Fans of History’s Nordic drama Vikings are used to waiting patiently for the series to return for its next installment, but with Covid-19 raging globally, any news of a return for the final ten episodes is certainly welcome. And while creator, writer, and showrunner Michael Hirst didn’t reveal anything concrete about the conclusion of season six, his appearance on a Comic-Con@Home 2020 panel gave the show’s followers a chance to reminisce along with past and present cast members Travis Fimmel (Ragnar), Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha), Alex Ludwig (Bjorn), Jordan Patrick Smith (Ubbe), and Clive Standen (Rollo).
Senior writer with TV Guide magazine Kate Hahn moderated the Vikings panel looked back on the first five and a half seasons of the Lothbrok clan’s rise and fall from power. “The characters will all have their fates decided,” Hirst explained. “Whether they live or die is in the hands of the gods and me.”
In addition to Hirst’s tease about the series’ conclusion, the clip from season 6B shown below depicts Prince Oleg (Danila Kozlovsky) and Prince Igor (Organ Glynn O’Donovan) preparing to go into battle as an impatient Ivar (Alex Høgh Andersen) wryly suggests to Hvitserk (Marco Islo) that instead of Christian priests blessing the warriors, “perhaps we should have made a sacrifice.” However, it’s the recognition that the lone horseman approaching from a distant ridge is none other than Bjorn Ironside that catches Ivar by surprise and sets the stage for yet another reunion of the Lothbrok brothers.
While talk of characters’ favorite battle and fight scenes recalled some painful memories, Hahn decided to service the Vikings fans right from the start asking both Winnick and Fimmel how Lagertha and Ragnar are getting along in Valhalla. “They’re definitely together,” Fimmel affirmed, but Winnick was quick to point out that Ragnar is “still in the dog house.” However, pondering the question seemed to then take her back to her character’s final scenes. “It’s bittersweet being on a show for so long now that Lagertha’s gone to Valhalla. It was harder than I thought it would be.”
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Alexander Ludwig pondered Bjorn’s predilection toward bouncing from one woman to another and concluded that “after Porunn left, he’s kind of written everything off and used his sexual exploits to self-medicate the feeling of never being good enough.” Jordan Patrick Smith, however, examined his character Ubbe from a different perspective. Recalling his brutal combat with Frodo, Smith admitted this was “the first time we realize that Ubbe’s willing to sacrifice for his people.”
Despite some critics questioning Hirst’s flexible view of history, Clive Standen remembered an incident from the first season of Vikings that set the tone for the cast and crew. Standen recalled the filming of a beheading scene during which the actors challenged the director over how to realistically position the man about to lose his head. When told “it’s just a television show,” Standen and the others stood their ground laying the groundwork for the intense character and plot developments fans have watched over the past six seasons.
With no firm return date for the second half of season six, Vikings fans will have to accept that the series will “air later this year,” and wait for additional news of its spinoff Vikings: Valhalla.