Vikings Review

Vikings is a historical, action, drama television series that aired on History channel. The story is based on the Norse viking hero, Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel). When the show first begins Ragnar is not but a farmer with a big dream. On his quest he is instantly challenged by the Earl of Kattegat, Jarl Haraldson (Gabriel Bryne, In Treatment). 

Ragnar, his brother, Rollo (Clive Standen), and a band of Norse warriors plan to travel westward, searching for new lands to raid, but without the help of one intelligent, but ecentric ship builder, Floki (Gustaf Skargard), Ragnar would not be able to set sail.

Ragnar is married to a very skilled shieldmaiden, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick). They have one son, Bjorn (Nathan O’Toole), and one daughter, Gyda (Ruby O’Leary). Bjorn grows up to admire his father and wants to follow in his footsteps as soon as he is old enough. Ragnar has the desire to father many children, but Legertha is getting older and has trouble conceiving. 

On the raid of Northumbria, an English Kingdom, Ragnar is rewarded greatly, but he takes more interest in one very special find, the Anglo-Saxon christian monk, Athelstan (George Blagden), and he has no intentions in sharing this gem with any of the others. Athelstan proves to be a very rewarding find, indeed.

Ragnar increases his fleet and his group of warriors continues to grow in size. He has many supporters, but he also has several enemies that are willing to do whatever it takes to stop him in his tracks. Over time, Ragnar begins to struggle maintaining his relationships with those that are supossed to be the closest to him. Some are jealous of his success while others want to put his head on a silver platter, but being the strong leader that he is does not slow in his quest or steer from his plans.

Review

Vikings is a very well written television series. Even though there are some conspiracies revolving around the Ragnar Lothbrok charachter. While there are several legendary tales, sagas, and poetry that revolve around the life of Ragnar Lodbrok, it is not known whether or not he really existed. We will not know if the writers and producers will follow the same story lines as the Old Norse legends. If you do not want to spoil the potential ending of Ragnar, do not research his history. Just enjoy the great television drama, and see where the writers take us. 

Travis Fimmel is the perfect actor for the Ragnar role, I find his character very intriguing, indeed. Katheryn Winnick, Nathan O’Toole, and Gabriel Bryne, even though his role ended quickly, have outdone themselves bringing their characters to life. 

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  1. jim says:

    love the vikings show, one of the very few that shows historical meaning.

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