Portage

I am now convinced, that from now on, I will be telling all the ladies I'm a wanderer and tell tall tales to get fine tails. 🤣

Ragnar has suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of his brother, Rollo. But worst than that is how it will impact his standing among the vikings. Count Odo will try to get rid of Rollo. King Ecbert has big dreams for his kingdom. And what is going on between Queen Aslaug and Harbard?

This episode of "Vikings" starts quite slow (and it keeps like that throughout the whole episode) but it does a great job in raising the tension, the stakes of everyone involved and in bringing a couple of surprises into the mix. It still suffers a little bit from all the story lines that are going around, but it does a good job in keeping almost all of them interesting (Harbard's less interesting this time around than when he first appeared). And the show also falls into a couple of cheap tricks to surprise the viewer. But in general this fourth season has kept a good level throughout, offering some action-packed episodes, some more talkative and some others that develop the characters and the story. This is one of those, and it does a great job at it.

It's a stolen story from ottoman history. It actually happened when mehmud the conqueror conquered constantinople (Istanbul)

After being defeated by Rollo, Ragnar retreats and his leadership is questioned by Harold to Lagherta. However he stops the fleet and decides to lift the ships over a cliff to bypass the French forts by land and then return to the river to attack Paris. But his true intention is to kill Rollo and he asks Yidu for more drugs. They have an argument and Yidu threatens to expose his secret about the settlement in Wessex and he drowns her. In Paris, Count Odo tells Charles hat Rollo is not trustworthy and then he meets Therese. She asks to chain him and then Roland kills Odo. Rollo is promoted by Emperor Charles to Iron Hand of Frankia. Ecbert informs Kwenthrith that he is now the new King of Mercia and she decides to stab him during the night. Will she succeed?

"Portage" is an episode where Ragnar surprises with the idea of lifting the ships over a cliff to surprise Paris. Ragnar is totally addicted to Yidu's drug. There are many betrayals in the episode and several characters dies. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Portage"

Episode 8, "Portage", is all about tension-no major battles, but plenty of weight in every scene. Ragnar is falling apart, physically and mentally, and his growing dependence on Yidu's drugs makes him more vulnerable than ever. He no longer inspires confidence; he inspires concern.

The central image of the Vikings hauling boats over land is both symbolic and impressive. It's a testament to their stubbornness, strategy, and willpower. It's not just brute force; it's brains, too.

Floki starts redeeming himself, offering ideas that prove useful. Bjorn is stepping up as a more serious leader, showing maturity and calm decision-making.

The episode feels like the calm before another storm, filled with unease. Ragnar's deterioration adds layers to the story-you want to see if he'll rise again or break completely.

I give it an 8. It's not explosive, but it's smart, well-paced, and full of emotional tension.