Veltigar Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 Most of you watch this series high or drunk I guess? Because I can't for the life of me imagine how you could enjoy this mess completely sober. Fuck, that was by far the worst episode of the season. I don't know if there is like an anti-showcase for the Emmy awards, but Bjorn's ridiculous little rage speech definitely deserved some sort of TV equivalent for the razzies. The way Hirst is handling this material is infuryiating. Why do we need this many love triangles? Why do we not get to see the battle we deserve? Why does everyone refer to the army as 'The Great Heathen Army' (It's kind of like the unironic version of this scene)? Even the worldbuilding was derivative this time around and those otherwordly scenes were always Vikings' strong suit (both the sacrifice and the Blood eagle were done way better before). I just can't believe how this show veered straight into shit in just two episodes. We wasted like a whole season worth of great material (assembling the GHA and power struggle between the brothers) for such a bland couple of episodes. And Aethelwulf is a fucking pussy, no sympathy for him. That conversation came out of leftfield and was in no way warranted by this last episode. 1 hour ago, dbunting said: With scarface, do we really always have to have drama back in Kattegat every time the warriors leave? Also, from the looks of it almost every able bodied man went to avenge Ragnar, so who the hell is left to attack Kattegat anyway? The most fearsome defenders of them all... the lesbians 1 minute ago, Einheri said: That said, Elisef’s husband would also be expected to either seek vengeance for the death of his wife or at least claim some form of compensation (money, goods etc.) from Harald. I don't get why he didn't just kill the husband. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einheri Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 31 minutes ago, Veltigar said: Most of you watch this series high or drunk I guess? Because I can't for the life of me imagine how you could enjoy this mess completely sober. Fuck, that was by far the worst episode of the season. I guess this show is a bit like pizza. Even when it's bad, it's still good enough for some reason. 31 minutes ago, Veltigar said: I don't get why he didn't just kill the husband. My interpretation: Harald was clearly not in control of his emotions when he started threatening Elisef, but he had calmed down by the time he started to direct his focus towards the earl, and considering that the earl might have relatives of his own who might be eager to avenge him, and that Harald & co would soon be going to England, perhaps he came to the conclusion that this was not the time or place to kill the earl and potentially start a feud between (most of) Norway and whatever Earldom his rival controlled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 2 hours ago, Veltigar said: And Aethelwulf is a fucking pussy, no sympathy for him. That conversation came out of leftfield and was in no way warranted by this last episode. I have to disagree with you one this one. That conversation was a long time coming, I'm glad it happened. Sure Aethelwulf could have skipped over the step of crying for his dad's love, and go straight to killing his dad and taking the throne, but I didn't feel it was out of place. And I try to watch this series with a certain degree of generosity nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbunting Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 3 hours ago, Einheri said: I guess this show is a bit like pizza. Even when it's bad, it's still good enough for some reason. Nope. I found myself playing on my tablet while I watched this episode and actually fast forwarded through some of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guess who's back Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Every episode is gradually getting worse and worse this season. What's the point of Bjorn slutting around? What's the point of the blonde girl and three Ragnar sons? What the fuck is this plot. It's god damn soap opera. Ivar is the only interesting and bearable character left in the whole show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Oh, Jesus. What a load of shit this show has become. The latest episode was so bad, not even generalzod can be arsed to defend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veltigar Posted January 21, 2017 Author Share Posted January 21, 2017 I'm glad I'm not the only one who really hated this last episode I just don't care for the direction Hirst is taking with this. We got rid of Aelle in a single episode.... The army came together in what two episodes in total? What the fuck... The struggle to get all the various earls and kings of Scandinavia together in the great heathen army would have been the perfect quest to flesh out the Lothbrocksons. They should have filled at least half a season with them plotting to get all the heads turend in the direction of England (while conspiring against Lagartha). Meanwhile Bjorn could have continued rampaging across the Mediterranean basin, fleshing out Hvitserk through his relation with Bjorn. That would also have been a great way to introduce some conflict between the brothers, with Hvitserk supporting Bjorn more because of the fights they have been in together (and if you have to have a character like Margrethe, she could be a crux for the conflict to deepen later on). On the one hand we could have seen closer ties grow between Ubbe and Ivar (aka the looks and the spirit of Ragnar). My views are distorted by reading the Saxon Stories of course, but that intriguing relation between those two Ragnarsons could have been build during this part of the story. The Great Heathen Army itself could have benefitted from that exposure as well. Right now, it's just a faceless bunch of goons. We don't know them, nor do we care. The brother's quest could have been a great way to add some new memorable side characters, in the form of the earls, kings, shield maidens and champions the boys could have collected along their way. You know the equivalent of guys like Torstein, Arne, Leiv or the elder Viking who wished to accompany Ragnar to England to die in battle and gain entrance to Valhalla. Ubbe could have been fleshed out as the brawn of the operation. Ivar of course being the brain and Sigurd, who seems to be the more artistic one, could have been outed as a poet singing songs about his father to unite the various fighters behind this single unified effort to claim a piece of England for themselves. After the formation of the army and whatever deal they struck with Lagertha, they should have sailed to England. Perhaps do some plundering under way (like attack the one earl who refused to join their GHA or something), establishing their cruelty. And all the while we could perhaps some people in England going batshit crazy over the size of the host coming their way. Show us Aelle shoring up his defences, hiring more warriors and striking alliances with the other English kings. Show us the fear of the common man. After the ending of the actual host, show us the campaign. Let's see how the various sons of Ragnar compete to lay waste to as much of the land as they can to avenge their father. In the end, let them converge on Aelle's army and utterly rip him to shreds. Also, please don't whimp up Aelle anymore than they need to. If he is to offer gold and silver in the end, let it be in exchange for the life of his family or something. And of course, they should not have such a weak excuse for an execution as what we saw on the show. The blood eagle in season two was so much better. This felt like amateurhour and was nowhere near viscious enough. The show should have turned it into something much more apocalyptic. Let Ubbe and Hvitserk keep Aelle down instead of letting them just stand there awkwardly, have Sigurd play his lute and recite a poem about the famed exploits of Ragnar, let Ivar slither through the dirt and whisper to Aelle what he plans to do to his family, kingdom and God. Have the other Vikings dispose of their prisoners in the background (and make sure there are a lot). That would have been memorable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pliskin Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 I totally agree. I still can't believe they got rid of Aelle in one episode. I wasn't planning to watch the episode. But then some spoilery thread title on reddit popped up about the blood eagle, and I just couldn't believe it... I had to see it with my own eyes. And even through the episode, I still couldn't. I mean, 90% of the episode or so was spent in Kattegat. Surely, that thread title was wrong. They couldn't just skim through the invasion of Northumbria in 5 minutes, right? Not even Hirst would dare do that, right? Well, I guess, despite all the hate I displayed for this guy here and there, he will still continue to amaze me forever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 The most annoying thing about the show are the love triangles and ridiculous fucking sex scenes. My toes have yet to uncurl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veltigar Posted January 21, 2017 Author Share Posted January 21, 2017 Just watched the promo for next week... guess which town gets attacked? The horrorscenario forming in my head is that Lagertha loses (I do hope Torvi bites it), while in England the GHA scores a massive victory and the brothers manage to kill Aethelwulf. But right before they get to finish of Wessex, they are called back to deal with the Lagertha situation, which allows Ecbert to reorganize the kingdom just in time for Alfred to take over and use his Athelstan powers to twart the vikings when they return. 4 hours ago, Pliskin said: I totally agree. I still can't believe they got rid of Aelle in one episode. I wasn't planning to watch the episode. But then some spoilery thread title on reddit popped up about the blood eagle, and I just couldn't believe it... I had to see it with my own eyes. And even through the episode, I still couldn't. I mean, 90% of the episode or so was spent in Kattegat. Surely, that thread title was wrong. They couldn't just skim through the invasion of Northumbria in 5 minutes, right? Not even Hirst would dare do that, right? Well, I guess, despite all the hate I displayed for this guy here and there, he will still continue to amaze me forever... Truly baffling choices. The execution of Aelle should have been such a seminal moment, the culmination of a long quest. A great victory for the Vikings, like one of their biggest moments, I just can't fathom it really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace, Extat Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Glad to see I'm not the only one who found this episode completely repulsive. The love triangle? The wedding night? The penetration parallel? Garbage And I found the guitar riff during the GHA assembly to feel out of place, though that's barely worth mentioning. This season started out looking like it was going to drag the show from the muck, but now it's deeper in the mire than ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 2 hours ago, Pony Queen Jace said: . . . . This season started out looking like it was going to drag the show from the muck, but now it's deeper in the mire than ever. Isn't it great that there is at least one constant in the world that can always be depended on, that Hirst will always make it worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 11 minutes ago, Zorral said: Isn't it great that there is at least one constant in the world that can always be depended on, that Hirst will always make it worse? This interview response perfectly sums up his approach to writing. Quote EW: When the sons look into Ragnar’s grave, his body seems to be gone. Where do you think it went? Hirst: That’s a very good question, because I hadn’t really thought about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einheri Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 On 20.1.2017 at 9:18 PM, dbunting said: Nope. I found myself playing on my tablet while I watched this episode and actually fast forwarded through some of it. I acknowledge that it’s probably one of the worst episodes we’ve seen so far. Yes, they basically blue balled us with the “battle”. A lot of hype, but no real payoff. Yes, Aelle’s execution was a bit anti-climactic… and they didn’t even carry it out properly as they forgot to pull out his lounges and place them over his shoulders. Yes, all the love triangles are getting a bit tiresome, and the sex/human sacrifice scene was somewhat cringy. Yes, the dialogue felt very forced at some points, like when Harald and Halfdan first spotted Elisef or when Björn spoke to his brothers about who should lead the GHA. Now, as to why I still found this episode (and the show in general) entertaining despite all the above… Well, I’ve thought about it for a while now, and I think it’s because I happen to be interested in studying the way they’re portraying this historical period, the events that took place there and the characters involved, and then compare it with my own knowledge on these subjects. So, there is always something which catches my attention, be it details like arms and armor or what they’re doing with important historical figures like Alfred the Great. If that makes any sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 1 hour ago, Einheri said: Now, as to why I still found this episode (and the show in general) entertaining despite all the above… Well, I’ve thought about it for a while now, and I think it’s because I happen to be interested in studying the way they’re portraying this historical period, the events that took place there and the characters involved, and then compare it with my own knowledge on these subjects. So, there is always something which catches my attention, be it details like arms and armor or what they’re doing with important historical figures like Alfred the Great. If that makes any sense. Histories and studies of armor and even a bit of knowledge of same underline how silly the whole thing is became and remains, so not really making sense. What you mean is that it is empty meaningless distraction that fits what works for you, which is something else entirely. OK, but different. If that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einheri Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 19 minutes ago, Zorral said: Histories and studies of armor and even a bit of knowledge of same underline how silly the whole thing is became and remains, so not really making sense. What you mean is that it is empty meaningless distraction that fits what works for you, which is something else entirely. OK, but different. If that makes sense. They do get a lot (and I mean A LOT) of things wrong, true, but I have come to realize that I actually enjoy looking out for and spotting these errors as it provides me with a sense of... accomplishment, I guess? Anyway, I was just trying to understand why I’m having so much fun with this series even when it’s quite bad. Not trying to make excuses for the show's shortcomings or criticize anyone for not liking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetyrPunkinhead Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 On 1/20/2017 at 10:06 AM, Veltigar said: Most of you watch this series high or drunk I guess? Because I can't for the life of me imagine how you could enjoy this mess completely sober. Fuck, that was by far the worst episode of the season. I don't know if there is like an anti-showcase for the Emmy awards, but Bjorn's ridiculous little rage speech definitely deserved some sort of TV equivalent for the razzies. You're too right. I am sorely disappointed in the latter half of this season. There are a lot of plot points where I'm just going "WTF?" I think the actor playing Bjorn is now just trying to channel Fimmel's Ragnar with speech patterns and mannerisims Bjorn didn't 29 minutes ago, Veltigar said: ...Truly baffling choices. The execution of Aelle should have been such a seminal moment, the culmination of a long quest. A great victory for the Vikings, like one of their biggest moments, I just can't fathom it really. My guess is Hirst was pissed Last Kingdom outdid him in getting to Alfred, so he's rushing that for next season.At least next episode looks to have some kickass battles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 4 hours ago, PetyrPunkinhead said: My guess is Hirst was pissed Last Kingdom outdid him in getting to Alfred, so he's rushing that for next season.At least next episode looks to have some kickass battles. I haven't watched 4b yet though I have it recorded if I ever get the urge but this is one of the main reasons aside from the diminishing quality that I think I'm gonna drop the show. Don't need two shows set in the same time period especially since they already butchered this Alfred character on Vikings from the jump by making him an acknowledged bastard of the great Athelstan . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 7 hours ago, PetyrPunkinhead said: You're too right. I am sorely disappointed in the latter half of this season. There are a lot of plot points where I'm just going "WTF?" I think the actor playing Bjorn is now just trying to channel Fimmel's Ragnar with speech patterns and mannerisims Bjorn didn't My guess is Hirst was pissed Last Kingdom outdid him in getting to Alfred, so he's rushing that for next season.At least next episode looks to have some kickass battles. Primary though is that sex is so much easier to script and shoot, and soooooooooooooo much cheaper than dressing, staging, choreographing, acting and shooting battles. even if one has drones with cameras to get panoramic overhead shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace, Extat Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 4 hours ago, Zorral said: Primary though is that sex is so much easier to script and shoot, and soooooooooooooo much cheaper than dressing, staging, choreographing, acting and shooting battles. even if one has drones with cameras to get panoramic overhead shots. Don't forget write. I would have watched 4 seasons of Ragnar and Ecbert (early versions please) sitting at dinner and talking. Maybe they go into the bathouse every other episode. Have Aethelwolf glower every now and then, whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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