Vikings

Impressive battle on the water with the tactically brilliant duo of Odo and Rollo, the rest of the action is bland, and Ragnar on drugs is downright irritating. It would be really nice if they went back to the roots of the first two seasons. (05.01.2020)

An uneven but very imaginative episode that starts with a bizarre thing called Harbard – this is either a complete fluke or something that will play a crucial role in the future, there can be no other explanation. Ragnar's genius trap is awesome, though, as is Lord Odo's career shift. (05.01.2020)

One tangled love triangle has finally been resolved, but otherwise we're going virtually nowhere. Unless you count the royal escapades in Paris, or pulling boats in the woods, which actually happens in the sum of the last few episodes. There is a surprisingly subliminally chilling scene involving the death of a small child, but otherwise it sadly goes to hell, as does Ragnar himself. (06.01.2020)

A mess on the Seine in Paris and then an even bigger mess with the script and the time jumps. The creators are really not afraid of moving the story forward several years in the wink of an eye as if it was nothing. In this case, it's extremely good, because it gives us the opportunity to actually see new characters (the almost grown-up sons of Ragnar) and their interesting personality traits, which will probably be the driving force of the whole series over time. (08.01.2020)

Actually a reboot of the series, because we get to know completely new characters, and they are very interesting, it has to be said. Well staged training scene, something to build on for the future. (08.01.2020)

Lots of tears, some are understandable, others aren’t. Except for the finale, it's basically one big chatterbox. (08.01.2020)

Unfortunately, the fourth season can't shake the impression that it's becoming one big farce. Ragnar is a wreck and Lagertha makes a completely nonsensical and irrational maneuver that actually quite logically and understandably can and probably will result in the apocalypse. And Prince Rollo is funny, but not in the best sense of the word. (11.01.2020)

A conversation where they philosophize happily, but you also fall asleep quite well. (11.01.2020)

An impressive ending true to the legend. Ragnar was a formidable character and very well translated to the screen thanks to the writers and Travis Fimmel. The final speech about God will actually satisfy all atheists. It will be very interesting to watch the coming episodes and the response of his sons. (11.01.2020)

Again, another chatterbox that goes nowhere. The attack on the Saracens is sloppy and purely "theatrically staged". Helga is like from another planet. (11.01.2020)

Building the city's defenses and an almost repeat of the Red Wedding from GoT. A preparation for war with a bit too much talking, but that's the problem with pretty much the entire fourth season, which is incomprehensibly stretched out over so many episodes. Without Ragnar’s sons, it would be almost about nothing. (11.01.2020)

Ragnar’s sons are fun to watch, each of them is completely different and yet they copy Travis Fimmel aka Ragnar's unmistakable facial expressions and gestures very well. The performances were polished and impressive, plus after the demise of the main character, someone needed to take the reins and it was clear that it had to be his sons. (15.01.2020)

A smartly staged final battle and the individual figures in it. At the same time another mess at home, which is a bit too much, but the series finale has to escalate properly, otherwise it wouldn't be the same. A wholesome and brisk episode. (15.01.2020)

Sort of all's well that ends well. Except perhaps for the sons, who can't even manage to get along during a victory feast. Probably not a wholly satisfying finale, but still very bearable and of course promising an interesting fifth season. (15.01.2020)

Hands down, the weakest season of the lot so far. This season makes it clear that this Viking saga is getting a bit too long and complicated. Instead of twenty episodes they should cut it down back to ten. There’s way too much screenwriting ballast and half of the twists are basically pointless. Tension is too much to ask for and so what is left are the decently executed battles, which, however, are not on such a level that the viewer would get drunk only on the refined visuals and be willing to forgive a simpler plot concept, as it was in Kingdom of Heaven or Gladiator. (26.01.2020)

Another very slow start, crowned by a mediocre battle for York, which at times seemed almost sloppy. It starts with cardboard sets and ends with bland combat. (16.01.2020)

Floki runs around beautiful Iceland for half an hour, and this is apparently supposed to be the biggest thing of the second episode. Kind of a throwback to how Kosinski was able to pull off the same thing when he let Tom Cruise walk and fly in a barren landscape. (16.01.2020)

The second Battle of York is thankfully a different cup of tea, and it is certainly one of the most impressive of the series ever. The highlight is the demonic Ivar, who looks like an outcast from hell. The best episode of the fifth season so far, which overall feels brisker than the previous one. We’ll see what happens. (19.01.2020)

A low-end Kingdom of Heaven. (19.01.2020)

Another egregious carnage, which is again embellished with mini-stories (a warrior with a hammer) that give it an even more intense character. This episode probably has the best action so far, and the popularity of the series and its generous budget are finally starting to show. Floki is considerably off, but well acted. (19.01.2020)