Ragnar Lothbrok was dead. That was the problem. When Travis Fimmel’s iconic character was dropped into a pit of venomous snakes in Northumbria during the previous year, the Vikings TV series season 5 faced an existential crisis that most historical dramas don't survive. How do you keep a global audience tuned in when the literal face of the franchise is gone? It's a tall order. Showrunner Michael Hirst didn't just try to replace Ragnar; he tried to outrun his ghost by expanding the world into the Mediterranean, the deserts of Africa, and the frozen wastes of Iceland, all while the Great Heathen Army tore England apart.
Honestly, it was a lot.
Season 5 is often remembered as the "civil war" season. It’s where the fraternal bonds between the sons of Ragnar didn't just fray—they vaporized in a cloud of ego and religious zealotry. We saw Ivar the Boneless go from a pitiable, brilliant underdog to a literal self-proclaimed god. Meanwhile, Bjorn Ironside was out there trying to find himself in the Sahara. It’s a season of massive swings. Some of them connected like a Dane axe to the skull. Others? Well, others felt like the show was spinning its wheels in the mud of Kattegat.
The Divided Legacy of the Sons of Ragnar
The narrative burden shifted heavily onto the shoulders of Alex Høgh Andersen. His portrayal of Ivar is polarizing. Some fans think he saved the show; others think his "crazy eyes" routine became a bit much by the time we hit the mid-season finale. But you can't deny the physical presence he brought to the Vikings TV series season 5. Because Ivar cannot walk, his power has to come from his voice and his terrifying tactical mind. Watching him manipulate his brothers, especially the well-meaning but often directionless Hvitserk, was the engine that drove the plot forward.
Then there’s Ubbe. Jordan Patrick Smith plays Ubbe with a quiet dignity that feels the most like Ragnar. He wants the dream of land. He wants the farming settlements. But in a season defined by bloodlust, Ubbe often felt like the only adult in the room, which is a thankless job in a show about raiding.
The conflict wasn't just physical. It was ideological. You had the old ways versus the new, the desire for conquest versus the desire for stability. When the forces of Ivar and King Harald clashed with Lagertha and Bjorn, it wasn't just about who got to sit on the throne of Kattegat. It was a battle for the soul of the Norse people. This is where Hirst’s writing shines—he understands that these people weren't just "barbarians." They were complex political actors with conflicting visions of the future.
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The Iceland Problem and Floki’s Pilgrimage
We have to talk about Floki.
Gustaf Skarsgård is a phenomenal actor, and his journey to Iceland is one of the most visually stunning parts of the entire series. The cinematography in these segments is breathtaking. The black sands, the towering waterfalls, the raw, volcanic power of the landscape—it’s pure eye candy.
However, many viewers felt these scenes were a slog.
While the civil war was raging in Norway, Floki was essentially starting a cult in a wasteland. He thought he’d found the land of the gods, but all he found was human nature. The settlers brought their grudges with them. Blood feuds erupted over nothing. It was a bleak, grueling subplot that felt disconnected from the main stakes of the show. Yet, if you look closer, Floki’s arc in Vikings TV series season 5 serves as a vital counterpoint. It shows that even when you try to escape the cycle of violence, humanity’s darker instincts follow you. It’s a tragic, poetic failure.
Lagertha’s Transformation and the Heahmund Factor
Lagertha remains the GOAT. Katherine Winnick has this way of commanding a scene just by standing there, but season 5 put her through the wringer. She lost her kingdom. She lost her lover (Astrid). She even saw her hair turn white from the sheer trauma of the Battle of Kattegat.
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Enter Bishop Heahmund.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers joined the cast as a "warrior priest," a character based on real historical figures who fought for the church. His chemistry with Lagertha was... interesting? It felt a bit rushed to some, a frantic attempt to give Lagertha a romantic foil after the loss of Ragnar. Heahmund was a fanatic, a man of God who loved the sins of the flesh and the thrill of the kill. His presence added a layer of religious fervor that the show needed, especially as a mirror to Ivar’s growing delusions of divinity. When he died on the battlefield screaming Lagertha’s name, it marked the end of an era for the show's connection to the Christian-Pagan conflict.
Why the Production Scale of Season 5 Actually Matters
People forget how big this show got. By the time we hit Vikings TV series season 5, the budget was massive. The battles weren't just twenty guys in a forest anymore. We’re talking about thousands of extras, complex choreography, and practical effects that make most modern fantasy shows look cheap.
The Siege of Kattegat was a logistical nightmare to film. The use of fog, the overhead shots of the shield walls, and the sheer brutality of the hand-to-hand combat set a high bar for television.
- The production used real locations in Ireland (Lough Tay) to double for Norway.
- The desert scenes were filmed in Morocco, providing a stark visual contrast to the damp, grey tones of England.
- Costume designer Joan Bergin continued to evolve the look of the characters, moving away from simple leathers to more intricate, status-driven attire.
This scale matters because it ground the high drama in a sense of reality. You felt the cold. You smelled the mud. Even when the plot got a bit "soapy" with the various betrayals and secret lineages, the physical world felt lived-in and dangerous.
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Addressing the Historical Accuracy Elephant in the Room
If you're watching Vikings for a history lesson, you're doing it wrong. Season 5 takes massive liberties. Alfred the Great’s timeline is compressed. Ivar’s journey is stylized for maximum drama. The show blends Norse sagas, which are semi-mythical, with actual Anglo-Saxon chronicles.
Experts like Dr. Shannon Lewis-Simpson have noted that while the show nails the "spirit" of the Viking Age—the trade, the exploration, the religious tension—it treats dates and family trees like suggestions. And honestly? That's fine. The show is a historical fantasy. Its goal is to explore the internal lives of these legendary figures. In season 5, the "truth" is less about what happened in 867 AD and more about the psychological toll of trying to live up to a legendary father.
The Actionable Takeaway for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning to dive back into the Vikings TV series season 5, don't binge it all at once. It’s too dense. The season is split into two 10-episode halves (5A and 5B), and they feel like different shows.
- Watch the background: Pay attention to the change in Kattegat’s architecture as Ivar takes over. It becomes darker, more claustrophobic, reflecting his mental state.
- Follow the religion: Track the parallels between Alfred’s struggles with the Church and Ivar’s insistence on being a god. It’s the same struggle for legitimacy.
- Listen to the score: Trevor Morris’s music in this season is haunting, especially during the Iceland sequences.
Ultimately, the fifth season was the bridge the show had to cross. It wasn't always graceful. It tripped over its own ambitions more than once. But by the time the credits rolled on the finale, the world of Vikings had expanded far beyond the shores of Scandinavia. It proved that the story of Ragnar's legacy was just as compelling as the man himself, even if it was a lot bloodier and more chaotic than anyone expected.
How to experience the season's impact today:
- Check out the real history: Read The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings by Lars Brownworth to see where the show diverged from reality.
- Visit the filming locations: If you’re ever in County Wicklow, Ireland, many of the trails around Luggala are where the iconic scouting scenes were filmed.
- Analyze the character arcs: Compare Bjorn’s leadership style in the Mediterranean to Ragnar’s early raids in Paris to see the generational shift in Viking strategy.
The show didn't just survive without Ragnar; it evolved into a sprawling epic about the end of an era. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s unapologetically ambitious. Just like the Vikings themselves.