The Last Daughter Of Uppsala
Episode 6 of Vikings: Valhalla begins with Freydis returning to the healer’s hut. Yrsa is dead, hung from the ceiling by the hunters. Freyis is livid and finds the man outside, sitting around a circle of severed heads. The thing is, she walks right into an ambush as numerous riders surround her. Brandishing a sword from Uppsala, we’re introduced to Jarl Kare properly, who stops his troops as he mentions “The Old One”. It seems he knows of the visions Freydis has been experiencing while in Uppsala. He has her send a message to Haakon – “Jarl Kare is coming.” As he turns and rides away, it seems Freydis will get to live another day. So just as commanded, Freydis returns to Kattegat and warns Hakkon about Kare. In doing so, Kattegat decides to make her one of her shield maidens. As Freydis trains, she learns that her true title is The Last Daughter Of Uppsala. This explains her vision, as Haakon confirms she’s had a vision of her own too; one person surviving a wave. Haakon originally thought it may have been her but now it seems it’s actually Freydis whom the vision is referencing. In London, half the Viking force prepare to sail back to their respective countries. Among those is Leif, who leaves with Harald. Canute stays, and sets Godwin to work building a Gallows. He has 11 reasons for doing so – an they’re marched out in chains the following day. With their lives on the line, all the different nobles decide to pledge their allegiance to Canute, including Cyneheard who happens to be the noble that fled from Kent earlier in the season. Canute wants to build a great empire that stretches across the North of Europe. But in order to do that, he needs the riches of England. Emma wants a new tax, a simple levy on every single household. That’s more than enough to build an empire and it would also quell the stifling tax currently in place. Horns blow as Leif and the rest of the vikings return to the shores. Whilst there, Harald asks for Haakon’s support. Freydis also decides to stay in Kattegat, on a new mission to protect the town. When she catches up with Harald, he admits he’s heard of Kare and his bloodthirsty crusade. He tells her that if innocents have died then Kare needs to be punished – and balances that argument by claiming all religions have issues. Kare heads to the temple in Uppsala, and specifically to the Seer where he remains determined to see the truth. After experiencing another vision, courtesy of the Seer, Kare heads to the front gates of Uppsala and opens them up, revealing his legion of followers. Olaf heads back to Denmark where the Queen isn’t exactly pleased about Canute staying in England. Of course, Olaf does his part to stir things up, going on to tell her he needs her support to help rule over Norway. The thing is, Canute and Emma have stated growing closer, and Godwin is unable to head into their chambers later that evening, with guards stationed at the doors. Godwin half-suggests a coup and relays that on to Edmund. For now, they’re to bide their time and wait for an opening, determined to see if this materializes itself. Canute receives a letter from Denmark and prepares his ship to head back. However, before he does he turns to Emma and asks her a question… as we fade to black.
The Episode Review
Thee latest episode of Vikings: Valhalla grinds to a halt as the story gropes blindly to try and find a narrative hook after the invasion on England. Since the midway point of this show, the story seems to be meandering a little, with no dominant plot to cling to. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it does feel a bit unfocused. There’s Freydis becoming a shield maiden, an introduction to Kare as the new antagonist, Canute’s story in London, Olaf conspiring in Denmark and then both Leif and Harald’s stories too. Hopefully this is just a blip because despite there being an hour-long episode here, everything feels a little meandering.
