Vikings: Valhalla - Season 1
This is the starting position that "Vikings: Valhalla" finds itself in, with not just one protagonist, but three: Greenlanders Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett) and Freydis Eriksdottir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter), a Christian Viking who finds himself being pulled between his newfound affection for Leif and Freydis, and his duties to God and to his half-brother, Olaf Haraldsson (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, who gave an outstanding performance in the Netflix sci-fi series "The Innocents" and is similarly a highlight of the "Valhalla" cast). Like the sons of Ragnar after his death, these characters, along with King Canute (Bradley Freegard), are united in season 1 by a common motive: revenge.
Vikings: Valhalla - Season 1
Leif does start to take off as a character once he demonstrates his talent for battle strategy and realizes that, rather than returning home, he wants to stay and continue to build his reputation, so perhaps he'll become more compelling in "Vikings: Valhalla" season 2 (if the show gets renewed, that is). Harald similarly exists in a weird space where he's not that interesting yet, but you can see the seeds of a potentially great character arc in the tension surrounding his friendship with Leif and his alliance with Olaf. Harald's relationship with Freydis, on the other hand, isn't particularly engaging; it feels more like a means to fulfil a minimum sex scene quota, and both Harald and Freydis' stories are more interesting when they're not together.
"Vikings: Valhalla" season 1, meanwhile, is about the beginning of the end for the Vikings, and the climactic battle features a wild-eyed, crazy, murderous Christian monk leading a bloody purge of "heathens" from Norway. It's an electric performance from Asbjørn Krogh Nissen as Jarl Kåre, and there's a sense that "Valhalla" becomes more confident in its storyline once it starts pitting the designated heroes against an overtly villainous character. But once the show becomes about a group of plucky underdogs trying to resist the might of an expanding empire it all becomes a bit, well, "Star Wars." It's solidly entertaining, but it's also solidly clichéd, and it sacrifices nuance for simplicity.
When we last left Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) and Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), they were victorious in the battle for Kattegat, but not without casualties on their own side. Vikings: Valhalla is back for season 2 to continue the story of the historical adventurers.
Vikings: Valhalla, Netflix's companion/sequel series to Vikings, which ran for six seasons on History and covered the legacy of Norse warrior-explorer Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons (who included also iconic Bjorn "Ironside" and Ivar "The Boneless"), is a sturdy, exciting follow-up to the original series, though not one without a few tonal disparities.
This new breed of Christ-worshipping also explains why many of the characters on the show feel Anglicised, with their Scandinavian speech patterns and cadence buried and the sing song-y timbre muted. They are more animated and less pensive, though Leif, from far removed Greenland, still often stews in silent intensity, most of the time motivated by singular, honorable purpose. Corlett makes for a captivating Leif, who must struggle to resist enemies from within and without, while Gustavsson's Freydis follows her own journey for most of the season, her destiny very much tied up in the more mystical, religious elements of the show. Gustavsson gives a powerful performance here, infusing Freydis with a noble heart and steadfast stubbornness that helps carry the back half of this season once the major assault on England is over and many characters scatter to other areas of the realm.
The unexpected MVP of the middle of the season is Bradley Freegard's Canute, who really steps up to become an intriguing presence half way, representing, perhaps, the end result of Ragnar's drive to be a more progressive and understanding viking. To juxtapose this, Canute's father, Sven Forkbeard, is rife with old-style viciousness. Of course, this is the type of series that will actually point out these themes through dialogue and not leave them understated. Nothing passes through with subtlety on Valhalla, though it's never so clumsy that it beats you over the head. Sadly, Canute, just as he starts to breathe new life into the story, vanishes from the final episodes.
Vikings: Valhalla never skimps on action. There are two marvelous war moments here in Season 1, both spotlighting different strategies, twists, and turns. The Battle of Stamford Bridge, as history labels it, is particularly gripping, offering up a ton of bloodshed and suspense, while the finale's violent chaos crazily marks the end of a huge era for this saga, bringing the brutality home to where it all began. Asbjørn Krogh's pious and psychotic Jarl Kåre makes for a formidable seasonal boss, which is something new to the franchise and a further gust in the winds of change.
Vikings: Valhalla, Netflix's companion/sequel series to Vikings, which ran for six seasons on History and covered the legacy of Norse warrior-explorer Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons (who included also iconic Bjorn \"Ironside\" and Ivar \"The Boneless\"), is a sturdy, exciting follow-up to the original series, though not one without a few tonal disparities.
Vikings: Valhalla never skimps on action. There are two marvelous war moments here in Season 1, both spotlighting different strategies, twists, and turns. The Battle of Stamford Bridge, as history labels it, is particularly gripping, offering up a ton of bloodshed and suspense, while the finale's violent chaos crazily marks the end of a huge era for this saga, bringing the brutality home to where it all began. Asbj\u00f8rn Krogh's pious and psychotic Jarl K\u00e5re makes for a formidable seasonal boss, which is something new to the franchise and a further gust in the winds of change.
Ragnar Lothbrok and his family journey to Uppsala in the first season of the previous series. The goal is to make a sacrifice. In this case, said sacrifice is a Christian priest named Athelstan. The characters explain that it's a semiregular ritual for them, but audiences never see Uppsala again.
When Vikings: Valhalla was announced by Netflix back in November 2019, the streaming platform ordered 24 episodes in total. The first season had eight episodes; if season two follows with another eight, there is likely to be a third season, too.
He said: "I think in season two, [viewers] will see the Vikings sort of thrust out of Scandinavia, which is a very interesting piece. We know that the Vikings traveled, we know that they went to the New World, but we also know that they traveled to Russia, to the Rus, as they called it, and went down the Dnieper River to the Black Sea."
Speaking about his character's journey in Season 2, Sam Corlett, who plays Leif, told Newsweek: "There's a bit of an unleashing of life for Leif at the end of season one, and so I guess it would be to explore where that can go. Can he contain it or is it better to let it free? You know, I think that that would be interesting to look at."
Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 was an immediate success with positive sentiment resounding across platforms, lauding the visceral and immersive escape audiences craved. The show was immediately catapulted to top 10 on the Netflix platform in 91 countries in its first weekend on the service. Moreover, the show was viewed more than 194 million hours in its first 9 days of availability. Fan response made it clear: the voyage wasn't over. Netflix immediately picked up the show for not 1, but 2 additional seasons that fans so craved.
As in Season 1, Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 consists of 8 episodes. Fun fact: Netflix originally ordered 24 episodes of Vikings: Valhalla. That means we should expect a third season of Vikings: Valhalla sometime next year.
What could possibly be next for all our Valhalla favorites? Honestly, it seems like almost anything could happen, but here are a few of our best educated guesses about what we might see in Vikings: Valhalla season 3.
Valhalla season 2 greatly expanded the world of the Vikings universe, with major plots taking place everywhere from London to Novgorod to Constantinople. Look for that trend to continue in season 3, as Harald attempts to make a fortune for himself in the heart of the Byzantine Empire and Lief takes the next steps into becoming the adventurer history remembers him as. 041b061a72