Season 3, Episode 3
Air Date: Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 10 pm ET/PT on History®
Rating: ★★★★★

“There cannot be any reconciliation between our gods, the true gods, and the gods that they worship. One or the other must prevail.” – Floki

The typically quiet Ragnar shows his emotions and speaks his mind much more in this episode.

As the Vikings help Princess Kwenthrith (Amy Bailey) recover her kingdom, they set up their English farming settlement; tensions that have been building up among Christians and Northmen due to their cultural and religious differences begin to flare. Only two men have a clear plan for their people’s future as well as their own: Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) and King Ecbert (Linus Roache). During “Warrior’s Fate,” it becomes clear to both men that their vision for their people isn’t shared by those in their respective inner circles.
 

What Amused Me Most
• Auslug (Alyssa Sutherland) may be beautiful and kind, but she’s clearly not the brightest light in the harbor, is she? To make matters worse, it’s nearly impossible to compare and contrast her against the other female characters because she doesn’t have much to offer. For instance, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) learns more about the English ways and culture more quickly while Siggy (Jessalyn Gilsig) remains as shrewd and vigilant as ever. Like Siggy, I was not only bored but remained completely skeptical of Harbard’s (Kevin Durand) storytelling.
• King’s Ecbert’s metaphorical conversation about the basis of life is quite entertaining. You have to hand it him; the man works consistently and steadily towards his goals. And who would have guessed a plow will be the one thing to get Lagertha all worked up?
• Can anyone confirm if King Ecbert’s Roman bath is the most widely used in England?

Siggy (Gilsig) remains as shrewd and vigilant as ever

What I Found Annoying
• Floki’s (Gustaf Skarsgård) constant questioning of Ragnar’s rule and his knack for blaming Ragnar for everything bad that happens.
 
Favorite Moments
• Torstein’s (Jefferson Hall) noble sacrifice on behalf of his people and the men’s compassionate reactions – the honor of dying in battle.
• Rollo’s (Clive Standen) unconditional support for his brother Ragnar in very key moments. One scene in particular, Rollo helps diffuse an intense conversation when Floki challenges Ragnar about fighting for the Christians.
• The typically quiet Ragnar unleashes a firestorm of verbal rage after a rough day. I was delighted when he told Floki to shut up!
• Ragnar and Rollo pushing Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) to grow some balls in two very different styles. For this one, I’m going with Team Rollo as he illicits more of a dialogue with Bjorn than Ragnar does.
• The kindness Athelstan (George Blagden) shows to Lady Judith (Jennie Jacques) when she needs it the most. This shows a nurturing and softer side of Athelstan, one we haven’t seen much of in his interactions with women. In addition, and through his actions, he is still a monk in that he holds close to his Christian values more than he realizes.

Torstein’s (Hall) noble sacrifice on behalf of his people

Which Story Lines I’m Anticipating Most
• Will Princess Kwenthrith become a “puppet” to the kingdom of Wessex as King Ecbert expects?
• Based on the bloody ritual and the reactions of the Christians, I don’t expect the settlement in Wessex to fare well for the Vikings.
• I can’t wait to find out who Harbard really is. The whole, “your son, he needs to see me,” line is fairly creepy.
• Porunn (Gaia Weiss) got in over her head during battle and this will impact her relationship with Bjorn. So far, they both seem happy together but considering how Porunn is always challenging Bjorn, I’ve always felt this isn’t a relationship that will last. The severity of Porunn’s wounds and the subsequent affects will challenge the couple, putting them to the ultimate test.
• The first mentioning of Paris occurs! I’m excited about this because ever since the 2014 San Diego Comic Con, the cast and series creator/writer Michael Hirst have been discussing Paris and how we should anticipate some great action sequences. I can’t wait for the Vikings to get there!

It’s been a while since we’ve witnessed how much the Northmen like their bloody rituals. As soon as I saw the scene showcasing fingers drenched in blood, I almost giggled, barely able to hold in my amusement as my mind ran wild imagining what might lie ahead. For a few seconds, I was transported to Season 1, episode eight “Sacrifice’ where we witnessed a boatload of bloodshed in honor of the gods. For “Warrior’s Fate,” I expected more of the same. I was confident that whatever was going to happen, it would make the Christians run for the hills, especially King Ecbert’s inner circle. Surprisingly, I was wrong! The sacrifice actually empowers the Christians to challenge King Ecbert more decisively. This is a rare political miscalculation on his part and I wonder how much he’ll regret allowing himself to be blindsided by lust.

After this bloody incident, one can only suspect the type of conversations Ragnar and King Ecbert are having with their inner circle about their two cultures coexisting. I should note that though the sacrifices to the pleasure god Freyr, complicates matters but provides plenty of enjoyment among the Vikings.
Finally, one of the most compelling scenes in “Warrior’s Fate” is between Siggy and the Seer (John Kavanagh). It will have you on the edge of your seat as a stress inducing revelation is made.

 
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