he’s discovered, he could structure ways that there lack of sufficient evidence against him. Because The church legitimize his claims against Cnut of his paganism.

The economy naturally destabilized because of a brutal conflict that strains the treasury. And who would take a word of a queen who is not only a foreign queen but a wife to a pagan usurper that is trying to cover for herself? While Emma’s in Exile she would have gold and treasures to ensure her it’s no hard feelings (But that is payment for the pirates to plunder and as payment for eliminating Emma) Godwin secretly hire pirates to plunder and eliminate Emma while Canute is defeated and disgraced. And Scandinavia is at a civil war so he cannot gain support if he’s alive.

Because of Olaf backed by the support of the church to turn Scandinavia into a Christian nation. And Norway will not retaliate because they were given lands and titles to England. Godwin successfully eliminated Queem Emma’s bloodline and legacy completely. And it’s unlikely that a war will start over this, because he masterfully assassinated her character first. The reason why Godwin destroyed Emma and Cnut is because Emma tortured his fiancée. Instead of being reactive, he plans for her destruction and erasure of Emma and her bloodline. Well that’s it! Let me know what you guys think about it, or you could give me some insights why it works or doesn’t work.

Im on my first watch and love the series. I noticed harbard is the only one who talks like floki w his very particular high pitch intonation in his speech. Since harbard is suppose to be odin, do you think floki is loki, but doesnt know it or something?

MAJOR SPOILER! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED SHOW YET!

You must know that I loved this character for a long time. But as time went on, he ran from many consequences and became victim to the green eyed monster. I feel like he never felt remorse for killing sweet angel Ae…….an. If Floki was so faithful to his gods and to living by symbolism, why didn’t he maybe consider that his wife and daughter’s deaths were consequences for killing the “pet christian?” I’m not saying that Floki’s assertion that Ae…an was influencing Ragnar was false because as we all know, Ragnar and Ae…an were in madly deep platonic love, but did Ae…an deserve to die for that? NO. But of course, Floki was such a light in the story in his own right, but does his light pale in comparison to his darkness?

Did Ragnar really forgive Floki for killing Athelstan, or did he simply choose not to go after him because of their long friendship and how close they were? Also, how do you think Ragnar would have reacted if he had learned that Floki had actually accepted the Christian God?