Vikings season 5 episode 13 review: Will Ivar sacrifice Hvitserk to the gods?
Ivar the God?
Things are getting a bit tense between Ivar and Harald since he has over stayed his welcome in Kattegat and is starting to make Ivar nervous. We all know that Harald wants to be king of Kattegat (and surely Ivar knows it too) and although he’s ready to leave to York, he’s promised to come back much to Ivar’s dislike. What Ivar doesn’t know (but probably suspects) is that Harald’s plan is to go off and plunder England, come back rich and overthrow him. When he reaches York he is able to gain the loyalty of the Jarl and together they ready to move forward with this plan.
Ivar has another problem brewing as well with his brother Hvitserk. With Margrethe dead he is handling it very poorly especially since Ivar is the one who ordered her death. Hvitserk claims that Ivar called for her death because she could expose him for not being able to have children, but Freydis talks of her pregnancy to debunk the rumor – one small problem remains… the viking that actually got her pregnant knows the truth, so she has him killed and the secret dies with him.
To add to all of this Ivar has been convinced that he is a god (with Freydis feeding this idea into his ego) and he has decided that he wants to have a huge feast that includes a human sacrifice welcoming him as a god and he wants that sacrifice to be his brother Hvitserk. So is Hvitserk actually the human sacrifice? Cliffhanger!!!! The person is brought out in a hood and not revealed, but the Seer is woke out of sleep over what’s happening, so who ever it is – this isn’t good.
Related – Katheryn Winnick has been nominated for the CarterMatt awards for top actress of 2018!
England
News of the Bishop’s murder by Heahmund has spread to Alfred rather quickly and when he has a moment alone with Heahmund he is informed about the Bishop’s plan to overthrow Alfred followed by a planned assassination of him. Heahmund is claiming that this murder was to save the king’s life. Heahmund gives a few names of the conspirators and says he will offer the rest upon being reinstated as Bishop. He has his suspicions that Alfred’s brother is among the conspirators and he’s right.
So what decisions did Alfred make? He restored Heahmund as bishop which has made everyone pretty upset to say the least. He’s also announced his marriage to the princess who has given her virginity away to Bjorn in the last episode. Lastly Ubbe and Torvi have agreed to be baptized to show their loyalty to Alfred which also makes everyone upset – especially Bjorn. These changes have all been really difficult on him: Being in a new land that is not his home, watching his brother renounce their gods and having their mother agree to help the king. All of this is sitting badly with Bjorn who feels like everything he believes in and stands for is being stripped away.
Anyone remember that Ragnar has another son by Queen Kwenthrith named Magnus? Well he’s in England and he’s found the courage to talk to Bjorn and tell him that they are brothers. He has been exiled and feeling lost for years and with Bjorn also feeling lost right now these two quickly form a bond.
Related – Check out a preview for episode 14 of Vikings season 5.
CarterMatt Verdict
Watching Ivar drunk with power and thinking he’s a god has definitely been entertaining, especially since we don’t really know Freydis’ true motivation here. Ivar seems to be killing off everyone who is loyal to him, including wanting to sacrifice his own brother with Freydis’ strong influence. She may truly be loyal to him, but she seems to want to be the only person in his ear. The thing she doesn’t realize is that she is the only person that can get through to him and the Hvitserk has never really had much in the way of influence. While Ivar may be overtly dangerous to everyone, we think that Freydis is probably the most dangerous person on the show at the moment.
What did you think of Vikings season 5 episode 13? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below. (Photo: History)