Corvinus85 Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 I'd say it's time for a new thread, not to interrupt the riveting discussion about Skade's looks. I would say one major critique I have about the show, this last great season included, is that from the start the show had the opportunity to go strong with historical accuracy, but ultimately still fell short. It is certainly more accurate than Vikings. I applaud them for the effort to have shield wall battles and resist, by Hollywood standards, the temptation to have main characters go full Conan on adversaries in battle. The use of old English names, as per the books, is also greatly appreciated. Or calling the folks with the longships Danes, instead of yelling out the word viking every time. And of course, the story is written with better sense, for the most part. (Not sure why the Danes spent an entire winter in a camp, waiting for Alfred to die) But I wish they had made more of an effort when it comes to the accuracy of armor. Pretty much falling in the same pit as Vikings, people are constantly wearing leather jackets or vests, often 'studded', like that would do anything. Back in season 1, Alfred gifted Uhtred with a quality mail hauberk, that apparently Uhtred ignored. yeahhh... at least he should have given it to Finan. Poor guy clearly has not enough money, as he can only afford mailed sleeves sewn on a leather jerkin. Similar to Vikings, they decided to give the Mercians a different look from the West Saxons. Recall in Vikings, the Mercians had these yellow jerkins, studded I believe, as opposed to the Renaissance/Eastern mix that the West Saxons wore. Here we have the West Saxons in mail hauberks, with conical helms with nose guards, while the Mercians apparently are all very rich and wear scale hauberks, and something resembling spangenhelms. (props to the helms, though, they at least looked well fitted to the man) That being said, there are quite a lot of things to appreciate. As mentioned before, the shield walls, even in small scale situation, like the standoff at the abbey. Also, Uhtred, this latest season at least, has made use of his seax, Wasp-Sting, as much as his sword. I also spotted a good number of arm rings this season. (too bad the show didn't really address the importance of arm rings in Dane/Norse culture) Last season, a sleeveless Sihtric was the only one to have them, as best as I could tell. End nitpick. I love this show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 Seeing Uhtred in all his war glory from the books would have been epic for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 Bloodhair and Knut were both disappointing.I watch a lot of Nordic tv and the guy who played Bloodhair (Ola Rapace) is a very good actor.I think the writing/paper-thin characterization let both of them down. Overall,i really enjoyed s3.Lot's of emotional moments.Replacing David Dawson will be very hard.Such a fine actor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted December 13, 2018 Author Share Posted December 13, 2018 Is this Cnut supposed to be Cnut Longsword? He's the only Cnut I remember from the books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 3 hours ago, Corvinus said: Is this Cnut supposed to be Cnut Longsword? He's the only Cnut I remember from the books. I think so? But he’s absolutely nothing like him and he’s Ragnars cousin on the show idk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 Replacing Alfred the Great was also impossible in history. Edward the Elder wasn't the brilliant, incisive thinker that Alfred was. Nor did Edward have Alfred's purity of Christian faith -- or at least this is how it comes through in Cornwell's historical fiction, via Uhtred's perspective. Of course, it is also Uhred's fictional perspective that Alfred's daughter, Æthelflæd. was better fit to be the ruler. Historically, Edward provided the advantage of stability by having a long reign, living for a long time, certainly by the standards of the time's average life span. Also, it seems, according to medieval writers, Edward was much admired for most of the reign (a rebellion at the end says what, though?). Whether they were fictionalizing as much as Cornwell, I myself have no idea, since this is so not an area I study. (I know nothing about armor or weapons of the time -- though I do appreciate that the shields and swords don't look light as feathers, as is the case for much on screen where people supposedly are fighting with swords and shield.) Also not much is actually recorded about Edward -- or, if it was, it's been lost/destroyed. Contemporary archaeology must be expanding enormously the information available now about the era. So, yah, one may well think who plays Edward in the next seasons is going to matter a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pliskin Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Season 3 was a big disappointment for me. Some great moments (tears came when Uthred talked of his relationship with Alfred), but overall, the plot didn't make sense. I understand the need of condensing the plotlines of multiple books, but I thought it was better handled the first two seasons. For instance, in season 2, they gave the Norse brothers (book 4) the role of Ivar and Ivarr (book 3) which was smart and allowed to have them present the whole season. Otherwise, the show still followed the events of the books pretty faithfully. In this season, they had the so called new Great Army waiting the whole season for Alfred's death, which is just absurd, both from a storytelling point of view and in-story logistics (the army would just starve and disband before that). But mainly, I disliked: Heasten and Aethelwold's back and forth with Wessex, it required way more suspension of disbelief that I could afford. the original ending they gave to characters that just vanish in the books. Ragnar in the books was original as a Viking as he just wanted to live in peace for the rest of his days in his castle. And he did. It broke my heart to see the death they gave him in the show. Same for Thyra. Why couldn't she just live happily ever after with her Beocca and their many children, as in the books? Why? Was it necessary to have the whole Ragnar family die horribly? And poor Beocca to live trough this... The whole Skade fiasco. Keeping her for much of the season was their biggest mistake. And some other less significant nitpickings, like the mid season battle that was atrociously directed and horribly written (really, Alfred, you want to have all Uthred's men killed just to make a stupid point?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartofice Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 I love most things about this show except the leather vests. Too many people look like they are part of an 80s metal band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted December 21, 2018 Author Share Posted December 21, 2018 Well, thank Thor for that!!! One show Netflix didn't cancel this year! Btw, I miss Klappa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martini Sigil Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Indeed, a greenlit S4 is great news.... I'm always worried when i like a show with a big budget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Hooray! And -- not a word one would normally employ in connection with The Last Kingdom in any way, but that announcement of season 4 was -- Adorable! The negative reaction to cuts and so on in the books, I don't find discombulating at all. For one thing, at this point, even within this season, we've run into a string book installments tat are mostly arsing around (with good parts, but mostly, like -- can't you all get on with it?????). My only real criticism of this season is that awful actress playing Skade and giving her character so much screen time. I mean, really. Not even Uhtred, or most of the other Danes for that matter, could put up with all the torture, eating of human flesh and organs and the rest of it. Just boring obscenity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartofice Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 On 12/24/2018 at 7:19 PM, Zorral said: My only real criticism of this season is that awful actress playing Skade and giving her character so much screen time. I mean, really. Not even Uhtred, or most of the other Danes for that matter, could put up with all the torture, eating of human flesh and organs and the rest of it. Just boring obscenity. I can't put my finger on what is so bad about her, I'm not sure she's an outright bad actress, she just seems so out of place on the show. I think someone said she looks too modern, and I agree with that (maybe her teeth are too good?!), but she is certainly too pretty and it doesn't feel very authentic for her to be hanging around in the show looking like she was off taking instagram selfies 10 minutes before. I seem to have a very similar reaction to many of the character in Vikings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 Season 4 update: Shield walls at the ready! Filming commenced on season 4 of The Last Kingdom on April 11. Quote After the death of Alfred, the alliances between the kingdoms are fractured. Uhtred believes the timing is right to challenge his uncle Aelfric, played by Joseph Millson, and take back his ancestral home, Bebbanburg. However fate shifts in a different direction, leading Uhtred to realise that his destiny is tied to Alfred’s dream of a united land. This, and Uhtred’s feelings for Aethelflaed, drive him back into the politics that threaten to break out into war. Alexander Dreymon reprises his role as Uhtred, joined by new cast Stefanie Martini who takes on the role of Eadith, Aethelred’s new love conquest, and Aethelred’s new right-hand man Eardwulf, played by Jamie Blackley. Returning cast include Ian Hart (Father Beocca), Toby Regbo (Aethelred), Emily Cox (Brida), Timothy Innes (Kind Edward), Eliza Butterworth (Aelswith), Mark Rowley (Finan), Millie Brady (Aethelflaed), Magnus Bruun (Cnut) and Jeppe Beck Laursen (Haesten). The Last Kingdom is written by Martha Hillier, and executive produced by Gareth Neame, Nigel Marchant and Jessica Pope with Vicki Delow producing. Season 4 will launch on Netflix globally in 2020. It will be released at a later date across Africa, Belgium, China, Greece, Israel, Italy, Middle East, the Netherlands, the Nordics and Poland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Which Tyler Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Radio Times article on Season 4: https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-02-12/the-last-kingdom-season-4/ Quote When is The Last Kingdom season four released on Netflix? The show’s renewal was announced in December 2018 via The Last Kingdom’s official Twitter page. In April 2019, Netflix confirmed that filming had begun on the 10 new episodes – and in July 2019, the show’s Instagram page invited fans to “join Uhtred next year on Netflix as the battle continues” – so it looks like season four will arrive in 2020. ... article continues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted February 12, 2020 Author Share Posted February 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Which Tyler said: Radio Times article on Season 4: https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-02-12/the-last-kingdom-season-4/ Well that was not very helpful, other than the couple new castings. I do believe I read somewhere that one of the actors was expecting a summer release. After the last two of novels, the one thing I hope the show changes is how Uhtred and the story in general treat the women in his life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 3 hours ago, Corvinus said: After the last two of novels, the one thing I hope the show changes is how Uhtred and the story in general treat the women in his life. Good luck with that. Argh. Spoiler Especially the perfunctory and brief manner in which out with the present in with the new was handled in the most recent one. Let's face it -- this guy's got a thing for nasty women who love blades and blood, spiced with a sense of witchery / sorcery. Ugh. Unless she's a princess or queen. Still, Imma lookin' forward! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veltigar Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 On 2/12/2020 at 1:30 PM, Corvinus said: Well that was not very helpful, other than the couple new castings. I do believe I read somewhere that one of the actors was expecting a summer release. After the last two of novels, the one thing I hope the show changes is how Uhtred and the story in general treat the women in his life. I saw the update and I was so hoping that the season would be out already This has got to be the one series where the books come out at a faster pace than the films. On 2/12/2020 at 5:01 PM, Zorral said: Hide contents Especially the perfunctory and brief manner in which out with the present in with the new was handled in the most recent one. Let's face it -- this guy's got a thing for nasty women who love blades and blood, spiced with a sense of witchery / sorcery. Ugh. Unless she's a princess or queen. I like the books. They quick and fund reads, but that was really terrible in deed. I groaned a few times by how obvious it was all set up. At least he should have been more classy about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Veltigar said: At least he should have been more classy about it. He was in a hurry, presumably, particularly to stay ahead of the screen's unfair advantage of doing 2 books at time when he writes one at a time. I do think though that Uhtred has reached his sell-by date Spoiler despite getting yet another new wife much younger than himself. Like rock guys, he gets older but their girlfriends etc. remain the same age. Like J Lo and Mark Antony aged out for each other, so they divorced and hooked up with much younger people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veltigar Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 13 hours ago, Zorral said: He was in a hurry, presumably, particularly to stay ahead of the screen's unfair advantage of doing 2 books at time when he writes one at a time. I do think though that Uhtred has reached his sell-by date Hide contents despite getting yet another new wife much younger than himself. Like rock guys, he gets older but their girlfriends etc. remain the same age. Like J Lo and Mark Antony aged out for each other, so they divorced and hooked up with much younger people. Nah, he has at least one more wife to go. The Christian one he's always nagging about in earlier books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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