Vikings

Used to really like this series, mostly season 1 and 2. From there quality declines, especially season 4. Too much of everything, loss of focus. Shame.

The first two seasons are great, but the timeline becomes convoluted in some respects, and great license is taken historically. It does not paint an accurate picture of the Norse faith, but is good enough to lend it some mystery. The characters are very much believable, but caring about the plot becomes difficult as it takes a long time to unfold without enough hooks to truly immerse the viewer.

Vikings ropes in all kinds of mythical and semi-mythical stories to varying degrees of effect, and everywhere in Scandinavia looks like the most scenic Norwegian fjord. Still, it's entertaining with impressive battle sequences, and the cast is good enough to hold your interest (the highlight of the series is Linus Roache as Ecbert). However I lost the desire to keep watching at the end of season 4B when it shifts to the next generation, doubtful I'll pick it back up.

[through season 6] Pretty solid in the early seasons, but eventually becomes kinda unhinged and off the rails in some of the later seasons. *Kinda* reels it back in during the back half of the last season into something sorta workable.

Historically inaccurate and it peters out as it goes, it's still a worthwhile watch with its good use of scenery and usually convincing battles and political maneuvering.

Perfect for curling up beside the fire pit with your favourite drinking horn brimming with mead.

Although I feel like this show lost its way a little in the middle seasons, the final two seasons made up for it. One of the greatest period TV dramas i've ever seen. Excellent and impressive production and performances.

S1: 50 | S2: 55 | S3: 60 | S4a: 45 | S4b: 60

Vomit.

pretty good first two seasons and the rest is simply rubbish. this show went from a classic to a tacky teenage stuff.

It kind of ends up feeling like an also-ran to Game of Thrones, doing this same bloody serialized high-body-count medieval game of territory and positioning, just not quite as good. But that certainly doesn't make Vikings bad. On the contrary, it's quite entertaining, and I've watched it all and intend to continue watching until it ends. Some great battle episodes; albeit some weird, weird plot turns and slow episodes at points.

[First season] Interesting because of the setting and everything else but I did not find it that addictive. I saw the whole first season in a day but I do not think I will be watching more.

This is a big step away from becoming The Learning Channel (TLC) for the History Channel and I hope they stay on this path. While Vikings has flaws and while I lost interest somewhere during the last half of season two, I did learn a few things from it while being entertained.

S5

Damn good first season. Hope the rest will be to.

Extremely addictive first two seasons. Season 3 blurred the show's fantastic vision - unnecessary digressions in perspective and far too ambitious in it's varied latitudes. S4 bombs. Incidentally, this is the most enchanting photography I've seen in a historical series. It's surprisingly surreal tone accomplishes a calming ambience amidst it's brutality. Steady character development. I also enjoyed the mythological themes; as the Vikings were just as enigmatic as they were inspiring. Great lead.

Great show. Complete series.

okay

The first couple of seasons are great, then it drops in quality some but keeps the interest through to the end of season five after which it turns to unwatchable garbage. It's pretty obvious that the screenwriter had no idea what to do after the story effectively wrapped at the season five finale and decided to go GoT on the viewer i.e. throw logic, physics, and character development out the window.

As a history lover, particularly the history of the highlanders, I could not dislike this series at all. :)

very well until season 5

2021/10/12 end of season 1 *** 2021/10/14 end of season 2 ***2021/10/15 End of season 3 *** 2021/10/18 end of season 4 ** 2021/10/24 end of season 5 ***

Decent as long as the story follows Ragnar and Rollo. After that it quickly goes downhill to being mostly boring by season 6

Fun to watch? Yes, especially for teenagers. Cinematically: acceptable. Historically: full of lies, BIG lies.

First season was brilliant! Second season the writing was slightly less impressive, and then it really started going downhill after that. The last few seasons without Travis Fimmel have been terrible, with characters making bizarre choices that make zero sense. The production design is still pretty amazing, but the stories are ridiculous.

s04A

First two seasons are good; at times very good, even. The cast is mostly solid (though Floki steals the show), and the story is better than average. Above all, the love and effort put into making this show is clear. After season three the writing quality declines sharply, with people switching their allegiances and lovers back and forth as if this was a soap opera. S1-3: 3/5; S4&5: 2/5.