‘Vikings’ season 4, episode 17 preview: Ivar prepares to build an army
If there is a proper word to describe the remaining episodes of “Vikings” this season, at least in terms of Ivar’s mental state, it is this: Vengeance. He’s one of the most ruthless vikings in history for a reason, and the show is getting set to present that in a way that is violent, brutal, and pretty much in line with what you’d expect from this records.
In the sneak peek below (courtesy of TV Guide) for Wednesday night’s new episode, what you see specifically is Ivar doing his part right now to rally up some of the troops, and prepare them for what should be a rather brutal, vicious overtaking of much of the world. He wants the biggest army possible, and doesn’t quite care how he gets it. Ivar is the guy who you play Monopoly with and he takes money out of the bank when you run to the restroom. He doesn’t care how he wins so much as the sole fact that he does win. He’ll do anything and everything that he can to get from point A to point B really regardless of however it happens.
How on board are his brothers in all this? That’s not necessarily easy to understand fully, but they absolutely don’t seem against anything that he’s saying. We like to think that they’re a little bit beyond just smile-and-nod mode.
In some ways, discussing whether or not Ivar’s going to succeed in building a ruthless army and getting revenge for Ragnar’s death is a moot point, given that we know what’s going down. The excitement for it comes more in the form of the execution, whether it be seeing Ivar’s brilliant mind in action or the epic feel of some of the battle scenes. This show consistently does a great job at crafting these sort of brutal sequences that feel authentic, while at the same time are fictionalized just enough to work in the context of the larger story.
What do you want, and expect, to see from Ivar over the course of the story to come? Share now in the comments! We’re going to be back a little bit later at this link with a full review of tonight’s episode, and that is certainly something to be on the lookout for.