The Last Kingdom

[shapinglight]

So, last night's episode of The Last Kingdom...

Spoilers behind cut



...turned into a rather sweet - if Stockholm syndrome-y (before it was invented, obvs) love story between Erik - the prettier, better tempered and more thoughtful of the two Viking brothers, Erik and Siegfried (though in Siegfried's defence, having your hand chopped off would be bound to make you grumpy) and Aethelflaed, King Alfred's daughter and reluctant queen of Mercia.

It can't end well, of course. In fact, I predict a brother against brother showdown with no survivors and Aethelflaed becoming much more hard-bitten as a consequence.

Certainly hard-bitten enough to stand up to her useless - and very unpleasant - husband (who, if the series sticks to historical fact - at least to some extent - she is stuck with for the forseeable future, though she'll outlive him by many years, rule Mercia alone, and come to be regarded as 'a wonder of her age).

Which is great, of course, and go, Aethelflaed, but I miss Siegfried and Erik already.

ETA: The series is being a bit unkind to Aethelred, Aethelflaed's husband. He wasn't some beardy little t**t with a creepy BFF whispering in his ear all the time, but much older than Aethelflaed and probably not any worse as a husband than any other man of the period (though I don't know that, obvs, he could equally have been a raging sadist who made Aethelflaed's life miserable).

Comments

[ex_peasant441]

I did not see this post when you made it! You prognosticated well. Also I saw somewhere that Cornwell admitted he had been unfair to Aethelred but excused himself on the grounds that stories do need villains and he didn't contradict any known facts outright.

[shapinglight]

You prognosticated well,

I did, didn't I? I'm quite pleased with myself. ;)

[ex_peasant441]

*applauds*

[shapinglight]

I did the same with something in the Lucifer finale, so I'm on a roll. ;)

[ex_peasant441]

I will hold back my awe until I've got to the finale and then you can tell me all about it.

[shapinglight]

This is the season 2 finale I'm talking about, so it may be a while. Unless you've acquired Amazon Prime since we last spoke and have been watching on that?

[ex_peasant441]

No. I'm still half way through S1. I will catch up on your thoughts in a couple of years then.

[shapinglight]

Hopefully it won't be as long as that. Season 2 is out on DVD in August. I'm holding off pre-ordering it in the hope (looking increasingly vain, as no sign of it) that there'll be a blu ray release, like there was of season 1.

[ex_peasant441]

I wonder why no blu-ray?

I do wish they would release Man in the High Castle on DVD - that is the one thing I am tempted to get Prime for.

[shapinglight]

I do wish they would release Man in the High Castle on DVD - that is the one thing I am tempted to get Prime for.

If that's all you want it for, it's definitely not worth it, IMO.

[ex_peasant441]

Worth knowing. If I ever want anything else so much I can't resist then I will check out High Castle at the same time. It is a combination of Rufus Sewell and the 'what if the Nazis won' scenario that attracts me. For some reason I've liked that scenario ever since I read Fatherland.