![]() ![]() All of these various struggles and changes might have worked had we actually spent any amount of time on them, but it feels as though Ragnar's character was put on fast-forward in Season 4 and rushed off to his death. The show lost sight of his struggle with Christianity in favor of a struggle with addiction and then dumped that arc as surely as Ragnar dumped Yidu's body in the river. More to the point, Ragnar's more interesting self-doubts were almost scrubbed away during his bitter time as a drug addict and petty ruler. Why do all these Vikings yearn to avenge him yet none would fight by his side? He was defeated badly by Rollo and returned home in disgrace. But he was a legend in his own time and I'm not sure the show made his character live up to that legend. I don't mean to say that he should have been less complex, that he shouldn't have had his mistakes and flaws, or that he should never have been defeated in battle. I guess there's a part of me that wishes we'd seen a more heroic version of Ragnar Lothbrok. When the Ragnar we know and love does make an appearance, like in his drunken conversation with Ecbert, we know he's on death's door-but do we really care? That man who carried Athelstan's body to be buried seems long dead already. He couldn't even muster an army to go fight Ecbert, and the few poor souls he does recruit he later murders in their sleep. As a viewer, I don't really care to see him avenged. Far from a complex anti-hero, Ragnar is just.a disappointment. ![]() When his redemptive moments finally arrive, when he returns to Kattegat to find his sons grown and apologizes to the two women in his life, it's too late. By this point he's a drug addict, a murderer, a selfish, nasty bastard who we can barely stomach and certainly can't cheer for any longer. His first invasion of Paris is a mixed success the second is a disaster. He lies to his people about Ecbert's treachery apparently to avoid having to go back to England so that he can instead raid Paris, but even this makes little sense. But soon after the settlement in England was set up, Ragnar began to slip. That mistake helped define Ragnar as a flawed protagonist. This hero's journey was completed by midway into Season 3, during which Ragnar made just one mistake: Aslaug. He fended off his enemies and became a king in his own right. Bit by bit he made his name, overthrowing his rivals and invading England in force, where he cleaved out territory for his people to farm and colonize. ![]() Ragnar made his mark by essentially discovering how to navigate in a way no viking had before then he made it all the way to England in defiance of odds and orders. It's a contradiction that's hard to shake.īut it goes beyond this. But now that his sons are able to gather the mightiest force ever seen on the legend of Ragnar alone, it doesn't really add up. This made perfect sense if Ragnar was cursed, if people mocked him in the streets and spit in the dirt when they saw him. Yet, before he died, even with a treasure to hire warriors, none would come fight by his side and invade England. He's spoken of by everyone now as this great hero, such a legend that vikings from across Norway, Sweden and Denmark will all set aside their differences and come to avenge his death. There are reasons that his departure has left us feeling so empty that go beyond just missing the character or Fimmel's performance.įor one thing, Ragnar's character arc left me feeling somewhat letdown. There are reasons, I think, that we feel Ragnar's death so powerfully. Losing Ecbert would make it even more brittle, unless somehow a new and older Alfred can replace him. Already there's something of a void thanks to the departure of Ragnar Lothbrok (and the marvelous performance by Travis Fimmel) and while the back-half of Season 4 has been mostly excellent ( aside from silly soap opera stuff) his departure has left Vikings in a weaker position. If Ecbert, and by extension actor Linus Roache, does shuffle off this mortal coil I fear the show will be hemorrhaging good characters faster than it can replace them. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |