Vikings: All Change Recap [Season Finale]

Remember last week, when I was like “Ragnar, I better not be disappointed with you”? Well… I am.

So, you should know something before going on to read this recap. I hate infidelity. The topic of it leaves the worst taste in my mouth. So obviously, this entire episode was just me being furious and crying. Yes, I cried. These were not sad feely “omg the music is too much for me I’m overwhelmed” tears, these were angry tears, like 7th grade emo-Therese tears. Now obviously I should not get so emotional over a tv show, but I am so judge away.

Well this week’s final episode of Vikings ended with basically everything hitting the fan. Rollo has done what we expected from him all season, leave his brother’s side and fight for Jarl Borg. Ragnar cheats on Lagertha and sleeps with Aslaug. A sickness rolls in through the village killing Siggy and Lagertha’s daughters. Bjorn loses respect for his father, and I secretly hope will avenge his mother. Also Jarl Borg rejects any sound of a deal with King Horik and brings about war for Season 2.

So, I’m not sure if the History Channel planned for a Season 2 or not, because they initially set it as just a miniseries, but the way the show ended really needs a Season 2 in order to complete some of the story lines. I’m just glad there is a second season.

Ragnar, as from his encounter with Horik last episode, travels to Jarl Borg to solve some issues over the ownership of some very fertile land. Horik demands that Borg sell the land to him and obviously Borg refuses. He proposes some sort of deal, and so Ragnar sends Floki back to Horik to deliberate. While Floki is gone, Borg offers that Ragnar and his men go to look at the Ash Tree that his region is renowned for, it is rumored to be the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil, since it’s leaves never fall no matter the seasons. On their way to the tree, Ragnar’s men go hunting and come across Aslaug bathing. Her handmaidens catch the men and force them to return back to Ragnar for an apology. Intrigued by this, he gives Aslaug a message in the form of a riddle instead. When she solves it and arrives, they begin a romance.

As we may remember from last week’s episode he asked for a son, and for Odin to direct him towards someone who could give him a son, and this is episode is basically Ragnar listening to his god. They have sex after they meet, but Bjorn is not happy with it. Who could blame him. He tells Ragnar that he’s being unfaithful and if he loves Lagertha he would not be with Aslaug. He makes Ragnar promise not to sleep with her again, and he obliges. That night when she returns to him, he denies her, albeit after a semi-rapey scene where she just forces herself onto him before leaving. But before returning to Borg, she reveals to him that she is pregnant. Of course, she is. After arriving back at Borg’s Ragnar visits her in her chambers.

While Ragnar is at the tree and cheating on his wife, Rollo remains with Borg as a sort of security benefit, and is being lured by Borg. Although he is aware that Borg is trying to get him to betray Ragnar it doesn’t seem to bother him. Rollo, who has been searching for greatness just like Ragnar, is not nearly as successful, but sees siding with Borg as a road to such greatness. Well, I can’t really blame him. Ragnar keeps saying they’re equal, but they are definitely not.

Floki visits King Horik and the two have an adorable mythology moment where they bond over their love of the god’s mythos before actually discussing business. This scene was like the only scene that I loved in this episode. Not only did we get to see more of Donal Logue, but we got to get some more of Floki just being Floki.

At home, Lagertha is plagued with bad dreams. She sees dark things and senses that Ragnar is in danger. I’m guessing that Aslaug is somehow in league with Borg and they’re trying to bring down Ragnar. I’m not even saying that because I hate both Aslaug and Ragnar, but because all the signs point to it. Borg gains Rollo on his side, he is the one that suggests that they go to the Ash Tree, where Aslaug just happens to be there and gets impregnated by Ragnar. Anyways, Lagertha goes to see the seer, who tells her that there is just something bad that is going to happen to Ragnar, but he is unable to say more.

A sickness then hits and spreads through the village. Many fall ill, including Siggy, Athelstan, Thyri, and Gyda. There is nothing anyone can do about it other than pray, and Lagertha sacrifices a goat for the gods. In the morning, Siggy finds Thyri dead in her bed and Athelstan, having been so sick he couldn’t eat, wakes up and finds Gyda dead in her bed. Basically, mother suffer in this episode. I’m just saying, Ragnar better show some remorse upon hearing about Gyda’s death, because I’m already angry enough as it is with him, especially since they cut back and forth in the scenes of Ragnar being all happy with Aslaug and his wife tending to their dying child.

Anyways, the show won’t be back until 2014, so we have a whole year to see what will happen with Ragnar Lothbrok and the Vikings.