Vikings (season 3)

Vikings (season 3)

DVD cover art
Country of origin Canada / Ireland
No. of episodes 10
Release
Original network History
Original release February 19 (2015-02-19) – April 23, 2015 (2015-04-23)
Season chronology

The third season of the historical drama television series Vikings premiered on February 19, 2015 on History in Canada, and concluded on April 23, 2015, consisting of 10 episodes.

Filmed in Ireland, Vikings is inspired by the tales about the Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known mythological Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of France and England. It portrays Ragnar as a Viking farmer who pioneers the first daring raids into England, and eventually becomes a Scandinavian king, with the support of his family and fellow warriors: his brother Rollo, his son Björn Ironside, and his wives—the shieldmaiden Lagertha and the princess Aslaug. The third season follows the development of Ragnar's family, and the Vikings as they become more entwined in English affairs, and also begin to raid further afield.

Series overview

The series is inspired by the tales of the raiding, trading, and exploring Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia. It follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew and family, as notably laid down in the 13th-century sagas Ragnars saga Loðbrókar and Ragnarssona þáttr, as well as in Saxo Grammaticus' 12th century work Gesta Danorum. Norse legendary sagas were partially fictional tales based in Norse oral tradition, written down about 200 to 400 years after the events they describe. Further inspiration is taken from historical sources of the period, such as records of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne depicted in the second episode, or Ahmad ibn Fadlan's 10th-century account of the Volga Vikings. The series is set at the beginning of the Viking Age, marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
201"Mercenary"Ken GirottiMichael HirstFebruary 19, 2015 (2015-02-19)
Ragnar tells Björn that he never wanted to be king, but only to explore and farm. Ragnar wants to return to Wessex to claim the land promised by King Ecbert. Floki feels that his new family with Helga is too happy, while Rollo wishes to be away from Siggy. Þórunn desires to be a shieldmaiden like Lagertha, much to Björn's displeasure; he believes her to be carrying his child. When Lagertha announces she intends to raid with Ragnar, Kalf, her right-hand man, offers to remain and take care of Hedeby. When they arrive in Wessex, King Ecbert informs Ragnar that to receive their land, the Vikings must fight for Princess Kwenthrith to appease King Ecbert's nobles. Lagertha is unsure about joining, so King Ecbert offers her the job of leading the Viking settlers in Wessex. The settlers go to the land to farm, while the warriors defeat Kwenthrith's uncle's army.
212"The Wanderer"Ken GirottiMichael HirstFebruary 26, 2015 (2015-02-26)
A celebration is held in honor of the victory. Torstein's left arm becomes gangrenous and he asks Floki to amputate. Kwenthrith asks for the head of her uncle, and Ragnar questions her hatred; she admits to having been sexually abused as a child by him and her oldest brother. Concerned about Þórunn's safety, Björn lectures her and then proposes to marry her. Back in Kattegat, Helga, Siggy, and Aslaug share strange dreams about a stranger. In Hedeby, Kalf ursurps the earldom with the help of Einar. Prince Aethelwulf searches for the young brother of the princess and his army. He captures a soldier who tells him they expect reinforcements. King Egbert, who woos Lagertha, offers her a necklace. Princess Judith tells Athelstan during confession that she dreamt of sleeping with him, and they share a kiss. Helga meets the stranger from her dreams.
223"Warrior's Fate"Jeff WoolnoughMichael HirstMarch 5, 2015 (2015-03-05)
Helga, Siggy, and Aslaug help Harbard with his hand, and he tells them stories about his travels and the gods. In England, the Vikings begin climbing the mountain to fight Kwenthrith's brother and his army. She asks Ragnar to spare her brother. Torstein volunteers to go first to make sure the army is there, and dies valiantly. In the battle, Þórunn is severely injured. Princess Kwenthrith's brother surrenders. In Kattegat, a fisherman catches two drowned young boys in his nets. Siggy visits the Seer to discuss Harbard and her dreams.
234"Scarred"Jeff WoolnoughMichael HirstMarch 12, 2015 (2015-03-12)
Aethelwulf attempts to befriend Rollo and Floki; Floki is unhappy about fighting for Christians. Kalf and Einar plan for Lagertha's return. Kalf says he has invited an important person to their village to help, who is King Horik's son Erlendur, now married to Jarl Borg's widow Torvi. Aslaug's two sons run out of their home and Siggy follows to find them walking across a frozen pond, where both boys fall through the thin ice. Siggy dives in after them, and Harbard helps pull them out as Siggy drowns. In England, as Princess Kwenthrith is giving a toast, she poisons her brother Burgred.
245"The Usurper"Helen ShaverMichael HirstMarch 19, 2015 (2015-03-19)
The Vikings return to Kattegat, and the women learn of Torstein's death as the men learn of Siggy's. Ragnar is suspicious about why Aslaug was not watching the children. Floki becomes more outspoken about his hatred for Christians, and Athelstan. Helga tells Floki about Harbard, and he claims that Harbard is a god. Aethelwulf learns that Judith is with Athelstan's child, and he is sent to the settlement to resolve problems there. A messenger arrives to tell Lagertha that her earldom has been usurped by Kalf; she asks Ragnar to help her win it back. Ragnar tells the men that they will raid Paris in the spring. Ragnar returns with Lagertha to speak with Kalf, although he decides not to help fight for Lagertha. Aethelwulf leads his soldiers to the settlement, and kills all the settlers. Floki tells Ragnar that Aslaug slept with Harbard, and that Harbard is another name for Odin. King Ecbert finds out about the settlers' fate; he chides his nobles, then in private reveals that it was his plan all along.
256"Born Again"Helen ShaverMichael HirstMarch 26, 2015 (2015-03-26)
Þórunn gives birth to a girl that she names Siggy. A farmer returns from Wessex and tells Ragnar about Aethelwulf's massacre. Athelstan has a sign from God. In Wessex, Judith gives birth to a son, but is then sentenced to having her ears and nose cut off for adultery. After one ear is removed, she reveals that Athelstan is the father. King Ecbert says the child is sent from God and will be christened Alfred. Earl Kalf leads a fleet to Kattegat to join the raid on Paris, along with Erlendur, and Torvi. Rollo reveals that Athelstan no longer wears his arm band. Floki receives a sign that "blood must be spilt", and kills Athelstan while he is praying. Ragnar carries Athelstan's body up the side of the mountain for burial, devastated.
267"Paris"Kelly MakinMichael HirstApril 2, 2015 (2015-04-02)
Ragnar's viking fleet, also reinforced by the earl Siegfried, arrives in Francia, and prepares for battle. Emperor Charles is asked by count Odo to evacuate Paris, but after privately consulting his daughter Gisla, he refuses. Ragnar shocks them when he decides to leave Floki in charge of the attack. Both Vikings and Franks prepare for the siege as the Christians pray for protection from the pagans.
278"To the Gates!"Kelly MakinMichael HirstApril 9, 2015 (2015-04-09)
The Vikings attack Paris. Lagertha, Kalf and Erlendur lead an attack on the city gate; meanwhile, Floki, Ragnar, Bjorn and Rollo try to breach the walls from boats on the river. Princess Gisla manages to restore faith in the French troops by revealing the Oriflamme, the holy banner of their patron, Saint Denis. Eventually the defense holds, repelling the Vikings. While the Franks celebrate their victory, at the Viking camp the warriors have to deal with their wounded, including a badly wounded Bjorn, and Ragnar who has been thrown down from the walls. Floki is consumed by his guilt, having trusted in the good omens of their gods. Helga, disgusted by his selfishness, leaves him.
289"Breaking Point"Ken GirottiMichael HirstApril 16, 2015 (2015-04-16)
With the Vikings still recovering, Ragnar orders another attack. Led by Rollo, Lagertha, and Kalf, they manage to pass the bridge, but they are once again pushed back. Siegfried is captured and executed on Gisla's insistence. Although the Franks have managed to defend the city, a plague has spread in Paris and citizens are dying. Count Odo begs the Emperor to come to terms with their enemy. Ragnar's wounds won't heal, leaving him weak. Trying to restore his leadership, he secretly meets the Franks; although offered gold and silver, Ragnar doesn't accept. Knowing his end is drawing near, he asks to be baptized, and to be buried inside the city. Meanwhile in Kattegat, Aslaug is in charge and deals with the Christian missionary Ansgar. Ansgar tries to carry a hot piece of metal to prove the might of the christian god. When he fails, Aslaug has him killed.
2910"The Dead"Ken GirottiMichael HirstApril 23, 2015 (2015-04-23)
The French pay gold and silver to the Vikings, but they show no sign of leaving. Many people are still shocked at Ragnar's christening, and when the badly wounded leader dies, Bjorn is in charge. The warriors place Ragnar into a wooden coffin and escort it to the gates of Paris, where they meet the Bishop. The coffin is brought inside the Cathedral to be blessed, but Ragnar suddenly jumps out of the coffin alive. He takes Princess Gisla as a hostage and forces the guards to open the gates, allowing the Vikings to enter the city. Most of the Vikings then set sail for home, but a small party, led by Rollo, remain. Emperor Charles is determined to gain his favour, offering Rollo land and titles, and his daughter in marriage. While sailing home Ragnar tells Floki that he knows he is Athelstan's killer.

Production

An Irish-Canadian co-production presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Vikings was developed and produced by Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions.[3] Morgan O'Sullivan, Sheila Hockin, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn, John Weber, and Michael Hirst are credited as executive producers.[3] This season was produced by Steve Wakefield and Keith Thompson. Bill Goddard and Séamus McInerney act as co-producers.

The production team for this season includes casting directors Frank and Nuala Moiselle, costume designer Joan Bergin, visual effects supervisors Julian Parry and Dominic Remane, stunt action designers Franklin Henson and Richard Ryan, composer Trevor Morris, production designer Mark Geraghty, editors Aaron Marshall for the first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth episodes, and Tad Seaborn for the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth episodes, and cinematographer Pj Dillon.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating, with an average rating of 8/10 based on eleven reviews.[4] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, it scored 81 out of 100, based on seven reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]

References

  1. ↑ Turnbow, Tina (March 18, 2013). "Reflections of a Viking by Clive Standen". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Breaking News - "Vikings" - History's Hit Drama Series Sails Again for Season Three Thursday, February 19 at 10 p.m. ET - TheFutonCritic.com".
  3. 1 2 "VIKINGS Tops The Ratings With 8.3 Million Viewers". Irish Film Board. March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  4. ↑ "VIKINGS: SEASON 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Vikings: Season 3". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
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