Megan Applegate recaps the third episode of Vikings Season 2…
“Hide the good silver, the Northmen are coming”
When we last left Ragnar and his merry men, they’d had gone a-Viking and landed a little off the mark—in Wessex and in the kingdom of a rather menacing Ecbert.
“Treachery” opens with our band of Vikings walking upon a church while the bells sound and people scurry this way and that. We’ve spent so much time as viewers watching the personal struggle of Ragnar and his family that we (or me, specifically) forgot what Vikings do when Vikings make landfall. This episode was pretty rife with violent axe hacking and pillaging in search of treasure.
It doesn’t sit well with poor Athelstan who spent a brief few moments fondly remembering transcribing the Bible but who instinctively killed a young monk who took him by surprise. The church’s priest sees poor Athelstan as nothing more than a savage and not the Saxon he used to be.
Floki seems to be testing our young Athelstan more and more and one can’t help but wonder why. Has he always disliked the young priest? Does he see treachery ahead like he saw with Rollo? Or is his heavy kohl liner running into his eyes, obscuring his view? I’m not sure, but Floki looks more and more hostile with each episode.
Meanwhile in his crowded Roman-style bath house, King Ecbert and a host of naked, uncomfortable looking men discuss the recent events. While speaking to the Bishop, Ecbert makes it clear his more than willing to provide his holy men the chance for martyrdom if it means using them as bait against the raiders.
Speaking of hostile, King Horik proved himself blood thirsty by hacking to pieces the Bishop of Wessex’s escort when the man of the cloth arrived to speak to the Vikings about their terms.
In the chaos of all the hacking and killing, Ragnar distances himself a little—first by concealing a hiding child from his band of marauders and then again by showing a distinct interest in the church’s grain supply. He’s a farmer who was born the son of a farmer. He sees potential in the new land—a place where men like him could plant their own food and not suffer through harsh winters and starvation. An idea has taken seed in Ragnar, pardon the pun. You see it in his eyes that English soil may prove more valuable to him than English gold in the near future.
“The scene in which Bjorn grows by about four feet”
We finally catch up with Lagertha who has remarried a rich Jarl of her own. Except he’s kind of a nasty piece of work and when gives him a little lip, he bloodies hers with a wicked backhand. Its obvious Bjorn hates his stepfather and the feeling’s obviously mutual when the Lagertha’s husband insults both her and her son at dinner, refusing to let Bjorn go off in search of adventure on his own. This new husband drops Ragnar’s name a time or two, so it’s obvious he’s a bit jealous of the enormous shadow Bjorn’s father casts. It seems imminent that Lagertha, Bjorn, and Ragnar will be in the same orbit again. Thank goodness.
“Meet my son, the one with the snake eye”
Back in Kattegat, Aslaug has finally provided Ragnar with his fourth son, named Sigurd after her father. And for the strange snake shape in one of his irises. The show offered no other hints as to what the feature meant, other than solidifying the fact that Aslaug was, in fact, the seeress she claimed to be.
“Borg’s Boats Knockin’ at the Fjord”
Jarl Borg celebrated his second wedding with a toast—and a promise to take revenge on Ragnar and Rollo both, especially now that it was common knowledge that Ragnar sailed west with all the best warriors Kattegat had.
Borg’s ship arrive and Rollo does his best with the gnarled old men, women, and children he can muster. Siggy even earned a few points when she came running to the water front brandishing a shield and a sword four sizes too big for her. She’s no Lagertha and both she and Rollo know it—but at least she tried. For someone so concerned with saving her skin in the past, it was actually a redeeming moment. Naturally, Rollo sends her away to the mountains with Aslaug and the children.
It wasn’t much of a fight and before long, Rollo is convinced to follow Siggy and Aslaug to take care of Ragnar’s family and the rest of the town is mowed down by Borg’s men. No one is spared and in the final scene, Borg is walking around Ragnar’s great hall with a smug, satisfied grin on his face.
Next week’s teaser shows the bad news makes it all the way to Ragnar. Here’s hoping those longboats have a rocket booster hidden in them somewhere.
Megan Applegate
Originally published March 15, 2014. Updated March 21, 2022.
