Vikings
Season 4 Episode 10: “The Last Ship”
Directed by Jeff Woolnough
Written and created by Michael Hirst
Starring Travis Fimmel, Clive Standen, Katheryn Winnick, Alexander Ludwig, Gustaf Skarsgard, Maude Hirst, Morgane Polanski, Lothaire Bluteau, Linus Roache, Jennie Jacques, Moe Dunford, Alyssa Sutherland
The History Channel
Air Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2016, 10:00pm

Last week on Vikings, Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard) is having more Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) visions. The emperor (Lothaire Bluteau) makes Roland a count. Gisla (Morgane Polanski) doesn’t want to sleep with Rollo (Clive Standen) because of the pregnancy. Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) lost her baby. Aethelwulf (Moe Dunford) and Alfred go to Rome, while Ecbert (Linus Roache) is crowned King of Mercia and Wessex. Erlander (Edvin Endre) blackmailed Torvi (Georgia Hirst) into killing Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig), but she turned and killed him instead. Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) just wants to kill Rollo.

Spoilers below for the mid-season finale of Vikings!

Vikings 4.10 “The Last Ship” review: They are rowing towards each other to battle – Rollo vs Ragnar. The duke who looks like a king, and the king that looks like a drug-addled hobo (I love you Ragnar!).

Gisla prays to the statue of Mary, and the statue weeps. Weird! Vikings does dwell in the supernatural quite often, but I’m used to more pagan magic from the show, and less of the Christian miracles.

The first battle wave is bloody with limbs flying, vicious evisceration, and disgusting squelching sounds of metal piercing flesh. First round – the Northmen.

Rollo kills a soldier who suggests they break off the attack. Then gives the “Rocky” speech (see below). “Only victory or death!”

The second wave approaches. Ragnar takes the last of his drugs to face his brother, while a worried Bjorn looks on.

The Emperor finally grows a pair and has Roland and his sister killed for their falseness. It’s about goddamn time he started acting like the leader of a land!

The Seer is wailing in his smoky tent in response to the battle, which may have been the creepiest scene to date, on a show that has had quite the number of creepy moments.

I couldn’t take it. I had my hands block my face at points. Such a stressful episode.

Brother faces brother. Ragnar: “Look at you. You look like a bitch.”

The camera shot for the brothers first strike was artistically choreographed. Predictably losing their blades, they punch each other bloody until distracted – Lagertha gets run through, and his men toss Ragnar into a boat after her and row away.

Rollo returns the hero of Frankia.

The longest commercial break ever? Twelve years passed during the commercial break and Ragnar has not been seen since after the battle. Aslaug is a snarky drunk. Floki is happy with Helga. No sign of Lagertha. Ragnar’s sons are all grown, and Ivar walks on his hands, and is more like his father than the others. Bjorn is wise, so different from his hotheaded ways of his younger self.

And just when you think you cannot be any more surprised, you see Ragnar walk through a teeming town. I thought he was a wanderer now in a foreign country, but it was Kattegat. He challenges his sons and the village to kill him and be king.

The twist was not death, it was time. And that was more shocking than most of the deaths on the show (just not more than Athelstan’s).

Vikings return with the second half of season 4 later in 2016.

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Videos

Vikings: Rollo’s Speech – Season 4 Episode 10 Sneak Peek | History

Check out this exclusive sneak peek from the Mid Season Finale of Vikings. Watch new episodes Thursday nights 10/9c.

Vikings: The Battle Begins – Season 4 Episode 10 Sneak Peek | History

Check out this exclusive sneak peek from the Mid Season Finale of Vikings. Watch new episodes Thursday nights 10/9c.