Welcome everyone, to the halfway point of season 2 of Vinland Saga! This week is more Olmar and Canute, but it connects deeply back to Thorfinn and his struggle. Some very interesting things to talk about this week, so lets dive in!
It should be obvious, both from the episode and that opening, that Olmar is the centerpiece this week. On the surface level, it’s all pretty straightforward. Olmar gets insulted, his pride is wounded, he starts a fight, Canute uses that as an excuse to take action against the farm, exactly as he planned. Of course it wasn’t perfect, Canute didn’t account for Thorgil, not him being there nor being strong enough to take down around 10 men. Seriously, what is it with dudes with “Thor” in their name? Luckily that doesn’t really matter to Canute, because no matter how strong Thorgil is. One man can’t beat an army, and that’s what Canute has. Ketil was screwed the moment Canute decided he wanted his farm. If anything this willingness to throw away the lives of his own men says more about Canute then it does Thorgil and Olmar.
Digging beneath the surface though, Olmar is having a crisis of faith so to speak. For years, going back to the very start of this season, this is what he’s wanted. To kill someone, to become a man in his brothers eyes. And he finally got that. Sure, it was setup, but he doesn’t know that. To Olmar, this was his moment. And yet… he’s disgusted by it. Here we see Olmar figure out what Thorfinn has: That there is no beauty in death, no glory in battle. It’s just suffering and pain, terrible murder that leaves you feeling sick inside. Many, such as the entire Viking culture, would call such an attitude cowardice. Yet all of the strongest, most powerful people in the series feel the same way. Thorfinn, Thors, even Canute, are disgusted by murder. Canute just hides it the best, hating it but seeing it as necessary.
Contrast this with his brother, Thorgil, the quintessential Viking, who revels in it. Olmar stabbed one man and hates it. Thorgil butchers 10, bathing himself and the ground in blood, and acts like all is well in the world. Hell if anything he seems happier. Not once did he question if what he was doing was wrong, only ever assuring Ketil that they were in the right legally. What makes this so jarring, in a good way, is how he was such a supportive brother just moments before. Thorgil isn’t some mindless monster who lives for death. He’s a family-oriented man who inspired his brother to stand up and fight, stood with his father against a King and insurmountable odds. He isn’t broken. The culture he was raised in was. With Thorgil Vinland Saga shows us just how entrenched this attitude is in this world.
Finally we need to talk about Leif. Pulled into this once again, Leif is helping the Ketils escape from under Canute’s nose, all in exchange for a shit ton of money and a slave he doesn’t even know is the real Thorfinn. It’s kind of sweet the lengths he is going to find him. Convenient to, since Thorfinn is going to need a way off of the island once Canute gets to town. I’m really looking forward to their reunion, as both seem to have changed a lot.
All in all, I quite liked this episode of Vinland Saga. It connects the Canute conflict to Thorfinn philosophically as well as physically. The two were always going to meet again, Vinland Saga had them on a collision course from the beginning. But this whole thing with Olmar, Thorgil, Canute and Thorfinn also makes it a conflict of philosophy. War for the sake of peace vs no war at all vs war as a way of life, etc etc. Again, Vinland Saga isn’t subtle about this. I think it’s very very clear in both its intent and its presentation. Nothing I’m saying here, or anywhere else, should be a surprise for anyone who watched the episode. But that’s sort of what makes it so praiseworthy I feel. It successfully presents these complex morals in an easily digestible way. And it’s great!
