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Vikings season 1

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Vikings
Season 1
DVD cover art
No. of episodes9
Release
Original networkHistory
Original releaseMarch 3 (2013-03-03) –
April 28, 2013 (2013-04-28)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

Vikings is a Canadian-Irish historical drama television series,[1] written and created by Michael Hirst for the television channel History.[2] Season 1 premiered on March 3, 2013 in the United States and Canada and concluded on April 28, 2013, consisting of 9 episodes.

Filmed in Ireland, Vikings is inspired by the tales about the Viking Ragnar Lodbrok, one of the best-known mythological Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of France and England. It portrays Ragnar as a Viking farmer who pioneers the first daring raids into England with the support of fellow warriors, his brother Rollo, and his wife, the shieldmaiden Lagertha.

Series overview

The series is inspired by the tales of the raiding, trading, and exploring Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia. It follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lodbrok and his crew and family, as notably laid down in the 13th century sagas Ragnars saga Loðbrókar and Ragnarssona þáttr, as well as in Saxo Grammaticus's 12th century work Gesta Danorum. Norse legendary sagas were partly fictional tales based in Norse oral tradition, written down about 200 to 400 years after the events they describe. Further inspiration is taken from historical sources of the period, such as records of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne depicted in the second episode, or Ahmad ibn Fadlan's 10th-century account of the Volga Vikings. The series is set at the beginning of the Viking Age, marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793.

Plot

Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) is a young Viking warrior who longs to discover civilizations across the seas. With his friend, the gifted craftsman Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård), he builds a new generation of faster longships and challenges the local ruler, Earl Haraldson (Gabriel Byrne), a man of little vision, to allow raids into unexplored North East England. He is supported by his brother Rollo (Clive Standen), who covets Ragnar's wife, the shieldmaiden Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick). Ragnar succeeds in carrying out the first Viking raids into the English kingdom of Northumbria, returning with rich loot and the monk Athelstan (George Blagden) as a slave. This not only earns him the enmity of King Aelle (Ivan Kaye), but triggers a series of increasingly violent confrontations at home with the autocratic Earl, ending with Ragnar killing and succeeding him.

During an annual trip to the Temple at Uppsala where many Viking clans congregate in worship to the gods, Ragnar pledges fealty to King Horik (Donal Logue). Ragnar then represents Horik in negotiations about a land dispute with Jarl Borg, a Geat from Götaland (Thorbjørn Harr), in the course of which he is seduced by the princess Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland). Back in Ragnar's homeland a mysterious plague ravages his village killing a portion of his people including his young daughter. During this time, envious and ambitious brother Rollo is manipulated by Jarl Borg to side with him against his brother and King Horik in order to forge his own glory.

Cast

Main

Recurring

  • Nathan O'Toole as Bjorn, Ragnar and Lagertha's son.
  • Ruby O'Leary as Gyda, Ragnar and Lagertha's daughter.
  • Jefferson Hall as Torstein, one of Ragnar's warriors and closest friends.
  • Tadgh Murphy as Arne, one of Ragnar's warriors; an archer with an eye-patch.
  • David Pearse as Svein, loyal henchman of Earl Haraldson.
  • Diarmaid Murtagh as Leif, one of Ragnar's warriors and the son of Erik.
  • John Kavanagh as The Seer, the seiðmann of Kattegat.
  • Elinor Crawley as Thyri, Earl Haraldson and Siggy's daughter.
  • Ivan Kaye as King Aelle of Northumbria
  • Vladimir Kulich as Erik, elderly Viking and one of Ragnar's warriors.
  • Maude Hirst as Helga, Floki's consort.
  • Peter Gaynor as Lord Edgar
  • Eric Higgins as Knut Tjodolf, Earl Haraldson's half-brother.
  • Jouko Ahola as Kauko, a Finnish Viking and one of Ragnar's warriors.
  • Carrie Crowley as Elisef, wife of Erik.
  • Trevor Cooper as Earl Bjarni
  • Eddie Elks as Olafur
  • Will Irvine as Brother Cenwulf
  • Angus MacInnes as Tostig
  • Thorbjørn Harr as Jarl Borg, the Jarl of Götaland.
  • Cathy White as Queen Ealhswith of Northumbria
  • Eddie Drew as Odin

Guests

  • David Murray as Aethelwulf, the brother of King Aelle.
  • Conor Madden as Eric Trygvasson
  • Des Braiden as Father Cuthbert
  • Jonathon Kemp as Lord Wigea

Episodes

See also: List of Vikings episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Rites of Passage"Johan RenckMichael HirstMarch 3, 2013 (2013-03-03)
22"Wrath of the Northmen"Johan RenckMichael HirstMarch 10, 2013 (2013-03-10)
33"Dispossessed"Johan RenckMichael HirstMarch 17, 2013 (2013-03-17)
44"Trial"Ciarán DonnellyMichael HirstMarch 24, 2013 (2013-03-24)
55"Raid"Ciarán DonnellyMichael HirstMarch 31, 2013 (2013-03-31)
66"Burial of the Dead"Ciarán DonnellyMichael HirstApril 7, 2013 (2013-04-07)
77"A King's Ransom"Ken GirottiMichael HirstApril 14, 2013 (2013-04-14)
88"Sacrifice"Ken GirottiMichael HirstApril 21, 2013 (2013-04-21)
99"All Change"Ken GirottiMichael HirstApril 28, 2013 (2013-04-28)

Production

An Irish-Canadian co-production, Vikings was developed and produced by Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions.[2] Michael Hirst, Morgan O'Sullivan, John Weber, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn and Sheila Hockin are credited as executive producers.[2] The first season's budget has been reported as $40 million USD.[3]

The series began filming in July 2012 at Ashford Studios, a newly built studio facility in Ireland,[4] chosen as a location for its tax advantages.[3] On August 16, 2012, longship scenes were filmed at Luggala, in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains.[5] 70 percent of the first season was filmed outdoors.[3] Some additional background shots were done in Western Norway.

Johan Renck,[6] Ciarán Donnelly and Ken Girotti each directed three episodes.[7] The production team includes cinematographer John Bartley,[8] and composer Trevor Morris.

According to actor Clive Standen (Rollo), future seasons may feature characters such as Alfred the Great, Leif Ericson, and Ivar the Boneless, as well as travels to Iceland, Russia, France, and across the Atlantic.[9]

Reception

Reviews

The series received generally favorable ratings by critics after the first episode had aired. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 81% approval rating with an average rating of 7/10 based on 27 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Vikings makes up for its lack of historical accuracy with a heaping helping of violence, romance, and striking visuals".[10] With an average rating of 71 based on 20 reviews according to Metacritic.[11]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix praised the series' casting, notably of Fimmel as Ragnar, and observed that Vikings "isn't complicated. It (...) relies on the inherent appeal of the era and these characters to drive the story."[12] Nancy DeWolf Smith of the Wall Street Journal noted the "natural and authentic" setting and costumes, and appreciated that Vikings was (unlike, e.g., Spartacus) not a celebration of sex and violence, but "a study of character, stamina, power and (...) of social, emotional and even intellectual awakening".[13] Hank Stuever, writing for the Washington Post, found that the "compelling and robust new drama series (...) delivers all the expected gore and blood spatter". But he also wrote that it successfully adapted the skills of cable television drama, with the care taken in acting, writing and sense of scope reminiscent of such series as Rome, Sons of Anarchy and Game of Thrones, and that even the way the series emphasized "a core pride and nobility in this tribe of thugs" reflected "just another iteration of Tony Soprano".[14] Neil Genzlinger, in the New York Times, praised the "arresting" cinematography and the actors' performances, notably Fimmel's, and favorably compared Vikings to Game of Thrones and Spartacus for the absence of gratuitous nudity.[15]

In TIME, James Poniewozik noted that the relatively simple generational conflict underlying Vikings "doesn't nearly have the narrative ambition of a Game of Thrones or the political subtleties of a Rome", nor these series' skill with dialogue, but that it held up pretty well compared to the "tabloid history" of series like The Tudors and The Borgias. He concluded that "Vikings' larger story arc is really more about historical forces" than about its not very complex characters.[16] Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly appreciated the cast's performance, but considered that Vikings was "kind of a mess", lacking the intrigue of The Tudors and Game of Thrones.[17] Brian Lowry criticized the series in Variety as an "unrelenting cheese-fest" and as a "more simpleminded version of 'Game of Thrones'", but considered that it achieved "a level of atmosphere and momentum that makes it work as a mild diversion".[18] In the San Francisco Chronicle, David Wiegand was disappointed by the series' "glacial pace" and lack of action as well as by the "flabby direction and a gassy script", while appreciating the performances and characters.[19]

Ratings

According to Nielsen, the series premiere drew 6.2 million viewers at 10 pm timeslot, and 8.3 total viewers in premier night in the U.S., topping all broadcast networks among 18- to 49-year-olds. An earlier claim of over 18 million viewers was later retracted by the channel with an apology.[20][21]

In Canada, the premiere was watched by 1.1 million viewers. The first season has averaged 942,000 viewers.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Take 5 Productions - Vikings". take5productions.ca. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "VIKINGS Tops The Ratings With 8.3 Million Viewers". Irish Film Board. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Justin, Neal (2 March 2013). "Meet the real Ragnar on History Channel's 'Vikings'". Star Tribune. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  4. ^ Cummins, Steve (9 July 2012). "'Vikings' Begins Filming At Ashford Studios". The Irish Film & Television Network. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  5. ^ Kelpie, Colm. Viking hordes are back to make history, Irish Independent, August 17, 2012. Accessed January 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "Resumé: "Det är mörkt och dramatiskt"". Resume.se. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  7. ^ Trumbore, Dave (28 June 2012). "VIKINGS Scripted Series Coming to History Channel". Collider.
  8. ^ Cummins, Steve (26 June 2012). "Emmy Award-Winning Cinematographer John Bartley Joins 'Vikings' Crew". The Irish Film & Television Network. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  9. ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (8 March 2013). "History's "Vikings" interview": Clive Standen talks Rollo, complex morality and future characters". Screencrush. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  10. ^ "VIKINGS: SEASON 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  11. ^ "Vikings". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  12. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (1 March 2013). "Review: History's 'Vikings' a bloody good time". HitFix. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  13. ^ DeWolf Smith, Nancy (1 March 2013). "The Norse Code". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  14. ^ Stuever, Hank (28 February 2013). "In History's compelling 'Vikings,' Hägar the Hipster is a brute charmer". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  15. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (1 March 2013). "You Plunder, I'll Pillage, Maybe We'll Find England". New York Times. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  16. ^ Poniewozik, James (1 March 2013). "TV Weekend: History Launches Vikings (and an Action-Packed Bible)". TIME. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  17. ^ Collis, Clark (27 February 2013). "Vikings (2013)". EW.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  18. ^ Lowry, Brian (27 February 2013). "TV Review: 'Vikings'". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  19. ^ Wiegand, David (28 February 2013). "'Vikings' review: It takes a pillage". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  20. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (5 March 2013). "History channel apologizes after boasting about 'Vikings' ratings". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  21. ^ "'Vikings' Has Number 1 Cable Series Premiere of the Year With 8.3 Million Total Viewers on the Night". TV by the Numbers.
  22. ^ "Vikings picked up for second season". TV, eh?. April 5, 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
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