As the episode begins, we join Aelfric (Joseph Millson) as his army faces off against the Scots. Aelfric’s army gets the better of them until more soldiers arrive and he orders his army to retreat to Bebbanburg. They make it back inside and close the gates before the soldiers outside are slaughtered. Once things settle down, Aelfric learns that they lost over half of their soldiers during the latest battle. He wants more men since he knows the Scots are going to return once again. Aelfric speaks with his men and tries to encourage them to continue fighting while scavengers steal from the dead. We see that Finan (Mark Rowley) and Osferth (Ewan Mitchell) are among the scavengers. After the intro, we are taken to Coccham where Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) and Aethelflaed (Millie Brady) have sex.

Their fun ends when Aldhelm (James Northcote) arrives to warn Aethelflaed that her husband has been looking for her. Uhtred tries to convince her to stick around but she doesn’t want to get men killed for their love. Once she goes outside, Aldhelm reminds her that her husband would love to punish her for adultery. Back inside, Uhtred waits for Finan and the others to arrive. The following day, Brida (Emily Cox) and Cnut (Magnus Bruun) prepare Cnut’s children for war. Once they’ve finished, they return to the camp which seems to be packing up and leaving. Seconds later, Haesten (Jeppe Beck Laursen) speaks with the new commander of Aethelred’s guard Eardwulf of Mercia (Jamies Blackley). After a bit of back and forth, they discuss the Danes leaving.

Haesten says that Cnut is taking his men away because his cousin Sigtryggr has been taken captive by the natives. Haesten explains he is not rewarded for his services and doesn’t want war. He wants silver and he believes Aethelred has it. He is given money before Haesten asks Eardwulf about Aethelred taking his sister but the new commander denies it. Meanwhile, Finan, Osferth, and Sihtric (Arnas Fedaravicius) return to Uhtred and tells him about Aelfric’s problems. Uhtred believes this will give them a chance to swoop in and reclaim Bebbanburg. He says it is time for Wessex to repay everything he has given them so they ride toward Winchester. Aethelflaed finds out that her Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth) has new complaints and they’re removing her father’s books.

Aethelhelm wants the room used for the planning of their defenses since it has the best light. Edward (Timothy Innes) learns about the Danes leaving from Pyrlig (Cavan Clerkin) but he isn’t sure if he should believe it. He speaks with Aethelhelm (Adrian Schiller) after that. They discuss the rumors that the Danes are leaving but Edward wants to ignore it for the time being. He wants to build their defenses before refusing to let Aelswith get involved. Then, we jump over to Aylesbury in the Kingdom of Mercia and Aethelred (Toby Regbo) tries to convince Eadith (Stefanie Martini) to sleep with him but she refuses. She says that she’ll sleep with him before the time is right before her brother interrupts. Eardwulf explains he met with a Danish spy and learns that Cnut is removing his warriors from East Anglia.

Aethelred sees an opportunity to expand their lands so they no longer have to bow down to Wessex. He has been collecting the relics of St. Oswald and he suspects that has been paying off. When he leaves, Eardwulf tells his sister that the news is true. Eadith warns her brother that Aethelred is already inflated but he says he wants him to be happy and he encourages her to hump him. He admits he tried but Aethelred did not take the bait. Aethelred sends the monks out to get St. Oswald’s heart and other body parts. That night, Haesten tells Cnut and Brida about his meeting with Eardwulf. He is confident that he believed him so Cnut is going to attack Mercia when their backs are turned. When Brida leaves, Haesten asks Cnut what he did to tame her. They go back and forth before Cnut warns him that he shouldn’t give him a reason to kill him.

Moments later, Hild (Eva Birthistle) tells Beocca (Ian Hart) that Uhtred has arrived. Uhtred meets up with them. He explains that he has good news and wants to discuss it over wine. They sit down and Uhtred tells them about the opportunity he has to take back Bebbanurg. He wants both of them to join him but neither wants to take the chance. Then, they discuss Uhtred’s children, Edward, and other things. After that, Edward receives a message from Pyrlig while praying near his mother. She is interested in knowing what it was about but Edward doesn’t disclose any details. Then, Uhtred arrives outside and speaks with Pyrlig and Edward. They discuss the opportunity but Edward refuses to help Uhtred.

Once that ends, Uhtred tells Sihtric and Finan about Edward’s decision. Osferth joins them a few moments later. Uhtred tells them that they’re going to Bebbanburg anyway and will come up with a new plan. Meanwhile, Aelfric tries to find a way to keep his enemies away but Aidan (Anthony Cozens) isn’t sure silver would stop them. Aidan explains that Aethelred might be able to help them. Aelfric has the heart of St. Oswald. Aethelred rides along and believes he will take over the lands Cnut was holding while Uhtred’s men discuss ways to get into Bebbanburg. Hild interrupts so Uhtred can spend time with Aethelflaed. Uhtred learns that Sable (Debbie Chazen) has something to tell him. She tells him that Aethelred has been collecting the relics of St. Oswald and the monks are going to Aelfric to get the heart.

Aethelflaed says she can’t help more because she can’t defy her brother. She asks Uhtred what would happen if he died doing this and he jokes about it. Before leaving, Uhtred tries to convince Beocca to go with them but he doesn’t. They leave after saying goodbye. A young girl watches as her village is attacked. When she returns, everyone is dead and she is killed seconds later. After that, Aelswith tells Hild that she does not trust Aethelhelm. Beocca asks if she is talking about the firstborn she banished so she could make a better marriage. She says she meant the children who were conceived without holy union but Beocca reminds her that the first marriage was legitimate. He also ridicules Aelswith for bringing a serpent into the garden and being surprised when it slithers on the ground.

They argue about Beocca being removed and both staying somewhere they’re not wanted. Aethelred tours the camp that was just ransacked before telling Eardwulf to seize the land to the north. We jump over to St Wildfrid’s Church. Uhtred and his men kidnap a young Uhtred (Finn Elliot). Uhtred speaks with his son and says he wants to guide him back to his family. However, his son is not interested in going back. He gives him a small horse as a gift but it is slightly too small for him. Uhtred promises to get him a proper horse if he rides to Coccham with them. He wants to take his son to Bebbanburg but young Uhtred isn’t thrilled with the idea. Pyrlig speaks with Beocca about Aelswith. Beocca warns him that advising a king can be a curse and he says he has his blessing to do whatever he needs to protect Edward.

He warns him that the people around Edward might be up to no good. The following day, Uhtred and his men prepare to board and ship and leave before Beocca arrives and joins them. That night, they share a meal and Beocca tells Uhtred about his decision to join him. Beocca says that he learned about the abduction of a young deacon and that is why he joined them. After that, Uhtred encourages his son to get on the board with them but he doesn’t think he is built for it. He tells his son that he will be stronger for everything he has been through. Young Uhtred joins them on the boat before they ride onward.

 

The Last Kingdom Review

I am glad The Last Kingdom is back. I am hoping it’ll finally give me something good to watch but the opening episode was just okay. The opener wasn’t anything spectacular or extraordinary but it helped set up the story. I thought the fighting scenes in the beginning used weird angles and I can’t remember the show doing that in the past. I could be wrong since it takes so long for the series to come out with new seasons.

It is strange that Uhtred continues falling for Alfred and Edward’s lies. How many times are we going to be put through the same cycle? Uhtred serves the king and asks for assistance only to be denied. Again, he serves the king and we repeat the same process over again. Uhtred is supposed to be a brilliant guy so he should know better but I guess that is part of the story. This episode was okay. I hope it gets better from here on out. It scores a 7 out of 10.

Previous recaps of The Last Kingdom can be found on Reel Mockery.