The Last Kingdom (5th Season Out)

[Ishan]

All pumped for season 3.

[Halie Satanus]

Season 3.

If you liked 1/2, season 3 won't disappoint.

[PointOfViewGun]

Halfway through. Going great so far. Battle scenes are borderline epic and execute very well to show the mechanics of the day.

[Mhaedros]

4 episodes in, what a fantastic show this really is.

[Ishan]

So much to watch, so little time. Come on Weekend!

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Started it, pretty good. How many priests will Uthred kill? Pretty badass how he slapped a guy to death.

[Roma_Victrix]

Uthred certainly did. He has a rough time making hard, split-second fight-or-flight decisions this season, more so than any other season, to the point where you have to feel bad for his character, even for the (blasphemous) few who don't. It's like a game of tug-of-war, the directions and paths he has to choose that sadly usually end up pleasing nobody. Great season, excellent drama, dialogue, universe, plot and character building. Aside from the Lord of Mercia, the villains are also very complex figures who aren't entirely bad or wrong, so this show definitely does a great job of painting the different shades of grey when it comes to portraying good guys and bad guys alike. It also shows how split loyalties and allegiances can pit otherwise good people or friends or family against each other in war.

In other words, it's not just a show about Saxons and Danes smashing each other's heads in.

[TheDarkKnight]

Finished it.

Not sure I agree with others I have seen saying that this season is better than 2. I think it's around the same if not slightly worse. But I think a lot of it came from the odd decisions and the decision to increase the episode count.

Other than that...Hoping for season 4. It's still better than whatever Vikings has become.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Actually I agree with that sentiment. They seem to have cut out a lot from The Burning Land and Death of Kings. Looks like I judged it too soon, but the first couple episodes were pretty decent.

Most of the Skade subplot seemed really botched. An excuse for fetish porn. Actually in the book Uhtredd goes full viking and the reason he breaks up with Skade is because she was trying to give orders.

The Thyra subplot was unnecessary, I don't know if this was in Death of Kings.

The actual plotting could have been done better and in a more interesting way. Sometimes it was rather boring and uninspired. The Ragnar and Gida stuff was also really boring. Will Cnut get his due?

Aethelwold didn't get his due, by which I mean that the show kept trying to demonize him. Except that Aethelwold wasn't this bad, the fact is that Aethelwold was screwed over and Edward has no more claim to the throne than Aethelwold. No idea when everyone was so hostile to Aethelwold either since last I remember he was part of the main team. They portray him as a total coward even though he actually did fight in the massive battle in season 1... which the show mentions so wtf???

Overall there was too much stuff, too many characters and not enough time. Despite that they cut a lot out from the two books which this season adapted. Not terrible but not as cohesive as season 2. Looking forward to season 4, since I doubt it can get worse than Vikings and there are five other books out which is enough for two more seasons (and another when the next book is released).

[PointOfViewGun]

It was good all throughout but there seems to be quite major alterations to what the books depicted, especially with Uhtred's actions. Perhaps the TV people thought Uhtred in the book was a little bit too much all over the place which is understandable.

[TheDarkKnight]

Yeah as I understand it...A lot of it was changed. Many of the subplots just did not exist in the books. A shame.

I really think that the show was done a disservice by having it's episodes increased from 8 to 10. I enjoyed the frantic action.

But again...Season 4. I want it. Netflix has nothing else like this as an original so unless they got another niche or genre show in the works I'm assuming this is safe. There has to be a reason they picked it up fully...it must be doing well in general.

One thing though...has anyone else been impressed by Dreymon's growth as Uhtred? He (and the others) don't even begin to approach Dawson as Alfred but there were scenes where Dreymon shined this season. By comparison in season 1 he was one of the biggest weak points.

[Halie Satanus]

That’s part of the show, the grey lines as to who is good and who’s an ass. Uhtred was a whinger in the first season and not much better in the second. By 3 he’s matured and actually tries to do the right thing but he’s still a hugely flawed man. Alfred came across as pretty despicable until the very end. Ragnar was the only decent one out of all of them.

I thought it was a nice touch Alfred stating Uhthred wouldn’t be mentioned in the chronicle. The perfect get out clause. Skade was tiresome, not enough depth to her character and the actress was just bad.

Can someone just kill Aelswith. Seriously.

I hope Beocca returns as a total bad ass, poor guy needs a break.

So, on to Bebbanburg, marry Brida settle down, all live happily ever after.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

I read ahead so I know what happens. Lets just say there is enough adventures for a long time to come.

Yes Uhtred is very well done, season 2 was surprising in that he had become extremely likable. Only thing that annoyed me was how Uhtred was acting so strangely in this season. They really should have given us insight into what Uhtred was thinking. Is he completely broken at this point? Is he just fuming with rage? Or has this happened so much that he doesn't feel it?

[TheDarkKnight]

Uhtred has suffered a lot. I'm not surprised he is brooding.

Another issue though...I would very much like Brida to fade from importance. The actress isn't especially great and her character is boring at this point. With Uhtred you can feel his inner torment over being both Saxon and Dane...while with Brida she's just all Dane and all boring despite the fact that she in the same as him.

I will miss Alfred's presence. I hope the rest of the cast can carry the show or else we may have another Vikings sans-Ragnar issue. But I hope I am wrong.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Yeah don't much care for Brida either (accidentally called her Gida).

Well, I don't think there will be another Alfred... Alfred's child ought to be a more important character.

[Roma_Victrix]

LOL. Gida. I was wondering about that, but realized there was nobody else you could be talking about, and thought that might be her name in the book or something.

Until very recently, the achievements of Edward the Elder in unifying all of southern England have been largely ignored while most scholars from the Middle Ages until the late 20th century gave Aethelstan most of the credit and praise for being the first King of England.

In Aethelstan's defense, he did outshine Edward by not only taking Northumbria but also becoming overlord of his clients and tributary vassals Alba, Strathclyde, and Wales. By doing so he basically controlled the British Isles, but in a tenuous manner similar to the later Edward I of England, since he had to continue fighting his rebellious vassals for that position during his reign. This came to a head at the Battle of Brunanburh, where he defeated not only his domestic foes but also the Danish Vikings from Ireland.

I'm sure you know all about this, Oda, but I'm just ranting for the sake of others who are godless hipsters who don't read the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles like cool kids.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

No I didn't know. It was very informative.
The names give me a headache, they all sound the same. The other day when explaining this to my brother I said that Alfred's father was Ecbert from Vikings... when clearly it was Aethelwulf (wait who is Aethelstan???). Vikings screwing around with the history is really annoying.

[Mhaedros]

Finished the season today, it continues to be a very very good series.

[TheDarkKnight]

Season 4!

Destiny is All

[Halie Satanus]