Vikings - Season 1 Review
This review of Vikings Season 1 is spoiler-free.
We all know the standard bearers of great television today: HBO, Starz, AMC, FX, and Showtime. When you think of a great show that's usually where your mind looks to. Today my fellow TV maniacs, I bring to you a new show on a network not known for scripted television. That show, as can be seen by the title of this article, is Vikings. The History Channel is the creators of this show, and you may be thinking "If it's on the History Channel it must be more historically accurate and focused on explaining history than a good story." Well I'm here to set your hearts and minds at ease because there is one truth I've learned from Vikings Season 1: this show is great.
Character is critical in a series like this, as while there is plenty of time spent in action you have no reason to really enjoy that action if the characters aren't likable or at least interesting. This is something that Vikings nails well in all areas. Ragnar and Lagertha (Travis Fimmel and Kathryn Winnick) are standouts in this season. Being that they are husband and wife this makes sense as they get to play off one another and create great scenes. When thinking about the show though there are some characters who are rather outlandish, but they are necessarily so. Floki for example is a rather extravagant character but that is how he is portrayed in mythology so they fit the character well. Outside of a few over the top secondary characters this is done well.
Season 1 has two central conflicts, and the first of which is fairly simple. Ragnar wants to travel west to the lands that supposedly are there, but the Earl of the settlement at which he lives disagrees with him. This results in a conflict that stretches half of the season and creates some great but uncomfortable moments on screen. Ragnar has hidden motives that even he himself doesn't realize, and people who say they are with him but their own motives as well which come out through the season. Only after Ragnar sneaks away with a ship made in secret does the conflict grow even more. I won't discuss the second arc of the season as it directly comes from the first, but the second half the season in my opinion was the weaker of the two (specifically the finale that was very spotty).
In a series like Vikings, you have to have great actions as that is one of the major reasons people will come back every week. I am glad to inform you all that Vikings does not fail in this aspect. Nearly every episode has one major battle, some even two. The choreography for these conflicts is great and while there are a few particular moments that you can visibly tell that a punch didn't actually land I was really impressed for a season 1. Another surprise here though is that History doesn't skimp on blood and violence. Often times you will think a scene will cut away but often times it does not and shows you the full action on screen. One thing to note though is another category: nudity. If you are streaming this show it appears that nudity is more prevalent than when shown on television, which makes sense but also creates a bit of an oddity if you are re watching. Outside of that strange situation, Vikings does not sell its viewers short.
Vikings Season 1 was an excellent start to watch I can only hope is a great journey moving forward. For future seasons of discussion I will most likely have a spoiler-filled discussion in order to have more to discuss so be weary when they come. Outside of that notice, I want to encourage everyone who has an interest in Norse Mythology or likes shows like Game of Thrones or Black Sails to check out this series. It has the best of both of those worlds, and is a fantastic watch.
