Vikings: Valhalla ‘The Marshes’ – Leif and Harald take their bromance to England

Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 Episode 3 Recap and Review

Of the three leads of Vikings: Valhalla, the one who reminds me of OG Vikings the most, at least by episode three, is Harald, and not just because he gives me Rollo vibes in ways I can’t adequately explain at this point. Part of the appeal of OG Vikings was its introduction of a faith that was alien to most of us. Harald’s version of the Christian faith was similarly alien-esque, especially to modern eyes. On a scene early in the episode, he was casually jamming spears onto injured Saxons in Kent. ‘I thought Christians were supposed to be merciful’ Leif wryly commented. ‘We are. But I am Viking first.’

The Viking first mentality was what made the opening scene particularly jarring. A raid in an English village was familiar territory in a Viking show. Ragnar and Athelstan met when Ragnar and his crew raided Lindisfarne. This time, however, Christians were killing Christians. Some Vikings including Harald spoke the local language. The familiarity made the violence even more unsettling.

It was also a good scene to showcase the growing bromance between Harald and Leif. When Harald first took note of Leif’s competence as a sailor and a warrior, he was a man an ambitious prince like Harald could use. But as they spent more time together, Harald was also getting to know Leif better. He correctly guessed that part of Leif’s reasoning for coming to England was to make the world forget his exiled father and remember him instead. ‘You will know glory when you reach it, Leif Erikson’, Harald assured him.

When Olaf picked Leif to lead a team to scout the marshes, Harald not only went with him, he was the one who led the team. He went first, fully aware that his brother picked Leif for such a dangerous mission, hoping he would get killed. Even with a local guide, they walked into a trap. English soldiers on boats rained arrows on them.

The scene was well staged. I have loved the marshes as a fight setting since the first season of The Last Kingdom. The torches Harald and crew carried provided a great contrast to the deep darkness of unfamiliar territory. The action even at night could be seen, unlike in other shows (cough The Long Night cough). Then, Liv screamed.

It was a little thing, but it took me out of the action. She first screamed when Ulf was hit, which, okay, she was surprised and emotional and she lost it briefly. But then, she continued to scream during the retreat, especially as she realised that Leif was getting left behind. They were trying to disappear into the darkness, which was why they got rid of their torches in the first place, and she was just giving away their position. It bugged me, because Liv did not strike me as a woman who has lived a soft life. She was a Greenlander. She sailed the open ocean to join a group bent on vengeance. She was part of a conquering party of Vikings. She was a fighter. The decision here felt off. 

With Leif presumed dead, his Greenlander friends said they had no reason to stick around anymore. Harald accepted that. He even offered to pay Freydis’ debt himself. But, he did not give up on Leif. He returned alone to the marshes and found Leif, who was knocked unconscious during the battle but was otherwise all right.

The two of them decided to scout London themselves. They joined a group of villagers walking toward the city, because of course no one would think to question why two tall, strong-looking men would suddenly emerge from the marshes covered in mud and make their way to a place preparing for a siege. As they walked through the famous bridge, part of it lifted to allow a ship to pass. You could almost see Leif’s brain working as he watched this. 

Meanwhile at the Saxon camp, once Streona arrived, Emma wanted him sent to the south, behind Canute, and trap him in the marshes. Streona would weaken the Vikings and Edmund would accept their surrender. Whilst Edmund was not opposed to the plan, he wanted to be out there fighting with Streona. He was concerned, fairly, that if Streona took all the risk, the nobles would look to him as the more suitable man on the throne. 

Emma confidently declared that she would deal with that. She felt that Edmund was far too valuable to be in battle. She also did not want Edmund crowned King, not yet. As she explained to Edmund, once crowned, his fate and England were entwined. Should he fall, England would as well. 

But Edmund had grown in confidence following what he perceived as his successful negotiation with Streona. At sword practice, his soldiers kept letting him win, feeding his ego. Godwin sent the soldiers away and easily beat Edmund. He threw a chair at him, kicked him, treated him as an opponent as the Saxon soldiers would not dare. It was a harsh but necessary lesson.

Godwin told Edmund that the Vikings came for his father’s head. As that was no longer attainable, they would settle for his. Delaying his coronation was a hedge against that possibility. It felt like there was a missing scene here, something that was cut, because when next we saw them, Godwin had already manipulated matters to ensure Edmund was crowned king. 

In the presence of the other nobles, Edmund claimed Emma’s plan to be his. They were so duly impressed that they crowned him King. Emma knew this was Godwin’s doing and warned him it was a grave mistake. Godwin expected Emma to help him make Edmund’s kingship work because she had much to loose if he failed. 

On the road to Uppsala, Freydis and her companions were attacked by a rider with scars and marks on his face, a Christian judging from the cross pendant he wore. The fight was brutal. Not adding music to it was a great choice. The man was not identified on screen as a berserker but that was what I thought whilst watching him, that he fought like a berserker. Eventually, with Toke’s help, Freydis was able to kill him. Everyone in their party died, except for Freydis and a badly wounded Yrsa. 

Freydis took Yrsa to the nearest village with a healer, who was able to help her. When the healer turned her attentions to Freydis’ wound, she saw the large cross scar on her back. Freydis described the attacker, and said she killed him. The healer gave Freydis supplies, told her to leave now for Uppsala, to take the steep path and not take her horse. The healer clearly knew something about whoever had been attacking pilgrims on the road to Uppsala. Freydis made it to Uppsala, but a group of men had already found what was left of the fight with the berserker, and found the two trails of blood that Fredis and Yrsa left.

Strays

⚔️Olaf found the Lady of Kent and her handmaidens hiding under the floorboards. She told the Vikings their war was pointless, King Aethelred died 10 days past. The Lord of Kent really left  his wife and his people to face the Vikings. King Canute, who helped her up off the floor, had shown more gentlemanly manners than her lord husband.

⚔️Olaf thought Edmund being on the throne might be a good thing. Since Edmund was a boy, the nobles would not back him.

⚔️Canute promised an angry Harald the head of King Aethelred’s son.

⚔️I have truly liked everything I have seen from King Canute so far. 

⚔️Nyal got his share of the coin from their looting, which made him the wealthiest man in all of Greenland.

⚔️Following the ambush at the marshes, an angry Harald told Olaf and company that the Saxons were smarter than them. The ones who attacked them were not rear guards, they were waiting for them. The Saxons had anticipated their attack from the south. 

⚔️A sole rider brought the Saxon king’s banner and planted it in front of Canute and the rest of the Viking leadership. It was a dare. I wonder who sent this rider. Could it be Emma? 

⚔️Whilst Leif was barely conscious, he had a vision of a little girl who placed a cross necklace on his hand. 

Writer: Vanessa Alexander

Director: Steve Saint Leger

Original Air Date: February 25, 2022

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