[Abyss]

Yep.

[Abyss]

Latest ep...

DID THAT JUST HAPPEN???

[Abyss]

That was my guess too.

[Malankazooie]

I think any substantive discussion in this thread shit out quite some time ago and its been a dead horse for awile, but what the hell.

*clears-throat

RISE OH DEAD VIKINGS DISCUSSION! RETURN TO US FOR MORE TALK ABOUT YOUR LAST SEASON.

*waits-until-dark-energy-stops-crackling-along-lower-arms-and-hands

So, where'd we leave off with this? Weren't the Rus Vikings on their way to slap their dicks across the faces of Kattegat? And didn't Bjorn lose some king vote or something? Oh, and wasn't Erik the Red (newly introduced this season) going to strike out towards Canada or something?

More importantly, though, we left off mid-season, yeah? When is it going to pick up again? Did "da 'rona" ruin the schedule and so there is going to be lenghty delays in it coming back?

[Abyss]

I lost interest when the Island turned out to be the Cylon baseship from the other universe.

[Malankazooie]

huh, so this continued on the Amazon streaming service (is it called Prime or something?). I probably wasn't going to watch it to the end anyway. Oh well.

[QuickTidal]

I'm thread-surrecting here to say I dropped back into this show after the wife and I stalled out on the beginning of S5 way back when it aired originally.

I think a few things were working against me then: the First being that following Ragnar's sons didn't seem quite as interesting as following Ragnar...but moreover, the opening stuff of S5 with Harald, Laegertha, and Ivar was super meh....and then the Floki/Iceland plot line was REALLY meh (how you make the founding of a country boring, I'll never know). But I've pushed through, and settled into enjoying the show again after accepting who it's now about...and Alfred being grown and fitting into his role is cool to watch, while also instilling the eventual familial civil war between Alfred and his brothers, more specifically Aethelred.

Just finished the mid-season finale of S5 and I liked it a lot. They really cleaned house of the scattered characters and plot lines.

And Rollo Returns! I know there's nothing historical other than timeframe to have ever made Rollo a Lothbrok and brother to Ragnar...but man it works to tie the Franks with the Vikings for the eventual Normans.

Torvi is still a MFing badass (which makes sense since she's one of show runner Michael Hurst's daughters; the other was the actress who played Helga)...and I like her plot line, spare though it tends to be. She's very much the Viking Shield-Maiden without all the extra "want to be queen" stuff that tends to plague Laegertha.

Heahmund is a weird character. I feel like he's what Aethelstan was meant to be...a Saxon (priest) who ends up fighting in the Viking civil wars, and most likely eventually for Alfred (I'm guessing here) since we know he died in a battle between Wessex and the Vikings...but then that battle had the four remaining sons of Ragnar united against the English and I can't see Bjorn and Ubba forgiving Ivar...but we shall see.

Also, I knew I wanted to finish this so that I could watch the sequel series they are shooting that takes place 100 years later VIKINGS: VALHALLA.

[Abyss]

Meanwhlle we resumed the second half of the last season whatever it is... and so far much meh is being meh'd.
Ivar is still pretty great tho'.

[Malankazooie]

Did Ivar and the Rus vikings ever make their attempt on his brothers and Kattegat? Or are they drawing that out to the very last?

Did Erik the Red every strike out for Greenland and then to Canada? Or is that going nowhere also? So much of nothing happens in this show's closing seasons.

Also, I think Rollo is over because I thought the actor signed on with NBC for a series there.

Is Floki done too, never to have any sort of series closure of his story? Just a mystery left to think about?

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 23 February 2021 - 08:07 PM, said:

Meanwhlle we resumed the second half of the last season whatever it is... and so far much meh is being meh'd.
Ivar is still pretty great tho'.

That got WAAAAAAAAY better. Has it's moments of meh, but overall the back half of season 6 is killing it. And most of the cast, but i digress...

Malankazooie, on 23 February 2021 - 08:26 PM, said:

Did Ivar and the Rus vikings ever make their attempt on his brothers and Kattegat? Or are they drawing that out to the very last?

Did Erik the Red every strike out for Greenland and then to Canada? Or is that going nowhere also? So much of nothing happens in this show's closing seasons.

Also, I think Rollo is over because I thought the actor signed on with NBC for a series there.

Is Floki done too, never to have any sort of series closure of his story? Just a mystery left to think about?

Yes/no/not so far but someone else did/no/got better/probably/tbd/tbd

Briar King, on 23 February 2021 - 08:31 PM, said:

I haven't seen it listed on my guide...how y'all seeing it?

History channel ran it back in Jan-Feb i think, am watching it on demand now.

I won't spoil as none of you have seen the last chunk, but worth getting caught up on i think. It's not the greatest the show has ever been back in Ragnar's glory days, but it got A LOT better and far more watchable. If you want to see the end of the series i think it's worthwhile.

[Malankazooie]

These episodes haven't been on History Channel in America. Hoping this final season last half will eventually air there.

[Malankazooie]

From a TV critic, Matt Roush. I guess he does a column where he answers questions.

(Q) Are the final episodes of Vikings exclusively on Prime Video? We had watched all of the previous episodes on History but missed the final ones that appear to have premiered on Prime Video on December 30. I'm not interested in subscribing just to catch those few episodes - Susan

(Matt Roush): Be patient. When Prime Video got exclusive streaming rights to the last 10 episodes of Season 6, it was also announced that these episodes would eventually be shown on History, the series' original home. No air-date is set yet, but it will likely happen after whatever window of exclusivity expires. However, if you want to see the forthcoming sequel series Vikings: Valhalla, you'll have to subscribe to Netflix.

A couple of things.

Pisses me off: When streaming services get exclusive streaming rights to content that was available on your regular cable television. That's a big "fuck you" to viewers who were watching content on the original channel it aired. Especially when there is little to no communication that is happening. And what is (and how long is) a "window of exclusivity? Fuck you, greedy pieces of shit.

Exited for: Vikings: Valhalla. Moving to Netflix means higher production value, I assume. So I will be tracking how that comes together.

[LinearPhilosopher]

Started watching season 1 a few weeks back now im onto season 2. Interesting show. I like the cultural aspects and the window into this culture we're getting.

IDK how accurate this is... part history part myth.

[Abyss]

Malankazooie, on 17 March 2021 - 06:43 PM, said:

From a TV critic, Matt Roush. I guess he does a column where he answers questions.

(Q) Are the final episodes of Vikings exclusively on Prime Video? We had watched all of the previous episodes on History but missed the final ones that appear to have premiered on Prime Video on December 30. I'm not interested in subscribing just to catch those few episodes - Susan

(Matt Roush): Be patient. When Prime Video got exclusive streaming rights to the last 10 episodes of Season 6, it was also announced that these episodes would eventually be shown on History, the series' original home. No air-date is set yet, but it will likely happen after whatever window of exclusivity expires. However, if you want to see the forthcoming sequel series Vikings: Valhalla, you'll have to subscribe to Netflix.

A couple of things.

Pisses me off: When streaming services get exclusive streaming rights to content that was available on your regular cable television. That's a big "fuck you" to viewers who were watching content on the original channel it aired. Especially when there is little to no communication that is happening. And what is (and how long is) a "window of exclusivity? Fuck you, greedy pieces of shit.

Exited for: Vikings: Valhalla. Moving to Netflix means higher production value, I assume. So I will be tracking how that comes together.

Streaming services are networks now and as likely to get first runs as anyone else with a line to viewers.

In Canada the History Channel ran it first. We win. YAR.


I did not know about the sequel series, but there's a lot to work with there and i suspect Netflix could do some great work with it so HAIL ODIN.

I watched S6 to its conclusion. I will not deny there are some weak points, but overall its satisfying. No spoilers since i'm the only one who has seen it it seems.

[Malankazooie]

I get that, but the series started on the History channel and the first half of this last season aired there. FX will run their shows concurrently on the Hulu streaming service and linearly on the FX network channel. It is annoying that I have to wait or subscribe to the Amazon Prime streaming service just for one show I'm interested in to finish the final season.

[Malankazooie]

So the History channel is going to blow their Vikings load next Saturday. Second half of s6 (ten episodes) back to back to back.

Not sure if I'm going to watch (or care really). Is it worth it? Does every one end up in Valhalla drinking bottomless horns of mead? errr, Skol or something.

[LinearPhilosopher]

So i've watched up to season 4. Season 5 sadly is behind the stack TV paywall of prime tv, which is just dumb....

Likely gona have to pirate.

[Abyss]

Malankazooie, on 18 June 2021 - 05:49 PM, said:

So the History channel is going to blow their Vikings load next Saturday. Second half of s6 (ten episodes) back to back to back.

Not sure if I'm going to watch (or care really). Is it worth it? Does every one end up in Valhalla drinking bottomless horns of mead? errr, Skol or something.

Watch.

[Malankazooie]

Okay, S6 E11 King of Kings (to kick off this back half of the final season). I think I may be back in and complete this. The last half of the episode can quite possibly be up there with the best of any of the seasons.

One of my big problems with Vikings, over quite a few seasons now, has been the pacing. Having twenty 1 hour episodes this last season is a recipe for a lot of dragging and not much going on. The first half (ten episodes) of this final season is an example of that - a lot of sitting around in Rus longhouse with Ivar, Oleg and prince. The King of Kings episode had some of that sprinkled throughout, but dayuuum! that ending was epic! Oh the feelz!

[Malankazooie]

Finished it.

Gosh darnit, they had to go and make it good again. Those final two episodes (I'm calling them "The Ballad of the Sons of Ragnar") were beyond good (holy fuck!). I just wish they would have ditched a lot of the meandering crap they were preoccupied with and had this focus instead during those seasons in the wilderness of MEH. They could have just scrapped a lot of that and brought this series in with fewer seasons/episodes and I would be fully content.

Loved the flashbacks and the nostalgia emotions that came with them. And yes, that pivot to the familiar to wrap it up was sorely needed. I am more hopeful for the Netflix show now, I think.