A lot happened in the season finale of “Vikings” season 3, and it currently seems like there will be some quite dramatic developments in the next season, perhaps even more than fans were expecting to see. We finally got to see the end of the siege of the Norsemen over the New Worlds, as France fell and put an end to the situation. We also saw various plot twists in the new episode, including King Ragnar faking his own death in order to get inside the very heart of the city.
His death also allowed him to get valuable information from people in his circle, as everyone who came to pay their respects at his deathbed revealed some interesting things about their relationship with the King. Floki, for example, admitted to murdering Athelsan, although this didn’t come as a surprise to all fans of the show.
Something else that put everyone on edge was the scene where Rollo offered the hand of his daughter, along with a large part of his land. This move was seen as quite surprising by many fans of the show, and not very characteristic of Ragnar’s own brother.
The ending of the episode prepares the audience for what’s coming in the next season, and some have been wondering if the rivalry between the brothers is going to be a major plot element for season 4. And indeed, Michael Hirst, the executive producer for the show, admitted in an interview that this part of the plot is only going to intensify over season 4, as the writers are going to focus on it to a large extent.
Accepting his brother’s offer would have various implications for Ragnar, and he will have a lot of work ahead of him afterwards, so it’s a heavy decision that he has to weigh very carefully. The betrayal surrounding the whole situation has been noted by Hirst as well, and apparently this is actually a major point of focus in writing the plot for the new season.
It’s not like the theme of betrayal has been a rare one for the show anyway, as it has explored it in quite some detail so far. But it looks like season 4 is really going to drive that point home, and it’s going to be produced in a very dramatic style.
There is almost a whole year before it airs, as it’s currently scheduled for some time in the beginning of 2016, so a lot can change in its production in the meantime – but the major themes are likely going to be preserved.