Vikings: Valhalla: A Review
- By Shargeel Sheikh -
- Mar 22, 2022
From admiring the mighty Thor in the Hollywood superheroes to getting to know the people who staunchly worshipped him, I have come a long way in watching programs related to Norse mythology and the Viking world and maybe that’s why I was swept off my feet when I saw the teaser of Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix.
100 years after the death of Ivar the Boneless and almost all of the Loth Brok family, the Vikings have been peacefully settled with their Anglo-Saxon rivals in England. All seems perfect until the English King Aethelred decides to end this century-long peace and attack the Vikings community of England. The world remembers it today as the St Brice Day massacre.
What follows next is a gruesome tale of revenge, bloodshed, power, and destiny.
Keeping the best to prevent spoilers for those who still haven’t watched, Vikings: Valhalla is an epic tale penned by Michael Hirst. The Netflix drama series portrays the fact that it never was the end of the Viking world. Even with the major figures such as Ragnar Loth Brok, Bjorn Ironside, and Lagertha from the previous series gone, there are still many heroes in the old Scandinavian world, with their own stories, yet to be told, yet to be cherished. Vikings: Valhalla is a grand tale of the next age Viking warriors carving their own path of glory in an Europe that’s never been more uncertain.
The new series revolves around Leif Erikson, a real Viking who was a Greenlander. He is credited as reaching the North American shores approximately 500 years before Christofer Columbus did. Leif Erikson (Played by Simon Corlett) visits the city of Kattegat with his friends and sister Fredys (Played flawlessly by Frida Gustavsson) who herself is handed over a storyline of her in which is she seeks the answers that lead to her destiny.
The entire series starts with Leif Erikson ‘s quest for the search for the man wo had raped her sister Freydis but their path goes way beyond than just this. Leif becomes involved into attacking England with an army gathered by King Canut (Bradley Freegard) , Olaf Haraldson (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) his younger brother and Harald Siggurdson (Leo Suter).
Each episode is a combination of extreme gore bloodshed, but also rich history. Of how powers shift in England and how little the lives of people matter, even of the elites. Michael Hirst has meticulously written each episode, each displaying a splendor and suspense of its own.
When overall compared with the first part, the much-awaited Vikings: Valhalla has not quite performed up to the marks, till yet. The narratives have widened to a larger extent in the first season with an overwhelming number of characters (unless you’ve seen Game of Thrones).
But since only one season has aired so far, it’s hard to tell how the new show will culminate. However, one thing I can share for sure is that it would still be a treat for history lovers.
To conclude, Vikings: Valhalla is Michael hirst recent darling drama where he gives his best to brings the Viking world to life for the second time. Till next time.