Creators:
Michael HirstScreenplay:
Michael HirstComposer:
Trevor MorrisCast:
Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, Gustaf Skarsgård, Clive Standen, Alexander Ludwig, Linus Roache, Moe Dunford, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jefferson Hall (more)VOD (3)
Seasons(6) / Episodes(89)
Plots(1)
The world of the Vikings is brought to life through the journey of Ragnar Lothbrok, the first Viking to emerge from Norse legend and onto the pages of history - a man on the edge of myth. (official distributor synopsis)
Videos (4)
Reviews (7)
The real Viking experience that we have been waiting for since reading the “Northlanders" comic book series. This is first and foremost a straightforward relaxation show, while not making fools out of the audience, despite often utterly ignoring historical authenticity. And does it matter? Not a bit. The greatest problem is the how it is so inconstant; the last two episodes are about something completely different from the rest of the series, and this applies to everything. It’s most noticeable in Travis Fimmel. Who gives a damn that while trying to cover up his Australian accent so hard he trips up over his tongue. And it’s not such a problem that he can’t act, as the fact that he doesn’t even try to act. His “actor’s" recipe for everything from hunting, through sleep to watching his nearest and dearest being slaughtered is a cheeky grin, half-closed eyes; simply the classic Blue Steel in practice. And where’s the inconsistency? Even though everybody out-acts him by miles (even the kids!), it doesn’t matter so much, because he oozes with charisma which makes it easier to believe why everybody just accepts that he is changing established traditions. As a result, the first season serves the same purpose as its main protagonist, Ragnar Lothbrok, does in the main storyline; it holds promise for the future. Season two offers basically the same, just a little tighter and basically with the continually repeated concept of “increase the tension between characters for one or two episodes, and then we let them beat each other to death". Which isn’t so bad, the problem (even though that is a strong word, better would be “snag") is however, that it is uncomplicated in its political relations storylines (at one point absolutely idiotic) and so too transparent; it is generally clear who, how and why double-crosses love to/decapitates whom. In any case, it might be a good idea to stop playing at something more ambitious than it has capacity for. It would be more than enough to remain in the straightforward (but not dumb!) historical battle mode. It suits the Vikings most in this mode. Season three immediately at the beginning disintegrates into several unrelated backstories which simply make variations to themes seen before in the series and run on the spot for so long it’s embarrassing. But the whole season is pulled from the doldrums by the concluding episodes with the siege of Paris. All of a sudden it’s fully focused on one place and thanks to this (but not only this) we’re back with our good old familiar Vikings. I hope the creators learn a lesson from this for the coming seasons. | S1: 4/5 | S2: 4/5 | S3: 3/5 |
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After Camelot, few people trusted Hirst anymore. Besides, who would watch something that at first looked like a fiction documentary? Well, that was a mistake. Out of nothing on an unfamiliar television came a spectacle unlike anything I've ever experienced. Even if the whole thing existed just for the possibility of raiding Paris, it would be worth it. In addition, of course, a trip to the 9th century and the legends of the time also has its value.
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The theme of Viking raids is interesting to me. I don't know much about them beyond the basics and the series made me do some digging to get some context. The writers created the right mixture of intrigue, fighting, and insights into the off-season activities of the Norsemen to keep me hooked. Interestingly, the Viking who stands out the most for me in the series is the 168cm tall Lagertha. Until the end of the third season, I was fully satisfied, but the fourth season was a bit disappointing due to the constant visions and hallucinations that needlessly fragmented the plot. I can only hope that the fifth season will bring it up to 5 stars again.
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Season 1 – 90% – Given that he has written two Elizabethan films and four TV series with Henry VIII in the forefront, it is clear that Michael Hirst's life passion and affair of the heart is the Tudor dynasty. However, it is quite possible that his most famous work will ultimately be a saga that reaches back several centuries. The story of Ragnar Lothbrok and his friends and enemies may start slowly, but with each episode, this hostile band of fighters became more likable to me. Those key moments, battles, conflicts, and friendships occasionally seem as if Hirst had to delve much deeper than he probably did, due to the escalating tension or uncompromising fights. Season 2 – 80% – The feeling of awe from the pleasantly uncompromising and uniquely serial approach is definitely gone, but fortunately, the quality has remained, and after the poorly rushed conclusion of previous storylines in the first episode, it's time for a new order. The cream-of-the-crop of actors led by surprising supporting triumphs in Alexander Ludwig (older Bjorn) and Thorbjørn Harr (Borg) can effortlessly sell all sword fighting, long slow looks, and grandiloquent speeches. With a very brisk pace and unfailing technical aspects, it is up to the viewer to accept the relatively narrow plot structure of the entire season. With the exception of the detours with Lagertha and Athelstan, all ten episodes revolve around Ragnar-Rollo-Borg-Horik, and if it weren't for each conflict being so effectively interwoven with blood and steel, it might be a bit too much for such a small space. But this way, the hearts of the Nordic warriors can keep beating in anticipation of new voyages and spoils. Season 3 – 70% – Paradoxically, with a growing fan base, Ragnar's adventures are gradually losing their appeal. Though it still provides sufficient entertainment full of increasingly grandiose battles, the times when a new episode was the event of the week are long gone. Hirst's scripts criminally disregard the possibilities of turning a twist or the departure of a major character into a real event. The important chapter of Norse history and legend is told with great respect and in a properly epic manner, but the inconsistency of some characters (Floki, Aslaug) noticeably detracts from the experience. Season 4, Part I – 50% – I don't know who was responsible for giving the series a larger number of episodes per year, but I blame them for the fateful consequences. It has ruined the whole series for me. There are now meaningless stares into nothingness, delusional scenes, and fragments of prophecies that never tell us anything. There are additional supporting characters whose presence either annoys from the start (the bloody pair of brothers) or makes no sense whatsoever (Yidu). Moreover, the royal intrigues lack greater momentum, whether with Erlendur, Ecbert, or Charles, and what's worse, the plot runs in another loop, with the main part of the season dedicated to the same enemy as the previous season. Paradoxically, in moments when there is a glimpse of the earlier atmosphere, most often in the storylines of Rollo or Bjorn, it is painfully apparent how horribly drunk on power Michael Hirst is attempting to make us. Considering how much I defended Vikings from the very beginning, it's as much of a heartbreak as it is infuriating. Season 4, Part II – 60% – A season divided by a major time jump deserves a divided commentary, and it must be said that while watching the old Ragnar, I had a feeling that the series might be able to return to where it belonged years ago. But as attention shifts to Ragnar's younger sons, I can't root for any of them, which, in combination with strangely acting Lagertha and the minimal space for an aging Ecbert, poses a significant problem. The pace rushes forward more fiercely, and the action scenes are perhaps better than ever before, but the increasing number of absurd deaths of supporting characters, often entirely unrelated to the ongoing plot, brings the rating down significantly. Season 5, Part I – 40% – Michael Hirst is drunk on fame. He's stretching storylines that would previously have been barely enough for four episodes into a full half-season, and I'm suffering and pining for the original characters. Ivar, Ubbe, and Hvitserk may be played well, but all their half-measures feel self-serving, Lagertha gets dialogue that feels like a punishment, and Floki's travelling back and forth must be a joke by the creators to see what else the viewer can take. The amount of dream sequences, moreover, exceeds even the last tolerable limit, and with an army of warring skeletons that have fallen out of a second-rate video game, I just had to shake my head in disbelief, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Thus, an ancient revelation of a series has boldly continued its journey to the bottom. Season 5, Part Two – 60% – The uplift of the gradual conflicts and the increased believability of most of the key characters is destroyed by the contrived and overly drawn out Icelandic nothingness. Similarly, the leaps and bounds are more thrilling and spectacular battles impress far better than the simulation of the Paris of the day, but every similar big-screen moment is redeemed by Ivar's foolish (and subsequently ill-advised) decision. In short, a half-season full of stark contradictions qualitative and otherwise that surprisingly saves the series, however often it lets interesting characters die at the expense of worn-out ones. Season 6, Part I – 30% – A fall to unseen depths. From legendary adventures we have ended up with a parody of itself, full of incomprehensible tactical decisions, overblown side characters, and plots that just take up space. Ivar wanders the eastern lands, Bjorn cuts his own throat with every decision, female characters who have always been given strong storylines suddenly suffer just to have any plot at all, and the unnecessary Olaf, the diabolical Oleg, or Igor and his puppet, are theatrically overplayed. I'd like to believe that there's some more ingenious twist in store, a proper emotional charge, but in the face of the dead love couple, the drawn-out ignoring of Hvitserk's withdrawal, or the return to Iceland, I simply can't. The best way to know it's bad is when the strongest scene is a flashback to season two. Season 6, Part Two – 60% – A reconciliation a little on the strong side, but inherently a relief. I still don't get the amount of space for the East (especially when it involved a bunch of deviations from history) or for Iceland, but thankfully even in the misery of a script that drags someone like Ingrid through soap opera-smelling vehemence, there's plenty of nostalgia, epicness, and memorable moments. None of my favorites across the series lived to see the last episode, but I appreciate all the more that the last two hours managed to keep me riveted to the screen and tensely following the action, even if I ultimately couldn't care less which side would see victory and reconciliation, or at least come close. The farewell is otherwise bitter to the point of sadness, though, because the memories of (half) a season that could only be watched with self-denial cannot be erased. Condensed down to four ten-episode seasons, for example, it could have been a real television milestone.
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Over the years, the initially innocuous Vikings gradually clawed their way to the point where they deserved a feature-length film rather than being dispensed in episodes. However, it still feels extremely epic and from one fishing village at the start of it all you look to England, France, the Mediterranean and beyond...perhaps too far. Michael Hirst capitalised on the initial success of the series, and the story from his hand has therefore swelled across decades and countries in a tremendous way, and it gets to just about anyone who ever had anything to do with Norsemen. Unfortunately, however, this means that there are also characters whose motives often fizzle out into nothingness or serve only as filler between individual conflicts, and that’s Vikings' sole but repetitive weakness. Thanks to Odin, at least this rabble in the series also regularly goes to Valhalla while the real warriors remain on the scene. Skål.
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