Vikings season 5 episode 16 review: Who wants to be king? Everybody!

With king Harald defeated by the Saxons, Lagertha in the wind and Heahmund dead we are in a very interesting spot moving into episode 16 of Vikings season 5. Bjorn was the person we thought was going to jump ship on Alfred the moment he could but after Heahmund’s death Lagertha is the the one missing in action. Where is she? More then that with only 5 episodes left and the Seer’s prophecy about her death still hanging in the balance we worry about her future more and more with each passing episode.

Alfred’s win, Bjorn’s decision

With the defeat of the vikings, Alfred has honored his agreement and has given lands to Bjorn, Ubbe and Torvi welcoming them to the kingdom as allies and as friends. While Ubbe and Torvi are happy to tend to their new lands, Bjorn is still feeling unsettled with his mother missing. He decides that he wants to find a way to take Kattegat back from Ivar and he thinks Harald will be just the person to team up with.

Bjorn tells Ubbe and Torvi that he’s leaving and we have to ask – did anyone else out there have their heart break a little after watching Bjorn and Torvi’s goodbye? We always loved these two together as a couple and hoped that at some point Bjorn would grow so that maybe down the line they could reunite. When Bjorn reaches Harald, he seems interested in teaming up to take over Kattegat, but we know that both Bjorn and Harald want to be king.

Alfred also has some other unfinished business as he has all of the traitors involved with trying to usurp him arrested… except for his brother. Judith is none too happy about Alfred’s brother getting a free pass on this, but Alfred has already forgiven him and wants to move forward. She tells Alfred that until his brother is honest about his part in the conspiracy that Alfred cannot give forgiveness. After Alfred grants Judith permission to confront Aethelred he admits everything and  swears his allegiance and loyalty to Alfred.

Later when Alfred collapses from sickness (and we learn that his wife is pregnant with either Bjorn or Alfred’s child) Aethelred steps up to assure the court that Alfred will be fine and to have faith, but privately we see him speak to his mother in such a way that we aren’t sure that Aethelred is really done with the throne…

Judith has never been one to take this kind of treatment from anyone so it came as no surprise to see her poison Aethelred.

Bjorn and Gunnhild

With the death of her husband and being captured by Bjorn she’s in a pretty bad situation… or is she? Bjorn has taken an interest in her and while all women seem to fall at Bjorn’s feet, we are trying to be hopeful that Gunnhild won’t (or at least for a while). After telling Bjorn what she knows about Lagertha’s disappearance (which is nothing) he unties her and tells her that she is a free woman. She exercises her freedom by slapping him in the face and sending him on his way and we can see Bjorn’s interest in her growing.

Our hope for Gunnhild holding out and not giving Bjorn what he wants didn’t last long because about halfway through the episode she was kissing him. Maybe some day some woman can resist Bjorn’s charm, but today is not that day.

Related – Check out a preview for episode 17 of Vikings season 5.

CarterMatt Verdict

Bjorn going after Ivar and Kattegat is the story we are most excited about moving into the last few episodes of the season! This is a fight that we feel Ivar may actually not win, even with him thinking that he is a god. Confidence is one thing, but this is something else entirely and we could see Ivar’s ego being his own downfall.

What did you think of Vikings season 5 episode 16? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below. (Photo: History)