Vikings S05E12: Murder Most Foul – How can this much sex and death be so dull?

Being a Vikings fan at this point feels a lot like how Floki’s settlers must feel. In Floki’s place is Michael Hirst, the showrunner that sold us on a promise that the show could live on and be as creatively rich after the death of its main character, Ragnar. The show is supposed to be a saga following the exploits of Ragnar then his sons, but instead of new characters that can fill the hole left by TV’s most famous Viking, what we have is a bunch of plots and characters going nowhere. Hirst promised us an epic story but it feels like we have been taken in by the ramblings of a madman who, if Murder Most Foul is anything to go by, just wants to re-live the glory days of The Tudors.

Vikings doesn’t seem to be about the Vikings anymore, with Hirst clearly more interested in the origins of King Alfred, who is destined to become Alfred the Great, and boosting Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ Heahmund into lead character status. This means that the sons of Ragnar, as well as his ex-wife, and his oldest friend, are left languishing in a kind of narrative purgatory. It’s worrying when the titular characters are the weakest points of any given episode, and it makes for incredibly dull viewing.

Admittedly, Murder Most Foul has some interesting ideas, it’s just lacking interesting characters. With no Rollo to boost the show, this week Vikings relies on Alfred and Heahmund, with differing amounts of success. Alfred is the most interesting player here as he is quickly becoming a savvy ruler in spite of certain forces, mainly the church, poised to rise against him. Unlike his step-father, King Athelwulf, Alfred cuts a figure more reminiscent of King Eckbert, using forms of man-management as a way to make inroads with the Northerners. His manipulation of the more pliable Ubbe is proof of this, even if it does seem like Judith is pulling the strings. That’s no bad thing as Vikings could use a strong female influence that isn’t just about sex.

Speaking of sex, Murder Most Foul is an extremely horny episode, even if the couples involved don’t quite have the spark to elevate proceedings past titillation. There is a lot of different combinations here, but the main concern, both in Wessex and Kattegat, is consolidating the royal bloodline. Both Ivar and Alfred have heirs on their minds, yet both react quite differently in their respective situations. Alfred’s position is a little more precarious than Ivar’s, given his perceived attacks on the church, and striking an uneasy partnership with Lagertha, Bjorn, Ubbe, and Torvi. All of this means that he doesn’t have time to entertain his prospective wife. Ivar, on the other hand, is settling into life as ruler of Kattegat, announcing to the town that their new queen will be Freydis. Ivar has proved himself as an almighty warrior, tactician, and all-round mascot for the gods, but he has always had a weakness for blonde former slave girls with ambition.

Freydis seems to be Hirst attempting another go-around after the Margrethe misfire, even going as far as killing the now insane plotter after Ivar dreamed that she killed him. It’s a surprising turn that falls completely flat since Margrethe was never that compelling in the first place. What her death means for the show is quite simple: she has been fridged (whether you liked her or despised her, it’s still true) in order to give poor lowly Hvitserk a reason to turn against Ivar.

Both Freydis and Alfred’s wife-to-be, Elsewith, end up in the beds, or stables of someone else. Freydis finds a way around the fact that Ivar can’t have children by having sex with one of his men and passing off the pregnancy as some divine gift from the Gods. After all, the Gods love Ivar. Elsewith’s tryst is much less intriguing as she is the latest poorly-drawn female character to be slain by Bjorn’s insane sexual magnetism. I’m not blind, I realize that Bjorn is attractive, but Hirst keeps throwing women at him in a misguided attempt at some future drama that never comes. Remember his affair with Astrid? It meant nothing. Remember his affair with the women who thought crunching his balls was great pillow talk? It meant nothing. What is this for?

Then there’s Heahmund, the horny monk of nowhere and his impact-less murder of the current bishop after he tried to blackmail him with information concerning the beast with two backs. Heahmund is a terrible character terribly acted by a terrible actor. Jonathan Rhys Meyers seems to be playing Heahmund as the spokesperson for throat sweeties. A deep voice and no blinking does not an intense character make. Perhaps Murder Most Foul’s greatest weakness is how it treats the veterans. Lagertha has been completely static so far, defined mainly by who she is currently or previously fornicating with (is it just me or is that world hilarious?). The once Queen of Kattegat is now relegated to Heahmund’s romantic foil.

Now let’s bring things full circle with Floki. Murder Most Foul teases us with what could be a brilliant investigation into Floki’s faith. Thanks to the failure of the settlement, Floki is questioning his faith in the Gods, why they don’t talk to him anymore, and even whether they ever spoke to him in the first place. This is a huge moment for Floki, he has lived his entire life based around these beliefs, what if he is just a mad man? Except Hirst doesn’t care about that and instead, we get more threats between the settlers who are now so similar I literally can’t remember who murdered whose son.

4/10 – Thanks Micheal, but your show is cursed, and now good plots can grow here.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

6 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Bigfoot

1 year ago

The sex and the killings are not reviving the shows vigor when Ragnar was still alive. His charm, wit, and craziness had made the show for what it is right now. I suppose the title “Ragnar” is a better name than “Vikings”.

Snarky-Guru

I’m still a fan of the show, but have to agree with the complaints about Heahmund. The bloke just doesn’t fit at all. So much time is wasted on that character unfortunately.

Stargazer

Reply to Snarky-Guru

Yeah, it feels like Heahmund is taking the role of Ragnar. The show is becoming a mishmash of Ragnar’s sons. I wish the producers would concentrate on one storyline per episode instead of bits and pieces of stories in every episode.

Elsewith telling Bjorn that she is a virgin, what’s up with that? I thought she was brought up by a monk, how did she become so liberal when she saw Bjorn?

As for Freydis, it would be great if the short romance with the ironsmith had ended in a murder so that Freydis would be free from hiding the truth about her baby.

Roeli

Lagertha was once a fearless queen with so much power; now she’s living in the shadow of Heahmund, of all people. Then there’s Floki’s story. The show has had major direction changes that don’t seem to be working too well.

Arabella

Reply to Roeli

I’m honestly surprised and troubled by the persona that Lagertha has evolved into. Why take such a compelling character and turn her into nothingness? It’s just odd.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

Vikings S05E12: Murder Most Foul – How can this much sex and death be so dull?

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you