🛡for the show overall, biggest flaw? best trait?
Wow!! This is a really good one @philomaela! I had to really think on this one while I was taking my walk this morning, lol.
Well, when it comes to this, Vikings once best trait became it’s biggest flaw: and that’s the portrayal/writing of women/female characters on the series.
When I originally started watching this show about 4-5 years ago, one of the major aspects I liked was the different female characters on Vikings. Each one had a different personality, nature and distinctive qualities in character. They weren’t all cut from the same cloth and represented a..cornucopia if you will…of what women were possibly like in the 9th century. They were/are as follows:
Lagertha-the first wife of Ragnar, she’s a shieldmaiden as well as a mother who showed steadfast loyalty to her children and husband. When Ragnar broke that trust, she overcame an abusive relationship with her 2nd husband only to become an earl in her own right.
Aslaug-Ragnar’s second wife and mother to his four sons, she’s a princess who is not only a loving and caring mother to her sons but a seeress who can forsee certain events. Aslaug has compassion and well as cleverness, not to mention she’s is very hospitable to guests who come to Kattegat.
Siggy-the wife of the late Earl Haraldson, she lost her status as earl’s wife once Ragnar took over. She is cunning, intelligent, resourceful and ambitious. She wants her old position, but despite this she has been a kind and caring friend to both Lagertha and later Aslaug.
Helga-the sweet love/wife of Floki, Helga is warm-hearted, gentle, caring and kind person who has become a good friend to not only Aslaug, but Siggy as well. She is loving and loyal towards Floki (though some times he doesn’t deserve it).
Not to mention the other female characters such as Thorunn-the freed slave who decides to become a shieldmaiden, Kwenthrith-the ambitious princess in Mercia who wants to become sole ruler of her kingdom and Gisla-the princess in Frankia who is courageous, intelligent and politically savvy.
However, once Lagertha started to gain skyrocket fame and was coined a “badass” warrior woman by the press and fandom alike, that’s when the show’s quality in writing for women started to decline. The show’s writer, Michael Hirst, started to ride on the coattails of Lagertha’s popularity, glorifying her character as some one who is flawless (when in actuality she does have flaws). He put her front and center on the show and marginalized all the other female characters who were not shieldmaidens. Basically, any female character that was not a warrior and presented an aspect of femininity was considered expendable. She was either: A. Vilified to make Lagertha look better B. Killed off to increase a male character’s man pain or C. written off the show because she was no longer needed.
Don’t get me wrong, I love warrior women characters (heck, I dressed up as Wonder Woman for Halloween three consecutive years when I was a kid), but when I watch a tv series, I look for ones with a variety of female characters. Each women has a different journey and distinctive story to tell. But when you start to tell the same story, the show gets stale and tedious ..as well as the characters.
This too goes for Vikings. I think the only female characters left after s5b are the shieldmaidens: all blonde, all badass and all..well..boring.
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