Vikings “The Signal”

You know, Ubbe’s explorations are not dull storylines or anything, but I don’t quite know what to make of them.  About all I learned from this episode is Torvi should probably leave her kids at home, or at least not take them out to sea as she loses yet another one during a storm.

But the kid did see the World Serpent.  That was…something else.

Now that all comes out from the fact that Vikings has always played around with religion, either the Vikings’ own pagan faith or the Christian faith of various Franks, Britons, and Rus.  So, while the show likes to remind us the main characters are all descended from Odin, that doesn’t mean it isn’t true or just a legend.

Then again, I was not sure why, when she entered the great hall, that Gunnhild sees visions of episodes past, including characters that I don’t believe she ever met.  See her dead husband?  Sure!  See her equally dead father-in-law?  Um, why?

But that’s neither here nor there.  It’s time for an All-Thing to elect and new ruler for Kattegat.  Only two people nominate themselves:  Gunnhild and Ingrid.  Which one will Erik support?  Um, he won’t say.  No matter how much he’s asked, he won’t say.  He says he’s an outlaw and he doesn’t really have a say and won’t through his hat into the ring either.

So, an election between two barely-defined characters like Ingrid and Gunnhild, that could theoretically be exciting.  But this is Vikings, so a plot twist that both is and isn’t predictable.  Yup, King Harald shows up and says since he’s King of All Norway, there’s no need for an election, and no one really argues with that asshole.

Then again, Harald has far more personality than Erik, Gunnhild, or Ingrid, so there’s that.

Speaking of people without much personality, there’s still Hvitserk, who after beating his brother Ivar in a fistfight that should not have lasted that long given Ivar’s legs are useless, he opts to help Ivar sneak Prince Ivan out while Prince Oleg is doing a Good Friday ceremony where a bunch of religious men come in whipping themselves except for the one carrying a cross.  And the guy with the cross looks like the only overweight one, so he stood out a bit.

Will the brothers get Ivan out to Dir?  And why is Oleg’s wife helping them?  And will Oleg’s suspicions get him over over to stop them in time?  I have no idea because that’s when the episode ended.