Vikings Season 6 Episode 8 Review: Valhalla Can Wait
Paul Dailly
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Bjorn should have known better.
He was doing so well gearing up to avenge his mother while simultaneously preparing for the war to come and then had to mess up everything on Vikings Season 6 Episode 8.
Sigh.
Hvitserk should not have been allowed to survive. Lagertha was a pivotal figure -- someone that everyone knew -- and for her killer to get banished to die beyond the walls of a wintery Kattegat is a bitter pill to swallow.
Maybe it was because Hvitserk accepted his fate when Bjorn set out to burn him at the stake. He would have been out of the pain he's been suffering throughout Vikings Season 6.
But Bjorn is not making the right calls, and that's to be expected when someone is mourning the loss of a loved one. Hvitserk is very likely to return when we least expect him, so Bjorn best watch his back.
Having sex with Ingrid only for Gunnhild to walk in was quite the encounter. Gunnhild could have opted to steer clear of the father of her baby, but instead, she made it clear she was happy to sister wife it up -- only if it kept Bjorn happy.
Light the fire!
Bjorn
If you watch Vikings online, you know that Gunnhild is cunning and smarter than people give her credit. Hopefully, she manages to negotiate a sweet deal that benefits her and her child.
I appreciated the parting shot about Bjorn essentially setting up Lagertha's death by banishing White Hair from Kattegat. It also harkens back to his treatment of Hvitserk, making me question whether he will reverse his decision to let Hvitserk die slowly.
It was heartbreaking that Gunnhild learned the truth because only a few scenes earlier, she was reading the riot act to everyone who questioned whether Bjorn was still worth following.
There was not much surprise to Bjorn losing Ubbe and Torvi to Iceland. Like Ubbe pointed out, it was fate, and Bjorn is only going to continue crumbling under the intense pressure of the looming war.
His life has been upended by King Harald's reign, as well as his mother's death. Bjorn is now a ticking timebomb, and he's going to implode.
People of Kattegat, I fear he will launch an attack very soon as we are a prize worth taking.
Bjorn
I'd like to be surprised, so hopefully he manages to get it together while he still can, but his people are probably going to switch sides the first chance they get.
It's going to be difficult to acclimate to Ubbe and Torvi's new locale, but there seems to be a warning from the gods that bad things are going to happen there.
It seemed likely Ubbe and Torvi were going to be faced with someone from the past as they walked into the tent, but that's when we learned of the warning.
Could it be related to the people laying claim to King Harald's land? We need some more answers before making a concrete assessment on this one.
Speaking of King Harald, his reign has only just begun, but he's already getting threats from people other than Bjorn. That's karma coming back to bite him in the butt for his actions.
Olaf may have been earmarked for death, but he knows enough about the people looking for land to stay alive for another few episodes.
We know a battle is looming, but would Harald really send his resources to Kattegat while there is a threat that he could be wiped from existence when their attacked?
The men on Vikings haven't been known for making the best decisions, but this one could prove fatal.
We got some movement on the Kiev storyline, and it was about time. The relationship between Ivar and Egor continues to be one of the highlights because we now know that Ivar genuinely cares for the child.
All it took was for the child to ridicule Oleg. Who would have thought that even would happen?
Oleg is scary, and I don't doubt he would feed the child to his dogs like he promised, but he still needs both Egor and Ivar to get what he wants: All the power in the world.
The flaw in his logic, though, is that he's the middle man in this scenario. Ivar is already planting seeds to take down Oleg by befriending Egor and, in turn, Dir.
The moment Dir's army is ready to strike against Oleg, he's done. Oleg will not know what's hit him, and I'm conflicted about whether I want Ivar or Dir to kill him.
Each of those characters deserves a shot to end the lunatic's life because he's going to set the world on fire to get what he wants.
We are fast approaching the midseason finale, so we should get some movement on that front very soon.
Okay, Vikings Fanatics!
Who do YOU want to take Oleg down?
Are you tired of Bjorn and his mistakes? What did you think of Gunhild's decision to stay with Bjorn and allow him to have a relationship with Ingrid?
Hit the comments below.
Vikings airs Wednesdays on History at 9/8c.
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Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
