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As such, you can never really buy into some of the core dynamics thanks to their rickety and rushed foundations, and the second half of the season fizzles out because the big dramatic beats don’t always land. Relationships are rattled through, tensions rise and fall, and monarchs rush across continents, all in mere minutes.
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It’s no exaggeration to say that Vikings: Valhalla hits fast-forward through multiple seasons’ worth of material in just a few episodes. The latter half of the eight-episode run is far more distracted with the Christian zealot Kåre (Asbjørn Krogh Nissen), who delivers an imposing force-of-nature performance that works tremendously well as the season’s overarching villain but often feels like a second season plot intruding on its first. Oddly, they almost all arrive, as is a frustrating running theme with the series, very early on. The show does hit its stride in both realms when the worlds of the Vikings and the English collide. In that sense, it mirrors some of Game of Thrones’ best-laid plans, but those moments are few and far between. David Oakes’ performance gifts the viewer with just enough juicy double meaning so that we can see whirring gears start to turn in his head, all while his captive court remains oblivious. His pursuit of power (and staying in power) improves even the most dramatic of moments thanks to his propensity for backstabbing and betrayal. Godwin’s scenes are what Vikings: Valhalla strives to be away from the battlefield but, the Earl aside, never really consistently hits the mark with any real conviction. Edmund’s stepmother Emma of Normandy (Laura Berlin) and Queen Aelfigu (Pollyanna McIntosh) also add a regal touch and further muddy the political waters to good effect. Godwin, the opportunistic right-hand man to the king, oversees a changing dynamic in London, all while having to contend with bratty king-in-waiting, Edmund, played by Louis Davison who brings shades of Games of Thrones’ Joffrey to the role, but lacks the required nuance in his big scenes. The entrenched English court in London is where much of the heavy plotting and intrigue lay. These brutal, furious jolts of energy often bring various conflicts to a head in devastating fashion, even if the best ones come a little too soon in Vikings: Valhalla. Big characters can (and do) meet the pointy end of a sword or a hangman’s noose.
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Punches are not pulled and plot armor is nonexistent. The rushing onslaught of bodies and guttural growls also slide in neatly alongside the show’s mantra of never shying away from meaningful stakes. The slightly too clean choreography may not mesh as well with the handheld style of direction, but the battles are always entertaining. Vikings fans will be familiar with Valhalla’s visceral intensity, and it’s in the fight scenes and action sequences where the show truly shines. Everyone knows their place on the board from the outset, and it mostly involves them swinging swords and shields at each other. It’s rare to see a show (admittedly, backed by a previous series) arrive with such a swaggering confidence. Each of the sibling’s stories, however, do share in some of Vikings: Valhalla’s biggest hooks on different sides of the continent: the world-building and action.