‘Vikings’ season 4 episode 13 review: Bjorn faces Rollo, Ragnar and Ivar bond, Lagertha invades
Last time on “Vikings” Ragnar and Ivar set sail to England to prove themselves to everyone in Kattegat. Ragnar feels a needs to reclaim his former glory and respect from his people while Ivar is tired of people only showing him pity and wants to gain some respect of his own. This father and son have very similar goals as they both are yearning respect from others and will do just about anything to get it… including dying for it. When we last saw them they were in the eye of the storm as their boat capsized and both of them were underwater. Did Ragnar and Ivar die in this storm?
The gods were with Ivar and Ragnar and not only did they survive that storm, they washed up on the same show together along with a few of their warriors, but their boats are gone, most of their weapons are on the bottom of the ocean and Ecbert knows that Ragnar is there. So far, this raid is going pretty badly. There is also some tension between Ivar and Ragnar as Ivar wants to use the braces he has so he can feel normal in the group and Ragnar wants him to dump them and crawl. Ragnar tells him to embrace the fact that he is not a normal man because once he does that, he will discover his true potential. Once Ragnar thinks about his situation, he realizes that he and Ivar need to ditch the rest of the group and go on their own if they are going to be successful. Ragnar and Ivar kill their entire raiding party and head off on their own. When they reach Ecbert’s kingdom, Ragnar’s plan is for Ivar to act like he is crippled and nonthreatening while he let’s them be captured.
Bjorn knows that he has to deal with Rollo if he wants to sail past his kingdom and get to Rome, but instead of attacking Rollo, he requests an audience with him in hopes that Rollo will let him sail past. This is the first time we have seen Rollo in the second half of the season and his smile warmed our hearts since he is such a great character. When Bjorn’s group meets with Rollo, he’s of course a little smug since he’s rolling in silks and gold, along with a beautiful wife, three children and a Kingdom at his feet. Rollo asks why they are there and Bjorn tells him that he wants safe passage, but instead Rollo takes their weapons, Bjorn’s map and holds them in cells until he figures out what he wants to do. Eventually he brings Bjorn up to talk to him and Rollo tells him that he will give him safe passage if he allows him to come on the raid. Gisla is not okay with this, and he tries to explain to her that as much as he loves her and their children that he can’t deny who he is inside. She tells him that if he goes, whether he lives or dies, that it will be the end of them. So what did he decide? Rollo joined Bjorn on his raid (his traitorous streak continues!), but not in the way he had hoped as he is tied up and no one trusts him.
Lagertha has had enough of Aslaug and with most of her sons gone raiding (along with Ragnar) she thinks it’s the perfect time to attack Kattegat and take back her throne. Torvi brings Margaret to Lagertha and we see that these two women may be able to help with the down fall of Aslaug. Margaret is used as a pawn to bring the two remaining sons to Lagertha’s earldom and imprisons them leaving her free to take back Kattegat. This battle for Kattegat was a long time coming and it was great to see Lagertha back in action.
What we loved about this episode was seeing Ragnar and Ivar alone together. There’s such an incredible chemistry between these two characters (and actors) as they are both highly intelligent and have more charm then they know what to do with, but what we loved about their interaction tonight was Ragnar pushing Ivar to embrace his difference, because it makes him special in a way that his brothers never could be. This episode had it all: Ragnar being his charming old self, Rollo being a traitor once again and Lagertha being a total bad-ass. Episode grade: A+
ICYMI: We are having our 5th annual CarterMatt Awards and Alex Høgh Andersen has been nominated for “Breakout Star” (you can vote for him at the link here) while Katheryn Winnick has been nominated for “Top Actress” (you can vote for her here). Be sure to check them out and have your vote count!
How are you enjoying the second half of “Vikings” season 4? Leave us a comment in the box below. If you want more scoop on what’s coming up on “Vikings” then head on over to the link here. (Photo: History)