TV shows love to tease us with half of a season, an excruciatingly long break before giving the people what they want: the final half of the season! Avid television watchers see this with shows like The Walking Dead, and Vikings is no different.
The mid-season finale showed elements that Vikings has done before, so it’s no shocker in terms of time frame, but something other series rarely ever do. This time, the show had leaped 8 wild years into the future to show a violent fight between Rollo’s warriors and Ragnar’s convoy. The winner is no surprise, as Rollo defeats Ragnar in a somewhat predictable ending. If anyone has paid attention to history as well as the character arcs of both brothers, it’s clear that Ragnar had been fading for quite some time.
Let’s not forget about everything that lead up to this episode, though, despite being 8 years in the Viking past. In season 4, episode 1, we saw Ragnar yet again struggling and coming face to face with death. He had a vivid dream about Valhalla which may have acted as a prediction for the mid-season finale. Later in this episode, we saw that Count Rollo was getting settled into his new regal lifestyle with his new wife, Princess Gisla, in which he attempts to win her over in season 4, episode 2. Ragnar somehow pushed through the gates of near death and confronted Helga about freeing Floki. He meets with her again after she’s found digging a grave for her deceased daughter that Floki knows nothing about yet.
Even in the fourth episode, Rollo is still attempting to win over Princess Gisla, but we also see another side of Ragnar when he allows Yidu to come live with him. She ends up drugging him with a concoction native of her land. Later in this episode, we finally see the demise of Rollo’s efforts when he is served divorce papers from an unimpressed Princess Gisla.
Jumping to season 4, episode 9, watchers began to prepare for a build-up episode before the mid-season finale. While it was a boring build-up, the mid-season finale surely made up for it. In season 4, episode 9, we saw the Vikings setting up and relaunching their boats before battle when they come across Floki’s unique design structures. We also see a not-so-happy meet between King Aelle and King Echbert. While the mid-season finale touched mostly on Rollo and Ragnar, viewers can expect to see more tension between King Aelle and King Echbert when season 4 continues in July.
