‘Vikings’ season 4, episode 10 spoilers: New casting hints at story changes

Before we dive into this particular “Vikings,” we should throw it out there that there are spoilers ahead for the upcoming midseason finale airing on History Thursday. If you are especially sensitive to such things, now is the time to stop reading.

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There have been rumors for some time about a massive time jump occurring at the end of Thursday night’s episode, and based on the latest casting below, these rumors are in fact true. According to Deadline, Danish actor Alex Høgh Andersen has been cast as a series regular moving forward, and will play the part of Ivar the Boneless. On the show to date he has been depicted as a child, albeit a rather ruthless one who is not afraid to do some nasty things.

In the second half of the season, Ivar and some of Ragnar’s other children will have grown up, and with that comes of course all sorts of peril, drama, action, and intrigue. Ivar is a key player in Viking lore, and without giving too much away (yes, we know, it is history) he will play a very key role in many events related to Ragnar in particular. Andersen will make his official debut during tomorrow’s episode.

Moving the show forward so much is a bold move, but we imagine that a part of this comes out of a storytelling decision to tell much of Ragnar’s entire life and legacy rather than just a small snapshot. If they were not doing this, it would put them in a position where they would have the cast on board for well over a decade, and there are not exactly many cable dramas out there with this sort of shelf life.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more on the “Vikings” midseason finale, including a full review of what transpires.