229 réponses à ce sujet

[Nattfare]

So my guess for the end of the siege, Ragnar is "dead" and carried into Paris to be buried, when inside the Vikings spring their trap and take the city
 
"The Dead will conquer Paris" -paraphrased from the Seer

So he will do what Bjǫrn Járnsíða did later when he wanted to sack Rome. Tricking the city that he died and wanted a Christian burial. After having leapt out of the coffin while inside the city walls he and his guard managed to open the gates for the rest of his men.

Of course the city that he sacked wasn't Rome, it was Luna which he had mistaken for being Rome.

[Addai]

I have to agree the introduction of the Franks has been very limited in scope. And that princess has a shoddy accent if I've ever heard one. I feel Hirst has got a bit too ambitious for the time he has left in the season.

It's ambitious for sure, and the accents bother me, but at least they aren't doing a "French" accent. Also they're giving the Franks their own style. So it's a glam/ badass depiction and that's honestly fine for a TV show.

[Steelcan]

So he will do what Bjǫrn Járnsíða did later when he wanted to sack Rome. Tricking the city that he died and wanted a Christian burial. After having leapt out of the coffin while inside the city walls he and his guard managed to open the gates for the rest of his men.

Of course the city that he sacked wasn't Rome, it was Luna which he had mistaken for being Rome.

and the same was said of Harald 'Hardrade' while serving in the Varangian Guard in Sicily

[Beerfish]

When I go to the block I'll be sure to ask someone to hold my hair

That was nasty.  lol  And it caught me totally off guard.

[Br3admax]

That sounds like a good season right there.

Thing is, no amount of "We don't know what really happened," can justify a documented historical event happening fifty years early and then for the wrong reason. Which is why I refuse to believe Rollo is the Rollo.

[I SOLD MY SOUL TO BIOWARE]

That was hands down the best scene in the episode

 

I trust the pun was intentional? 

[Cribbian]

I trust the pun was intentional? 

 

Of course 

[Addai]

That was hands down the best scene in the episode

Unfortunately if you read the sagas, you're spoiled on a lot of details. I knew exactly what was going to happen.

Still awesome. 11/10 would bang big badass troll Viking. If he weren't dead.

[Das Tentakel]

It's ambitious for sure, and the accents bother me, but at least they aren't doing a "French" accent. Also they're giving the Franks their own style. So it's a glam/ badass depiction and that's honestly fine for a TV show.

 

I haven't seen the series yet but I did see some clips. You're kidding about the accent right? Sounded like faux-French to me.

As for the rest, those are some un-9th century Frankish-looking western Franks, but hey, you can't hire proper 8th / 9th century Frankish costumes anyway. Even in historical reenactment Carolingian-era Franks are rare. Apparently nobody loves those loveable early medieval Christian imperialists...

 

I have to say, Hirst did a bang-up job screwing with the chronology. The historical (if historical...) Gisela / Gisla's stepmum was Alfred the Great's granddaughter (then again, Judith was her great-aunt). Not sure why Hirst does these things, it's not as if the actual history isn't interesting enough or doesn't contain enough interesting characters or events. He did the same in The Tudors by the way;

It's almost as if he goes for a small number of 'gee, whizz' characters and events he vaguely remembers with no real sense of the context, (looking up wikipedia is so much work), then alters the history to fit his plots, rather than weaving them within the actual history.

Then again, almost nobody does this properly when producing mass-market TV series.

What's worse, more and more European series are beginning to show the same kind of cavalier attitude towards costuming and facts.

[Addai]

It doesn't sound French to me. Like, they don't say "Par-ee."

As for chronology and such, I don't really care. It's a TV show. I'll watch a documentary if I want true fax. Good historical fiction, to my mind, is story first and history second. It's when a story is stupid that I start to nitpick on the history stuff too. Such is the burden of the history nerd- no one else even gives a toss.

[Das Tentakel]

It doesn't sound French to me. Like, they don't say "Par-ee."

That's why it's a bad faux French accent. Among other things.
 

As for chronology and such, I don't really care. It's a TV show. I'll watch a documentary if I want true fax. Good historical fiction, to my mind, is story first and history second. It's when a story is stupid that I start to nitpick on the history stuff too. Such is the burden of the history nerd- no one else even gives a toss.

Most people don’t give a toss about most things, including me. As for good historical fiction, I beg to differ. There’s enjoyable bad historical fiction and there’s enjoyable good historical fiction. 100% historical accuracy is neither necessary or even desirable, but the author has to do his basic |%&&%$ homework if it's going to be historical fiction, rather than just 'leather & furs quasi-historical fantasy'.

Hirst can make enjoyable bad historical fiction, I paid my dues watching the first two seasons of The Tudors and the first of the Borgias, before losing interest (it isn’t that enjoyable enough). I’ll probably try The Vikings too. Presumably in good company and with lots of unhealthy snacks .

[Addai]

That's why it's a bad faux French accent. Among other things.
 

Most people don’t give a toss about most things, including me. As for good historical fiction, I beg to differ. There’s enjoyable bad historical fiction and there’s enjoyable good historical fiction. 100% historical accuracy is neither necessary or even desirable, but the author has to do his basic |%&&%$ homework if it's going to be historical fiction, rather than just 'leather & furs quasi-historical fantasy'.

Hirst can make enjoyable bad historical fiction, I paid my dues watching the first two seasons of The Tudors and the first of the Borgias, before losing interest (it isn’t that enjoyable enough). I’ll probably try The Vikings too. Presumably in good company and with lots of unhealthy snacks .

Well, we disagree on both counts. Fair enough.

[Br3admax]

Hmm, I guess I can over look the jump in timeline. Totes the real Rollo. I came for the carnage anyway. 

[Steelcan]

called it

[Steelcan]

So, thoughts on the Season in all

 

Its going to be hard next seasons to juggle the three different locales, Wessex definitely started dragging the latter half of the Season and I'm not sure how well they can keep tying it into the series from here on out.  Obviously some sort of retribution will be called for the destruction of the settlement.  Ecbert has his plans and Princess crazy has her delusions, but I don't think its going to be as interesting going forwards than it was earlier this season.

 

Back in Scandinavia, I'm getting a little tired of Aslaug, she was never particularly popular and she certainly isn't on par with Lagertha.  Þorunn is also gone but she also wasn't really a favorite of mine.  I imagine we will be spending even less time there with Siggy dead, Þorunn MIA, and Aslaug perpetually boring, so maybe more on the road material in Wessex and Paris.

 

Paris certainly livens up a bit more with Rollo confirmed as THE Rollo, and I'm not convinced he's ready to take up arms against his brother again, we could be in for fun stuff when the others return to Francia.  Count Odo being....kinky... seemed a little out there, the Emperor lived up to my expectations, and then there's Gisla.  I don't care for her 99% because of the accent, its just horrendous.  I doubt she and Rollo have a happy marriage.

 

The last scene was a little underwhelming compared to the rest of the episode.  We knew that Ragnar was aware of Floki being Athelstan's murderer so it wasn't a huge reveal.

 

 

I think overall the season got weaker after they left Mercia and Wessex, but it wasn't a huge downward turn.

[Br3admax]

They should have just ended with the last scene in Paris, honestly. 

[Steelcan]

[Das Tentakel]

Hmm, I guess I can over look the jump in timeline. Totes the real Rollo. I came for the carnage anyway.

Carnage is good.
 

...then there's Gisla. I don't care for her 99% because of the accent, its just horrendous. I doubt she and Rollo have a happy marriage.

How that exactly works out may depend on Hirst’s wikipedia-fu I guess. I suppose poor Poppa didn’t pop up in the series?

That could be one interesting menage á trois (1 bearded battle-hardened Dane + 2 West Frankish bodalicious babes). Histo-porn material par excellence.

[I SOLD MY SOUL TO BIOWARE]

Best part of the episode by far.

[Captain Obvious]

Ha. Trojan-corpse.

[Br3admax]

How that exactly works out may depend on Hirst’s wikipedia-fu I guess. I suppose poor Poppa didn’t pop up in the series?

That could be one interesting menage á trois (1 bearded battle-hardened Dane + 2 West Frankish bodalicious babes). Histo-porn material par excellence.

I don't even like Poppa, tbh. I kind of like Charles having to give up his daughter to the second greatest Viking of them all and the line coming from there. Except then Karling gets in the blood, and that's never good. Sacrifices have to be made sometimes. 

[slimgrin]

One of the best season finales I've ever seen. Totally fooled me. I'm anxious to see Rollo finally be on an upward arc in his life instead of the conflicted, pouting viking he's been for the last three seasons. I think Ecbert can expect another invasion and he better be ready.

[I SOLD MY SOUL TO BIOWARE]

I didn't read much of the speculation, so I didn't even think they were going to pull a Trojan horse. I legitmately entertained the thought that they'd just killed Ragnar off sooner than anticipated.

Clever in more ways than one, though; we now know where all the big characters really stand with him through their confessions at his casket. Floki is still devoted to him even after all this...Lagertha still loves him...

[Han Shot First]

Despite Floki professing undying loyalty to Ragnar's casket, I think he is a dead man walking. Given Ragnar's obsession with all things Althelstan, I can't picture Ragnar forgiving and forgetting. He appears to love Althestan more than his own sons.

[Br3admax]

Obviously he's going to banish/force him to Iceland.