Vikings, Season 2, Episode 4, “Eye for an Eye”
Written by Michael Hirst
Directed by Ken Girotti
Airs Thursdays at 10pm EST on History
Let’s not forget this about Vikings; it’s vital, it’s bloody, and it’s brutal. Michael Hirst’s fundamental grasp of the unchecked violent obsessions all leaders of that time period boasted, and the ways they indulged their lust for blood alongside their political interests, is what elevates Athelstan ultimate fate into something tremendously heart-breaking, and bizarrely necessary; as a modern audience, we recognise what cruel interests are at play, and what Athelstan himself has lost; that is, more damage to his spirit than to his flesh alone. Ego — as Rollo and others would attest to — corrodes, regardless of whether it’s a naive certainty one might better serve a different leader, or might be better absorbed into a different pack.
The same keen sense of brutality laces much of tonight’s affairs just the same. Ragnar’s encounter with Ecbert, in the baths, is a masterclass in how the simple act of disrobing can be turned into a demonstration of an (otherwise uncanny) figure’s new uncertainty; Fimmel’s over-the-shoulder glance, and his deigning to even join his enemy in the tub, speak of a need to be both brave, and vulnerable in that courage; to be a man that won’t flinch from the cool battle plans and insinuations that are briefly detailed. What Vikings occasionally lacks for in clarity or considered delivery, it certainly makes up for in its consideration of character relationships and its selection of perfectly-matched actors to play these dynamics out; such as the way Fimmel acts as the emotional anchor and centre point to many of his fickler comrades (we’re looking at you, Athlestan), or the way his subtle, antagonistic chemistry carries much of their interchanges. And it’s this reviewer’s opinion that it’s high-time Ragnar’s had a foe to match his mettle.
(I’d feel wrong if I didn’t pay my dues to the innumerable character relationships that are given further heft; Floki and Holga’s conversation on the shore, and the care with which Holga addresses Floki’s anguished concerns that the gods have turned against them, is a particularly beautiful beat in an increasingly dark story.)
Meanwhile, Jarl Borg, Lagertha, and Aslaug’s stories have been compartmentalised into neat little packets of narrative, which have then been dispersed among Ragnar’s storyline, which currently — and consistently has — carried the weight of the show. On Lagertha’s front, I’ll admit that I’ve had some concerns about Alexander Ludwig’s being casted as the newly grown Bjorn. What’s most notable about Ludwig’s resume thus far has been his involvement in The Hunger Games — and yes, he’s done some remarkable work there, but I worried there’d have been a tacit ease for Ludwig to slip back into the role of someone similarly physical and self-aware of their physical prowess. He could, but he doesn’t. In his hands, Bjorn is rendered every bit as keenly-edged as his mother, while retaining a palpable sense of naivety and a need for political shaping. The reunion between Ragnar and Bjorn is equal parts
It appears that Hirst wishes us to invest as much effort and emotional commitment in the princess; and I’ll confess myself oddly fond of the quiet way in which Aslaug voices her woes, but it’s difficult to focus upon her when her husband’s off invading other countries. This separation isn’t to last for long though: a messenger from home, come to Ragnar broaches the topic of the invasion with his leader, thus sending Lothbrok and his warriors sweeping off home. Rollo’s fulfilled his oath in ensuring that Aslaug, and the rest of Ragnar’s family, remain safe. In comparison to previous conversations between the two, wherein Rollo was the wily antagonist, his stint in exile and the responsibility he’s recently shouldered as a protector, has turned him sure and certain of what revenge can and cannot be taken. Ragnar’s the one left to brood.
He’s not to worry.