The fifth season of the historical drama television series ''

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

'' premiered on November 29, 2017 on

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The series broadly follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain

Ragnar Lothbrok according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Danish and Swedish king.Gutenberg Proje ...

and his crew, and later those of his sons. The first season of the series begins at the start of the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

, marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793. The fifth season consists of a double-season order of twenty episodes, split into two parts of ten episodes; the first part concluded on January 24, 2018. The second half premiered on November 28, 2018. The premise of the fifth season differs from the previous four after the departure of

Travis Fimmel Travis Fimmel (born 15 July 1979) is an Australian actor and former model. He is known for his role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel television series ''Vikings'' (2013–2017),Prudom, LaurVikings On History: Travis Fimmel Previews The ...

Ragnar Ragnar ( non, Ragnarr ) is a masculine Germanic given name, composed of the Old Norse elements ''ragin-'' "counsel" and ''hari-'' "army". Origin and variations The Proto-Germanic forms of the compounds are "ragina" (counsel) and "harjaz" or " ...

, and it follows the adventures of his living sons.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe; 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor, model and musician. He is known for his roles in the films ''Michael Collins'' (1996), '' Velvet Goldmine'' (1998), ''Titus'' (1999), '' Bend It Like ...

is introduced as a main character, after his initial appearance in the fourth season's finale. The season concluded in its entirety on January 30, 2019.

Cast

Main

* Katheryn Winnick as Queen Lagertha, a

shield-maiden A shield-maiden ( non, skjaldmær ) was a female warrior from Scandinavian folklore and mythology. Shield-maidens are often mentioned in sagas such as ''Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks'' and in ''Gesta Danorum''. They also appear in stories of other ...

and Ragnar's ex-wife; she is the queen of Kattegat. *

Gustaf Skarsgård Gustaf Caspar Orm Skarsgård (born 12 November 1980) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his roles in ''Evil'' (2003), '' The Way Back'' (2010) and ''Kon-Tiki'' (2012). He also appeared in the HBO TV series ''Westworld'' (2018), as Merlin in t ...

as Floki, a gifted shipbuilder * Alexander Ludwig as

Bjorn Ironside Bjorn (English, Dutch), Björn (Swedish, Icelandic, Dutch, and German), Bjørn (Danish, Faroese and Norwegian), Beorn (Old English) or, rarely, Bjôrn, Biorn, or Latinized Biornus, Brum (Portuguese), is a Scandinavian male given name, or less oft ...

, Ragnar and Lagertha's son and Torvi's husband *

Peter Franzén Peter Vilhelm Franzén (born 14 August 1971) is a Finnish actor, author, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for his role as King Harald Finehair in ''Vikings'' (2016–2020). Personal life Franzén was born in Keminmaa, north Finland. ...

as King

Harald Finehair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagreModern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Norw ...

, a Viking ambitious to become the first

King of Norway The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingd ...

Jasper Pääkkönen Joona Jasper Pääkkönen (; born 15 July 1980) is a Finnish film actor and entrepreneur. Following a two-decade-plus career in Finnish movies, Pääkkönen's international breakthrough role came in 2015 in the historical drama television series ...

Halfdan the Black Halfdan the Black (Old Norse: ''Halfdanr Svarti''; fl. c. 9th century) was a king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of a unified Norway. In sagas According to ''Heimskringla'' ...

, Harald's violent younger brother (part 1) *

Moe Dunford Moe Dunford (born 11 December 1987) is an Irish actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Vikings'' and '' Patrick's Day''. He is the recipient of a number of accolades, including three Irish Film & Television Awards. Early life Dunford was b ...

as King Aethelwulf of Wessex (part 1) * Alex Høgh as King

Ivar the Boneless Ivar the Boneless ( non, Ívarr hinn Beinlausi ; died c. 873), also known as Ivar Ragnarsson, was a Viking leader who invaded England and Ireland. According to the ''Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok'', he was the son of Ragnar Loðbrok and his wife Asl ...

, fourth son of Ragnar and Aslaug; he becomes king of Kattegat. *

Marco Ilsø Marco Ilsø is a Danish actor. His first acting role was as a 14-year-old, playing the lead in 24 episodes of ''Mikkel og guldkortet''. Introduced in season 4, he played Hvitserk in ''Vikings''. Selected filmography * ''Rebounce'' as Niclas (2 ...

Hvitserk Hvitserk (''Hvítserkr'', "White-Shirt") was one of the sons of the legendary 9th-century Viking Ragnar Lothbrok and his wife Aslaug. Sources Hvitserk is attested to by the Tale of Ragnar's Sons (''Ragnarssona þáttr''). He is not mentioned in ...

, second son of Ragnar and Aslaug *

Jordan Patrick Smith Jordan Patrick Smith (born 18 June 1989) is a Scottish-Australian actor. He gained prominence through his role as Andrew Robinson in the soap opera '' Neighbours'' (2009–2013, 2022). He has since appeared in the film '' Unbroken'' (2014), an ...

as Ubbe, eldest son of Ragnar and Aslaug *

as Bishop

Heahmund __NOTOC__ Heahmund was a medieval Bishop of Sherborne. Heahmund was consecrated in 867 or 868.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 222 He died at the Battle of Meretun in 871. As his death is assigned to 22 March in the English ca ...

, a Christian warrior priest * John Kavanagh as The Seer, the seiðrmann of Kattegat ;Special appearances by *

Clive Standen Clive James Standen (born 22 July 1981) is an English actor best known for playing Bryan Mills in the NBC series '' Taken'' (2017–2018), based on the film trilogy of the same name, as well as Rollo in the History Channel series ''Vikings'' ( ...

as Duke

Rollo Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...

, a warrior and Ragnar's brother; he was granted the title of Duke of Normandy by Emperor Charles. Three main characters who died in previous seasons briefly appear played by

body double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

s: Sigurd's corpse is briefly shown in "The Fisher King", King Ecbert appears in "The Fisher King" as a corpse and in "Baldur" as a cloaked figure, and Athelstan is seen as a cloaked figure in "The Departed".

Recurring

Josefin Asplund Maria Josefin Asplund (born 15 October 1991) is a Swedish actress. She is known to international audiences for her roles as Astrid on the History Channel series ''Vikings'' and Pernilla Blomkvist in ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' (2011). She ...

as Queen Astrid, Lagertha's lover and, later King Harald's wife * Ida Marie Nielsen as Margrethe, Ubbe's wife * Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Prince/King Alfred, Queen Judith and Athelstan's son * Georgia Hirst as Torvi, wife of Bjorn and, later, wife of Ubbe *

Jennie Jacques Jennie Jacques is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC Two drama '' Desperate Romantics'' (2009), the police procedural '' WPC 56'' (2013–2014), and the History Channel series ''Vikings'' (2015–2019). Early life Jacqu ...

as Queen Judith of Northumbria, daughter of King Aelle, wedded to King Aethelwulf * Jonathan Delaney Tynan as Lord/Bishop Cuthred, a nobleman of Wessex and, later, Bishop of Sherborne * Keith McErlean as Lord Denewulf, a nobleman in service of Bishop Heahmund * Darren Cahill as Prince Aethelred, Queen Judith and King Aethelwulf's son * Ben Roe as

Guthrum Guthrum ( ang, Guðrum, c. 835 – c. 890) was King of East Anglia in the late 9th century. Originally a native of what is now Denmark, he was one of the leaders of the "Great Summer Army" that arrived in Reading during April 871 to join forces ...

, Jarl Borg and Torvi's son * Kieran O'Reilly as White Hair, Ivar's chief bodyguard * Frankie McCafferty as Sindric, a polyglot drifter * Alicia Agneson as Queen Freydis, Ivar's former slave, love interest and, later, queen of Kattegat * Albano Jerónimo as Euphemius, a Byzantine commander *

Karima McAdams Karima Adebibe ( ; also known as Karima McAdams; born 24 July 1985) is an English actress and fashion model. Life and career Adebibe was born in Bethnal Green, in Tower Hamlets, London, England but grew up in Tangier before moving back to the ...

Kassia Kassia, Cassia or Kassiani ( gr, Κασσιανή, Kassianí, ; – before 865) was a Byzantine-Greek composer, hymnographer and poet. She holds a unique place in Byzantine music as the only known woman whose music appears in the Byzantine lit ...

, a Byzantine abbess * Paul Reid as Mannel, Queen Judith's cousin and Princess Elsewith's father * Khaled Abol Naga as Emir Ziyadat Allah, an Arab ruler *

Adam Copeland Adam Joseph Copeland (born October 30, 1973), is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Edge. He is considered to be one of the greatest professional wr ...

as Kjetill Flatnose (/ʃjetil/), a violent and bold warrior who joins Floki's expedition to set up a colony * Kris Holden-Ried as Eyvind (/eɪvɪnd/), a Viking of Kattegat who also joins Floki's expedition * Leah McNamara as Aud the Deep-Minded (/eɪθ/), Kjetill Flatnose and Ingvild's daughter * Jack McEvoy as Helgi the Lean, Eyvind and Rafarta's son, who is married to Thorunn * Mei Bignall as Thorunn, Kjetill Flatnose and Ingvild's daughter and Helgi's wife * Kelly Campbell as Ingvild, Kjetill Flatnose's wife * James Craze as Bul, Eyvind and Rafarta's son * Elijah Rowen as Asbjorn, Eyvind and Rafarta's son * Donna Dent as Rafarta, Eyvind's wife * Rob Malone as Thorgrim, Kjetill Flatnose and Ingvild's son * Scott Graham as Frodi, Kjetill Flatnose and Ingvild's son * Tallulah Belle Earley as Jorunn, Eyvind and Rafarta's daughter * Ryan Henson as Hali, Bjorn and Torvi's son * Svea Killoran as Asa, Bjorn and Torvi's daughter * Anthony Brophy as King Svase, a

Sami Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

chief and an ally of Lagertha * Dagny Backer Johnsen as Princess Snæfrid, Svase's daughter * Malcolm Douglas as Lord Cyneheard, a nobleman of Wessex * Róisín Murphy as Princess/Queen Elsewith, Mannel's daughter and King Alfred's wife * Damien Devaney as Wilfred, a nobleman and Princess Elsewith's steward * Dean Ridge as Magnus, Queen Kwenthrith's son and alleged son of Ragnar * Tomi May as Jarl Olavsonn, Ivar's commander in York * Ragga Ragnars as Gunnhild, Olavsonn's wife and, later, Bjorn's wife * Eve Connolly as Thora, Hvitserk's love interest *

Ann Skelly Ann Skelly (born 6 December 1996) is an Irish actress. She received IFTA nominations for her performances in the film '' Kissing Candice'' (2017) and the miniseries '' Death and Nightingales'' (2018). She is also known for her roles in the crim ...

as Lady Ethelfled, Lord Cuthred's daughter and Prince Aethelred's wife * Steven Berkoff as King Olaf the Stout, a Norwegian king * Erik Madsen as King Hemming, a leader of the Black Danes confederation * Markjan Winnick as King Angantyr, a leader of the Black Danes confederation * Gavan Ó Connor Duffy as King Frodo, a leader of the Black Danes confederation * Kristy Dawn Dinsmore as Amma, a shield-maiden in Harald's army

Guest

* India Mullen as Aethegyth, a noblewoman of Wessex * Frank Prendergast as Bishop Cynebert of York * Laurence O'Fuarain as Hakon, a whale hunter of Vestfold *

Bosco Hogan John Bosco Hogan (born March 1949) is an Irish stage, film, and television actor. He is well known as the character Dr. Michael Ryan on the television programme ''Ballykissangel''. He appeared in a minor role as convicted felon George Saden in J ...

as Lord Abbot of Lindisfarne * Mabel Hurley as young Lagertha, appearing in a flashback * Ross Matthew Anderson as Lagertha's father, appearing in a flashback * Ben McKeown as Crowbone, a Viking warrior at York * Conn Rogers as Canute, a member of King Olaf's court * Jamie Maclachlan as Aldwin, a Saxon commander * Martin Maloney as Vigrid, one of Ivar's men

Episodes

; Notes

Production

Development

An Irish-Canadian co-production presented by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

, the fifth season of ''Vikings'' was developed and produced by TM Productions and Take 5 Productions. Morgan O'Sullivan, Sheila Hockin, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn, John Weber, and Michael Hirst are credited as executive producers. This season was produced by Keith Thompson for the first four and last four episodes, and Liz Gill for the fifth to sixteenth episodes. Bill Goddard and Séamus McInerney are co-producers. The production team for this season includes casting directors Frank and Nuala Moiselle, costume designer Susan O'Connor Cave, visual effects supervisor Dominic Remane, stunt action designer Richard Ryan, composer Trevor Morris, production designer Mark Geraghty, editors Aaron Marshall for the first, third, fifth, tenth, fourteenth, seventeenth and twentieth episodes, Tad Seaborn for the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, thirteenth, sixteenth and nineteenth episodes, Michele Conroy for the seventh, ninth and eleventh episodes, Dan Briceno for the twelfth episode, and Don Cassidy for the fifteenth and eighteenth episodes and cinematographers PJ Dillon for the first and second episodes, Peter Robertson for the third, fourth, and seventh to sixteenth episodes, Suzie Lavelle for the fifth, sixth, seventeenth and eighteenth episodes, and Owen McPolin for the nineteenth and twentieth episodes.

Casting

At the same time that the series was renewed for a fifth season, it was announced that

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

actor

would be joining the cast, as Heahmund, a "warrior bishop". Vikings creator Michael Hirst, explained: "I was looking at the history books, and I came across these warrior bishops. The antecedents of the Knights Templar: these are people who were absolutely religious, yet they put on armor and they fought. Don't let their priestly status fool you, either. They were crazy! They believed totally in Christianity and the message, and yet, on the battlefield, they were totally berserk." Former

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

star

was cast in a recurring role for the fifth season, as Kjetill Flatnose, a violent and bold warrior. He is chosen by Floki to join an expedition to set up a colony in a new land. Irish actor Darren Cahill plays the role of Aethelred in the fifth season. Nigerian actor Stanley Amuzie told local media he had landed a small role in the fifth season. The fifth season also includes Irish actor, musician and real-life police detective, Kieran O'Reilly, who plays the role of White Hair. In April 2017 it was announced that Danish actor Erik Madsen had joined the cast for the fifth season, as

King Hemming Hemming I (died 812) was a king in Denmark from 810 until his death. He was the successor of King Gudfred, his uncle. Family Hemming I is mentioned in the Royal Frankish Annals as son to an unnamed brother of Gudfred. Though ''Gesta Hammaburg ...

. He spent several months of 2016 on the set of ''

The Last Kingdom ''The Last Kingdom'' is the first historical novel in The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, published in 2004. This story introduces Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon noble who is kidnapped by Danish Vikings as a young child and is assimilated ...

'', portraying a Viking.

Music

The musical score for the fifth season was composed by Trevor Morris in collaboration with

Einar Selvik Einar Selvik (born 18 November 1979), also known by his stage name Kvitrafn ("white raven"), is a Norwegian musician known for being the drummer in the black metal band Gorgoroth from 2000 to 2004, and for fronting the Nordic folk project War ...

. The opening sequence is again accompanied by the song " If I Had a Heart" by Fever Ray. The soundtrack album was released on December 27, 2019 by

Sony Classical Records Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by S ...

. An additional original song not included in the album is "Skidarima", written and performed by Einar Selvik and featured in "Homeland". Additional non-original music by Norwegian music group

Wardruna Wardruna is a Norwegian music group formed in 2003 by Einar Selvik along with Gaahl and Lindy Fay Hella. They are dedicated to creating musical renditions of Norse cultural and esoteric traditions, and make significant use of Nordic historical ...

is featured in the episodes "The Plan" and "A Simple Story". The featured tracks are "MannaR - Drivande", "Løyndomsriss", and "Heimta Thurs".

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reported a 91% approval rating, with an average rating of 8.10/10 based on 11 reviews. The consensus reads: "Brutal battles and epic quests help Vikings' fifth season remain an engaging, exciting journey."

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

awarded episode 10, "Moments of Vision", with a rating of 9 out of 10. Entertainent Weekly gave the episode an "A". The second half of the season drew some criticism. Writing in

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

, Erik Kain said: "the show continues to falter, an unfortunate mix of melodrama, one-note characters and absurd fantasy parading as historical fiction" and that the show "has simply lost its way". In "A Simple Story", Aethelred is portrayed rejecting the throne in favour of his younger brother Alfred. In history, after the death of Aethelwulf, three of Alfred's elder brothers ruled, for two, five and six years respectively, all dying before Alfred took the throne in 871. Writing in

, Erik Kain described the storyline as "just a huge unforced error".

References

External links

* * {{Vikings (2013 TV series) 2017 Canadian television seasons 2017 Irish television seasons 2018 Canadian television seasons 2018 Irish television seasons 2019 Canadian television seasons 2019 Irish television seasons Split television seasons Cultural depictions of Harald Fairhair