Vikings: Valhalla – Season 2

The second season of Vikings: Valhalla plays a contrasting role to its predecessor. Where the first is about four very different people from two divided groups coming together, season two pulls them apart and takes them on their own separate individual journeys. Olaf is caught between blood and tribe, forced to choose between hunting his brother or preserving the safety of his son. Meanwhile, Freydís seeks to rebuild Upsala and finds herself becoming a symbol of hope and new beginnings. Harald and Leif stay together, but their goals differ – while Leif attempts to recover from the death of Liv, Harald seeks to reclaim Norway. Similar themes are covered, particularly to do with family and ancestry, but this time there’s an emphasis on destiny and fate, and the role one must play in the grand scheme of the battle.

The first episode begins in a similar fashion to season one of massacre and death, except the action takes place by daylight under the green of the vast forest, unlike the suffocating red fires of a burning city found in the pilot episode of Vikings: Valhalla. This indicates that, while the tone is similar and that violence is still ever present, there’s a shift in its storytelling. There are also even more clichés this time around, from the notion of appreciating things only when they’re gone and an overuse of women’s intuition, to quotes about people being afraid of things they don’t understand. This dulls a little bit of the spark that the initial release of Vikings: Valhalla had.

As always, the actors carry the weight of the series’s intrigue with excellent chemistry. The first season deprived viewers of the intricate intimacy of Harald and Freydís, and this season delivers that side of their relationship exceedingly well, even if short-lived. In fact, the dynamic between the usual trio – Leif, Harald and Freydís – is one of the more compelling aspects of the show. Their lack of screen time as a unit acts as an incentive for viewers to stick around and see when and if they’ll be reunited. As for each of their individual stories, Freydís steals the show with the more exciting plotline, as well as constantly being surrounded by better side characters. The visuals also remain quite strong, with the action sequences being crisp, fluid and all-encompassing. Overall, while slightly paling in comparison to the first season, this new addition to the Vikings series is still a worthy watch.

Mae Trumata

Vikings: Valhalla – Season 2 is released on Netflix on 12^th January 2023.

Watch the trailer for Vikings: Valhalla – Season 2 here: