Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 Episode 8 Recap – The End of the Beginning

Queen Emma enters the hall only to discover that King Forkbeard has called for her brother. Forkbeard says Emma will be taken back to Normandy. He adds that he should recognize Canute’s marriage with Aelfgifu, invalidating Emma’s union with Canute. Emma protests and wants to talk to King Canute, but King Forkbeard insists that his words are the law while his son is away. When Queen Emma boards the ship, King Forkbeard asks Aelfgifu to do her side of the deal, but Aelfgifu says their agreement doesn’t give Forkbeard access to the fleet, only the promise that the fleet won’t aid their enemies. 

Harald goes to Kåre’s camp with Olaf. He tells Kåre that Kattegat is not Uppsala. There are no pilgrims there but warriors waiting for them to attack. He adds that Kåre should listen to anyone who offers help. Olaf knows about Harald’s deal with Canute to take the throne of Norway from him. He says Harald is too idealistic to rule. Harald reminds him that Canute will come when he learns of Olaf’s betrayal, but Olaf says there‘s nothing Canute can do to stop him. He says Canute is locked in a war in Denmark, and he doesn’t have his fleet with him.

In Kattegat, a man has volunteered himself to be a sacrifice. Because Kattegat is in danger, they think they must ask their gods to help them. They need someone who will deliver their message. They all gather in the hall to pray as they sacrifice the man during the ceremony.

Queen Aelfgifu remembers that Godwin has offered to help her. She admits that though Queen Emma left, she still has to gain Forkbeard’s trust. Godwin says that instead of fighting with Forkbeard, she should show that she is someone who can add value to the kingdom. Aelfgifu asks King Forkbeard to let her go to Tamworth. She says she is a daughter of the house of Mercia, so they will trust her. She says she will persuade Mercia’s leaders to give their full support to Forkbeard. She wants to prove her worth to the king. King Forkbeard gives her permission to leave, but she has to take Godwin with her.

Harald finds out that Kåre has a bigger army than they thought, but they can’t attack Kattegat just yet because Kåre is waiting for Olaf. Olaf says the walls of Kattegat haven’t been breached in over a hundred years. It has been blessed with a harbor that protects it from invasion; not even high tides let the ships get close enough. But he adds that there will be a wolf moon in two days, and the high tide will make the attack possible. So they plan to enter Kattegat from the sea. Harald asks for permission to lead a parley. He wants to convince Jarl Haakon to surrender Kattegat peacefully.

Jarl Haakon meets with Kåre and her enemies. Olaf says that if the people of Kattegat agree to be baptized, they will spare the city. Jarl Haakon refuses, saying that if her people die, they will die with honor. Just before they leave, Harald approaches Leif and indirectly tells him how Kåre plans to attack. Later, Leif reveals to Freydis and Jarl Haakon that Olaf will enter from the sea. He adds that Harald told him how they plan to attack.

On the day of the battle, Jarl Haakon gathers her Shield-maidens to tell them that they shouldn’t fail. Leif leads the other warriors to protect the harbor. When the battle begins, Kåre leads his men on the attack by land. The warriors of Kattegat use their arrows to stop their enemies from getting closer, but Kåre’s army is big. Jarl Haakon dies when arrows pierce her body as she stands on the tower while she leads the Shield-maidens. The other warriors use catapults to attack the ships sailing toward Kattegat. Suddenly, Leif realizes the ships don’t carry any armies. He orders the men to pull back. When they get back inside, the walls have already been breached.

Olaf admits to Harald that he only used Kåre. He knows Kåre and the other Jarls will make it through the gates and defeat Jarl Haakon’s forces. And by the time Olaf’s army arrives, he will be the strongest Jarl left in Norway. Harald realizes that Olaf used him to split Kattegat’s force. Olaf admits he knew Harald wouldn’t abandon Leif or Freydis for him. Harald rides his horse as fast as possible to help Kattegat’s forces. Still, the warriors of Kattegat are already losing that even he sustained a cut on his body immediately after joining the battle. Freydis carries Jarl Haakon back into her room, but the wounds are deep. Jarl Haakon tells her that she must survive because she is “The Last.” Freydis finds Kåre in the hall. They fight, and she defeats him. Freydis takes her sword and cuts off Kåre’s head, leaving both his head and body in the hall.

In the middle of the fight, Olaf kills Liv. Leif leaves the battlefield and carries Liv into one of the barns. He comforts her as he tries to stop the bleeding, but Liv already says she will go to Valhalla. She asks Leif to say that he will be joining her there. She asks Leif to tell her he believes. Leif keeps on telling her that she will be fine. Liv dies without hearing Leif’s answer. Seeing that the love of his life is finally dead, Leif says he will join her in Valhalla. When some men walk into the house, Leif tells them to leave. When they refuse, Leif kills them all.

Freydis finds Harald bleeding, so she helps him escape. Harald tells her the battle is over, so they should go. Olaf and his men go into the great hall to celebrate their victory. The warriors all cheer for him and call him King Olaf of Norway.

Queen Aelfgifu meets up with the Ealdormen and successfully secures an agreement with Mercia. When she returns to the palace to deliver the news to King Forkbeard, she finds Queen Emma sitting on the throne. Queen Emma tells her everything happened as they planned. She says Aelfgifu’s trip to Mercia gave King Forkbeard enough time to find the fleet. When Aelfgifu looks at Godwin, Godwin says that though she is a queen, she is not England’s queen.

King Forkbeard leads the fleet to Kattegat where he plans to attack Olaf. His two young grandsons are with him on the ship. He tells his men that they should remember that traitors will be killed. When the news of the arriving fleet reaches Olaf, he can’t believe it. His men immediately stop their celebration and leave the hall. Olaf’s right-hand man, Hallbjorn, tries to stop the warriors from escaping, but everybody just runs for their lives; even Hallbjorn leaves him. When Olaf realizes he no longer has any warriors with him, he removes the fur coat he’s wearing and leaves the hall. When the fleet docks at Kattegat, Leif is still there — furious.

Our Thoughts

It must be devastating for Harald that he played a role in it. He wanted to help Freydis and Leif but instead ended up helping his brother. That was not his intention, but Olaf knew him better. It was a move we didn’t expect. Maybe next time, they should let Leif make the plans. As for Leif, he told Liv there is darkness in him — the same as his father’s. But whenever he’s with Liv, the darkness disappears. That’s why the last scene in this episode emphasizes just that. Leif is usually calm, but in the last part, he’s just filled with anger. If he hurts that boy who just walked in, Canute will end him.

Are Queen Emma and Godwin working together? Or do they simply try not to get in each other’s way? We thought that when Forkbeard sent Emma away, he meant it. Obviously, he didn’t. With Kåre and Jarl Haakon dead, Olaf is supposed to have Kattegat, but the victory is short-lived because Forkbeard is coming. They were just so scared of him that they ran away.