VIKINGS Season 4

[YJ02]

that was the mid season? thought it was the end..either way....

I think they are going way off the rails in historical relevance-

besides the other issues i brought up, the issue with Rollo is just dumb

The actual Rollo went into the service of the Franks WITH his men and their ppl--the very foundation of THE NORMANS. The Norman sub-culture could not have started with one man. And having the TPTB's show that one man-Rollo,was all that was needed to somehow make the Franks capable of defeating Danes is crazy. The Franks had been defeating Danes for quite a time prior to Rollo--first on land in northern Germany and the southern portions of what we now call Denmark as well as in Frisia.

Ivar the boneless was called that not because he slithered on his belly but because he was so thin and gaunt

the real story of Ragnar Lothbrok IS with his sons, so lets see where they go with it;i like to see that they are going to have Bjorn go to the Med since he actually did, lets see if they pair him up with Haestan.an actual historical figure who went on those med raids with Bjorn.

I can not think of any instance where any danes ever moved ships overland for such a long distance in france-they did it in Russia to get to the Volga river. also, i do not think there are any mtns along the Seine between Paris and the ocean,so...

Liked how they showed Alfred in Rome and the depiction of the Romans--they even got it right that even in the 10th century 'roman soldiers' were still wearing the traditional roman legionary uniform (mostly on ceremonial grounds--their legionnaire outfit was as anachronistic in the 10th century as the Swiss guard uniform is now).

I never read where alfred was made a consul of rome (another formality that still continued) but the Pope was said to have "anointed" him as a future king of wessex. this Alfred used to make his claim to the throne over his brother's eldest son

they are getting more and more liberal with their use of facts--yes I know I am in the minority when it comes to paying attn to these things but hey,someone has to!!

 

[shavedape]

I'm not a fan of time jumps where they advance the story years ahead. I wouldn't mind too much this time but I felt that the battle with Rollo was too short. I mean, they spent a long time building up to that moment and then suddenly it's over in the blink of an eye. We spent more time watching them move their ships overland than we did watching them have that final battle.

 

[YJ02]

mean, they spent a long time building up to that moment and then suddenly it's over in the blink of an eye

well, as i have said before, if movies and tv portrayed history precisely as it is recorded, it would make for a fairly boring,and quick, watch

since i dont think that they did do all of that with the ships over the hills,etc-the quick battle doesn't really matter

and, in real battle, they do tend to go fairly quick--just sayin'

The real Rollo,with his men, defended Paris at Rouen and at the mouths of the Seine. when guys like Ragnar were turned away by any Frank at the Seine, they either tried another river further south, or went to the Rhine (also Frankia at the time) into Germany. They often went to England instead, they considered the Saxons a easier fight then the Franks

IDK-I was kind of thankful for the time jump. that much closer to the "Ragnar did everything" rule of thumb in the show. His sons will be the ones to unleash hell in England and even Ireland with Bjorn also going after Muslims in Spain and N Africa and Franks and Italians in the Med.

Now if they show any of that, it could get as interesting as the first season was; time to age out Floki,Ragnar and Lagertha

 

[shavedape]

I have to admit, again, that it is a a very good production. I don't know what their budget is but for a cable show that airs on the History channel I can't imagine that it's that high. Still, they're able to stage epic scenes with tons of people and costuming and props and it doesn't look like they cut corners. That's a big part of the appeal for me. It shows that the producers are smart and have integrity. It's a shame that other cable shows don't put in half the effort to produce their stories the way they do on Vikings.

 

[YJ02]

I have to admit, again, that it is a a very good production. I don't know what their budget is but for a cable show that airs on the History channel I can't imagine that it's that high. Still, they're able to stage epic scenes with tons of people and costuming and props and it doesn't look like they cut corners. That's a big part of the appeal for me. It shows that the producers are smart and have integrity. It's a shame that other cable shows don't put in half the effort to produce their stories the way they do on Vikings.

well they do have MGM behind them right?

 

[shavedape]

well they do have MGM behind them right?

I'm not sure if MGM backs them but it seems to me that if the show wasn't turning a good profit it wouldn't have lasted for several seasons already. So that would tell me that the producers make good use of their budget. I would be so bold as to hazard a guess that TWD has a much higher production budget yet visually the product we get isn't as good as what we get with Vikings.

 

[YJ02]

trailer for season 4.2

looks like they will be getting into the history (well, as good/bad as History channel does history) of the Danish invasion of Anglaland

 

[YJ02]

oh-and S5 has begun filming as well

 

[shavedape]

trailer for season 4.2

looks like they will be getting into the history (well, as good/bad as History channel does history) of the Danish invasion of Anglaland

I liked the last season as it seemed to really pick up the pace and the story was kept interesting week by week. I could have done without Ragnar becoming an opium addict via a Chinese concubine though. That was just plain weird.

 

[YJ02]

addict via a Chinese concubine though. That was just plain weird.

it was almost as if some tptb was doing a favor for a cousin by putting his chinese GF in the show

 

[shavedape]

it was almost as if some tptb was doing a favor for a cousin by putting his chinese GF in the show

Since it's on the History channel is there any historical accuracy to that story line of Ragnar and the Chinese woman? To me it just seemed like something one of the writers pulled out of his ass.

 

[YJ02]

Since it's on the History channel is there any historical accuracy to that story line of Ragnar and the Chinese woman? To me it just seemed like something one of the writers pulled out of his ass.

i've never read the LEGEND OF RAGNAR LOTHBROK-s semi historical acct (that Ragnar was a real person is attested to by the various frankish, saxon, welsh and irish, arab and italian writings that give historical accts of his sons) so I don't know about the chinese woman

but, this is after the Arab conquests into central asia adjoining arab conquests to T'ang controlled lands, so, it is possible that such a thing could have happened through trade. though such a trade would have more then likely occurred through Kievan Rus and not through western europe.
-----------------------------------------------------------
the show overall does contain many historical accts from various writings (franks, saxons,etc) though it does tend to make the characters into aggregate ones.

some things, like Rollo killing his fellow Danes in Frankia,is just bizarre for them to have done

Rollo was one of several chieftains left behind to hold the winter camps on the lower Seine. When the frankish envoy appeared, he went as kind of a "its your turn to go see what they want this time" type of thing among his peers.

This made him a Duke and gave him the Emperor's alliance. The language, territory and genetic establishment that made the Normans could not have happened if what the show depicted were true

Indeed, as the show had it, what good would one Dane have been against the return of the Dane army?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
they really crunch the Saxon timeline as well.

it does look like they will have Bjorn Ragnarsson go to the Mediterranean-something he did achieve attacking Arabs, Franks and Italians

there is so much material for them to follow for many seasons to come telling the stories of Ragnar's sons and grandsons as well as the Saxon Alfred the Great who defeated them and their allies and then became the first King of England. plenty for a Season 5 and beyond
-------------------------------------------------------

did that answer your question?