This is a follow-up series to “Vikings,” set 100 years later and focusing on the adventures of Leif Erikson, Freydis, Harald Hardrada, and the Norman King William the Conqueror.
“Vikings: Valhalla – The Complete First Season” focuses on the exploits of Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), perhaps the best-known of all the Viking adventurers. The tale begins with some good old-fashioned Anglo-Saxon discrimination against Viking settlers who have lived near London for a hundred years and prospered. The event presages the likes of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, where a prosperous community nicknamed “The Black Wall Street” was eradicated by jealous white folk.
All Viking settlements were driven from the English shores with what was called St. Brice’s Day Massacre. Over in Denmark, King Canute smells something rotten and takes umbrage at the attack. He calls for the Vikings to assemble at Kattegat in Norway to seek revenge against the British. Battling raging seas, an intrepid band of Vikings manages to reach the shores of Kattegat, just across the North Sea from England.
Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) encounters Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson) upon her arrival at Kattegat. The two dance briefly and figuratively until she tells the story of her arrival to the coastal community. She is looking for the man, Olaf Haraldson (Johannes Haukur Johannesson), who raped her repeatedly and carved a cross into her back while calling her a pagan whore. Olaf’s parting comments were that his actions converted her to Christianity – a perverse and pervasive theme amongst organized religions.
When Harald and Freydis follow Olaf into the mountains, they come across a valley replete with an army destined to take on England in revenge for the massacre. However, Olaf – a Christian convert, such as it is – has a problem with all the pagans in the militia. King Canute has no interest in discerning between Christian and so-called pagans, but Olaf most certainly does. His God and Savior Jesus Christ (so he says) would not stomach such an unholy alliance. As a remedy, Olaf proffers a mass conversion. One skeptic actually warns Harald about what would happen if that Jesus Bunch gets hold of him. So much for love thy neighbor, but such is the way of rampant intolerance. The intransigence of Christianity versus other persuasions is on full display and clearly to its detriment. Regardless of complaints from the Christians, King Canute accepts all comers to improve his odds of victory, leaving Olaf to stew in his piety. In the meantime, Harald, Freydis, and their small but hardy band wait in the hills above the encampment, debating a course of action.
The series makes some of the difference between Norwegians and Greenlanders, both of whom descended from the same genes. For centuries, Viking explorers lived in the harsh climate and environs of Greenland, ultimately dying off in futility, according to archaeologists, with hardly an imported iron tool left in their belongings.
Back in England, Prince Edmund (Louis Davison), as the future king, eagerly and foolishly longs for battle with the Vikings and the glory that would come with it. While practicing his swordplay, Edmund effortlessly defeats his guards, to no one’s surprise. Weary of the boorish display, Edmund’s counselor, Earl Godwin (David Oakes), enters the ring to end the nonsense. All fun and games for Edmund at first until Godwin, holding nothing back, fully displays how much the young prince has yet to learn about dueling.
As the Vikings continue to plot their revenge for the St. Brice’s Day Massacre, they inch their way to London, intent on taking treasure and lives in equal measure. Copious bloodshed on both sides emphasizes the perilous life-and-death struggle between the two peoples locked in conflict.
Created by Jeb Stuart, “Vikings: Valhalla” follows the “Viking” series created by Michael Hirst, set a hundred years earlier. This story fully displays the hollowness of religious fervor pitted against pecuniary and power-hungry interests. In the end, in whatever context, the latter always seems to win out. The period costumes and set design are first-rate, immersing viewers back into time, long before Columbus landed in America. It’s the kind of yarn that comports well with a lazy weekend afternoon of binge-watching when it’s too cold to go outside. Sitting in a warm bed viewing hours of entertainment contrasts well with the icy elements pervading Scandinavian geographies. “Vikings: Valhalla” blends history and action, making for an enthralling and enjoyable series drama.
Now available on Blu-ray™ and DVD
