Vikings season 5 midseason finale recap: Who goes to Valhalla?

A Vikings midseason finale wouldn’t be complete without deaths, battle and revenge.

The Vikings Season 5 midseason finale took a different path to previous seasons. Michael Hirst and co. certainly took some risks with the method of filming. Rather than just focus on the lead up to the battle and then the battle itself, the two parts of the story were integrated. We got flashes back to the morning of the battle, clips of the visions the fighters had on the battlefield, and hints of emptiness and regrets.

Meanwhile, Floki attempted to find some sort of balance in his new world. With the death of Eyvind’s son, he needed to take steps to avoid the cycle of revenge and death. Were his actions enough to succeed?

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Before getting into the Vikings recap, let’s look at the filming. For some it could be confusing, but it actually had more heart to it. Flashing back and forth between the lead-up and the actual battle helped to bring more focus to the feelings and fears of individual characters. As Lagertha settled herself, ready to die, the others made their fighting spirit clear. It was possible to see the thought process for all important, making some of the deaths more tearful than they otherwise would have been.

So, who went to Valhalla in the Vikings Season 5 midseason finale and who managed to escape with their lives?

Floki decides a sacrifice is necessary

Before getting into the battle, Floki had to deal with the events of the previous episode. Eyvind’s family mourn the loss of their son, on a makeshift ground boat. Eyvind is angry and wants revenge, but Floki is willing to take steps to avoid that. He doesn’t want the same cycle of revenge and death. To make peace, he offers Eyvind the chance to become lawmaker, as long as Eyvind puts his need for revenge aside.

That doesn’t quite work out to plan. Flatnose’s son is found dead in one of the hot springs and Floki realizes that his dream isn’t possible. The Gods are angry with all and a big sacrifice is needed. He offers himself as that sacrifice.

Margrethe sees everyone dead

The former slave continues to have her visions in the episode. When wading into the water, she sees the body of a fallen Viking. However, it turns out that she’s just holding a log. The Seer makes it clear that she’s mad, but she doesn’t care about that. All she cares about is becoming queen.

Those dreams look to be for nothing, when the Seer tells her that Ubbe will never be King of Kattegat. But that doesn’t mean he will never be king. Just what does the future have in store for Ubbe and Margrethe?

The battle takes place

This will be the hardest part of the Vikings Season 5 midseason finale to recap, because of all the flashing back and forth. Let’s start with Lagertha. As she plans for battle, she tells Heahmund that she believes she will die that day. Of course Heahmund has no intentions of dying and doesn’t want to lose his warrior lover. With a kiss, Lagertha makes it clear that she is ready to die and leads her soldiers into battle.

While there, she faces against Astrid. Since Astrid had given Lagertha a fighting chance, Lagertha knows that Astrid never switched sides out of force. Astrid begs Lagertha to kill her; she can’t have Harald’s baby. In an act of mercy, Lagertha stabs Astrid in the stomach with a tearful goodbye to the woman she loved.

As for Harald, he kills someone he loves. Halfdan and Harald meet on the battlefield. Despite saying he didn’t want to kill his brother, Harald strikes and hits Harald in the neck and chest. It looks like Halfdan was expecting this, as during the battle he got glimpses of his time in the dessert. The dessert is on his mind a lot, as he also spends time thanking Bjorn for opening his eyes to the world and the wonders of it.

Harald and Halfdan aren’t the only brothers to come face to face on the battlefield. Ubbe and Hvitserk see each other. At first, it looks like Ubbe will attack, but he stops mid-swing. Likewise Hvitserk, who has Ivar’s words of Hvitserk regretting his decision to jump ship, stays his ground. Both brothers decide against fighting each other, showing there is potential hope for the future.

However, Hvitserk does take the life of a family member. Bjorn’s stepson Guthrum becomes Hvitserk’s victim, in front of Torvi and Lagertha. Bjorn later finds the body, wishing his stepson well in Valhalla with his father.

Meanwhile, Bjorn’s latest love interest is fighting in the trees with her father. While things initially work out, they’re overpowered and everyone dies. It’s short and because they’ve not really been focused on, it’s the least saddest death of the whole episode.

Most of the focus is on Ivar, who spots Heahmund fighting on Lagertha’s side. Naturally he’s angry at the betrayal, but his focus is still on Lagertha. Viewing everyone else as just skeletons, he picks Lagertha out on the battlefield and taunts her from a distance. He wants her to come to him, but before that can happen the French soldiers are sent in to fight.

Bjorn calls for a retreat, with Lagertha not far behind him. They race their way back to Kattegat, where Torvi instantly goes in search for her children. Sure that Margrethe has done something sinister, she draws her sword, only to find her two children alive and well in the room. However, everyone needs to pack up right away. Ivar and his army will be on their way very soon and they need to get out of dodge to save their lives. Bjorn looks over to see a pale-faced Lagertha shocked and scared, huddled in a corner.

Next: Vikings recap: Events

And that’s where the midseason finale leaves us. Just what will happen next? Will Bjorn and Heahmund help Lagertha through the loss of a lover and confidant? Can Bjorn and Ubbe find a way to stop Ivar? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Vikings Season 5 doesn’t have a return date yet, but will be sometime in 2018.