Vikings TV series: Top ten episodes

Full of incredible adventure, lashings of violence and plenty of gossip, sex and intrigue, Vikings is surely one of the most thrilling TV series of the past two decades. Not only that, it has also launched a new generation of Vikings enthusiasts, many of whom still believe today that Ragnar Lothbrok and Count Rollo of Rouen were brothers, Floki was the first Viking to discover Vinland, and the Norse predominantly dressed in stylish black leather.

Just like the sagas themselves, the show toyed with the truth, and was all the better for it, producing possibly the most accessible, enjoyable and semi-authentic presentation of the Vikings ever committed to screen. So what was the best ever episode of the show? We list ten of the finest, though other opinions are as welcome as a flagon of ale after a long day in the battlefield.

Wrath of the Northmen (season 1, episode 2): the Vikings take out Lindisfarne

This is when we first get to see the destructive, terrifying power of the Vikings, as Ragnar, Rolli, Floki and the rest land on British shores near the monastery of Lindsifarne. They duly wreak havoc and kill off most of the monks, though of course Ragnar cannot help but take one back with him. The bond that develops between the Viking adventurer and Athelstan, the English monk, will lead to a complicated intertwining of Anglo-Norse relations that lasts throughout the series. And no, the real Ragnar Lothbrok didn’t actually help take Lindisfarne, but as we said above, this series was never afraid of a bit of historical inaccuracy.

Sacrifice (season 1, episode 8): they do it differently, here

For most of the first season, the Vikings come across to the modern viewer as wholly relatable: bloodthirsty, yes, a bit wild perhaps, but also family-orientated folk with a good sense of humor and some spectacular beards. In episode eight, however, we reach the ethereal surroundings of the Uppsala temple, where our Norse friends gather to get loaded up on alcohol and psychedelics in what at first feels something like a Viking Age Glastonbury Festival. Yet Athelstan soon realizes he is a candidate for human sacrifice, and when his eventual replacement Leif is offered willingly up to the gods, the viewer is given a glimpse of a very different and very brutal world.

An Eye For An Eye (season 2, episode 4): a meeting of minds

This episode finally marks the first meeting between two of the series’ most central characters, as Ragnar and Ecbert discuss ambition, fighting and farming in the civilized surroundings of the Wessex king’s bath house. A little anticlimactically, the Vikings soon have to return home to deal with Jarl Borg’s attack on Kattegat. There is still time for a dramatic ending, however, as Athelstan is almost crucified as an apostate before being reprieved by Ecbert, and Ragnar is finally reunited with his son Bjorn.

The Lord’s Prayer (Season 2, episode 10): Ragnar takes control

A fitting climax to a season of intrigue and treachery. After receiving an offer of land in England, Ragnar arrives home to Kattegat only to be threatened by the arrival of King Horik and his family. Floki and Siggy both appear to court the attentions of the king, and as Horik’s men arrive to mount a surprise attack, Ragnar’s days appear numbered. The showdown in the main hall, however, reveals he had been in total command all along. Horik is slain, Ragnar is crowned king, and the season concludes with the stirring image of the new monarch atop the sheer cliff of Preikestolen; regal, isolated.

Born Again (season 3, episode 6): A fatal act

A most disturbing episode, despite the lack of fight scenes. After Ragnar is told of the massacre of the Viking farming settlement in England, Judith gives birth to a son, the future Alfred the Great, yet is soon sentenced to have her ears and nose cut off for adultery. After the first ear is removed, she finally reveals that Athelstan is the father of her child, and King Ecbert immediately orders her release. Then comes Floki’s betrayal of Ragnar. Torn apart by his visions and fears of a people led astray by the false Christian god, Floki is inspired to murder Athelstand and break Ragnar’s heart in the process.

The Dead (season 3, episode 10): Ragnar’s resurrection

The attacks on Paris in the previous episode are brutal to watch. Death and destruction reign, with Floki’s plans literally crashing and burning above his head, and Bjorn and Ragnar both seemingly struck down. Close to death, Ragnar asks to be baptized as a Christian and the Franks subsequently agree he can be buried within the city walls. Big mistake. It’s hard not to let out a cheer as Ragnar rises from the dead, sticks a knife to the throat of the bishop and in a throaty growl utters, “I win”. Emperor Charles’s later offer to Rollo of land, titles and his daughter’s hand in marriage, however, presages Ragnar’s future defeat.

The Last Ship (season 4, episode 10): the passing of the torch

An episode of two halves. First, as Halfdan, Floki and Lagertha are all seriously wounded, Rollo defeats the invading forces of his Norse countrymen, but not before an epic, brutal fight with his brother that starts with swords and descends into bare-handed wrestling, fists and furious headbutts. Though the Ragnar-Rollo duel ends in a score-draw, the Vikings are overwhelmingly defeated and limp home to Kattegat. The conclusion of the episode takes place several years later, as we meet the fully grown sons of Ragnar. Their father has been missing for several years, and though he does manage to survive another five episodes, these events mark the end of Ragnar’s glory and the passing of the torch to his sons.

All His Angels (Season 4, episode 15):

Despite being one of the most dramatic moments in the series, this was also the point where some viewers unfortunately lost all interest in what would come next. Though it is foreshadowed by visions, premonitions and no shortage of near death experiences, Ragnar’s death remains shocking when it comes. Even as we see him thrown into a deep pit of vipers, we wonder if somehow he might escape death’s clutches. But to no avail. The defiant words of his final speech, however, echo through the northern lands and beyond. “I shall not enter Odin’s hall with fear. There, I shall wait for my sons to join me. And when they do, I will bask in their tales of triumph. The Aesir will welcome me. My death comes without apology. And I welcome the Valkyries to summon me home!”

The Joke (season 5, episode 8): The end of hope

Triumphant in England but riven apart by bitter conflict and jealousy, the two Viking armies of the sons of Ragnar finally meet on the battlefield. At first, a last-ditch attempt to broker peace looks to have succeeded, until first King Harald and then Ivar the Boneless pour their drink contemptuously into the earth. With this simple act, Ivar confirms that no reconciliation will be forthcoming and the fratricidal war must proceed to its logical conclusion. The episode sets the scene for the season’s bloody power struggle, which first sees Ivar take control and declare himself a god before Bjorn finally triumphs in the final episode, Ragnarok.

The Last Act (season 6, episode 20): Peace at last

Those who did abandon the Lothbrok saga soon after the death of Ragnar missed out on arguably one of the most cathartic endings ever to a TV series. After six seasons and 89 episodes of violent and tragic death, betrayal, torture and violent conflict – not to mention the first part of this very episode, which takes in the death of both King Harald Finehair and Ivar the Boneless – the few minutes of stilted conversation enjoyed by Ubbe and Floki while relaxing in Native American garb on a Canadian beach feels like just reward for the similarly long-suffering viewers. And who knows, maybe they really did stay right there, reveling in their new-found friendship with the locals and peacefully farming the land as Ragnar dreamed of, rather than sailing back into the battle-scarred lands of the Norse.

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