100 Punches

What else can I say about Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 22 other than that it was great, as expected. At this point, we should all know that every episode of Vinland Saga is going to be a banger.

By this point, I hope that the majority of people calling Season 2 boring have dropped the series. They don’t deserve to see this content. Somehow, they’d call this episode boring even though it had a lot of great moments. For example, there was Thorfinn calling out Drott to finish his 100 punches.

At first, I thought Thorfinn may have been a bit harsh to Drott. Did he really need to say his punches hurt less than insect bites? As someone who wants peace, I’m not so sure insulting other people is the way to go. But, after thinking it over a bit more, this was probably the right call.

If Thorfinn stood there and took Drott’s punches in silence, what would the soldiers think? They’d think that, although good at taking a beating, Thorfinn doesn’t have a warrior’s heart. However, by speaking up and insulting Drott, he showed that’s not the case.

Thorfinn is a fighter. He’s just fighting in his own way. And with his words, he made it clear that he’s stronger than Drott. Thorfinn didn’t only say that Drott’s punches are weaker than a bug’s bite. He also said that he’s a busy man and he wants to get these punches over with.

That’s something the soldiers seemed to respect. Thorfinn’s saying, “I’m stronger than you, and I’m going to prove it. I’m not going to run away. I’m going to stand my ground and we’re going to finish this.” And by the end of the 100 punches, even Drott respected him.

The King’s Former Guard

I can understand why Canute’s men wouldn’t believe Thorfinn saying he was a former guard of Canute. He’s small and unimpressive looking. And he’s also a slave, which isn’t exactly the career path most of the king’s guard goes down.

But, by standing his ground and taking 100 punches from Drott, Thorfinn earned respect. No normal man would be able to achieve such a feat. So, the fact that Thorfinn accomplished this proves that he’s strong. However, Thorfinn could have accomplished the same thing without getting his face busted.

As Wulf says, Thorfinn could have defeated Drott in combat. That would have been the quickest way to prove his status as a former member of the king’s guard. Of course, Thorfinn didn’t do this because he wants to avoid violence at all costs. Even if he defeated Drott without harming him, a fight is still a fight.

Why should that matter, though? If Thorfinn is able to defeat Drott in a fight by disarming him, why shouldn’t he do it? The answer is pretty simple — and it’s something Thorfinn actually brings up to Snake earlier on. Once you begin fighting, it’s difficult to talk things out.

If Thorfinn beat Drott in a fight, would the other soldiers really have accepted it? Or, would they view Thorfinn as someone who got lucky? Would they then want their turn to prove that they can defeat the man who beat Drott? By engaging in a fight at all, Thorfinn gets farther from his goal.

Instead, he needs to show that he’s stronger than the soldiers without fighting. He needs to make them understand his conviction in a way that doesn’t make them more mad. To that end, he did a perfect job.

The King of Rebellion

Am I the only one who thought the waves were actually going to stop when Canute commanded them to? For a brief moment, I thought we were about to get some implied magic from Canute. You have no idea how relieved I was when that didn’t happen.

But, this was a pretty powerful scene. The whole point of Canute trying to stop the waves was to show how powerless he is. Yes, he’s the king of the largest country in northern Europe. And yes, he has the most feared army. But, even he’s powerless before his God.

Now, despite thinking this was a powerful scene, I’m not entirely sure what Canute’s point here is. At first, I thought he was trying to say that war is one of those inevitable things that can’t be stopped — like the waves. But, I’m not so sure that’s it.

Toward the end of his speech, Canute declares that he wants to save the Vikings. He can’t create a paradise on Earth, because that would go against God’s will. After all, if God wanted the Earth to be a paradise, He would have made it one, right?

However, the part I don’t understand then is how Canute plans to save the Vikings. Is his plan simply to eradicate all opposition? Technically, that would put an end to the wars. And it would be his justification for going to war. But, it’s not as if he stated that’s his goal.

His only stated goal is to save the Vikings. And to do that, he needs the wealth from Ketil’s farm. If this doesn’t make sense to you, congratulations, Einar is with you. As Einar points out, who is this benefiting other than Canute and his men? It’s not the average person.

Conclusion

What do you think of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 22? Did you think Thorfinn was actually down after 32 punches? Should Thorfinn have fought and disarmed Drott? And, did you think we were about to see Canute use some magic on the waves? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on your social media of choice — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

When Boys Become Men

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 21 wasn’t as depressing as some of the recent episodes have been. Sure, Olmar still had a good cry. But, it’s not like anything happened to any of the characters we know and love this week. Well, unless you count Oddny’s dad.

In case you somehow forgot who Oddny is, she’s Olmar’s “girlfriend.” Well, girlfriend might not be the right word here. She’s the girl Olmar was sleeping with toward the start of the season. And her parents wanted Olmar to marry her because that would increase their own status.

Well, Oddny’s dad lost both his hands in the battle against Canute’s army. And when he sees Olmar, Oddny’s dad begs him to take care of his family. So, does this mean Olmar will finally take Oddny as his wife? It’s possible. But, I think it’s more likely that we’ll never see Oddny again.

Enough about Oddny. Olmar is the star of the first half of Episode 21. With Ketil incapacitated, Olmar is the de-facto head of the clan. That’s right, it’s not Thorgil. And there are likely two reasons for this. Though, these two reasons do appear to be related.

The first is that Thorgil isn’t around much. Until the recent developments, Thorgil was away as one of Canute’s soldiers. So, it makes sense that Ketil wouldn’t leave his farm to Thorgil. Thorgil already has a profession as a soldier and likely wouldn’t have any interest in running a farm.

But, the second reason may be the true reason. Ketil isn’t a warrior. Remember, he stole the name “Iron Fist Ketil” from another man. So, the other reason he likely named Olmar as his successor is that he identifies with Olmar. He sees himself in Olmar and not in Thorgil.

What’s Next for Snake?

Once Olmar became head of the clan, he chose to surrender to Canute. His reasoning is that he doesn’t want to see anyone else die — and he doesn’t want to die. He doesn’t care what happens to the farm or himself as long as he gets to live.

Obviously, Thorgil doesn’t agree with this choice and storms off. But, Snake chooses to stick by Olmar’s side and even goes with him to meet Canute. This seems to mark a turning point for Snake. Though, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s just going along with whatever Olmar says.

It’s true that Snake is loyal to Ketil and his family. When he first arrived at the farm and learned that Ketil wasn’t Iron Fist Ketil, Ketil allowed him to stay. And Snake took him up on that offer because it was better than a life of war.

But, even though Snake was glad to not have to fight, he still has his honor. When Ketil wanted to fight Canute’s army, Snake stood by his side. And when Thorgil was talking about continuing the fight, Snake said he would continue, as well. So, why did he suddenly side with Olmar?

Is Olmar’s new status as the head of the clan the reason for Snake’s allegiance? Not quite. All Olmar’s status did was allow Snake to follow him without seeming like he was betraying the clan. In reality, Snake chose to follow Olmar because he respects Olmar’s decision.

Snake isn’t the same kind of warrior as Thorgil. He doesn’t blame anyone for not wanting to die on the battlefield. He’ll go to war, but he doesn’t want to die in battle like Thorgil does. That’s why we saw him announce the retreat. In Olmar, Snake sees a man who values life.

The Slave and the King

The second half of the episode is about Thorfinn attempting to speak to Canute. He wants to convince Canute to leave the farm alone. Despite Ketil not exactly being a good guy, Thorfinn still wants to repay the kindness he was shown on the farm.

Based on the next episode preview, we know that Thorfinn gets his audience with Canute. But, I’m not expecting Thorfinn to be able to change Canute’s mind. Canute does remember him, showing that Thorfinn made an impact. However, neither man is the same as they were 4 years ago.

Thorfinn is no longer someone Canute has to fear. He’s not the violent person who didn’t care about authority that he was in the past. And, similarly, Canute isn’t the cowardly prince he was back then, either. He’s now the King of Denmark and England.

I think that when Canute sees Thorfinn, he’ll realize this isn’t the same Thorfinn he once knew. I’m not sure how he’ll react to that. But, it’s going to be pretty obvious to him that Thorfinn is a changed man. And I could see Canute viewing Thorfinn’s change in personality as a sign of weakness.

However, even if Canute doesn’t stop the war because of Thorfnn, the war will stop. Olmar is already heading to Canute to surrender. And, this might be where Thorfinn can finally make a difference. He may be able to convince Canute to show leniency to Olmar.

Also, let’s not forget that Thorgil is still out there somewhere. Is he still planning on trying to assassinate Canute? If so, Thorfinn might also be able to convince Canute to spare Thorgil’s life. You know, because I can’t see Thorgil actually killing Canute. Thorfinn may even stop Thorgil.

Conclusion

What do you think of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 21? Do you think Olmar will remain as the head of the clan even after Ketil recovers? Will Snake continue to serve Olmar after Canute hands down his punishment? And how do you think Canute will react to seeing Thorfinn? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on your social media of choice — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 22 is available now.

From Helheim with Love

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 20 was exactly what I expected it to be — another phenomenal episode. Just like Episode 19, Episode 20 had a bit of everything that makes Vinland Saga such a good series. And this week, I want to start off by discussing the action.

Action hasn’t been that big of a part of Season 2, so far. At least, not when compared to all the action in Season 1. But, that’s kind of the point. Season 1 was all about building up Thorfinn’s war experience, which he now regrets.

Season 2 is more about how Thorfinn comes to terms with the horrors he committed in the past. And, it’s also about Thorfinn learning just how weak of a person he actually is. He may have been fearsome on the battlefield. But, he can’t change the world and save people on his own.

Anyway, all that’s to say we’re back to some action. And the action starts off with Thorgil attacking Canute and his guards. Surprisingly, Thorgil almost assassinated Canute right here. He cut down both of the guards and broke Canute’s sword. But, in the end, he had to flee without finishing the job.

Now, Thorgil’s actions in this episode appear to line up with what we see of him in the OP. The main difference is that he’s actually wearing armor in battle in the OP. But, the actions of Snake and his men are very different in the OP and the series.

In the OP, we see Snake and his men moving as a unit as Snake cuts down enemies at the front. In the series, we don’t see that. Snake still cuts down some enemies. But, it’s so he can protect his men who are losing.

The Dead and the Wounded

Speaking of Snake’s men, Badger is among the wounded at the end of the battle. He lost a hand. But, that’s actually not that bad when you consider he was up against a member of the King’s Guard.

It’s also two of the King’s Guard Snake kills to save Badger. I would have liked to see Snake go up against a member of the Jomsvikings. But, I’ll take what I can get. And, these are the only two “guests” we see engaged in actual combat.

The other one of Snake’s men we have a name for is Fox. He doesn’t engage in the fighting because he’s too afraid. And that’s not because he’s weak. He’s killed 13 men and considers himself proficiently strong. The thing is, he knows he stands no chance against these opponents. I don’t blame him for that.

After saving Badger, Snake calls for his men to retreat — and Ketil’s rag-tag soldiers follow suit. At this point, Ketil is injured by one of the King’s Guard and left to die on the battlefield by the enemy. But, Snake comes to his aid after the King’s Guard are called back to defend Canute from Thorgil.

Not all the dead and wounded are on the battlefield, though. Away from the fighting, Arnheid finally succumbs to the wounds Ketil inflicted on her. This is something I expected to happen (as of Episode 19). Before last week, I thought Arnheid and Einar would end up together.

However, as I explained in a comment on last week’s episode review, Arnheid’s death makes sense. Her death is yet another blow to Thorfinn. How can he save hundreds, thousands, or millions from war if he can’t even save a single woman?

A Land Free From War

The part of the episode I would say was the best is the very end. Thorfinn deciding to speak to Canute and attempt to put an end to the battle was the best part. This is Thorfinn’s character growth in action.

Right now, Thorfinn has a chance to prevent more bloodshed. If he didn’t take this chance, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. How could he say his goal is to eradicate war if he didn’t even try to stop this battle? This is a battle that’s realistic for him to stop.

Is Thorfinn actually going to succeed here? It’s tough to say. Canute lost some men and he also really wants Ketil’s land. So, it’s unlikely that he’d leave without getting something from this expedition. And Ketil isn’t going to hand over either himself or his land.

However, I do see one possible way for the battle to conclude in a way that appeases both sides. And Thorgil is the key. You see, Canute said something interesting after Thorgil’s assassination attempt. Despite this betrayal, Canute wants Thorgil to serve under him once again. He sees the value in a man like Thorgil.

So, it’s possible that Canute would agree to leave Ketil’s farm alone in exchange for Thorgil. And while Ketil may not want to take that deal, I think Thorgil would. Once he has assurances that Ketil’s farm will be left alone, Thorgil has no reason not to rejoin the King’s Guard.

I also feel like Thorgil would want to rejoin Canute’s forces. He mentioned that Canute has gotten stronger and is a commander worthy of cutting down. I’d imagine this also makes Canute a commander worthy of being followed. Thorgil respects strength. That’s something Canute has.

Conclusion

What do you think of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 20? Were you expecting more from Snake and his men in the battle? Did you think Arnheid was going to survive? And will Thorfinn be able to talk Canute into retreating from the farm? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on your social media of choice — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 21 is available now.

The Battle of Ketil’s Farm

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 19 is what the kids in my Discord server call “peak.” Now, I don’t think it’s actually the best episode of the series. However, it does showcase a lot of what makes the series so good.

There’s action, drama, character development — everything. And to start this review, we’re going to look at the character development. Specifically, we’re going to look at the development of Snake and his men. Since the battle of Ketil’s farm is about to begin, it’s time for these soldiers to prove their worth.

So, one of the first things we learn is that Snake is the only “real” soldier among his men. The others have combat experience, for sure. But, when Fox and Snake are scouting out the King’s forces, Fox doesn’t realize how much trouble they’re in.

Yes, Fox knows that Thorgil is strong, so the Royal Guard are going to be strong, as well. And he knows they stand no chance against the Jomsvikings. But, he didn’t even recognize that’s who the soldiers in white cloaks were. He just doesn’t have the same level of experience as Snake does.

And yet, after learning that there’s no way they’ll win the battle, Snake’s men stand with him. They’re afraid, yes. But, Snake gave them the chance to flee and they chose not to. At the end of the day, they have their honor. And, if you pay attention, you can actually see this group on the battlefield in the OP.

Now, where Snake’s development comes in is when he reveals his relation to Ketil. Iron Fist Ketil actually trained Snake. He’s a real person. But, he’s not the same Ketil that owns the farm. And yet, Snake is going to fight by Ketil’s side.

350 vs. 100

Ketil Managed to muster 350 men. But, with the exception of Snake’s small group, they’re mostly farmers. Thorgil is the only other one with real combat experience. And Thorgil is likely the strongest man on Ketil’s side. I have a feeling he could defeat Snake.

On Canute’s side, there are only 100 men. But, the catch is that these men are Royal Guards and Jomsvikings. That means they’re the strongest warriors in northern Europe. So, even with a numbers advantage, Ketil’s forces stand no chance. And Thorgil is counting on that.

Even though Ketil’s men are going to get slaughtered, Thorgil still plans on winning. As he explains to Olmar, his strategy is to use the other men as a distraction. While Canute’s men are focused on them, Thorgil and Olmar are going to launch a sneak attack.

I never expected Thorgil to be the kind of man to use sneak attacks. He seems like someone who would want to be on the frontlines of any battlefield. But, he’s actually a far better strategist than I (and Snake) thought. Maybe I should have expected that from a former Royal Guard, though.

Anyway, Thorgil and Olmar were going to get in the ocean and swim around behind Canute. Then, they can launch their surprise attack and take out the King, thus ending the battle. But, there are two problems with Thorgil’s plan. And the first of those problems is Olmar’s inability to swim with a sword on his back.

The second problem is that I don’t think killing Canute would end the battle. It might cause the Royal Guard to break rank. But, the Jomsvikings wouldn’t stop. And then instead of being banished for 10 years, Ketil’s family would get executed. Not the smartest strategy.

Crossing the Boundary

I know a lot of people are going to think the best part of Episode 19 was the action. But, I’m here to tell you that’s not the case. The best part of Episode 19 was the scene of Arnheid, Gardar, and her children in the wagon.

In this scene, we see Arnheid crossing over into the afterlife. Gardar and Hjalti are there because they’ve already crossed over before her. This was meant to show that she’s joining them now. But, what about the other child? Gardar and Arnheid only had one child that we know of.

That other child is Arnheid’s unborn baby. Obviously, if Arnheid dies, so too will that child. She’s not far enough along for the baby to be born alive even if she dies. And, that’s confirmed by something Gardar says a bit later.

But, before we discuss dead babies further, the part of this scene that really made it great was when we saw the deer. Arnheid starts talking about how even in this forest of death, life is clinging on. And we got a very scenic shot of the dear accompanied by some amazing music.

Alright, so back to the dead baby. After Arnheid’s little speech, Gardar tells her she needs to go back and thank those who helped her. But, importantly, he says that he and the children will be waiting for her on the other side. The implication here is that Arnheid lost her unborn baby due to the beating.

This ruins my theory that Einar was going to raise the baby with her. But, at least Arnheid is alive. So, Einar could still end up marrying her. Well, that is if Arnheid actually survives. Based on the next episode preview, I’m not expecting her to last.

Conclusion

What do you think of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 19? Were you surprised that Snake knew the truth about Ketil? Do you think Olmar is going to flee the farm with Thorfinn’s group? And, are you expecting Arnheid to survive? Let me know in the comments.

If you liked this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on your social media of choice — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 20 is available now.

The First Method

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 18 was pretty slow for the first half. But, the second half of the episode was very good. Still, there’s some important stuff for us to go over from the first half. Primarily, there’s Thorfinn’s speech about “the first method.”

Basically, Thorfinn’s point here is that violence should be the last resort. And not only that, but the first thing you should do when there’s a conflict is attempt to appease everyone. If you can come up with a solution that both parties are happy with, that’s ideal.

Of course, he knows that it’s unrealistic to expect to achieve that in every situation. But, that’s where you should begin. After all, if you can achieve this perfect solution in even a handful of cases, that makes it worthwhile. And the reason Thorfinn is thinking about this is due to how the situation with Gardar ended.

Thorfinn wanted to save Gardar from Snake. And that’s the mindset he had when he confronted Snake. But, he now sees that was a potential mistake. During the confrontation, he never considered Snake’s side. Snake felt that he needed to avenge his men.

If Thorfinn had considered that from the start, things may have worked out for everyone. As he says to Einar, he likes Snake and believes Snake is a just man. That implies Thorfinn believes he may have been able to reason with Snake if he tried harder.

The thing is, I don’t see how Thorfinn could have pulled that off in this situation. Unless Gardar escaped, he was going to die. If not by Snake’s hand, then by the hand of a member of the family he killed and fled from. And Snake wasn’t going to let Gardar escape without punishment.

In the Market for Some Slaves

Season 2 Episode 18 is the episode in which we get the emotional reunification of Thorfinn and Leif. Or, at least, that’s what I expected it would be. It’s true that Thorfinn and Leif are finally together again. But, their meeting happened off-screen.

I’m really not sure why this was done. Shouldn’t this have been a bigger deal? Leif has been looking for Thorfinn for years — over a decade. And, yet, we didn’t get to see their first interaction after all that time.

In fact, we didn’t get to see Thorfinn and Leif interact at all in this episode. The only time we saw the two of them together was when they went to visit Arnheid. They were standing together in the background as Einar cried at Arnheid’s bedside. That’s it.

Did Thorfinn and Leif discuss going to Vinland together to start a new life? Or, was everyone too preoccupied with what happened to Arnheid? And was their meeting emotional? I’d imagine so. But, maybe after all this time, they greeted each other like 10 years haven’t passed. Either way, I wanted to see it.

Something we did see, and that I didn’t expect, was Leif offering to buy Einar and Arnheid. Ketil already promised Leif could take Thorfinn for free. But, Leif also wanted to take Einar and Arnheid because they’re Thorfinn’s friends. He likely would have asked for Einar anyway. However, I don’t know about Arnheid if Pater hadn’t stepped in.

As we know, Ketil refused to sell Arnheid to Leif. Though, he did say Leif could take Einar, presumably for free. And that makes sense. Einar was going to be a free man anyway. Remember, Ketil promised to free Einar when he returned from his trip.

Preparing for Battle

Since Einar was going to be free, does it really matter that Leif didn’t want to leave him behind? Yes. Leif knows it’s only a matter of time before Canute’s forces make it to Ketil’s farm. So, if he doesn’t get Thorfinn, Einar, and Arnheid out now, they may die.

It’s for that reason that I believe they’re going to smuggle Arnheid out. And, I’m predicting Snake is going to help them do it. This is the perfect opportunity for Thorfinn to put his “first method” to the test.

It shouldn’t be all that difficult for him to convince Snake to let them take Arnheid and flee. Snake already got his revenge by killing Gardar. He also knows the horrors of war. And, as we’ve already established, he’s interested in Christianity. Thorfinn can use all three of these things to convince him.

At the end of the episode, after beating Arnheid, Ketil loses it completely. He’s now determined to make a stand against Canute’s forces — which include the Jomsvikings. Sure, he has Thorgil and Snake on his side. But, I can’t see this ending well for Ketil.

I hope Olmar makes it out alive. But, I have a feeling he’s not going to. Olmar dying in the coming battle would make the conclusion of Ketil’s arc more impactful. His decision not to submit to the King will have led to the deaths of his entire family.

Also, I wonder if Thorfinn and the gang will get out before Canute arrives. If not, could we see Thorfinn attempt (and fail) to stop the battle? Remember, Thorfinn and Canute actually know each other. But, even if Canute is willing to listen to Thorfinn, Ketil seems to have already made up his mind.

Conclusion

What do you think of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 18? How long do you think it will be until Thorfinn’s “first method” succeeds? Will it be next week? Do you think Leif will successfully smuggle Arnhied out? And, will Olmar survive the battle of Ketil’s farm? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on your social media of choice — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 19 is available now.