Bjorn Ironside returned from the Mediterranean, leaving his Uncle Rollo behind in his adopted Frankish home.
We spoke toVikingscreator and writer-of-every-single-episode Michael Hirst about how The Great Army sets up this seasons big climax.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I have to ask about the moment that ended the episode, with Bjorn kissing Astrid.
Credit: Jonathan Hession
Weve seen some tangled relationships within the Lothbrok family, but this definitely took me by surprise!
MICHAEL HIRST:Bjorn is struggling with the impact and consequences of his fathers death.
Hes been trying for quite a long time to be his own man.
Ragnar used to tease him, and he was quite cruel.
And Bjorn has found it difficult to escape from the shadows of both his fathersandhis mothers fame.
I actually feel sorry for him in that respect.
To me, its like the son or daughter of a famous rock star.
How do you deal with that legacy?
If you do the same thing, you get compared, and its usually a bad comparison.
His mother has become Queen.
She never mentioned this, she never shared the idea that she was going to take over Kattegat.
And hes going to live with the consequences.
Now, shes got a female lover.
You cant dominate me.
Im as strong as you are.
He does that I think, I may be wrong he does that to prove a point.
Hes not gonna just sit at her knee.
Hes gonna take what he wants.
And I think that thats an issue that Bjorn is gonna struggle with and finally resolve.
But for the moment, hes still in the shadows of his father and mother.
Hes saying, Im gonna take what I want!
What is Lagertha trying to communicate with that comment?
You realize, Yes, he does!
All the sons inherited different aspects of Ragnar, his psychology or his philosophy or whatever.
Jordans also Australian [like Travis], so he does have a slightly more laid-back atmosphere about him.
I think Lagertha recognizes a lot of those things anyway, about Ubbe.
She knows that shes in danger from the sons.
Shes hoping, perhaps, that hes not going to be like Ivar and insist on her death.
In Viking society, if justoneperson wants to avenge themselves upon you, that seems like a problem.
Right now, Lagertha hasa whole generationof Ragnars children who may seek vengeance against her.
Whats her strategy with Ragnars sons going forward?
If youre brought up on Westerns, you dont shoot someone in the back.
Its just the unwritten code, you know?
And theyre applying it to the Viking period.
But its an important point.
Obviously, Lagertha didnt need to do it.
She knew very well that by doing it, she was putting herself in huge danger.
Pride in your own achievements, in your courage.
And shes prepared to accept that.
If I have a real bit of history, I really like to use it.
I wanted to show the sons reactions to their fathers death.
Im very open to suggestions from the cameraman or the director about doing things in a hyper-realistic way.
But as its never fantasy.
Its not trying to evade the logic of life or the logic of experience.
Its a way of emphasizing that people have experiences in different ways.
But youre quite right about episode 417, because its all about Ragnar.
It starts with that great exchange between his sons.
Theyre thinking about revenge, so Ragnar absolutely dominates that conversation.
Hes still living in the minds of his sons.
Ive always enjoyed Jennie Jacques as Judith, and this episode spent a lot of time with her.
Can you talk about her journey home, and why you wanted to have those sequences with her family?
Judith is one of those characters who, as a writer, sneaks up on you.
That shes in an interesting place and she ought to have interesting things to say.
The character has almostinsistedon being explored and being on screen.
It might have been easy, in some ways, to minimize her role.
I think its an amazing role, I think shes an amazing actress.
I say, Its the same story, really!
Its all part of the same story.
I love that exchange when she goes to see her family because it works on a couple of levels.
One is shes genuinely trying to warn them.
Judith has a very fine sensibility.
She has a dreadful sense of whats coming, which her father blithely ignores.
She is genuinely wanting to warn them.
Its a pilgrimage for her, too, in a small way.
I enjoyed writing it because it just had a very tiny echo of T.S.
I dont think I ever write totally realistic dialogue.
Just about everything I write is shot through or informed by poetry, or by the rhythms of poetry.
Everything that I write is very slightly hyper-realistic, or super realistic.
When I was younger, I always hated those kitchen-sink dramas in England.
And Im not a great fan of gritty realism.
Ive always been drawn to something slightly higher than that, without ever going into the world of fantasy.
What I write, and what interests me, is real life.
But its real life like when youre in love.
Your sensations are heightened.
Im writing about people whose sensations and their expectations are very heightened, and I like that.
How did you decide to push the characters in this direction?
We start with history.
Its widely known that Bjorn Ironside sailed round the Mediterranean.
Hes curious about other cultures.
Hes felt that very strongly, and weve followed that a long time.
Hes following what he thinks of as his fate.
And Floki is going with him, but Floki someone who is increasingly in a crisis.
And the crisis almost comes to a head when they are attacking Moorish Spain.
With the death of Ragnar, Floki has been almost more deeply affected than everyone else.
Its fed his mind, really.
He and Helge are going through difficult times.
These strains on the relationship, these changes theyve become rather separate individuals.
It will have very dramatic outcomes.
This episode left Rollo back home with his family.
I dont want to say too much about it, but the answer is very definitely yes.
Were seeing so much of Lagerthas build-up of Kattegats defensive infrastructure.
Can we expect thats going to play out in a violent fashion?
Absolutely and brutally, yes it does.
And you must never forget that.
