None of the Vikings actually witnessed Ragnar's murder, but his death is felt by all. 

Ragnar may be physically gone, but his presence still hangs over those he left behind. 

Lagertha doesn't really believe it at first, but by the end of Vikings Season 4 Episode 16, she has accepted it. 

Ragnar's death means so much to everyone, not just those of us watching from home still reeling from his loss. 

Lagertha is ready and willing to rule in his place, but she has one very pissed off Ivar to deal with first. She doesn't want to kill him, and I believe her, but if she doesn't, he will kill her. 

Ubbe and SIgurd wonder if their days are numbered too. For now they're biding their time, but Ubbe approaching Margrethe has me thinking he's got a plan up his sleeve. 

Sure, maybe he just misses her, but more than likely he plans to use her against Lagertha the same way she used her against him. That poor girl just needs to run away and get the hell out of dodge. 

The Seer told Lagertha she will be killed by a son of Ragnar. I know we're supposed to assume it's Ivar, but I'm not so sure. I think it very well could be Ubbe. 

Of course, I really hope it's none of them, because I love Lagertha. 

We just lost Ragnar. She better be sticking around for a long time. 

That means Ivar, who is clearly hell bent on revenge, needs to change his focus from Lagertha to Ecbert. 

I know Lagertha felt she was doing the noble thing by refusing to accept Ivar's challenge, but he is going to be so much scarier now. 

At least if she accepted his challenge, she would be prepared. Now she has to wonder what the unpredictable crazy guy is going to do, and when. 

Even Lagertha knows that Astrid won't be enough to protect her if Ragnar's sons seek revenge. 

No more killing. Not in here, not in this place. I forbid it. If you want to kill these people, you have to kill me first.

Floki

• Permalink: No more killing. Not in here, not in this place. I forbid it. If you want to kill these...

Floki is becoming one of the most interesting characters of the series. I can't think of any other character I have loved and loathed as much as him. 

After he killed Athelstan, I wanted him dead. I didn't think I could ever stand to watch him on screen again, but now he's just so fascinating. 

I get it. This is what the Vikings do. They kill, they pillage, they rape...but that doesn't make it any easier to watch. 

Don't get me wrong, I love their battle and fight scenes, but watching them steamroll over an innocent village? That I could probably do without. 

But that's what made Floki's standing up to them so much stronger. He has limits, and he forces the rest of the crew to abide by them. 

Floki, the man who killed Athelstan in cold blood is now the man protecting a mosque full of praying villagers. Vikings has always done a fantastic job with character development, and Floki is a prime example. 

I knew as soon as Helga announced she wanted a child that she was going to end up wanting to adopt someone from the town. Floki is against it, but I don't think that is going to stop her. 

Most people don't go from the "let's have a child" to the "let's take this one home" phase quite so quickly. They can't even communicate with each other. 

I absolutely loved the Ragnar voice-overs. It was a little silly that Bjorn and Hvitserk could "hear" him and somehow just knew he died, but the scene was powerful nonetheless. 

Even better was Lagertha waking up in the middle of the night, sensing Ragnar's presence, and showing just how much she still loves him. 

She's ambitious, and she wants to rule more than anything, but she still cares about him. It doesn't even bother her that he and Aslaug are now reuniited in Valhalla. 

It's only a small sample, but we are starting to get an idea of how the series will move on from Ragnar. I'll definitely miss him, but there are enough strong characters to keep the series interesting for a long time. 

What do you guys think? Will you be just as invested without Ragnar as you were with him? 

Of course, you can always go back and watch Vikings online any time you need your Ragnar fix. 

Stacy Glanzman was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in March, 2019.