If Vikings Kills Ragnar, Will There Still Be a Show?

Excuse me, but what the heck is going on with The History Channel’s Vikings? Some serious business took place last night and even more serious business seems to be in the works. Queen Aslaug is dead and Ragnar’s obsession with death which we have seen throughout the series is greater than ever! He is now the prisoner of the Wessex King and he readily admits his own death must happen. All of this begs the question, if Vikings kills Ragnar, will there still be a show?

We have known since this half of Season Four began that Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) was mounting a challenge for the Queenship of Kattegat. She has been training her warriors and getting ready for a fight.

Did we think Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) would simply give Kattegat up without even lifting a finger? Some witch she turned out to be. If I had the powers to bewitch Ragnar and foretell the future, I believe I would have used my power to prevent Lagertha from not only taking Kattegat from me, but to prevent my own death as well. But ding-dong the witch is dead.

Alyssa Southerland as Queen Alsaug

Lagertha was pretty ballsy (pardon my French) about the whole affair and she took Kattegat with surprising ease and with as little bloodshed as possible. And Aslaug didn’t resist, admitting she could never fight Lagethra. She asked only to be allowed to leave in peace. Lagertha appeared to agree, but as Aslaug walked away, Lagertha fired an arrow into her, killing Ragnar’s wife and Queen.

I was never a huge fan of Aslaug considering she broke up Ragnar and Lagertha’s marriage and family. But I didn’t expect the mother of Ragnar’s youngest sons to be basically executed. It was an incredibly gutsy, and, as far as Lagertha was concerned, long overdue.

Aslaug seemed to know what was coming. She even smiled about it. Maybe she believed her death would incite her sons’ to seek vengeance. We will simply have to wait along with the new Viking Queen for any forthcoming consequences to the bold takeover.

As for Ragnar, if he has his way, he will never seek revenge over Aslaug’s death because he will never even know of Aslaug’s death. He has no intention of returning to Kattegat. We learned that last week. And last night he told King Ecbert (Linus Roache) that he (Ragnar) had to die. The Wessex King agreed and the two began making plans for Ragnar’s death. The only concern the once proud Viking King had was for his son, a son everybody has dismissed as unimportant because he is crippled. (What a mistake.) Ragnar requested and was granted safe passage for his son Ivar (Alex Høgh Andersen) back to Kattegat.

Ragnar’s friend, the Christian Athelstan played by George Blagden

Why Ragnar is so obessed with death is mysterious. At one time, we knew he was eager to see his friend, the Christian monk Atlelstan (portrayed by George Blagden) who was murdered by Floki (Gustaf Skarsg). But Ragnar is a Viking and Valhalla seems to be his destination. Perhaps Ragnar feels some part of his destiny lies with his death. Queen Aslaug even made reference to having fulfilled her purpose by providing Ragnar with sons. She let Lagertha aneed all of Kattegat know that whether she was Queen or not, she was part of Ragnar’s saga.

So what happens if he does die? Can there still be a show without him? Ragnar has been the heart and soul of Vikings since the first season and we can’t imagine the show without him. And yet, Ragnar will die, eventually. Legend and history tells us that Ragnar is, in fact, killed by an English king by being thrown into a pit of snakes.

History also tells us this single act spurs on three of Ragnar’s sons who lead an unprecedented Viking invasion of England with their Great Heathen Army in 865. This army invades all four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, a war that lasts 14 years. By the end, England had been torn apart by the Vikings.

So the answer is yes. Vikings can certainly survive Ragnar’s death. But admit it, the show won’t be the same without him. Ragnar’s larger-than-life character has molded everyone on the show as well as the show itself. Brilliantly play by Travis Fimmel, this character isn’t going to simply die.

As Ragnar left his mark on history, Fimmel’s portrayal of Ragnar has been astonishing. Granted, he was provided the set, the script, the best producers, writers and supporting cast possible, but Fimmel created a part of the Ragnar Lothbrok we have come to know and love.

I truly hope the producers have plans for Ragnar to survive a little longer.