‘Vikings’ Season 6A Recap

Ivar the Boneless travels along the Silk Road but when he enters Kievan Rus’, he is captured by Prince Oleg’s men. Intrigued by Ivar’s claim to be a god, the Rus prince takes an interest in the exiled Viking and decides to test him. Even though Ivar seems horrified by some of Oleg’s actions, still, they start to form an uneasy friendship as both open up to each other about their past experiences and future plans. Oleg wants to reclaim Rus’ people’s lands in Scandinavia and asks Ivar to join him and in return he promises to help him take revenge on his brothers.

Back in Kattegat, Bjorn struggles with the responsibilities of kingship. He decides to banish Ivar’s remaining followers; even though Hvitserk tells him it’s a bad decision. Hvitserk is in poor condition since he is deeply affected by the loss of his lover Thora, who was burnt alive in the previous season. And we also have Ubbe, who together with Torvi, wants to sail West, just like Ragnar did. However, they have to delay their trip to aid Lagertha in her desire to retire and build a farmstead from scratch. She wants to live her remaining days in peace, far from wars. As she buries her sword in the forest, we see flashes of her old days in the farm with Ragnar.

Bjorn is even more overwhelmed by the burdens of leadership, and, unable to make decisions on his own, he asks for the advice of his brothers, his mother, and his wife Gunnhild. He is presented by a moral dilemma as two messengers arrive in Kattegat. King Harald, who was thought dead, is actually alive and held captive by King Olaf in Vestfold, and he demands Bjorn to rescue him. Against Lagertha’s advice, Bjorn decides to aid Harald. Thus forcing him to leave Kattegat in the hands of his brother Ubbe and his wife Torvi, since Hvitserk is too unwell to be in charge.

Kjetill Flatnose returns to Kattegat to search for new settlers to help build Iceland and says Floki has vanished. But he raises the suspicion of both Bjorn and Ubbe. However, the latter is interested in following him since he confirms the story of a man, Othere, who has found land west of Iceland; and also to help look for Floki. However, Bjorn, not trusting Kjetill at all, makes him join his war party.

In Kievan Rus’, Oleg and Ivar travel to Novgorod to meet Oleg’s brother and retrieve Oleg’s nephew Igor, the rightful heir to the kingdom. In this visit, Oleg proves to be even more ruthless than Ivar. Oleg poisons his own brother and starts to dance to loud music as a disturbance outside begins. Ivar doesn’t really trust Oleg, so he tries to connect with the young boy. Soon after the coup, Oleg must face his other brother, Dir, who gives him an ultimatum. However, Oleg calls his brother’s bluff, and Dir is forced to let them go.

When Ivar, Igor, and Oleg return to Kiev, the latter sends men to attack and imprison his brother Dir. Igor and Ivar discover that Dir has been mutilated and chained like a dog. Whilst this amuses Igor, it is apparent that Ivar is quite troubled as he shows aversion to Oleg’s inhumanity and cruelty towards those around him. Ivar doubts Oleg’s true intentions and suspects that perhaps the Rus prince isn’t that interested in helping him reclaim Kattegat.

In Kattegat, on the farmstead, Ubbe and Torvi, leave Torvi’s (and Bjorn’s) kids, Hali and Asa, under Lagertha’s protection; since they have to go back to the city to rule. As they rule Kattegat, Ubbe gives a powerful speech to the people and explains the intentions of organizing multiple trade missions across different locations; one of these missions would put Hvitserk on the lead of a journey along the Silk Road. However, Hvitserk has fallen deeper into the dark abyss and feels guilt over the death of his deceased lover. He has vivid visions of both Thora and Ivar.

Although at first the farm seems like a safe place, Lagertha’s neighbours’ are attacked, raped, and even killed by the traitors who are led by White Hair. The survivors go to her to seek help. In Vestfold, Bjorn and his warriors attempt to lead a surprise attack and swim into the harbor; however, King Olaf sets the bay on fire thus forcing Bjorn to retreat.

In Vestfold, King Olaf confesses his future plans to Bjorn and Harald, who are both his prisoners at the moment. He tells them that all nordic rulers must rethink the governmental power structure and elect one king to rule over all of Norway, and proposes Bjorn for the job. This does not sit very well with Harald —who has always wanted to rule all of Norway. In this setting, Bjorn also questions Kjetill Flatnose further on the whole Iceland story. Kjetill tells him that he slaughtered a family but that he wasn’t involved with Floki’s disappearance. Still, Bjorn does not believe him.

Back in Kattegat, after an initial promise to get better in order to lead the Silk Road mission, Hvitserk fails to do so, therefore “betraying” Ubbe once again. Ubbe is disappointed and states that he doesn’t want to see his brother anymore. Hvitserk is tormented by Thora’s and Ivar’s ghosts calling after him.

On the farmstead, Lagertha rallies the other villagers to prepare for a fight against the bandits. When the bandits call a retreat, Bjorn and Torvi’s son, Hali, triumphantly picks up a sword in front of the bandits and calls after Lagertha. The leader of the bandits rushes after Hali and raises his sword to strike him. The kid dies in the arms of his grandmother who, he apologises to as he fears he didn’t do enough but Lagertha reassures him and says he’ll soon be in Valhalla. In Kattegat, Gunnhild dreams of a burning village and is worried that it might be Lagertha’s so she heads out to the village.

In Kiev, Oleg confesses he has begun to prepare for the invasion of Kattegat. Ivar has plans of his own and tells young Igor that he is in fact the owner of everything around him, not Oleg. At night, Ivar goes to Dir, who is chained in a cage and explains his desire to liberate him and to overthrow Oleg.

In Vestfold, kings and earls arrive to elect Bjorn as king of all Norway. But it is proposed that anyone among the leaders should be allowed to stand in the election, and everyone agrees. The kings start to make allegiances with other rulers. Eventually, the election begins with Bjorn, Thorkell, Hakon, and Harald as the main candidates. Harald votes for Bjorn.

In Kattegat, Hvitserk has another vision of Thora and promises her that he will avenge her by killing Ivar. Later though, the youngest son of Ragnar gives up his arm ring to pay for hallucinogenic mushrooms and ale, and has a cryptic vision of the Seer; with whom he maintains a conversation about his own true purpose.

Also in Kattegat, Ubbe learns through a couple of messengers who were traveling along the Silk Road that Ivar is alive and in Kiev. Amma, a shieldmaiden who is fond of Hvitserk, is sent to tell him the news, and then he has a horrible vision of his brother as a serpent.

Gunnhild arrives in Lagertha’s village and learns of Hali’s death; she then decides to stay and defend the village and its inhabitants with her shield-maidens. In Kiev, Ivar and Igor set Dir free. Later on, they are introduced to Oleg’s future wife, Princess Katya, who is identical to Ivar’s old wife, Freydis.

In Vestfold, Harald wins the election. Bjorn is left in shock and feeling betrayed. To win, Harald and Kjetill made multiple promises to the various kings and earls; but it is doubtful that Harald will keep his words. In the end, Kjetill realizes he backed the wrong man and goes to help Bjorn. Both men are cornered by Harald’s men but are saved by an outlaw, Erik, who takes them on his ship.

In Kiev, Oleg and Katya get married and, after having a feast with Ivar, they torment the Viking by having sex in front of him. Ivar clearly exposes his desire to leave but his wish is ignored. Thus indicating that the friendship between the two men has shifted; leaving Ivar confused as to whether or not Oleg knows about his connection with Dir’s escape.

The bandits attack Lagertha’s village again. The battle is brutal but the villagers win, thanks to the help of Gunnhild and her shieldmaidens. Lagertha is seriously wounded after a one-on-one combat with the bandit’s leader, who she kills. The legendary shieldmaiden decides to ride back to Kattegat alone, to warn them about the bandits.

Back in Kattegat, Ubbe and Torvi are throwing an intimate feast whilst a woman sings a haunting ballad about Lagertha. Lagertha arrives at night, in the rain, in a very bad state. She falls off her horse and crawls and drags herself through the mud towards the Great Hall. Meanwhile, Hvitserk, paranoid and drunk, leaves his hut thinking that Ivar has arrived. In this state of delirium, he hallucinates Ivar as the serpent, and to end his own suffering stabs it multiple times. He then comes to his senses and realizes that he has actually attacked Lagertha and recoils in horror. However, Lagertha accepts her fate as the fulfillment of the old prophecy that she would be killed in the hands of a son of Ragnar and reassures Hvitserk that she does not resent him so he can move on from this mistake.

In Kattegat, Lagertha’s body is found, nobody knows who killed her, and Hvitserk is missing. Torvi, worried about her children, travels to the farmstead. Upon her arrival, her daugther Asa tells her that Hali is dead. She also meets Gunnhild, who is wounded in bed. Together they decide to go back to Kattegat to arrange the greatest funeral a Viking has ever had to honour Lagertha. Ubbe has a vision of the Seer, who tells him that Ivar is and isn’t responsible for Lagertha’s death.

In Vestfold, King Hakon pledges allegiance to Harald but Olaf refuses to do so and Harald imprisons him. The King of all Norway has little intention of following through on his promises.

In Kiev, a messenger tells Ivar that Dir is safe and that he will help him overthrow Oleg when the time comes. In one of their feasts, Ivar just keeps sensing that Oleg has no intention of accompanying him back to Kattegat and the king keeps trying to manipulate him with Katya as both continuously mock him.

Amma finds Hvitserk nearly frozen in the forest and brings him back to Kattegat. When questioned by his brother about Lagertha’s death, he refuses to answer. The other Vikings start to arrange the funeral. A young girl named Gyda —after Ragnar and Lagertha’s first, and only, daughter— volunteers to be sacrificed to accompany the shieldmaiden to Valhalla. The funeral is a magnificent spectacle. Lagertha is placed on a longboat that will carry her through the afterlife. At the pyre, Ubbe, Torvi, Gunnhild, and Asa say their goodbyes.

Bjorn, who sensed that something was wrong, arrives when the ceremony is almost over, just as they are about to burn the boat. He then gives an emotional speech to bid farewell to his mother. The final sequence is a poetic moment where we see Lagertha floating in the water surrounded by Valkyries, gradually appearing younger as she reaches the bottom where she is reunited with a sand version of Ragnar.

In Kattegat, Hvitserk heartbreakingly admits before his brothers that he killed Lagertha thinking she was Ivar. Bjorn is extremely affected by the death of his mother and mercilessly expresses his desire to punish his brother, whom he will “never forgive”. As Ubbe tries to convince Hvitserk to ask Bjorn for mercy, the young Lothbrok reminds him that Lagertha murdered their mother and that he simply was an instrument of the gods. Bjorn decides to burn his brother at the stake but as flames begin to surround Hvitserk, Bjorn nods to Ubbe who throws his axe to the pole Hvitserk is tied to and saves him from dying. Hvitserk was happy to die so Bjorn decided to save him and banish him from Kattegat instead.

Bjorn asks the people for their support but doesn’t get the response he expected, so Gunnhild steps in and gives a powerful speech that gains cheers from the crowd. Later, the shieldmaiden catches Bjorn in bed with Ingrid, their servant. She isn’t angry and proposes that Ingrid be released from servitude and become Bjorn’s second wife (like Ragnar had once proposed to Lagertha). She then tells Bjorn that his son was killed by the same bandits he had banished from Kattegat.

Ubbe finally travels to Iceland with Kjetill Flatnose, along with Torvi and her daughter. Upon their arrival everything seems fine, until Kjetill is left alone and asks the gods why Ubbe and Torvi had to come to Iceland.

In Kiev, Ivar and Igor dine with Oleg and Katya. The Rus king explains that he has started to send raiding parties to Scandinavia so they can take prisoners from whom they will take vital information. Ivar hopes that Oleg will allow him to lead one of these parties and asks Igor if he would like to come along. The young prince asks his puppet king and has a conversation with him; this enrages Oleg, who breaks the doll and grabs the boy telling him to never do that again. The boy leaves crying and Ivar goes after him to comfort him.

Then the first raiding party takes place near Vestfold. The raiders attack a fishing village, killing everyone but an elderly man who tells what happened to King Harald, who will have to postpone his plans to prepare for a greater attack.

In Iceland, Ubbe finally meets Othere, the wanderer who claims he saw a Golden Land to the West. Torvi gives birth to a boy and she and Ubbe decide to name him Ragnar. After Othere gives a prayer, it is revealed that he is a Christian and former monk named Athelstan. When Ubbe wants to sacrifice the man to the gods for lying, Torvi reminds him that he once was baptised as a Christian and also prayed to their God. Later on, Othere gives Ubbe Floki’s wedding ring and tells him that he met him before he disappeared, that Floki had left because he had given up on humanity; but Ubbe is skeptical. Kjetill tells Othere that Ubbe does not need to know everything.

In Kattegat, with Gunnhild’s blessing, Bjorn takes Ingrid as his second wife. But Gunnhild isn’t as comfortable with this arrangement as she pretends to be. Later, Bjorn sends a group of warriors to patrol their borders but they are attacked by Rus soldiers who were scouting the lands. When Bjorn finds out, he sends Erik, the outlaw, to Vestfold in order to offer peace and an allegiance to King Harald.

In Vestfold, Harald arrests Erik and at first ignores Bjorn’s proposal. Later on, Olaf convinces him that the Rus are powerful and pose a real threat. So Harald accepts Bjorn’s offer, but only if his forces, warriors, and shieldmaidens protect the capital instead of Kattegat.

Hvitserk is found by the Rus scouting party that attacked Bjorn’s men; and which Ivar was accompanying. Ivar, happy to see his brother, decides to take him back to Kiev with him. This reunion also seems to bring back Hvitserk from his despair. In Kiev, Hvitserk brags to his brother about killing Lagertha, Ivar seems surprised but doesn’t say anything. After meeting Oleg and Katya, Ivar questions Hvitserk about her resemblance with Freydis, but Hvitserk says he does not see it and that Ivar is “still crazy”. In the final scene, the brothers watch as Oleg’s vast forces march out of the city walls and Ivar is stunned as Oleg claims that this will be the end of paganism and pagan gods.

In Vestfold, Bjorn and Harald begin to prepare their forces for the imminent Rus attack. They fortify the capital’s fjord, the river, and the beach by laying booms and other obstacles. Harald asks his vassal kings and their warriors to help. However, only Thorkell and his men join him. Harald has doubts about Bjorn’s plan; and he also proposes to Ingrid that if she leaves Bjorn for him, he will make her Queen of all Norway, but she refuses. Gunnhild loses her unborn child. Frustrated with Bjorn having everything, Harald decides to rape Ingrid.

In Kiev, Katya offers herself to Ivar. The viking is tempted but refuses her. Later on, she tells him that she is not happy in her marriage with Oleg and that she is looking for an escape.

In spring, the battle begins. The rest of the episode intertwines battle scenes that take place across different locations with Ivar’s planning, the aftermath of the attack, and even an intimate conversation at the beach between Bjorn and Ivar —which we presume didn’t actually happen. During this conversation, the brothers talk about their father’s legacy. Bjorn is at a loss when Ivar tells him that the gods abandoned him a long time ago and that he won’t win this battle. He also suggests that Bjorn’s defeat at the hands of the Christian Rus, in a way, does preserve everything their father worked to build.

Ivar plans the invasion and suggests that they should attack the beach and the river to the north, he suggests they climb the mountain between the river and the capital. Most of the Rus’ army attack the beach, where Harald, Bjorn, and Erik lead the defense forces. On the other hand, Oleg, Ivar, and Hvitserk attack the block at the river’s mouth, defended by Gunnhild. The shieldmaiden fights with Oleg but escapes. The Rus’ men breach the block and begin to climb the mountain to ultimately surround the Viking army at the beach. At the beach, Thorkell is killed and Harald is seriously wounded; Erik tries to help him but Harald orders him to retreat. The outlaw takes the King’s crown and rans off. The Viking army is overwhelmed and Bjorn is struggling. Suddenly, Ivar appears in front of him and stabs him with his sword; Bjorn falls to the ground. Ultimately the Rus win and celebrate their victory.