The season finale of History’s “Vikings” airs this Sunday at 10/9c and Shockya has the scoop on what you can expect. Check out some snippets from the “Vikings” conference call featuring the show’s creator and executive producer, Michael Hirst and learn more about this Sunday’s episode and what you can look forward to in Season Two.
On writing the season finale: “I was trying to write it with Season Six in mind…I certainly didn’t want it to end at the end of Season One. We’ve got these great characters up and running. There’s a lot to say, a lot to tell about Ragnar, who is, of course, a historical character who had an extraordinary career and we’ve really only [just] got going with him. So, there are, in fact…a number of issues…that [we] needed another season at least to resolve and deal with…I was extremely happy when it was picked up again.”
On Rollo’s conflict between his brother and his ambition: “[This theme is] a very, very big issue in the finale. You can feel for [Rollo] to some extent. He does live in the shadow of an extremely successful sibling who’s becoming increasingly famous. In Viking society, fame and renown were very, very important. So, you have a guy who is clearly a great warrior, clearly a great fighter and he’s suffering in comparison with his outstandingly gifted brother. He has lots of unresolved issues, including, of course, his continuous love for Lagertha, his brother’s wife…The relationship between Ragnar and Rollo comes to a head in the last episode.”
On King Horik: “King Horik is, again, a historically-based character. He’s a very important character and I was delighted with Donal [Logue]’s casting as this character. He does develop very, very significantly in the new season. I’ve already started to write the next season. He’s a major player, a major character. he’s also, I have to say, without giving anything away, he’s also a very complex character. He’s a somewhat unexpected character. It’s very difficult to read him. I think audiences will find him full of contradictions, and this makes him, to me as a writer, very fascinating. He’s obviously entered as a sympathetic character by-and-large as an ally of Ragnar’s, but things will develop from there and it’s not going to be such an easy ride…He’s going to be a very major force in the coming season.”
