Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 didn't disappoint but what exactly did the ending mean for the future of the show?
As you can expect, Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 ended in a dramatic and brutal style. The power shifted, some of the main characters died, and a new location was introduced. As reported, Season 3 has been confirmed so we can likely expect that unexplored place to be a poignant part of future episodes.
As always, there will be spoilers as we explore the ending of Vikings: Valhalla Season 2. If you haven't watched it already, you can watch both seasons one and two on Netflix now.
So. let's dive into Season 2 Vikings: Valhalla recap and ending explained.
What happened in Vikings: Valhalla Season 2?
Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 Episode 8 sees Olaf finding out that Freydis has a child. Olaf states that he believes Harekr to be a threat.
Meanwhile, Freydis sees Olaf's ships approaching Jomsborg. Freydis knows that Olaf's belief in God is their number one chance at survival - they must convince him that there is still work to do for God's work.
Jump to London, Queen Emma is informed by Godwin that he will be happy with Princess Gytha. Queen Emma accuses Godwin of only marrying Princess Gytha for the royal aspect, basically for his own guy. He denies this but personally, I believe this to be true, too.
Olaf and Freydis meet - he asks for their son. He claims this is because he wants him to be raised Christian rather than Pagan. Olaf firmly states that he will have to kill her first. At this moment, Gudrid appears and screams "traitor" at her son Jorundr. This is met by gasps from around. He runs to her, where she secretly passes him a message. We then see, afterwards, that Jorundr advises Olaf not to attack but Olaf stubbornly refuses.
Following Queen Emma and Godwin's interaction, Queen Emma gives Princess Gytha a necklace. This necklace actually once belonged to the Bear, the man that helped raise Godwin and was involved in the plot to kill Queen Emma. Queen Emma has obviously done this to needle Godwin and blame him for the death of the Bear. When Godwin sees this later on, he is visibly shaken and asks her to take it off but the Princess refuses.
We then jump to the travellers. This is a sad moment as we watch Mariam die. She is terminally ill and is coming to the end of her battle. We see a heartbreaking moment where she asks Harald to take care of Leif. She talks about Valhalla and gives Leif a key to a house that she owns in Constantinople - she dies peacefully in Leif's arms. Comment down below if you also cried at this scene.
The funeral is just as heartbreaking, too.
We then see a short but sweet scene between Elena and Harald. Do you think season 3 could see a relationship develop between these two?
Back to something a bit less sweet commences next. Olaf's army attacks Jomsborg. We see Jorundr betrays them pretty much instantly, but he is killed in the process. However, before he dies he tells the men to signal the boats. His dying wish is for them to tell his mother that he is not a traitor. It's another hard scene to watch.
In another scene, Harald meets Emperor Romanos. We see that Elena is now his new bride. Harald is encouraged by Elena to try to get her back.
As expected, Olaf's boats reach the gate where Freydis is waiting for him. We see Freydis release chemicals into the dock water - it's now that we realise that they have been directed into a deathly trap. She spots Svien in the boat and ushers him out of the boat. She also challenges Olaf to a dual.
Olaf asks Freydis if she wants to be saved - offering her eternal life if she gets baptised. It is at this moment when Olaf asks if his men are baptised and thus also have eternal life. He approves. She then iconically says "good because I'll feel better about this". she throws fire into the water and the ships instantly light up. The men jump into the water but are not spared of their fate - all of Olaf's men die.
Olaf appears flustered. He is completely on his own. A dramatic battle transpires between them - which at points leaves the viewer unsure of who will win. Freydis manages to impale Olaf with a spear. As Olaf is dying he smugly states that he cannot die because she has made him a martyr. Olaf tells him nobody is around to tell his story. Freydis then approaches Svien. For a moment it seems likely that she may kill him, too. However, she holds out her hand and calls him king.
Svein is returned to Kattegat with Freydis. He hugs his mother - Queen Aelgifu. Freydis asks for peace - using the fact that she returned the Queen's son as leverage.
What did you think of this episode?
