Vikings season 5 episode 18 photo: First look at Lagertha’s return
The photo here (via TV Guide) is your first look at Lagertha’s big, bold return to the series, and it’s fairly clear that she is struggling in the aftermath of Heahmund’s death. You have to wonder if the character has finally reached her breaking point after enduring the loss of so many people over the years — she’s lost so many people she has loved (her daughter, Ragnar, Astrid, Heahmund), that it has to take a toll on someone, and you of course have to wonder how much she really has left at this point. Could we actually see her die of a broken heart instead of by the hand of one of Ragnar’s sons? Entering the second half of season 5, we wondered if there would be a change in her after spending so much of her life fighting that maybe she’s fought enough. Lagertha has always been a strong shield maiden and a Queen in our eyes, but we have to remember that she is human and we all have our breaking point.
Given the prophecy that is out there about Lagertha, it’s rather hard to be altogether-optimistic when it comes to the character’s future. Yet, at the same time there is still some hope that if she does eventually die, she has some big salvos before that point and she goes down swinging. We do think that there are some interesting chapters of this character’s life that do still need to be told.
Beyond all of this, can we just talk for a second about how Winnick is embodying this part? Look at this version of Lagertha above — credit goes to the costuming and makeup teams for an incredible job, but even in Winnick’s eyes and the way the character is carrying herself you can see that this is not the same woman we’ve come to see over the years. This is a chance for her to augment our expectations of who Lagertha is now and deliver a very different portrayal of her. Maybe this is a chance for Lagertha’s last stand — or, maybe there’s some fight in her yet beyond Wednesday night’s new episode. One way or another, we know that there is some exciting stuff to come — the hard thing is knowing that there are only three more episodes this season, and then after that, likely a rather-long hiatus until we do get to check out a season 6 at some point down the line.
If you haven’t heard, season 6 is poised to be the final one, but there has been talk of a spin-off. We have personally been long advocating for a Rollo spin-off and with Clive Standen no longer doing Taken seeing him lead a Rollo spin-off would make our day.
Related News – Be sure to get some other news on Vikings, including some more scoop on what lies ahead!
What do you want to see now when it comes to Vikings season 5 episode 18? Be sure to share some of your thoughts in the comments. (Photo: History.)