Destinies

I gave this series a 9 but the final was unsatisfying - it didn't have any cliff Hangers but lots of lose ends that shouldn't have existed for a producer and writers who knew this was the final season. What about Freydis son, Erik the Red , and leif and the discovery of the New World - we celebrate the wrong discoverer every year and this series leaves out the most important discovery of the middle ages as a probable 4 season - and Emma - is she really going to hook up with her step son to save her pride and kingdom - good greif - the lose ends keep coming and would have made an amazing 4th season to see how they were resolved.

Whilst I enjoyed the first season of "Vikings: Valhalla" and the original series that it is spinning off from, the second season of the show lost focus and became a little too sprawling. I'm afraid that continues into this third season, even though I believe it was determined to be the conclusion from quite early on.

Harald (Leo Suter) and Lief (Sam Corlett) are key soldiers in the Byzantine army of Emperor Romanos (Nicolai Kinski) with Lief in particular learning all he can from the cities they sack. Their successes though are making enemies amongst the rest of the emperor's army. Freydis (Frida Gustavsson) has risen to the role of leader of Jomsborg but it's not long before a disaster befalls them and she is forced to return to Greenland. King Canute (Bradley Freegard) tries to consolidate his legitimacy with the Pope, but his health is failing, and his mind begins to turn to succession.

I'm afraid that my feelings about the series that developed in the second season have continued here. I only really understand what one character wants, at the start of the show and that is Harald, who wants to be King of Norway - but his attention has been swayed by the successes of the campaign and by the Empress. Freydis is rather thrown on the mercy of others and her desire to head for the mystical Western land. I've never quite got a handle on why some of the Vikings are such committed Christians at this point but that too becomes a regular plot point. Canute goes on a final European tour which seems to set more distrust than confluence.

Accepting these plot-based issues - some of which I understand are driven by efforts to align the series with the actual history - the rest of the show remained pretty good to its conclusion. Performances are OK and the visual effects are good.

Despite how positively I felt about the first season of "Valhalla" I'm not sure that I'd recommend the series overall. A smaller and more focused story about the adventures of Harald would, I think, have been preferable.

I have read a number of very negative reviews on this season and I am wondering why they exist. First, the three leads in this series are truly magnificent in their portrayls, which each developing their character beautifully. They are based on true characters, so their adventures can\t be just made up. I understand how many feel that the budget for the series was lowered this season - hence, few battle scenes to enjoy. However, everyone knows what Leif goes on to do during his life, and the sare with Harald. Leo Suter is especially compelling as the heroic Harald. The scenes involving England were numerous and it made you wonder why they were being included since there was little contact with the Vikings. One little question I have involves these characters getting around Europe rather quickly. Harald and Leif were in Constantinople and were quickly returned to Norway it seemed. They each had a long voyage to get back home, but it seemed like one day they were in one place and then back in Norway the next! I am hoping for a Season Four in order to continue the story. We need to see Leif make it to North America - which he does, and way before Columb us ventured our way. There is alot of drama still back in Norway where Harald has his own difficulties as King. And then there is England... Is Harald going to contemplate an invasion of it? We know the story about that. There is still so much to be told about these amazing characters. Netflix - bring on Season 4.

This episode felt like it was written by David Benioff and Dan Weiss of the infamous Season 8 "Game of Thrones" debacle.

The final episode felt very rushed to wrap up story lines and the characters behaviors and attitudes changed for the convenience of ending the story quickly.

The final episode also leaves the fate of a couple of secondary characters unanswered. That is always disappointing.

Overall, it was a disappointing episode, and unfulfilling ending for what was a good successor to the first Vikings show.

Still worth watching, the plots and characters were good over the course of the show, just be prepared for the ending, which seems forced, and anticlimactic.