‘Vikings’ season 4 episode 12 review: Did Ragnar and Ivar die in the storm?
Last time on “Vikings” we saw Ragnar and Ivar has a very honest discussion about how angry he is at his father for leaving him, but it ended in Ragnar asking him to come raiding with him in England. A father and son trip! In this week’s episode we are going to see how this trip unfolds as they face fortune, glory and death.
Ragnar may have the support of Ivar for this raid on England, but no one else does. Bjorn has plans to raid Rome, Floki is building Bjorn a fleet of boats, and the vikings he is king of no longer believe in him or trust him after what happened to the settlement out there. While the town has turned against him (one man even spit on him), Ragnar still plans to move forward with his plan to go back to England and bring meaning back to his name.
Speaking of Bjorn’s raid, he has some heavy support behind him including King Harald. When Lagertha comes to wish her son well on his journey, she suggests to Aslaug that they make a sacrifice for their sons who are going off on this raid together. While she agrees, she also reminds Lagertha that she is the Queen and she will be the only one to officiate the sacrifice. As Aslaug dives into the ritual, Lagertha approaches her and tells her that she will never forgive her for destroying her marriage and taking away her world. She also reminds her that while she may call herself the Queen, she will never be the true Queen of Kattegat.
There was a very interesting revelation that came about when Margaret told Sigrid not only what happened with Ivar, but also that she is terrified of him because he is the strongest and most violent man she’s ever met. He promises not to tell anyone, but shares the information with his brothers, where they admit that they feel the same way that Margaret does: They are afraid of him. Not Sigrid though – he takes every opportunity he can to remind Ivar of his limitations. The thing we had found strange about Ivar’s condition is that in a town of brilliant builders, like the folks of Kattegat, not one person has been able to find a way to help Ivar walk. Floki can build a 1000 ships, but no contraption to help Ivar? Even on “Game of Thrones” they found a way to help Bran ride a horse, but Ivar is now a young man and still nothing? Tonight though, we saw him walking with the help of crutches, but even they weren’t really working that well.
While many may dislike Aslaug, the talk Ragnar has with her is a really powerful one and was a long time coming. After she finds out that he’s taking Ivar on a raid to England she demands that Ragnar come and talk to her. He tells her that while it wasn’t love that brought them together, she stayed with him through his neglect, cruel words and never turned their sons against him. She has an inner strength to endure and as much as she may have hated Ragnar, she never turned against him, and for that he is grateful.
After seeing Ivar drowning in a vision, Aslaug tries to warn her son that he’s going to die on this raid, but he is determined to go regardless if he dies. He wants to prove to his family, to the Gods and to himself that he can be a man and have just one day without pity from anyone. Ragnar takes his three ships that Bjorn gave him, Ivar and the few warriors willing to fight with him (after he bribes them much to the embarrassment of his sons) and sets off to England once more. When a storm develops and threatens to take down the ships many are wondering if the vision that Aslaug had of Ivar drowning is about to come true. The storm swallows the ship that Ivar and Ragnar are on and we are left with a final image of Ivar floating lifeless under the water. Next week fans will learn the fate of Ivar and Ragnar, but since this is the History channel and this is based on the life of real people, their fate is already been documented on the internet. We won’t reveal it here for the viewers that don’t know how it all ends for these two, but be assured that we we will have a lot to talk about after next week’s episode!
Watching Ragnar’s fall has been difficult to watch. When we first met him he was full of hope, love, vigor and charm, but ever since he met Yidu he has become a broken man. His drug addiction is not the only thing to blame in Ragnar’s demise, but it greatly affected his relationships and decision making when it came to the raids and losing the people’s trust. In the season 4 fall premiere we saw him contemplate taking his own life – something we never thought he would ever do, and in this week’s episode we saw him paying men that spit in his face to fight for him. This is the lowest we have seen Ragnar, and we worry that he’s going to go out of this world a broken man instead of the strong viking we know is still within him. We love that Ragnar and Ivar are on the same journey to prove themselves and that they are doing it together. Episode grade: A
What did you think of this episode of “Vikings”? Leave us a comment in the box below and tell us what you think of the second half of the season so far. If you want more scoop on “Vikings” then head on over to the link here. (Photo: History)