Vikings is a historical drama that premiered first on television in 2013. The series is drawn from the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok wherein he is shown to be a farmer who becomes popularly known due to his raids into England.
Vikings were renewed for season 4 in 2015 and order for extension of 20 episodes. The season premiered on the 18th of February in 2016. To add to this, the show has again been renewed for 20 more episodes of its 5th season. The show has received steadily growing ratings from its premiere.
The show has often been criticized for its less ambitious storyline and simple characters in comparison with series like Game of Thrones. But the fact that the show concentrates more on historical factors and the storyline that it builds, that the absence of complex characters and other aspects like nudity and get overshadowed.
The show has received criticism about its historical authenticity and accuracy. But critics also believe that because less is known about the religious practices and lifestyle of the Vikings, the interpretation is more creative than inaccurate.
Holiday season has often been a lull period for viewers as there are no quality shows being aired. This is so because most network shows hold off their episodes and releases till after New Year. However, the Vikings season 4 has been proving this trend wrong.
The show has been airing through the holiday season and managing to keep its ratings strong too. Its last episode received a rating of 0.6 in total in the 18-49 demographic. This is an increase in the rating in comparison with the previous episodes despite the fact that it was aired two days before Christmas.
It is going to be interesting to witness its ratings during the time between Christmas and New Year as a lot of viewers are off traveling. This period is said to surely be a dead period for television. However, considering the renewal for season 5 already being confirmed, the ratings would not make much of a difference.
In the latest episode, Queen Aslaug gets shot in the back by Ragnar’s first love, Lagertha. The background to this outcome is that they both come face-to-face wherein Aslaug informs that she dreamt about Ragnar’s death. Lagertha denounces the news and shoots her in the back.
This death came across as a big shock to many, but the actor who plays the role was not at all taken by surprise. Alyssa Sutherland said that one has to be prepared for such outcomes as you have no idea about how long will the storyline accommodate you and that she was aware of her character’s since 2015.
Soon before the episode was about to air, the actress posted a picture of herself jumping with the set in the backdrop. She said that she was excited about her death scene as well and that she was thrilled to read it. She mentioned dropping a mail to the writers as well stating the same.
Sutherland was sure about her character appearing in the first two seasons, but having survived till season 4 came as a surprise to her as well. She was thrilled about her last scene as her last scene was the scene in which she dies.
Many actors come back for shooting other scenes after shooting their last scene as well, but Sutherland considers herself lucky to have shot her last scene on the set to be her death sequence. She said that it was comforting to see the so many people on the sets. This was so because all the extras were on the scene too.