The Viking army descends on the coast of Northumbria.
The Great Army assembles in Kattegat, kings and earls and heroes and monsters.
A great sacrifice must be made, says Lagertha, the heroic Queen.
Credit: Bernard Walsh/History
The gods call for a special sacrifice at times like this.
The question is not what, but who?
All must sacrifice in times like this.
The sons of Ragnar Lothbrok must sacrifice their pride, perhaps, or perhaps much more.
Ivar Boneless must sacrifice his ambition, for the moment.
Some of his brothers think the army doesnt need a leader at all.
What battles have you won?
Bjorn asks his brother, Ivar.
What battles have you lost?
Theyre a curious lot, these sons of Ragnar: Selfish and self-regarding, noble and proud.
Ivar jealously covets greatness, but Ubbe and Hvitserk believe in sharing.
Ubbe marries Margrethe, the former slave.
But he knows his younger brother covets Margrethe loves her, even.
I dont think its fair that I should keep Margrethe to myself, says Ubbe.
How can you not be jealous?
We are Vikings, Ubbe says, as if that explains everything.
They spend the wedding night together in bed, all three of them.
What tangled lives they lead, the great and tragic Lothbroks!
Queen Lagertha takes on her ceremonial duty, sacrificing an Earl for the armys cause.
The Earl is not afraid.
He is a believer, and when Lagertha stabs him with her sword, he pulls her in closer.
The gods greet the sacrifice with shooting stars overhead, a good omen if you believe in such things.
Love, or something like it, is all around in Kattegat these days.
Yet she is already married to an Earl in Denmark.
I was aKing, Harald tells her, And I was not good enough for you.
In the meantime, you marry a nobody?
Its a side of Harald we have not seen before.
Harald has always sought power, with great violence and little curiosity about the cultures he plunders.
Yet Harald is only human, after all.
I have built my entire life around you, he says, madly, half-considering killing his old love.
NEXT: Tangled webs woven in Wessex
King Ecberts friends never grew old.
Think of Athelstan and Ragnar, dead and buried in lands so far from where they were born.
But Ecbert is old now, no denying it.
Youre not behaving like a King anymore, says Aethelwulf.
Youre distracted, youre withdrawn, you seem unsure and hesitant.
Aethelwulf has heard of the arrival of the Great Heathen Army, and he is angry at his father.
Angry because Ecbert let Ragnars son, Ivar, go free.
And angry because… Well, where to start?
Most of my life, youve either manipulated or humiliated me, says Aethelwulf.
What kind of a father are you?
Ecbert has no easy answer for him.
Perhaps he does not believe in easy answers anymore.
He trusts Aethelwulf completely; that is why he always used him.
But thats not the answer Aethelwulf is looking for.
Ecbert loved Athelstan and Ragnar, and he loves Judith.
Do you loveme, father?
Because if you do, I want you to say so, I need you to say so.
Perhaps he doesnt love his son.
And perhaps his son is wrong, and he never really loved anybody.
(Thats one interpretation put forward byVikingswriter Michael Hirst inour latest postmortem conversation.)
King Aelle is not the kind of ruler who doubts.
He doesnt doubt himself, nor his fate, nor his moral rightness.
An army has arrived, you say?
A Great Heathen Army?
Impossible, no such thing.
Heathens are not great; they are piddling little monsters, less human than vermin.
He rides out to battle knowing God is on his side.
King Aelle offers his captors whatever they want, anything at all.
Ive been taught your god is a carpenter, says Floki.
And so again to the blood eagle, that most monstrous and vengeful and violent execution of Viking society.
Does he feel the skin leave his back forever?
Does he feel his blood fly onto the faces of Ragnars sons?
Does he hear Ragnar Lothbroks voice, one last time?
Vikingshas always excelled at surprising the audience, dropping season-finale moments into episodes throughout the season.
Revenge was no different.
