Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jan 13, 2021 14:27:09 GMT
Season 6, Episode 13: 'The Signal'.
**spoilers below**
We have a World Serpent! And Jörmungandr's screentime amounted to about the same as the trailer for the second half of Season 6 (ie. very very brief). How disappointing. I wasn't even expecting it to show up so early (I figured it'd be towards the end of the season), but as soon as Torvi started telling her daughter the story about it, I figured it would show up this episode. Viking stories they tell their kids aren't exactly the sort to put them at ease/sleep, are they? Torvi's daughter even said she wished she hadn't told her that story. It didn't seem to have the calming effect Torvi was possibly going for during the storm. And now another one of her kids bites the dust (what is the point of Ray Stevenson's character exactly? He just stood there and watched). Poor Torvi really can't catch a break when it comes to her children (it seems Michael Hirst has no problem offing kid characters - which is at least something fresh, since most shows - even the so-called 'dark' ones - don't usually 'go there'). Did Ubbe even get anything to do/say in this episode? If he did, I forgot it. And pulling out sun compass only reminds me of how much better the show was back in Season 1 when we first saw it.
In other disappointing developments...Harald returned. Gunnhild, please make good on your promise and slit his throat already! It's the only way to shut him up when he keeps on yapping with his revisionist history. I know the character/actor has his fans, but he's never impressed me. When he was going on about why he's managed to survive so long, all I could think was it's because Hirst (for some reason) loves the character. I just don't get it, honestly. Gunnhild should've offed the bastard and then kick Ingrid's arse and declared herself Queen ofCatgut Kattegat. Note to Hirst: having Ingrid engage in some weird-arse spell/ritual as she keeps stuffed dead Bjorn and his horse company, does not make her any less annoying. Is this the best you can do to make her seem 'interesting'? It's not working. You can cover her in makeup and have her dance the night away casting spells or whatever, but I hope you Hirst doesn't think she can ever even begin to be like Lagertha, as she falls way short. The only one to even come close to Lagertha's level is Gunnhild.
Meanwhile, Ivar and Hvitserk got into a fight where Ivar came out on the losing end (and yet his fans maintain what a 'badass' he is. He just got his arse handed to him by his druggie brother who regularly alternates between 'loving' his brother and wanting to kill him. Throughout the scene I just kept wishing they'd off each other...but no such luck. Really, the only thing that keeps me even vaguely paying attention during the scenes where they are is keeping an eye out for Katia's fuzzy hats. She must seriously give everyone else hat envy. Adding to the list of characters I want dead on this show is Oleg. I kept hoping that since the plan to get Igor away from him was put into effect, and the fact he was wearing all white, it would mean he was going to get stabbed a LOT à la Julius Caesar. Again, no such luck. Instead all we got treated to was the sight of a fat Jesus reenactor (which NO ONE was asking for, show!).
In an episode of disappointments, it shows just how far the series has fallen when the best part was seeing Lagertha, Bjorn and Ragnar again as Gunnhild scanned the room (sure, it was archive footage...but I'll take any Lagertha I can get). I guess that suggested they were all in support of her...at least in spirit. Though it was weird having her see Ragnar since we never watched the two of them interact as her character wasn't even around when he was still alive. When she said she summoned "a meeting of the Althing", I was reminded of the first mention of 'the thing' (back in the first episode of the show, I think it was). Ah, the good ol' thing - back when times were simpler.
Yes, the new version of the theme song during the show's intro sounds weird to me too. It's like it takes too long/there's a delay before the lyrics start.
Kjetill, like so many other characters this season, bores me to tear. And now Adam Copeland's got competition - he's a wrestler-turned-actor and I believe the big dude whose Harald's new henchman is a hockey player or something, I read somewhere.
Because it can't be said enough: Harald needs to die ASAP. Maybe throttle him with his own hair braid (Finehair dies from his own hair - there's poetic justice).
Erik the Red just seems to have no real clear point to him. He's just shady and that's it.
Ivar is a coward, and not half as brilliant as Hirst try to sell him. Without foreign troops he has never won a battle or war.
And that he could sneak close to Björn to set the killing blow - ridiculous.
And drug boy Hvitzerg: Ivar burned your future wife alive, it haunted you, made you an addict, and what do you do: become his pet again.
Björn and Ubbe treated him always way better than Ivar, but he always returned to Ivar till there was no point of return (after the murder of Lagertha). Aside from some sort of Stockholm syndrome there is no logic writing point that explains such a behavior.
I agree with you on all of that^.
I've toughed it out this far, I'm going to make it to the bitter end (there are shows I've given up before their ending, and ones I've made it through that have been more painful than this).
**spoilers below**
We have a World Serpent! And Jörmungandr's screentime amounted to about the same as the trailer for the second half of Season 6 (ie. very very brief). How disappointing. I wasn't even expecting it to show up so early (I figured it'd be towards the end of the season), but as soon as Torvi started telling her daughter the story about it, I figured it would show up this episode. Viking stories they tell their kids aren't exactly the sort to put them at ease/sleep, are they? Torvi's daughter even said she wished she hadn't told her that story. It didn't seem to have the calming effect Torvi was possibly going for during the storm. And now another one of her kids bites the dust (what is the point of Ray Stevenson's character exactly? He just stood there and watched). Poor Torvi really can't catch a break when it comes to her children (it seems Michael Hirst has no problem offing kid characters - which is at least something fresh, since most shows - even the so-called 'dark' ones - don't usually 'go there'). Did Ubbe even get anything to do/say in this episode? If he did, I forgot it. And pulling out sun compass only reminds me of how much better the show was back in Season 1 when we first saw it.
In other disappointing developments...Harald returned. Gunnhild, please make good on your promise and slit his throat already! It's the only way to shut him up when he keeps on yapping with his revisionist history. I know the character/actor has his fans, but he's never impressed me. When he was going on about why he's managed to survive so long, all I could think was it's because Hirst (for some reason) loves the character. I just don't get it, honestly. Gunnhild should've offed the bastard and then kick Ingrid's arse and declared herself Queen of
Meanwhile, Ivar and Hvitserk got into a fight where Ivar came out on the losing end (and yet his fans maintain what a 'badass' he is. He just got his arse handed to him by his druggie brother who regularly alternates between 'loving' his brother and wanting to kill him. Throughout the scene I just kept wishing they'd off each other...but no such luck. Really, the only thing that keeps me even vaguely paying attention during the scenes where they are is keeping an eye out for Katia's fuzzy hats. She must seriously give everyone else hat envy. Adding to the list of characters I want dead on this show is Oleg. I kept hoping that since the plan to get Igor away from him was put into effect, and the fact he was wearing all white, it would mean he was going to get stabbed a LOT à la Julius Caesar. Again, no such luck. Instead all we got treated to was the sight of a fat Jesus reenactor (which NO ONE was asking for, show!).
In an episode of disappointments, it shows just how far the series has fallen when the best part was seeing Lagertha, Bjorn and Ragnar again as Gunnhild scanned the room (sure, it was archive footage...but I'll take any Lagertha I can get). I guess that suggested they were all in support of her...at least in spirit. Though it was weird having her see Ragnar since we never watched the two of them interact as her character wasn't even around when he was still alive. When she said she summoned "a meeting of the Althing", I was reminded of the first mention of 'the thing' (back in the first episode of the show, I think it was). Ah, the good ol' thing - back when times were simpler.
The slightly tweaked version of the theme song sounded weird to me, but yeah, nice to see Ragga Ragnars' name in the opening credits. 
Heh, yeah, I wondered too if they'd actually gone to the lengths of stuffing Bjorn's corpse and his horse. It was indeed weird, but also weirdly beautiful.
Ugh, yeah, Kjetill is just the worst.
Harald has never been one of my favourites either. He's just too much of a dickbag.
Ugh, Erik the Red. He was never particularly likeable, but he just kept getting worse throughout these last few episodes.
Yes, the new version of the theme song during the show's intro sounds weird to me too. It's like it takes too long/there's a delay before the lyrics start.
Kjetill, like so many other characters this season, bores me to tear. And now Adam Copeland's got competition - he's a wrestler-turned-actor and I believe the big dude whose Harald's new henchman is a hockey player or something, I read somewhere.
Because it can't be said enough: Harald needs to die ASAP. Maybe throttle him with his own hair braid (Finehair dies from his own hair - there's poetic justice).
Erik the Red just seems to have no real clear point to him. He's just shady and that's it.
Ivar is a coward, and not half as brilliant as Hirst try to sell him. Without foreign troops he has never won a battle or war.
And that he could sneak close to Björn to set the killing blow - ridiculous.
And drug boy Hvitzerg: Ivar burned your future wife alive, it haunted you, made you an addict, and what do you do: become his pet again.
Björn and Ubbe treated him always way better than Ivar, but he always returned to Ivar till there was no point of return (after the murder of Lagertha). Aside from some sort of Stockholm syndrome there is no logic writing point that explains such a behavior.
I agree with you on all of that^.
I've toughed it out this far, I'm going to make it to the bitter end (there are shows I've given up before their ending, and ones I've made it through that have been more painful than this).