Vikings Valhalla: Season One
review by Bobby Blakey
In 2013 audiences were introduced to the world of Rangar Lodbrok and his clan in the hit series Vikings that ran for six seasons on the History Channel. After the series ended in 2020 it was announced a spin-off series titled Vikings: Valhalla would be heading to Netflix starring Sam Corlett, Frida Gustavsson, Leo Suter, Bradley Freegard, Jóhannes Jóhannesson, Laura Berlin, David Oakes, Caroline Henderson, Pollyanna McIntosh, and Asbjørn Krogh. Could this series live up to the spoils of the original series or will it fail to find its way into Valhalla?
Vikings Valhalla follows the heroic adventures of some of the most famous Vikings who ever lived — the legendary explorer Leif Eriksson, his fiery and headstrong sister Freydis Eriksdotter, and the ambitious Nordic prince Harald Sigurdsson. As tensions between the Vikings and the English royals reach a bloody breaking point and as the Vikings themselves clash over their conflicting Christian and pagan beliefs, these three Vikings begin an epic journey that will take them across oceans and through battlefields, from Kattegat to England and beyond, as they fight for survival and glory.
I loved the original series, but admittedly never finished the last couple of seasons for no reason other than I just didn’t. I honestly didn’t realize at first that this was a spin-off series, but thanks to the time jump I was able to dive right into this later chapter without seeing all the original series. (I plan to go finish it ASAP) This latest series initially felt a bit off as you are dropped right into the timeline as though we missed something, but it manages to allow the story to unfold while filling the viewer in as it moves along.
Much like the original series the story is filled with a web of violence,
betrayal, vengeance and everything in between. It doesn’t have a character as strong as Rangar Lodbrok in my opinion, but Leif Eriksson is a strong follow up. The visuals and world building are well crafted once again and once all the players are laid out it pulls you back in. It does a great job of working all the characters in and out of the story without it getting too convoluted and lost in its own chaos.
I really like the religious aspects to this story that adds even more infighting and oppression that is infused into the characters looking for just revenge. This keeps their story moving along without it feeling like it was being forced to stay in the play and giving everyone their moment of violent importance. This first season moves along at a brisk pace pulling you right in and delivers whether you have seen the other series or not.
This new collection brings all eight episodes of the first season together giving fans a chance to dive right in before trying to check out any of the other seasons currently streaming on Netflix. Grab your copy of Vikings Valhalla: Season One available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment.