Vikings IX: The Bear Necessities [SPOILERS]

[Leofric]

13 minutes ago, Astromech said:

 I'm not entirely convinced Yidu is dead. It would be nice to move on from that arc, but I remain a bit skeptical. It was a quick drowning. I also am not sure why Ragnar was so secretive about it. He's king and she's his slave.

 

Ragnar killed her to protect the secret that the Wessex settlement has been wiped out, same as he killed the survivor that Floki had brought to him before.   I figure he doesn't want to have to lie about why he killed her, better that no one even know that he did it.   

[Buckwheat]

Only that the boys now do and seem very disappointed in their father and judgemental of them.

Erlendur's scene was unnecessary. Yes, we know he is a bad guy and needs to be wiped out, get on with it already.

Sigurd intrigues me, I want to see more of what is inside his head. I like how children are presented in this series.

So what is up with Eckbert's declaration of love for Judith? Is it genuine? Knowing Eckbert, I have a hard time believing him when he starts going on about something like that because we know he is supposed to be a master manipulator and liked having Judith under his control. But on the other hand, for a moment it seemed to me like Judith somehow replaced Athelstan for him in his mind. Weird.

I assume the pouch where the Chinese drugs were supposed to be is empty. I hope Ragnar starts being wholly himself ASAP!

[Astromech]

3 minutes ago, Leofric said:

Ragnar killed her to protect the secret that the Wessex settlement has been wiped out, same as he killed the survivor that Floki had brought to him before.   I figure he doesn't want to have to lie about why he killed her, better that no one even know that he did it.   

Yeah, the motive was quite clear. His secrecy  of her murder was a bit unclear. Perhaps it's just another symptom of his drug addiction, being irrational and paranoid. I tend to overanalyze such things while watching. Perhaps that is why I'm still skeptical of her actually being dead.

[jarl the climber]

1 hour ago, Astromech said:

Yeah, the motive was quite clear. His secrecy  of her murder was a bit unclear. Perhaps it's just another symptom of his drug addiction, being irrational and paranoid. I tend to overanalyze such things while watching. Perhaps that is why I'm still skeptical of her actually being dead.

Yeah, they seemed to show things from her perspective underneath the water and that would leave you to believe that maybe she was faking death somehow. I think he was sort of ashamed that his kids saw him kill her and that between that and the drugs he is on that was the reason he acted a little funny about it.

Still Kwentwirth and Odo are definitely dead. Like Kalf I thought Odo's death was sort of uninspired, he was beaten to death in his own torture chamber, how ironic, give me a fucking break. Kwentwirths death also kind of sucked but unlike Odos, her death will have more consequences for the story going forward with everything that is going on in the English storyline. As far as we can tell Egbert honestly believes that Alfred has been sent by God, his intentions towards Aethwulf are unclear, he seems to consider Judith more important at this point. He does need to turn her against her Father for his plans to work.

[GallowKnight]

I feel like I am saying the same thing in these posts every week. the vikings on raid is good and the rest is pretty bad. It seems strange to me how they have one part of the show that works so well (Torvi and Elendur notwithstanding) but the rest are just so bad? And how the creators doesn't even seem to see it?

At least they have started dumping off some dead weight. Kwenthrith, Odo and Yidu in one episode. Odo's death was a little random, but he wont be missed. I hope Yidu really is dead, although they seems to have conveniently forgotten that Floki knows about the Wesses settlement being wiped out. I also hope that Kwenthrith's death leads to Athelwulf putting Echberth to the sword.

[RhaenysBee]

So let's get cozy with a tea and a hair straightener and see what we have this week. 

*rubs hands together* 

[Corvinus85]

11 minutes ago, The_Gallows_Knight said:

At least they have started dumping off some dead weight. Kwenthrith, Odo and Yidu in one episode. Odo's death was a little random, but he wont be missed. I hope Yidu really is dead, although they seems to have conveniently forgotten that Floki knows about the Wesses settlement being wiped out. I also hope that Kwenthrith's death leads to Athelwulf putting Echberth to the sword.

Considering that it was Judith who did the deed, I can see Ecbert weasel out of that and have Aethelwulf murder his wife.

[GallowKnight]

13 minutes ago, Corvinus said:

Considering that it was Judith who did the deed, I can see Ecbert weasel out of that and have Aethelwulf murder his wife.

Honestly, I'm fine with either.

[HexMachina]

So much wanton death and destruction of characters I was so eager to see bumped off. And yet, I was still disappointed...

[Zorral]

Ragnar's plan is pretty good, if rather Aguirre Wrath of Godish (1972 Hertzog film).

I do believe Floki, or someone like him among the vikings, would have what it takes for such an engineering feat, but -- on what are the Vikings living, while doing all this back-breaking work?  That takes a lot of calories (unless they were like Aguirre wandering the New World wildernesses, I guess -- though his soldiers did rebel against it.) Weren't all their supplies burned or taken by the Frankians?  All around them looks pretty non-cultivated, and if there are farms and villages to raid, surely the news would get back to Paris lickety splitty. Also if they're chopping down the forests and building that corduroy road, surely that news would be getting back to Paris anyway? This is months and months of work.  Still, one quite likes the viking ship sailing through the Gaulish forests to come at the back side of the Île-de-France.  So cinematic.  Makes one think of that famous scene from Lean's Lawrence of Arabia (1962), where we see over a sand dune, ship's sails.

If Odo was to be executed for treason why do it in secret?  And why do it that way?  Why not just off with his head in public as a lesson to other potential traitors?  And is it that the French king is now going to get whipped by-- or whip -- pretty little Therese?  Good grief, she, parading around with her wrists crossed behind her back like that!  Really Hirst, that's all ya got?'

As for the murder of Kwenthrith, really Eckbert, you handled that so very very badly.  Here she is, the Queen of Mercia, pregnant with your son's child, a perfectly legitimate heir to Mercia, right in your hands. That was stupid.  Very, very stupid.

 

[RhaenysBee]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?! 

My heart is so happy because something finally happened, but my brain is still having seizures from how that something happened. 

First things first. HELGA LIVES! Happy dance. Yidu doesn't! Happy dance. 

Seriously, let's see what happened and how. 

Are you seriously telling me that the battle for Mercia happened completely off screen? I mean I have a budget too, but maybe that escalated a little too quickly. And was Kwenthryth always this stupid? How does she not know about Ecbert and Judith? How does she trust Judith? Why would she help her? Why? What was the point of that scene? And what was the point of Ecbert confessing his love to Judith? It's boring, it's pointless, it's repetitive. Did she fall for that? Did Princess #feminism fall for that bullshit? And the death scene... I know you shouldn't compare boyfriends and show writers because they are all different and it's not nice, but when Ilithya killed Seppia, her motive was clear, her source of weapon was clear, her reason to show up was clear and she took fucking responsibility! What the hell do you mean "look what you have made me become"?! What HE made you become?! Did he make you become a serial adulterer #freely #feminism? Did he make you kill a pregnant woman? Take fucking responsiblilty, sister! For god's sake, Judith needs to die. 

I loved the writing for Count Odo this episode. You know what I would have loved more? If they didn't start building this conflict last episode! Would it have cause Michael Hirst physical pain to start building this up from season start? It would have actually made use of  the bloody emperor! Oh no, what a horrible situation to be in! This one says Odo wants to betray me, that one says Rollo wants to betray me, damn, who is going to betray me, damn I have to use my brain! And by the way, why did he believe Lord Mystery and Therese and not Count Odo? Why? Was his trust shaken in Odo? Did he have greater trust in these ones? I have seen neither. Why did he believe what they said just like that? 

But Odo's execution was on point, I give them that. Great idea to lure him into a trap like that, he deserved the kind of death he got, I liked that scene. 

Do you think Baby Rollo will be born with tattoos and braids? 

Let's move to... Kattegat. What I said earlier about falling for bullshit, if Ecbert is the king of bullshit, Harbard is the effing god of bullshit. And Aslaug was like, Bullshit!  I'm still hoping Sigurd kills Harbard, though his name is credited in the intro now so who knows. 

Let's lift the ships, carry them across the mountain and get them back on water again. Doesn't that take like a long time? I mean it's none of my busines and nobody complained. And Floki did build siege towers in the snap of a finger too.

So Ragnar killed Yidu so nobody would know what happened to the settlers in Wessex. This kinda makes sense, though at the same time, it doesn't. She was a threat to his position. But. Does this imply that Yidu never held meaning for Ragnar? Or does it imply that Ragnar's brain is so eaten by Chinese goo that he is now killing people he cares for. I suppose we will see next episode if there is any remorse in him. Sadly, Yidu's character now lost all sense. WHY the F did she get Ragnar addicted? We will never know. Better question, was there any point in the boys' witnessing the scene? I personally doubt that Micheal Hirst has any plans with this but, it's just there for the same unclear reason Kwenthryth talked to Judith and Yidu drugged Ragnar. 

Oh Torvi. No. Not worth wasting words on what the F that was. 

Here, have a baby, or two.

 

 

[Spockydog]

2 hours ago, The_Gallows_Knight said:

I feel like I am saying the same thing in these posts every week. the vikings on raid is good and the rest is pretty bad. It seems strange to me how they have one part of the show that works so well (Torvi and Elendur notwithstanding) but the rest are just so bad? And how the creators doesn't even seem to see it?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Hirst seems hell-bent on turning this show into a viking version of the Tudors. I mean, you get some pretty cool historical stuff (engineering those ships up the cliffs was awesome), padded out with scene after cringe-worthy scene of tedious, romantic bullshit. And I fear they are about to foist the worst ever couple to grace this show upon us in the shape of the Pathetic Emperor and the awful incestuous wotzhername, who is by far the worst actor they've had on the show.

 

[Spockydog]

1 hour ago, Zorral said:

As for the murder of Kwenthrith, really Eckbert, you handled that so very very badly.  Here she is, the Queen of Mercia, pregnant with your son's child, a perfectly legitimate heir to Mercia, right in your hands. That was stupid.  Very, very stupid.

Well, she did just try to kill him.

Having said that, poor Kwenthrith. I shall miss her. She was an excellent character.

 

[Veltigar]

My friend's dad makes 50 dollars an hour. Do you want to know how? He just goes to Taco Bell, stuffs his face and when he gets home he takes a big steaming dump. After that, he calls the History Channel and they send Michael Hirst with a camera. He films the shit out of that piece of shit, splices it with random instances of Travis Fimmel doing brilliant stuf after he's had too much to drink on jamboree weekend. Throw some untalented daughters in there, bearded extras and some wardruna jams and you have a hit tv-show.

EDIT: Everyone is happy. No victims. RIGHT? RIGHT? RIGHT!!!!

 

[wolverine]

I wish Ragnar would stop sucking.

[Winterfell is Burning]

5 hours ago, Zorral said:

Ragnar's plan is pretty good, if rather Aguirre Wrath of Godish (1972 Hertzog film).

 

Wrong Werner Herzog film.

[Magnar of Skagos]

On 4/8/2016 at 11:13 PM, Jack Bauer 24 said:

Was the Bjorn fake out death really necessary?

You could ask that question about virtually every single plot point in season 4 thus far

[Raksha 2014]

6 hours ago, Spockydog said:

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Hirst seems hell-bent on turning this show into a viking version of the Tudors. I mean, you get some pretty cool historical stuff (engineering those ships up the cliffs was awesome), padded out with scene after cringe-worthy scene of tedious, romantic bullshit. And I fear they are about to foist the worst ever couple to grace this show upon us in the shape of the Pathetic Emperor and the awful incestuous wotzhername, who is by far the worst actor they've had on the show.

 

 

I liked The Tudors; at least parts of it.  What I don't like is Vikings becoming the Dark Ages version of it.  

Things that were a waste of my viewing time this season:  Ragnar becoming a junkie, too much Floki-torture, Odious Odo and his whipping fetish and the annoying girl and her annoying brother or boyfriend or whatever.  Couldn't the annoying girl just go away?  Now she's apparently attaching herself to the tedious Frankish Emperor.  I don't watch Vikings to see Court Intrigue in Wessex and not-so-gay-Paris; I watch it to see Ragnar & Co. make shield-walls and do other cool viking stuff.  Instead of the scenes with Odious Odo whipping the girl, and the girl conniving with her brother/boyfriendJaimeLannisterwannabe, we could have been given scenes with Rollo taking possession of his new Dukedom of Normandy or making friends with someone other than Gisela (who's hair looks like it recently came out of a beauty salon, not a medieval court).  

At least Odious Odo is dead.  I hope Yidu stays dead.  I wish Erlendur would become dead and Halverd would follow him.

[HexMachina]

6 hours ago, Spockydog said:

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Hirst seems hell-bent on turning this show into a viking version of the Tudors. I mean, you get some pretty cool historical stuff (engineering those ships up the cliffs was awesome), padded out with scene after cringe-worthy scene of tedious, romantic bullshit. And I fear they are about to foist the worst ever couple to grace this show upon us in the shape of the Pathetic Emperor and the awful incestuous wotzhername, who is by far the worst actor they've had on the show.

 

Yeah I enjoyed the engineering stuff (which was also pretty good last season, and felt more in tune with Floki the Boatbuilder of season 1) but the rest was awful. And why must the have Torvi accompany the group? Here's hoping that her being the only one to wear bright clothes makes her easy pickings for French archers.

Kwen's escape "plan" did not need Judith at all. Logically she would keep quiet and not involve anyone else. It simply involved wearing a big cloak and walking through the gates. Wow, so cunning. But who cares about what makes sense now?

Also, has the acting always been so terrible, or did it recently take a nosedive? Because it's largely been pretty dire, and I don't just mean Torvi. Whoever plays Judith is really glaringly bad too.

Since it looks like we get a mid-season break, I might tune out after episode 10. This has been terrible so far. 

from the promo for next week

So it was always about Rome? Goodness, if that turns out to be the case then Hirst has officially just thrown his own story out the window and forgotten that it was Paris that Athelstan sold to Ragnar, not Rome. 

also, yay, Torvi gets a bigger role  perks of being a Hirst. If this doesn't end in Erlendur's death I may scream

Therese (has her name ever been said before 408?) and The Emperor sounds like a terrible idea. No doubt that's why they went with it.

Yay, King Aelle is back. Maybe I shouldn't cheer though, the longer he is on screen the more chances Hirst has to ruin the best thing about Wessex 

[Zorral]

14 hours ago, Winterfell is Burning said:

Wrong Werner Herzog film.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-aguirre-the-wrath-of-god-1972

As for Kwenthrith trying to kill Ecbert -- that was a stupid move on her part too.  But she was severely provoked by his idiocy.

Idiots, all around, enough for everybody!    Which tells us all a great deal about the people running the shows whatever era or country we're in.