Welcome everyone, to another episode of Vinland Saga! This week is one giant gut-punch as it takes everything about Thorfinn, throws it on the ground, and steps on it for good measure. Is it the most healthy thing in the world? Probably not. But it makes for damn good television. Now lets dive into it!
First up, the visuals. Vinland Saga is not a particularly animated show. And it never needed to be! Action is nice, but this isn’t a battle Shounen, it’s not what is important. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to have when it steps up, and that’s what happened this week. Just the entire visual experience of Thorfinn’s “Valhalla”, the way the warriors moved and fought (When not CGI at least), the color direction and detail on Thorfinn’s hands. It was beautiful. In a dark, deeply traumatic sort of way. Now was it particularly subtle? No, not really. Vinland Saga has never been very subtle with its themes. But is it still effective? I would say so. Sometimes punching someone in the face leaves a better impression then politely asking asking them. And that’s what Vinland Saga did here.
Getting into specifics, I really liked Thorfinn’s vision of what it means to be a warrior. This isn’t hell, or Valhalla. It’s reality. It’s how they are living their lives right now. No friends, only enemies. Every waking moment looking for a new fight, and only seeing that in the people you meet. Displaying aggression towards everyone. Sound familiar? That’s how Thorfinn lived for the entire 1st season. As Askeladd says, in becoming empty he managed to escape this place. But in striking that retainer in anger, in attacking someone else, he’s started to slip back down. And Thorfinn knows this! He mentions it himself at the end, but we also see it in how disappointed Thors was in his dream. Again, Vinland Saga is not a subtle show. But god damn if it isn’t a good one.
Speaking of Askeladd, I loved seeing him return, if only for a moment. Him sitting above all the blood and war, so close to where Thorfinn is but so far away and unable to climb out himself. He knows what’s happening. Unlike so many of the warriors below, he recognizes it. But he also knows that its to late for him to get out himself. So just like when he killed Canute’s father, he dives into the muck himself to ensure others don’t get dragged down. Sure, he isn’t a good person. Askeladd has killed a lot of people. But so has Thorfinn. It’s not entirely about what you’ve done, but rather what you plan to do. And I think that’s something Thorfinn is starting to figure out, both for himself and for Askeladd. Sure, he’s dead. But I more mean how he will remember the man, a surrogate father.
Now is Thorfinn’s reaction to all of this, becoming a pure pacifist, truly a realistic option? Probably not. Pacifism won’t live a long life in this kind of world, not with how much war and death there is. Not even Thors believed in pure pacifism, as he fought off Askeladd’s men back in Season 1. But for Thorfinn this isn’t about survival. It’s about atonement. Becoming a pacifist isn’t a choice he’s making just to survive but rather it’s an ideal he wants to hold himself to. A challenge, a sign for him to know that he truly has changed, and a way to never fall back into that blood-soaked hell again. Will he faces challenges because of it? Of course. But that’s going to be part of the experience of watching the show.
Finally we come back to present time, at least as far as the show is concerned. Vinland Saga wraps up the whole “Fight and farm” thing by letting both sides off with a warning. Pater found proof their field had been destroyed and Ketil uses that as an excuse to tell both parties to take a long walk off a short pier. He can’t punish his retainers and not punish slaves, but he also doesn’t want to punish the slaves at all, so this is the best option for him. Is it entirely realistic? Probably not. But it wraps a nice bow on this arc of the story and allows Vinland Saga to skip forward a few months and continue Thorfinn’s journey without getting bogged down in all the minutia. A decent decision if you ask me.
So yeah, in case it wasn’t obvious, I thought this episode of Vinland Saga was phenomenal. Both the subject material and its presentation of such was beautiful, top tier stuff. It’s actually really hard to write these posts sadly, because Vinland Saga is so clear with its messaging. Like there’s nothing to really… read into here. I feel like anyone can watch the show and understand without having to be told how it’s a condemnation of war and violence. That Thorfinn’s struggle is for redemption and to become a better person. Make it difficult to talk about without simply repeating what the show itself has already said. So instead just know this: I really liked this episode. It’s currently my favorite of the season in fact. So I hope you did to.
