The Last Kingdom is a BBC drama, which retells the birth of England. During the beginning of the episode, Lord Uhtred (Matthew Macfadyen) watches over his kingdom and discovers that vikings are headed his way. He returns to the city and begins preparing for an attack. He consults with his son, Young Uhtred (Tom Taylor, Doctor Foster), and tells him to stay put. He instructs his right hand man and brother, Alferic (Joseph Millson) to lock up the gates.

Lord Uhtred sends his other son down to the river to watch the actions of the Danes. He instructs his son not to attack. Young Uhtred watches as his father has the villagers locked outside, while the soldiers are allowed to remain inside and safe. Moments later, the Danes approach the gates and Earl Ragnar (Peter Gantzler) removes his hood. He shows Uhtred his son’s head and rides off. While Lord Uhtred prepares to strike back, young Uhtred is baptized, by Beocca (Ian Hart).

Lord Uhtred instructs Alferic to remain with his son, while he and the others meet the Danes head on. Of course, young Uhtred isn’t having it. He packs his belongings, including all of his armor, and departs. Alferic commands Scallion to kill young Uhtred, if the king is slain in battle. Meanwhile, the Danes argue over battle plans. Ubba (Rune Temte) is hungry for blood. They speak about the three armies of England, but acknowledge that they do not cooperate with one another.

In the morning, King Uhtred and his men prepare to attack. Young Uhtred gets suited up and rides towards the battle. The battle begins and the Danes get into the traditional defensive stances, while the King and his men attempt to penetrate their shields. Beocca announces from afar that they’re winning. This encourages the standby armies to rush in too early. Nearby Danes emerge and surround the Englanders.

Young Uhtred makes it to the battlefield just in time to watch his father die at the hands of Earl Ragnar. Young Uhtred attempts to avenge his father, but his attempts are futile. Uhtred manages to grab a prized possession of his fathers, before he is taken captive by the Dances and transported to Ravn (Rutger Hauer). In the morning, Uhtred and Brida (Jocelyn Macnab) are forced to collect the weapons from the fallen soldiers. Uthred also watches, as his father’s body is mounted to a cross.

Earl Ragner informs his son, Ragnar (Tobias Santelmann) that he is going to keep both children, so they can help his wife. Next, we skip forward a tad bit and see that Uhtred and become friends with Brida and Thyra (Madeleine Power). They play together out in the woods, when Sven approaches, with a real swords. He scares away Brida and Uhtred, before going after Thyra. He rips off her clothing, before Uhtred attacks.

Back at the base, Earl Ragnar belittles Uhtred for fighting once more. Thyra eventually spills the beans and Earl travels to Sven’s home with Uhtred in tow. He speaks with Sven’s father, Kjartan (Alexandra Willaume). Kjartan attempts to protect his son, but fails. Instead, Sven loses and eye. Back at the base, Earl Ragnar gives Uhtred an artifact from Thor. Kjartan is ordered to speak with Alferic and offer him the chance to purchase back Uhtred. Alferic agrees and meets with the Danes.

During the meeting, Uhtred speaks to Beocca once more. Beocca warns him that Alferic will kill him. He tells Uhtred to head to Wessex and he’ll meet him there. He insists they’ll meet the real King Aethelred (Alec Newman) there. During the trade, Earl Ragnar changes his mind keeps Uhtred for his own. After that, we jump forward and Uhtred has grown up. He speaks with Earl Ranger, who attempts to coax him into marrying Brida (Emily Cox). Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) follows Earl’s lead and follows Brida into the night. They made love, before witnessing a fire in the camp.

Kjartan and Scallion have turned on the Danes. Ravn and his wife are killed, before Earl Ragnar gets caught on fire and dies fighting the soldiers. Thyra (Julia Bache-Wigg) is taken captive and Sven (Ole Christoffer Ertvaag) insists she is going to be his wife. In the morning, Brida and Uhtred contemplate their options. Uhtred sneaks into the camp and kills Scallion. After the soldiers leave, Uhtred and Brida dig up the Danes’ loot.

They agree the money belongs to young Ragnar, but they’ll use what they need to survive. Afterwards, the pair ride towards Uhtred’s old home. Uhtred approaches the gates and speaks to Alferic. He unveils Scallion’s head and insists he will take what is his!

The Last Kingdom Review

The first episode of BBC’s The Last Kingdom was a great start to a new series. The show’s acting is fantastic and even the younger actors and actresses did excellent. Tom Taylor has now played in two excellent shows, Doctor Foster and The Last Kingdom. Although Matthew Macfadyen’s role was short lived, it was nice to see him out of his realm a bit. Banished‘s Joseph Millson is going to make an excellent villain.

All in all, the pilot perfectly established the plot, which will likely lead us on a lengthy and incredibly exciting adventure. I enjoyed it thoroughly. An 8 out of 10 is deserved.