History’sVikingsis a thrilling journey through the history of the Nordic people’s territorial expansion during their period of ascendancy in Europe. It deals with the major historical players of the Viking kingdoms, as well as the conquests they made across Europe and beyond. What’s more, this carefully researched dramatization of history serves as a window into Viking culture.
Overall,Vikingsis one of thebest historical action showsof all time, successfully blending true events with swashbuckling action sequences, political intrigue, and sympathetic characterizations of figures inspired by real-life accounts. It completely outclasses its Roman and Tudor equivalents, withthe best episodes ofVikingsworthy of being called masterpieces.
The show’s six seasons are punctuated with climactic battles, as well as key events in the lives ofViking characterswho represent some of the most important people in Europe at the time. It’s during moments of historical significance thatVikingsmost raises its game, giving usa version of the past that’s not only insightful but wildly entertaining.
10“Ragnarok”
Season 5, Episode 20
The climactic finale episode ofVikingsseason 5, “Ragnarok,” presents us with one of the show’s grandest battle sequences. In this episode, multiple armies lay siege to the fictionalViking trading port of Kattegat. The attacks come in waves, forcing local chief Ivar the Boneless to flee with his last remaining soldiers.
Björn Ironside, the son of legendary Viking king Ragnar Lodbrok, wins out, ina moment of triumph we’ve effectively waited five seasons for. This might be a fairly predictable way to end the season, but it’s also immensely satisfying. At the same time, the episode leaves something in reserve for season 6, making us aware that Ivar isn’t done yet.
9"Sacrifice"
Season 1, Episode 8
This early episode ofVikingsis a glimpse into the ritualistic human sacrifices practiced in Norse culture at the time the series is set. Theformer Anglo-Saxon monk Athelstanought to have been the one getting the chop, having ostensibly converted to the Norse religion. With local priests unconvinced, however, another Viking puts himself forward.
The idea that someone would “joyfully” sacrifice themselves to the gods in a ritualistic ceremony might seem curious to us, but it was common practice among the real-life Vikings. The attention tohistorical details in the ceremony at the end of the episode makes for a spellbinding sequence, which fully immerses us in ancient Norse culture.
8“To The Gates!”
Season 3, Episode 8
“To the Gates!”, as its titular battle cry suggests, involves a depiction of war that would be the envy of most historical dramas. The episode is both one of the best portrayals of real history inVikings, and arguably thebest moment in the series for King Ragnar Lothbrok, the semi-fictional protagonist of the show’s first four seasons.
Through much of the siege, it feels as though we’re right in the thick of it, fighting alongside Ragnar and his soldiers.
Ragnar leads a Viking army in the siege of Paris, an actual event that took place in 845 AD.Vikingsdoesn’t sacrifice history on the altar of entertainment, either, portraying what really happened in the opening salvo of the Vikings’ attempt to plunder the Frankish capital.Ragnar’s army is brutally repelled, and he and his son are badly wounded.
The defense of the city that we see carried out by the Franks, who use burning oil to keep the Vikings outside their battlements, isverymuch how it would have actually played out. Through much of the siege, it feels as though we’re right in the thick of it, fighting alongside Ragnar and his soldiers.
7“Death And The Serpent”
Season 6, Episode 6
Vikingsisn’t exclusively about violent sieges and bloody human sacrifices, but death lurks in every episode of the show. This episode in its final season reveals the fate of surely themost tragic character in the whole ofVikings, Queen Lagertha, Ragnar’s first wife, whose demise is a cruel twist of Shakespearian proportions.
Lagertha doesn’t die in war or as the result of a political plot. Her death is an accident, carried out by her unhinged stepson, who believed she was someone else as he took her life. This unspeakable tragedysums up Lagertha’s fortunes throughout the series, particularly as it comes in the same episode as one of her greatest triumphs.
6“Brother’s War”
Season 2, Episode 1
At the beginning of season 2, Ragnar’s brother Rollo, areal historical character inVikings, takes center stage. He does battle against his own sibling in the action-packed season premiere, and his survival hangs in the balance for much of the episode.
“Brother’s War” isn’t all about Rollo, though, asthere’s so much being set up for the rest of season 2. As with the previous season’s first episode, we see visions of the Norse god Odin. Tensions between Ragnar and his son Bjorn also come to a head, and there’s even time for Lagertha to reassert her credentials as a warrior.
5“Born Again”
Season 3, Episode 6
This season 3 episode is perhapsthe best inVikingsto focus on the conflict between Christianity and the Norse religion. This conflict is embodied by Athelstan, who renounces his recently acquired Norse beliefs to return to Christianity, and pays for this decision with his life.
In real history,Vikingsgenerally didn’t kill Christians for religious reasons. Instead, they plundered Christian land and settlements for the wealth it brought them. It’s unlikely a real Athelstan would have been murdered by Vikings for practicing the Christian faith.
The episode portrays various customs of the age in whichVikingsis set, not only among the Vikings themselves, but also of the other peoples who populated Britain at the time. It’s one of the most historically rich episodes of the series, while showing us a different, softer side to Ragnar in his reaction toAthelstan’s death.
4“Homeland”
Season 5, Episode 3
“Homeland” is a somewhat ironic name for this season 5 episode, as we spend much of it watching the Vikings very far from their original homeland, holed up in Iceland, defending their position in England, and venturing across the Mediterranean.The episode expertly balances three parallel storylines, ending with a shocking final twist back at Kattegat.
In “Homeland”, Bjorn’s fleet raids the Southern Iberian city of Algeciras, before sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.
TheVikings made themselves at home in various countriesacross Europe, North America, and even Africa. “Homeland” is probably the best depiction of their travels throughout the entire series.
3“Blood Eagle”
Season 2, Episode 7
An episode that defines the word masterpiece, “Blood Eagle,” mixes interpersonal drama with political subterfuge and key elements of Viking culture. It ends with one of the show’s most irredeemable villains, Jarl Borg, getting his just deserts at the hands of Ragnar, in probablythe most iconic scene of anyVikingsepisode.
In several interweaving storylines, alliances are formed, marriages are blessed, and secrets are revealed. In terms of romance, “Blood Eagle” is the most dramatic episode ofVikings.Its climactic execution scene adds balance to a story heavy on plotting, delivering the right kind of action at the perfect moment.
2“The Lord’s Prayer”
Season 2, Episode 10
A spectacular crescendo to the brilliant second season ofVikings, “The Lord’s Prayer” features an all-out betrayal, while developing alliances come to fruition in a final showdown between Ragnar and King Horik of Denmark. AlthoughVikingsstrays from the real timelineof Horik’s reign with its season 2 finale, it’s hard to blame its writers, given how special this ending is.
The final shot of Ragnar atop Preikestolen in Norway is among the defining images of the show, which is a fitting resolution to a superbly plotted struggle for the Viking throne. This episode has it all. Even Athelstan gets his moment, as the episode title alludes.
1“All His Angels”
Season 4, Episode 15
“All His Angels” isn’t just the perfectVikingsmasterpiece — it’s one of the best episodes of historical drama ever made. Contrary to other TV episodes in which the series protagonist dies,we already know what’s going to happen to Ragnar Lothbrok, and so does he. Yet, despite this subversion of TV drama traditions,Ragnar’s deathis still just as horrifying.
The main death scene, the twist in the tale for Ivar, and the final shot of Odin in the boat combine to confirm the show as the definitive dramatic rendering of Viking history.
The final part of this episode single-handedly elevatesVikingsto a level of greatness it wouldn’t have otherwise accomplished. The main death scene, the twist in the tale for Ivar, and the final shot of Odin in the boat combine to confirm the show as the definitive dramatic rendering of Viking history.
