Vikings - A Good Treason - Review: "Betrayal"

Vikings Season 4 Episode Guide
4.01 - A Good Treason
4.02 - Kill The Queen (Airs 25 Feb)
4.03 - Mercy (Airs 3 March)
4.04 - Yol (Airs 10 March)
4.05 - Promised (Airs 17 March)
4.06 - What Might Have Been (Airs 24 March)

4.01. A Good Treason
Directed by Ciarán Donnelly & Written by Michael Hirst

And Vikings is back, with a bloody, brutal episode that reminded us just how good the show can be, making several big changes as the series looks now to be pitting Rollo against Ragnar, with Rollo fighting alongside French forces and Ragnar facing competition from both inside and outside his own ranks. It might not have been the most action heavy episode of Vikings ever but its two big battles were pulled off effectively, as A Good Treason certainly left an impression, kicking off the fourth season with a bang.

Ragnar is wounded, lying in bed and unable to move. We first meet him dreaming of a doorway to Valhalla, the Kingdom of the Gods. He runs towards it however before he can reach the door, it closes before him, and he's pretty angry at being denied entry. Whilst he is asleep though, Rollo is not the only one who is plotting to betray him, and it's clear that Treason is very much a theme that's running through this episode as the title would suggest. Queen Aslaug, who is ruling in his absence, has already asked the Seer whether she will take power if or when Ragnar dies. It may not be as big as Rollo's betrayal as we know that they aren't exactly on the best of terms anyway, but we know where Aslaug stands. She wants what Ragnar has, and it's going to be interesting to see how the power play between the two continues over the course of the season.

Whilst Aslaug is plotting revenge Rollo is in Paris and dealing with Ragnar's conquered city. His frustration and jealousy at Ragnar has lead Rollo to turn against him again, accepting an offer from the Emperor Charles of the title of a Duke and his daughter's hand in marriage. His daughter, who isn't exactly a willing participant. Rollo is then informed of a mutiny of half his forces who remain loyal to Ragnar outside the Paris gates and decides to unleash a horde of ruthless, Frankish bowmen on the men, women and children who dare defy him. Any attempt at resistance is crushed by Rollo's superior forces, who believe that their God is watching over them. When Eirik knows that he has lost and his broken shield wall is shattered, he warns Rollo that Ragnar is coming and will avenge him.

Rollo wasn't the only one with problems that needed to be dealt with in A Good Treason and back in Hedeby, Lagertha found herself attacked by both Kalf and Einar. However, it was simply a ruse on Kalf's part to draw out those who wanted to undermine them, and they were quickly slaughtered, with Kalf employing the use of his own crossbow, a weapon that he'd taken from Paris and had been wanting to try out. This saw Einar also lose Erlendur to Lagertha, and was quickly dispatched in turn. I think it's safe to say that out of all the betrayals that happened this episode, this was probably one of the most satisfying.

Back in Kattegat, Floki was also in trouble after having killed the English Monk Athelstan last season. Bjorn attempts to imitate Ragnar's leadership methods by arresting Floki after giving a rousing speech about Ragnar’s condition, and has him humiliated for the murder. Even though Floki maintained the belief that he was acting with the best intentions of the people in mind, and offered no resistance apart from to remind the people of what he did for them. He's left on public view until Ragnar awakes from his slumber. We quickly learn that Ragnar is annoyed at Bjorn for his actions against Floki. It looks as though Ragnar wanted to deal with Floki on his own terms and not have everyone know of what happened to Athelstan. That didn't stop Ragnar from accusing Floki of killing Athelstan not to earn favour of the Gods, but out of jealousy.

Ragnar is also disappointed at Bjorn's decision to leave Rollo behind in Paris, insisting that he knows him better because he shares a closer relation with him than Bjorn does. Bjorn then decides to attempt to prove himself to his father and exiles himself to the mountains in an attempt to find the skills that he needs to become a leader following Ragnar's disappointment. It's clear that this will be a big season ahead for Bjorn, and will probably make or break him. Ragnar also leaves Floki's fate unanswered in this episode, with Floki asking whether or not he's going to be killed, and what lies in store for him will have to wait until next week.

There should no doubt then as to the amount of material that should keep the fourth season of Vikings interesting, and it's great to have this series back. Remember to catch the next episode at 10pm on History next Thursday, and let me know what you thought of the episode in the comments below.

Overall Episode Verdict: A-
Positives:
+Floki's arrest.
+Eirik's shield wall vs. Rollo's forces.
+Kalf's betrayal of Einar, and the subsequent massacre that followed.

About the Author - Milo MJ

Milo is an Arsenal FC supporter and loves TV shows like Battlestar Galactica, Justified, The 100, The Americans and Person of Interest. He reviews Black Sails, Class, Hell on Wheels, Murder in the First, Narcos, The Shannara Chronicles, Veep and Vikings for Spoiler TV as well as books, films and games for his own blog The Fictional Hangout and contributes to comic reviews on a weekly basis for All-Comic.

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