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Wafflecopper posted:You also see the Mary Sue protagonist jump over the enemy shield wall and solo their entire back line Mu Zeta posted:They haven't done anything like that in season 2. He also gets taken down a few pegs and isn't all-powerful anymore. Alfred pretty much keeps him in line and the books themselves even have Uhtred explaining sometimes why he was able to win. When he fights Ubba, for example, the only thing that saves his rear end is Ubba slipping in some bloody mud. He does have a reputation that he deliberately cultivates, and he’s probably a lot better fighter than many of the Danes or the other Saxons, but he is never portrayed as some perfect dude who can do no wrong. He also suffers greatly for his mistakes.
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Jan 30, 2018 21:38
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I don't follow the news/announcements of renewed/cancelled calls so I thought up until towards the end of the battle that this might have been the series finale and I loved every single thing about the episode, except for how poor the CGI was in certain shots (which could be related to watching it in 85"). The whole time I was thinking it was/would've been up there with Six Feet Under for best series finale to me with how perfect it felt. I know it's not cool to show anything other than cynicism/pessimism for stuff these days though so I'm sure I'll get someone calling me a filthy swine. I also think Last Kingdom is completely apples to oranges. I enjoy it but it's more of a comic bookish feel to me. It does have some nice parts where it almost feels like it earned that big climax but then yeah the show does something ridiculous that stops it just short of being satisfying or significant.
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Feb 3, 2018 15:00
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Hold The Ashes posted:It does have some nice parts where it almost feels like it earned that big climax but then yeah the show does something ridiculous that stops it just short of being satisfying or significant. This describes Vikings better than TLK.
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Feb 3, 2018 16:12
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Just getting caught up after some irl bullshit. Thought the last episode was them trying to be "artistic" or what have you. It's not bad in and of itself but it's probably not what drew most people into the show originally. An asymmetrical episode can be pretty effective if done well but idk...seems like it just kind of wandered off at the end. I'm guessing it's set-up for some big extravaganza when they come back from break (i.e. Rollo a comin'). Nthing that the shift in how battles are handled is kinda sad. We used to get actual tactics, leadership, strategizing etc but now it's more standard "everyone run around waving your shield like you just don't care" hollywood stuff. Also I can't help but notice that Ivar is pretty much dressed like The Kurgan from the original Highlander film in his 80s punk "disguise." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjdgIl7hrtQ#t=15s
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Feb 3, 2018 19:03
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Hold The Ashes posted:I don't follow the news/announcements of renewed/cancelled calls so I thought up until towards the end of the battle that this might have been the series finale and I loved every single thing about the episode, except for how poor the CGI was in certain shots (which could be related to watching it in 85"). The whole time I was thinking it was/would've been up there with Six Feet Under for best series finale to me with how perfect it felt. I know it's not cool to show anything other than cynicism/pessimism for stuff these days though so I'm sure I'll get someone calling me a filthy swine. Friend, I'm glad that Vikings still makes you happy.
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Feb 3, 2018 20:19
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I'm late to this party, though I've been watching Vikings from the beginning. I just had to find out if anyone else was as "wtff is going on here" as I am... Seriously, is ANYONE on the production team looking at what Hirst is writing and saying uhhhh hold on there a sec bud? I can be a stickler for history but I was pretty OK with the liberties they took in the first few seasons. But really they've Amtrak'd this show with the time skipping and disorganized melee and artsy fartsying around. It's become full on GoT to my mind, and that show lost me a long time ago. Has GoT become the new standard for depicting a medieval world because they're pulling some of the same poo poo in Knightfall too and it's garbage. The actual history is intensely more fascinating than what's being fictioned up, even if that's from the semi-mythic sagas. Floki's still cool though, that's the only part of this season that's been remotely interesting and I'm sad to see it's falling apart for him. But if all we're going to get out of that in the second half is the 5 minutes interspersed in each episode I'll sadly have to pass. Cause season 6 I hear they're moving to Kievan Rus. Such a let down. They should have completely cut out the Kattegat storyline last season and focused on the heathen army. Then we could avoid this pointless civil war and focused on Bjorn raiding the Mediterranean, bring back Rollo and go conquer Italy and Floki colonizing Iceland. Then we can go back to Alfred who shouldn't be this puny 14 year old king, let him properly knock the Danelaw teeth in and THEN we can go to the volga vikings! And somewhere in there Harald can go unite Norway. Argh!!
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Feb 9, 2018 19:09
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SeaWolf posted:I'm late to this party, though I've been watching Vikings from the beginning. I just had to find out if anyone else was as "wtff is going on here" as I am... Everything you said I agree with. They led up to a huge moment in English history, and kept interest by portraying the Saxons and Northumbrians. Then, instead of giving us the payoff they led us to believe was going to happen, they give us a civil war for a whole half a loving season and never return to England the entire time. Not even a shadow of a mention of going back there, just Ivar bitching and moaning about Lagertha this and Lagertha that. I mean, it’s still entertaining enough, but when it goes off on tangents, it actually follows them exclusively after awhile and forgets the main plot it seems. Then some tangents don’t get enough love, like Floki’s.
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Feb 10, 2018 16:06
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I don't find it entertaining anymore because I'm constantly reminded that it used to be good. I think I'll record the next half season but hold off on watching until I see what kind of feedback it gets.
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Feb 10, 2018 20:08
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I agree with most of what's been said. lost interest in the show when they abandoned all the cool plots to go back to do Kattegatt civil war 3. What a waste of the mediterranian and the English plots.
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Feb 10, 2018 20:34
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I can only imagine that while Hirst is surely partly to blame for the poo poo this show has been dipped into, maybe we can also blame producers for an insistence on keeping to some bullshit plot line they may have felt was what audiences wanted to see. I don’t know. gently caress. I’m tired of mainstream network police procedurals and drivel like Scandal and all that, so I’m disappointed that a show that still has such potential and a lot of material from which to draw, keeps giving us inter-Viking drama and plot lines revolving around aspirations to the throne of Kattegat. It’s like they are teasing us with compelling plots that they never unravel. What I wanted was Vikings wrecking poo poo. What I ended up getting after becoming invested in the show was what amounts to a scripted The Real World: Vikings. Maybe I’m just harder to please than the masses who are perfectly happy with Ancient Aliens and Swamp People 
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Feb 10, 2018 21:41
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The show simply has lost focus, which to be honest isn't really surprising when you phase out your main protagonist and sort of soft reboot inside the series. I still like some of the characters like Lagertha and Bjorn, but they are sort of just plodding along. The Bishop felt like a dopey reimagining of Aethelstan, since I don't know, Vikings need Breton priests as foils or something. Ivar and the preppie sons really just get on my nerves at this point, it is hard to really say more than that. There are moments where things are still engaging, but by en large it is a mess. The pseudo-mysticism stuff has been ramped to 11 and it is bordering a little on Walking Dead battle syndrome. "Epic" battles happen but they don't feel weighty because we just sort of plod to another one where whatever group has magic raised a new force that is convenient to the plot. While I am aware that the show loosely follows the Sagas, it would be better to slow things down to add weight to events rather than sort of awkwardly fast forward to where they eventually want to be. The Floki Iceland thing is another weird extension of the show. Like it isn't awful but it is so disconnected from the main plots that it barely fits into the show anymore. Like Floki is an interesting character and they really don't want to get rid of him, so he is going to start a commune on an island and conflict. I do want to bang on about some of the inaccuracies, but this is vikings and there is no point outside of nerding out about it anymore than I have to. I really want to say that the Sami stuff was pretty high cringe for me, with the 120 pound woman being some kind of flail ninja. I don't really know where they can take the show from here that is going to be really convincing. (Just spoiler tagging for the few people not aware of the history...) The logical endpoint is King Alfred beating the Great Heathen Army, since the whole B plot is sort of leading to that. It is just getting harder to care about that anymore. unlawfulsoup fucked around with this message at 15:27 on Feb 18, 2018 |
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Feb 18, 2018 15:22
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unlawfulsoup posted:I don't really know where they can take the show from here that is going to be really convincing. (Just spoiler tagging for the few people not aware of the history...) The logical endpoint is King Alfred beating the Great Heathen Army, since the whole B plot is sort of leading to that. I will be really impressed if they manage to get to the battle of Stamford Bridge.
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Feb 18, 2018 16:02
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Did the Astrid/Bjorn hookup ever lead to anything that I'm just not remembering or is that yet another dropped storyline in this show?
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Feb 21, 2018 09:54
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Viridiant posted:Did the Astrid/Bjorn hookup ever lead to anything that I'm just not remembering or is that yet another dropped storyline in this show? That storyline is DEAD And it didn't go anywhere no, much like Bjørns adventures in the Mediterranean 
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Feb 21, 2018 12:54
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CubanMissile posted:Bee death was the only time I liked and was interested in Æthelwulf at all. The next season should just be the ghost of swollen up Æthelwulf speaking with the Seer.
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Feb 25, 2018 04:47
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CubanMissile posted:Bee death was the only time I liked and was interested in Æthelwulf at all. unlawfulsoup posted:The show simply has lost focus, which to be honest isn't really surprising when you phase out your main protagonist and sort of soft reboot inside the series. unlawfulsoup posted:Vikings need Breton priests as foils or something.
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Mar 1, 2018 08:05
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A Buttery Pastry posted:I think they really missed an obvious opportunity to sorta keep Ragnar in the story. Not him personally, but they should have made his legacy and how people interpret it the core of the story, and not in the "You're ruining dad's legacy!!!!" kinda way. Ivar should still take up the torch as the vengeful warrior that just wants to see it all burn, while someone like Ubbe could be the farmer-king, and Hvitserk the semi-convert, while Bjorn continues and surpasses his explorations. That would allow far more interesting interactions between the brothers, more friendly-ish rivalry than just jumping straight into civil war, and would also allow a more interesting environment for the story of Alfred to unfold. That makes more sense than the current messy stew we have right now. Bjorn and Ivar alone make the most sense to me, they best represent the duality of Ragnar's legacy. You would have an aging Lagertha laying the groundwork for Bjorn, while a tired Floki guides an ever maddening Ivar hell bent on revenge/conquest. By ditching the other brothers/advisors/whatever into the background, things would be a lot more focused. The show would be playing to the better characters. I am not sure why I put Breton myself, but good catch.
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Mar 1, 2018 11:38
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unlawfulsoup posted:That makes more sense than the current messy stew we have right now. Bjorn and Ivar alone make the most sense to me, they best represent the duality of Ragnar's legacy. You would have an aging Lagertha laying the groundwork for Bjorn, while a tired Floki guides an ever maddening Ivar hell bent on revenge/conquest. By ditching the other brothers/advisors/whatever into the background, things would be a lot more focused. The show would be playing to the better characters.
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Mar 1, 2018 13:40
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Not killing the coolest viking woulda been the best thing for the show
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Mar 1, 2018 15:03
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Fartbox posted:Not killing the coolest viking woulda been the best thing for the show Its been stated numerous time that they want to move forward through Viking history so it was just a matter of time before Ragnar dies. I miss him, but I think the show could have been very successful without him. They have a really great cast, the issue is with this season's writing. Its like they have no real direction and don't know where they want to go from here.
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Mar 1, 2018 15:19
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I think the direction is clearly Alfred vs. Ivar from here on out. They alluded to it earlier when Alfred beat Ivar in a game of chess.
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Mar 1, 2018 15:41
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Dalael posted:Its been stated numerous time that they want to move forward through Viking history so it was just a matter of time before Ragnar dies. I miss him, but I think the show could have been very successful without him. Well apparently not. We understand why they killed Ragnar but it was a risky decision, handled badly, and followed up very badly. Apparently Travis Fimmel was more integral to the success and quality of the show than the writers.
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Mar 2, 2018 03:46
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I wonder about that. Travis Fimmel's acting in the Warcraft movie wasn't the greatest. I mean that movie had way more problems than that but he wasn't really elevating it with his presence. Of course I would also believe he didn't give a poo poo about that job beyond the money.
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Mar 2, 2018 05:02
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wormil posted:Well apparently not. We understand why they killed Ragnar but it was a risky decision, handled badly, and followed up very badly. Apparently Travis Fimmel was more integral to the success and quality of the show than the writers. What are you basing this on exactly? The show was already headed downhill even before Ragnar died and to me it's a case of the writing going to poo poo, not the absence of one actor
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Mar 2, 2018 08:52
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Honestly considering what Ragnar's death was supposed to bring about, I'm not sure why they needed the whole Ragnar on drugs/disgraced storyline at all. It wasn't fun to watch, Yidu was a disappointing and pointless character, and it made the Great Heathen Army seem more inexplicable immediately following a period of the show where everyone back home seemed to hate him. Lagertha, the only one to respond to him somewhat positively, was the only one NOT to come because she suddenly wants to kill Aslaug who before now she has barely acknowledged as existing much less hating for apparently ruining Kattegat even though with Ragnar gone Aslaug seemed to have transformed it into a large, prosperous trading hub.
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Mar 2, 2018 10:01
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Wafflecopper posted:What are you basing this on exactly? The show was already headed downhill even before Ragnar died and to me it's a case of the writing going to poo poo, not the absence of one actor The writing got inversely shittier as Travis Fimmel faded from the story. And once he was gone it went into free fall. Maybe I'm giving credit where it isn't due but it's not an unknown phenomena for one or more actors on a show to elevate the writing through their influence. Maybe he had a good relationship with the showrunners. Maybe they changed the writers. You tell me what caused it.
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Mar 2, 2018 22:04
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they could've had ragnar be a force ghost like yoda i finally got around to watching the mid-season finale and i guess it was alright at least rollo's back
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Apr 30, 2018 04:42
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Just watched the latest season. Kind of enjoyed it, but also kind of rehashed civil war stuff. I'm a little confused about the part where they nominate Alfred for king. I might have missed a scene but last I saw his brother said he was going to accept the crown and their mom was going to get the other lords to elect Alfred. Also the other part that really bugged me was ivar going from "I can't kill my brothers, no war" to "welp let's kill them all" in the span of a commercial break.
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Jun 8, 2018 15:35
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The brother decided to step down. Probably hurt his pride that his mom called him a dumbass.
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Jun 9, 2018 03:45
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Hexel posted:they could've had ragnar be a force ghost like yoda Ghost Ragnar rolls his eyes in disappointment and does a backflip off the mast.
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Jun 9, 2018 16:55
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etalian posted:Ghost Ragnar rolls his eyes in disappointment and does a backflip off the mast. That's about the only thing that would get me to watch the next season.
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Jun 9, 2018 17:59
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So is the the latest season even somewhat watchable? I was a fan of the show since season but the general writing did seem get worse as the scale of the show increased.
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Jun 9, 2018 19:29
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etalian posted:So is the the latest season even somewhat watchable? It was... Okay? It certainly had some big battles. If you're looking for something similair to the early show, Britannia's first season was pretty fun, it's kind of like a reversal of Vikings, where the 'barbarian' types already run Britain and are being invaded by the Romans. It's a lot more crazy than Vikings though, but that's something I actually find quite fun about it. Floki for all his weirdness did essentially act like a Christian but replaced the word 'Jesus' with 'The Gods', Britannia has a lot of fun pagan stuff that really fell to the wayside in Vikings after a certain point. There's still dumb over-reliance on prophecy, but I'd give it a try if you haven't already (and you liked Vikings)
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Jun 9, 2018 20:12
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Latest season started out really really strong and then they made some really dumb decisions (the writers that is) and lost any kind of steam it had. Still worth it to watch just for the first bit of the season tho. God drat, i'm still so loving sore they dropped the Mediterranean exploration plot. SURELY they HAVE to go back to it, it would be super dumb to introduce those characters & the setting just for like 1-2 episodes. Dongattack fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Jun 10, 2018 |
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Jun 10, 2018 00:05
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So I've started watching the season and that sure was different torture technique lagertha used on King Harald.
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Jun 10, 2018 00:24
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It was worth watching to have some kind of continuity. The show tried to get really artsy-fartsy with some battle scenes and managed to accomplish this in a bad way while still having run-of-the-mill battle scenes where everyone just fights individually instead of the way Viking and English actually fought, which was arguably more intense to watch. Hopefully this next half is better. By the way it's been months where the gently caress IS the second half of this season?
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Jun 12, 2018 14:16
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First I heard summer, now I hear November like they are going to a half season a year like the last seasons of Sopranos or Mad Men. But there's been nothing official.
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Jun 12, 2018 14:29
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Astroman posted:First I heard summer, now I hear November like they are going to a half season a year like the last seasons of Sopranos or Mad Men. But there's been nothing official. Doesn't that make the half seasons...*gulp*...uh, full seasons? I can't handle all these goddamn shows with half-seasons and quarter-seasons and poo poo. ONE GODDAMN SEASON A YEAR NO BREAKS OK
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Jun 12, 2018 14:45
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life is killing me posted:It was worth watching to have some kind of continuity. All the best and most unique battles on this show have had shield walls but they have abandoned them for generic slashing.
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Jun 12, 2018 17:20
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Astroman posted:First I heard summer, now I hear November like they are going to a half season a year like the last seasons of Sopranos or Mad Men. But there's been nothing official. My wife just texted me that it's confirmed to start again in August
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Jun 12, 2018 17:36
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