Major Vikings: Valhalla spoilers ahead.
Vikings: Valhalla delivered all the blood, gore, betrayal and gritty adventure we'd hoped for from a sequel to the successful Vikings.
Set over a hundred years after the end of the original series, at the beginning of the 11th century, Vikings: Valhalla focuses on legendary Vikings Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), his warrior sister Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson) and Nordic prince Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter).
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Caught up in the tensions between the English royals and the Vikings – and the clashes between the Vikings themselves over their conflicting pagan and Christian beliefs – the trio faced a potential war by the end of the penultimate episode.
Before the final episode began, Canute, the new king of England, had sailed off to protect his far-reaching kingdom and left his new wife, Emma of Normandy, in charge, along with his father, Forkbeard. Meanwhile, the Earl of Godwin – who had murdered the former king, Edmund – lurked in the background of the English court waiting to see who it would be best to suck up to next, a choice complicated by the arrival of Canute's first wife
Ælfgifu, who was none too impressed to discover her husband had married someone else.
On the Viking side, things were even more complicated, as evil zealot Jarl Kåre slaughtered villages en route to a planned attack on Kattegat that Harald's Christian half-brother Olaf thought would give him the crown of Norway and a defeat of Canute that he so desired.
Standing in their way were Harald, Leif, Freydís and the residents of Kattegat, led by Jarl Haakon, who prepared for the coming attack – only for Harald to sneak out of the fortress to embark on a mission of his own.
Vikings: Valhalla ending explained
The final episode begins with Queen Ælfgifu asserting her power in the English court alongside her father-in-law Forkbeard. She demands that Emma be banished to Normandy, while Godwin – whom Emma believed to be an ally – does some more lurking in dark corners as she is dragged away. Ælfgifu further cements her position as Queen by offering to go to Mercia to talk to the lords there on Forkbeard's behalf, and Godwin agrees to accompany her.
Over at the Viking encampment, Olaf quickly realises that aligning himself with bloodthirsty Jarl Kåre may not have been the wisest plan, especially as Kåre is clearly a bonkers fellow who spends his free time talking to an empty cage in the corner.
Harald's secret mission, meanwhile, turns out to be a visit to brother Olaf, and when he is brought before Kåre, he tells them that Kattegat has warriors ready for any attack, and suggests a parlay between Olaf, Kåre and leader Jarl Haakon.
Before that, Haakon has to oversee a pagan ceremony to protect the city of Kattegat and its warriors – yes, it's ritual sacrifice time as Audun, who has happily/stupidly volunteered for the job, allows himself to be strapped to a wooden frame while surrounded by Kattegat's brightest and best.
That doesn't sound so bad, but that's before a large screw is pushed into the back of his head and both his arms are slashed (don't worry, they have handy wooden bowls beneath each arm to catch all the blood) to help him hurry on his journey to Valhalla, the Viking afterlife.
The parlay doesn't exactly go well – Olaf demands that everyone in Kattegat be baptised as Christian to save the city, which Haakon refuses as all religions are welcome there – but it does give Harald the chance to pass on a coded message to Leif, warning him that the attack will happen by sea when the tides are in Olaf's favour.
Freydís, Leif, his close warrior pal Liv, and the city of Kattegat prepare for Olaf's sea attack, but as his forces amass from the land his boats barely advance, and they realise Olaf tricked Harald, knowing he would pass on the strategy which has effectively divided Kattegat's forces in two directions.
As Olaf and Kåre's forces storm the battlements, Haakon is shot by multiple arrows but has enough energy on her deathbed to warn Freydís: "You must survive. You are The Last," reminding her of an earlier prediction that Freydís will be the last protector of Kattegat.
Of course, this is all leading up to a fight between Freydís and Kåre, who is obsessed with the young female warrior, and the pair battle in the great hall. Freydís finally gets the upper hand and kills Kåre, cutting his head off and leaving it on the floor.
Outside, Harald has escaped from Olaf's men and is fighting for Kattegat, but is badly injured. He sees Freydís in the distance and thinks she has walked away from him, but she returns with two horses and tells him they must leave as the battle is lost.
Meanwhile, in the midst of battle, Lief is horrified to see Olaf stab Liv, and he carries her to a barn where she dies in his arms.
Making his way to the great hall, Olaf triumphantly declares himself King of Norway as Kattegat is defeated. However, his joy is short-lived. As QueenÆlfgifu returns from Mercia to the English court, she finds Emma is sitting on her throne and realises that Forkbeard and Godwin conspired together to dethrone her – and Forkbeard is now on his way to Kattegat with his fleet to stop Olaf.
Olaf is informed that ships are coming, and all his men – including his most loyal warrior – scarper at great speed, leaving Olaf standing in the hall in his royal fur cloak realising he is in big trouble with Forkbeard (who views him as a traitor) and King Canute.
As Harald and Freydís look down on burning Kattegat as they ride away to who knows where, and Forkbeard enters the city, a grief-stricken and angry Leif – stripped to the waist after using his shirt to stem Liv's bleeding and covered in blood – rises up, ready for revenge in season two…
Vikings: Valhalla streams on Netflix from February 25.
20th Century Fox Vikings Seasons 1-5
20th Century Fox Vikings - Season 1
20th Century Fox Vikings - Season 2
20th Century Fox Vikings - Season 3
20th Century Fox Vikings - Season 4
20th Century Fox Vikings - Season 5: Volumes 1 & 2
Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies.
She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
