TLK Season 5 Review
Late last night (well, actually early this morning), @lauwrite1225 and I finished the last season of TLK and I have THOUGHTS. (This got very long, lmao. Get ready for an essay 🤡)
Firstly, I just want to come out and say it that I fucking love this season. So many shows are let down by their final season, but TLK is not one of them. There was not a single episode that I thought was significantly weaker than the others. Obviously some episodes are less action packed than others but I thought all of them were very good. There were no storylines that I disliked and so many that I loved. The way that they wove the story together, building to the final episode was, I thought, very well done.
Spoliers below:
The only criticism I have of the season is that there wasn't enough Finan - but then I am in love with him so I doubt there would ever be enough Finan for my taste. I had really hoped that we would have gotten Finan's backstory and the Irish storyline in the books, as anyone who has read the books or Finan fanfics know it's pretty epic. Also it would have given Finan so much more to do as a character.
However, to do Finan's past justice would have taken a lot of time, new characters and changed the season completely. As much as I would have loved for it to be explored, I'm not sure how they could have fit it in and I would rather them not do it at all than squeeze it into the storyline and do it badly. Also, this is Uhtred's show, and it has always been focused on Uhtred - I cannot really blame the writers for focusing on him instead of Finan. Also not sticking to the books meant that we had no clue what was going to happen and everything was a complete shock. I found it so hard to predict what would happen next, but if they had, for example, taken the Irish storyline from the books, we would have lost that as we would know what to expect.
I also wish we saw more domestic Finan and more of Ingrith. Up until a week ago, I was hoping and expecting Finan to be with Eadith, however I have been converted. I really loved the little we saw of Ingrith and they were very cute together - I bought they were a couple and have fallen in love with them.
I mean LOOK AT THEM!
I think we could have at least had Finan and Sihtric happy with their families in the ending montage but oh well.
I also think they handled Finan and Eadith very well - it was clearly shown that there was once something between them, so not just completely ignoring the flirting at end of season 4 - but it's also clear that they have moved on.
On the subject of Eadith, I really liked her this season and especially her relationship with Aelswith. I thought it was great we had more positive female interactions: between Ealfwynn, Aelswith and Aethelflaed; Aelswith and Eadith; and Stiorra and her women in Eoferwic, especially her maid.
Aelswith was on form as usual, her frantic fear of being ill and her classic insults were very funny but also her development from last season was continued. The scene with her and Uhtred after Aethelflaed's death was so unexpected but so perfect, the growth from wanting Uhtred dead to accepting comfort from him is so good.
There were several unlikely partnerships this season, all of which I loved. Uhtred and Aelswith becoming allies, Heasten helping Uhtred, Hild and Heasten working together, and the biggest for me, Brida and Pyrlig.
I honestly can't believe how well Brida's storyline was done. I'll be honest, I was not expecting much - I thought she would be a psychotic maniac who does so many despicable things that when she is eventually killed we have no doubt that Uhtred made the right choice. However, what we got WAS SO MUCH BETTER. Yes, she was a maniac at the beginning, but I really felt sorry for her after her daughter died and her conversations with Pyrlig were so interesting -however once she stabbed him I was all ready to see her getting killed again, but her confrontation with Uhtred was so heartbreakingly well done that I ended up crying at her death. The use of the flashbacks was a stroke of genius. This bloody show made me cry for the death of a character I have wanted dead for over a season! It was also super poetic that their showdown happened in the burnt remains of their home with Ragnar the Fearless, where they both became Danes, and also interesting that it was Stiorra who killed her in the end. I honestly thought she was going to get a redemption, with Uhtred forgiving her and honestly I am not sure if I wanted her to or not, I thought I hated her, but the last scene really made me question it.
All the deaths were so well done - AND I CRIED SO DAMN MUCH! Aethelflaed's death was heart breaking, but Aldhelm's pain at losing her BROKE ME. Also once again they made me care about a pairing I never shipped - I do not ship Uhtred and Aethelflaed, but boy did I care about their reunion and them saying goodbye. Sigtryggr's death was also heart breaking but also beautiful - his goodbye to Stiorra, Uhtred making sure he had a sword and died with honour, and his burial. (I also like how they had him buried in the mound in the ship - those are real things and there are several of these type of graves near where I live in East Anglia, so that's cool). Poor Osferth, I had a feeling he was going to die before the season even started. I cried a lot, the way Finan was holding him and blaming himself making it so much worse. Also the panic and pain in Uhtred and Sihtric's faces when they realise Osferth isn't with Finan. Some people have questioned the point of his death, but honestly people die in battles and it's frankly unbelievable that none of the coccham squad had died up to that point, also there was no real plot point to Leofic's death. However, I do agree with Lau that Finan should have killed Bresal for revenge for Osferth, that would have been epic and given more meaning to his death - however Aelswith doing it was iconic.
Aethelhelm's scheming was great and the politics were intriguing without becoming too heavy, as I felt it did with the middle of season 4. Accidently killing his daughter completely took me by surprise and added another side to him, seeing his grief and then his resolve was very interesting. Also his relationship with Bresal, who was clearly more than just a dim witted henchman we normally get. Aethelhelm was such a great villain and the showdown with him, Aethelstan and Aelfweard was so good.
I really liked Aethelstan. You can tell he is raised by Uhtred, from his fighting ability to his sense of honour. I found it funny how he mastered the act of screaming for Uhtred, which was lucky seeing as he was attacked on so many occasions. Also the way Uhtred runs to his aid shows how much he cares, and contrasts to Edward hearing Aethelstan shout for help during the killing of the Mercian Ealdormen and doing nothing.
Also that scene was so brutal - Edward really has become ruthless. I liked him a lot better this season and I think you can see more Alfred in him than you could before. His out manoeuvring Aethelhlem was great but also interesting that his impulsiveness and anger that were an issue last season remained. His stubbornness and refusal to listen did bring us one of my favourite scenes - Aldhlem, Aelswith, Pyrlig and Aethelstan all choosing to defy the king and support Uhtred.
The relationships between Uhtred and his children were great - especially Stiorra. She really was not pulling punches when she had a go at Uhtred, but after losing Sigtryggr I can't blame her. I love that we see so much of Uhtred in her; like the way she goaded Brida to make the square and her stubbornness. Young Uhtred forgiving Brida and him helping Uhtred to forgive her too was poignant to watch. The scene at the end with Uhtred, Young Uhtred and Stiorra all hugging each other made me emotional. AND I AM SORRY BUT OSBERT!????? The mystery child has been revealed. I honestly can't believe it - I am intrigued for the role he will play in the movie.
Sigtryggr and Stiorra's relationship was amazing to see - the way they ruled Eoferwic together, Sigtryggr screaming at Finan and the others about how he couldn't let Stiorra die, how they fought back to back in battle and the goodbye kisses. Also Sigtryggr was a bad ass and his fight in Eoferwic in the middle of the circle really showed just how great a fighter he is. Yes he was manipulated by his brother, but I could understand why he wanted to help him.
The fighting in this season WAS SO GOOD. Each battle was unique and I feel did something different to those we have seen in previous seasons. I especially loved the Danish attack on Aethelhelm's camp - going across the ice looked so cool. The individual fighting was also amazing - each character got moment's in each battle, especially Finan and Sihtric (Finan fighting a guy with a severed hand was hilarious).
Also the end battle was so great, them pushing them off the cliff, Stiorra joining the battle, and the Coccham boys sneaking around Bebbanburg. Uhtred's speech to the Danes was inspiring and also exemplified the entire show - the entire series he has been split between Saxon and Dane, and finally he is bringing those two sides together and it is precisely the fact that he is of both peoples which enabled him to inspire the men to fight.
The showdown with Whitgar I thought was interesting as Whitgar admitted that he could not beat Uhtred man on man, so had to use deceit and surprise, which was how he took the fortress to begin with. Uhtred just throwing him off the balcony and him being impaled was unexpected but great. I actually really liked Whitgar, in the same way I did with Aethelwold - he's a piece of shit but the way he was making fun of Aethelhelm was so funny.
I also loved the introduction of father Benedict and of Eadgifu. Also seeing Aelfwynn all grown up was great, although I don't get why she is so naive and why she can't fight - Alfred taught Aethelflaed to fight, I guess I just assumed she would teach Aelfwynn. The Scottish king was also a great addition, he was funny whilst still being a serious threat and his conversation with Aelfwynn about what their marriage would be like gave me a respect for him. I think we will see him in the movie and I hope we do.
Other characters that I always love are Hild, Pyrlig and Aldhelm. Hild caring so much about Uhtred that she's willing to put herself in danger and killing a man to save Aelfwynn, but also seeing her struggle with the guilt of killing and begging the soldier not to fight back so she might spare him. I love Hild so much, she is my favourite character. I wish we had more of her but the couple of episodes she was in, she was iconic as always. Pyrlig is also one of my favourites - I felt so sorry for the man, tortured without anyone seeming to care, and then forced to walk whilst bleeding out - poor man is always walking somewhere. I loved his conversation with Uhtred about God/the Gods and destiny, and giving him advice about if he should take back Bebbanburg. I love how both him and Uhtred stick by their beliefs but respect the other. His compassion he showed Brida after she had captured and tortured him just shows what a great person he is. I was so happy he did not die. Aldhelm was as dependable as always and the way he defended Aethelflaed to Aelfwynn🥺, also him refusing to abandon Aelfwynn because he had promised her mother made me emotional. I thought for a moment he died and I was so mad, but he lived to see another day which I was glad for.
Finally, the ending montage showing the entire story of TLK was such a great idea. It really rounded out the series and made me remember that this is the end (apart from the movie lol). I also loved that the flashbacks started with him being baptised as a kid in Bebbanburg - there's just something poetic about coming back to where it all began. I also loved seeing Leofric and season 1, I think too many people forget about season 1, which is a shame as it's one of my favourite seasons.
I think that is the end of my ramblings. Honestly I loved this season and I know not everyone will love it as much as I do, but I hope we can all agree the ending was satisfying. I will be rewatching many times and writing many other posts and fanfics. If you have kept reading this far, congrats and thank you so much for caring enough to read. 💜
@morosemagick @lauwrite1225 @93xdiagonxalley @trenko-heart @solinarimoon @magravenwrites @maggiescarborough
