Vikings: The Profit and the Loss

April 1, 2016 11:32 AM - Season 4, Episode 7

Ragnar and his raiding party come up against Rollo's new defenses as they attempt to head for Paris. In Wessex, Ecbert schemes to gain the crown of Mercia. Back in Kattegat, Harbard takes advantage of the men's absence.
posted by dnash (5 comments total)

So I guess we can kiss any thoughts of Rollo doing a long-con double-cross goodbye.

And man, that Harbard has his game down. Wait for all the big dudes to sail away for a while, then show up and lure all the lonely wives into bed.
posted by dnash at 11:34 AM on April 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

Harbard has his game down

Indeed. I wonder how historically factual the frequency of the practice was; didn't something exactly the same happen in season 1 or 2, and was handwaved away given legitimacy as having been impregnated by a god?

So hating the specifics of Ragnar's addiction arc. Couldn't it have been a well done bit on schizophrenia instead? Or more relevantly from all the sportsball worlds, the long term effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or PTSD?

I'm all for seeing more ethnically Asian actors in media, but this isn't exactly a high water mark - regardless of my progressive views on narcotics. Below zero consent region here, she dosed him to maximize his dependency.

The gear (costumes) used for hero shots are still awesomesauce, and the battle choreography remains strong.
posted by porpoise at 7:06 PM on April 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

I hate every scene with that shoehorned in Chinese character. She's got to be the worst slave ever to be traded all the way up to Norway from China. And to come all that way with mysterious chinese herbs smuggled up her butthole. Some of the worst racial stereotyping on tv right now.
posted by Catblack at 7:26 AM on April 2, 2016 [3 favorites]

The battle scene this episode was really a highlight. It's unusual for Ragnar's side to lose, and to lose that badly. They were confident, and then they were just completely devastated by a much better prepared and underestimated enemy. It was a wonderful thing to watch.

They won't underestimate the French again though, but if Ragnar's retreat order holds I guess we won't see that play out.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:48 AM on April 6, 2016

Side note for Vikings fans:

This week PBS's "Nova" has a show about finding remains of Viking settlements, which includes some discussion about how they built their ships, buildings, and how they lived. The highlight of the episode is the use of satellite imagery to discover remains of a second settlement in Newfoundland.

Vikings Unearthed
posted by dnash at 8:54 AM on April 7, 2016