The Last Kingdom Season 2 Episode 3 Recap – Episode 3

Aelfric and his men march to Eoferwic to meet with King Guthred. The two brothers, Sigefrid and Erik, are also there. Aelfric asks Guthred about how Uhtred died. He wants to know if Guthred has kept his part of the deal. The Abbot says being on the ship is worse than death. And the king says he couldn’t kill Uhtred because he was his friend.

Aelfric is furious upon finding out that his nephew is still alive. He is having second thoughts on whether to still side with Guthred or to side with Kjartan. When Aelfric leaves the hall, the king can’t stop him anymore. The brothers decide not to fight alongside the king as well because they think it would be impossible to fight Kjartan without Aelfric’s army. The Abbot whispers to the king that they need an alliance, so they should offer Gisela.

Gisela looks for Sihtric and hands him a letter. She tells him to hand the letter to Hild. Then, the lady rides her horse and leaves Eoferwic to go to a nunnery and hide. When Ragnar and Hild arrive at Eoferwic, Sihtric gives the letter to Hild. When Ragnar asks the king where Uhtred is, the king says Uhtred is lost. When Ragnar asks for the name of the slaver, the king makes an excuse about needing to rest. 

Uhtred and Halig are part of the rowing crew of a ship. They are shackled on the ship together with the other slaves. Halig looks weak most of the time and his body can’t take the work that is given to them. But, Uhtred tells his friend that they must survive.

The ship continues to sail through the storms and angry waves. When they are not rowing, Uhtred and the others are removing the water from the ships and throwing them back to the sea. When the other slaves stop their work, Uhtred keeps on removing the water.

The owner of the ship tells him to let go of his pride and stop working. Finan, another slave, tells Uhtred that if they are to escape they should rest to gain more energy. Uhtred says that they should remove the water from the ship, so their feet won’t be drenched in water. So when they run they will still have skin on their feet. Halig can no longer take being in the waters. He needs land so he wants to tell everyone who Uhtred really is. The crew of the ship whips him, and Uhtred covers Halig to save him. 

Ragnar finds the slaver, Jonis, and asks him where Uhtred is. Jonis says there is a warrior slave who calls himself Osbert. This Osbert was taken along with a Saxon man. Both of them were given to a sea trader, Sverri. Jonis says that life on the seas is hard and he is sure that Sverri will be back to refresh his crew. He says Sverri goes to different places where there is a promise of silver and wealth. He adds that the sea trader will be back in spring on the first full moon to do business with him once more. So the only thing they can do right now is to wait.

In Winchester, King Alfred is also looking for a suitable match for his daughter to make alliances. The Ealdormen of Mercia share a meal with the king to discuss the matters that concern all of their interests. Aethelred offers to give 3000 pieces of silver as a bride price for King Alfred’s daughter. Odda and the king don’t find this acceptable so Aethelred offers to give Aethelflaed titled lands to further their union.

The ship that carries Uhtred and the others lands in Iceland for the winter. But they are not there to rest because there is more work to be done. Uhtred seizes this opportunity to escape with the other slaves. They find a boat on the shore, but Halig can’t go any further.

Uhtred refuses to leave him, so they are captured once again. Uhtred is back on the ship as part of the rowing crew, but Halig is tied on the front of the ship where he is continuously hit by the harsh waves until finally, he dies. Uhtred cries as he rows, but he can’t do anything more than that.

Abbot Eadred and King Guthred visit Aelfric again. But this time, they offer Gisela to be his wife. To make sure Aelfric accepts the offer in exchange for an army, Abbot Eadred tells him that Gisela likes Uhtred and was planning to marry him. So, Aelfric agrees to marry Gisela. He then tells Kjartan that they are free to find and kill Uhtred.

When the ship comes back to the land, Sven is already waiting for Uhtred. Uhtred is weak and can’t even hold a sword properly. Luckily, Ragnar arrives with Hild and Steapa and saves Uhtred. Hild releases all the slaves. And Uhtred’s new friend, Finan, kills the ship owner who bought them. Hild washes Uhtred and cuts his hair. She hands him his sword and reminds him who he is. Uhtred thanks Hild for everything she has done for him, and for looking for a way to save him.

Ragnar wants to go back to Wessex because of his promise to Alfred. Alfred’s man, Steapa, is with Ragnar to make sure he will come back. But, Uhtred insists he has to go get Gisela. Abbot Eadred and Brother Trew discover that the nuns are hiding Gisela despite the women’s effort to hide her.

Abbot Eadred starts the marriage ceremony without Aelfric and uses Aelfric’s man as a proxy. Gisela refuses but the Abbot hits her. When Uhtred arrives, the ceremony is already over. He takes Gisela and refuses to recognize the ceremony that happened. The Abbot mocks Gisela and tells Uhtred that he can’t do anything about the marriage. Uhtred kills the Abbot despite Hild’s protests.

When they go back to Wessex, Alfred tells Uhtred that he was Ragnar’s responsibility. Ragnar was sent there by Alfred’s order. And because Ragnar didn’t stop Uhtred when he killed the Abbot, Alfred wants Ragnar to take responsibility. Uhtred insists it was his fault. So, Alfred offers to release Ragnar if Uhtred swears to serve him. So, Uhtred kneels in front of Alfred and swears to serve him.

Our Thoughts:

What happened to Uhtred was unfortunate. But we think the death of Halig hurt him the most. They were so close to getting their freedom back, but Halig died before it happened. When they were on the ship it seemed like their suffering would never end. If the fight happened on land Uhtred would have been able to save himself. What King Guthred did to Uhtred was really betrayal. He knew what it was like to suffer yet he sent his friend to experience the same. If he ever meets Uhtred again, he will surely face his anger. 

And is Gisela the one for Uhtred? Will his uncle, Aelfric, not chase him to take Gisela back? And as expected, Alfred used something to make Uhtred serve him again. We don’t think Alfred will ever run out of things he can use to make Uhtred stay.