Vikings Season 4 Episode 11 Review: The Outsider
Stacy Glanzman
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Ragnar's back, but was it a welcome reunion?
Vikings Season 4 Episode 11 picked up right where we left off, with tensions high as Ragnar gave each of his sons an opportunity to kill him and take his throne.
For a moment there, it looked like Ubbe was strongly considering it. I'm guessing we all let out a collective breath when Ragnar pulled him into a hug.
Not that I actually thought we'd reached the end of Ragnar, but I was half expecting someone (not one of his sons) to challenge him and wind up dead.
Of course, everyone is wary of why he's back. Does he honestly expect his sons to drop their lives, forgive the years he's abandoned them, and happily join him on his journey to England?
Bjorn doesn't appear to be holding a grudge against him, but he has plans of his own and isn't about to drop them. Ragnar understands and respects that.
Sigurd, on the other hand, does seem to be holding a grudge, and honestly, who can blame him? He has every right to feel hurt and betrayed, and he simply doesn't want to go.
We have to talk about Ivar.
First of all, the actor who plays him, Alex Hogh Andersen, is pulling off Ivar's creepy factor extremely well. Every time he was on screen I felt like he could kill someone at any moment.
Of course, I was expecting him to kill the servant girl from the moment he saw Ubbe with her, and watching her make the rounds of his brothers only solidified that theory.
I have to give her some serious props for her fast thinking and being able to talk her way out of being murdered. She better be ready to tell the whole town he's the best she ever had if she wants to stay alive.
Lucky for her, he's agreed to go with his father, so she probably won't have to worry about him for awhile.
Gods help their enemies, though.
He may be scary, but damn, not being able to walk has given him some serious upper body strength.
They didn't make us wait long to find out that Lagertha survived the injuries she sustained in battle. It wasn't surprising, but I would have been incredibly disappointed if she had died. She's such a great character.
I can't say I was expecting the relationship with Astrid (if it is an actual relationship), but she hasn't had the best of luck with men, so all the power to her. I kind of loved that Ragnar knew there was something going on within seconds of seeing them together.
Ragnar: I don't know.
Floki: What is it you don't know?
Ragnar: If I'll see you in Valhalla.
Floki: Don't say that Ragnar. If anyone deserves to go to Valhalla, it's you.
Ragnar shared some incredibly sweet moments with both Lagertha and Floki, which probably means I should have seen the suicide attempt coming. I saw his moment with Floki more as a resignation that his time was coming and that he was prepared to atone for his sins. Hopefully, he takes the rope breaking as a sign from the gods that it's not his time yet.
As sweet as that whole reunion was, it did seem like Ragnar was looking at Helga a bit inappropriately. Maybe I was reading it wrong, but it's not like Ragnar has the greatest moral compass when it comes to attractive women.
The midseason premiere set us up for the rest of Vikings Season 4, and it looks like we'll be in for plenty more of the action and violence we've come to expect, especially now that Ivar's all grown up. I hope there is a good balance of time spent on both Ragnar and Bjorn's missions, as well as what's going on back home.
The Seer's ominous prophecy promised multiple calamities and death thanks to Ragnar's return, so now is the time to place your bets on who kicks the bucket.
What do you guys hope to see from the second half of the season?
If you need to catch up, you can watch Vikings online.
Stacy Glanzman was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in March, 2019.
