Vikings: Valhalla Review: Jeb Stuart's watchable spin-off tones down on history but scales up gory action

Vikings: Valhalla

Vikings: Valhalla Cast: Sam Corlett, Frida Gustavsson, Leo Suter

Vikings: Valhalla Creator: Jeb Stuart

Streaming Platform: Netflix 

Vikings: Valhalla Stars: 3/5

When it was first announced that History's (channel) Vikings was getting a spin-off show after the original series ended with six seasons, the idea didn't exactly seem exciting. Although once it was revealed that the spin-off will be delivered by Netflix, I had a feeling that the spin-off may trade its original series' historic roots for a more globally appeasing approach and having watched the first episode of Vikings: Valhalla, I can say I haven't been proven wrong. Not to say that the show doesn't succeed in still leaving us engaged in the Scandinavian saga. 

For Vikings: Valhalla, Jeb Stuart who famously wrote films like Die Hard and The Fugitive, comes on board as showrunner and individual writer for the first two episodes. While Stuart takes on the reins for the spin-off, Michael Hirst who wrote the original Vikings series serves as an Executive producer for it. Between Stuart and Hirst's geniuses, the spin-off show does take off decently well and may even be successful in gaining a fresh audience altogether for it. 

Vikings: Valhalla is set 100 years after the events that were covered in the original series and hence the names of the characters from that show, who also happen to be historical figures such as Ragnar Lothbrok are heard in the dialogue in an attempt to generate familiarity for audiences, more than their connection to the story now. The spin-off show mainly focuses on  Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), the son of Erik the Red. Erikson's name has been known in history as a Norse explorer who is claimed to be the first European to have set foot in North America. In the show, we meet him as the Greenlander who arrives at Kattegat where Vikings from all over have gathered following the events of St Brice’s Day massacre as King Aethelred (Bosco Hogan) orders all Vikings to be exterminated. 

Erikson though unaware of the massacre in England, arrives at Kattegat with personal revenge on his mind, along with his sister Freydis (Frida Gustavsson). As for the Vikings who have been summoned at Kattegat by King Canute (Bradley Freegard), there are major internal conflicts that come forward as the divisions of Christian and Pagan Vikings come forward. Amid the same, King Canute is aided by Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) who takes on the responsibility of bringing everyone together as they prepare for war. 

To many, the name King Harald Hardrada will sound familiar if you have been reading up on historical events and are particularly aware of the events of the Battle of Stamford Bridge. The show builds up to this major battle after making introductions with several key characters that led to the eventful battle of world history. The thing about Vikings history is that not much of it has been known and while Hirst did a great job of presenting the same with the original series that maintained a perfect balance between becoming an entertaining show and a history lesson all at once, the same may not happen with Vikings: Valhalla. The spin-off show seems to focus more on other elements that spell hard that its a Netflix production and hence there's little you can tell between real to reel differences here. 

Jeb Stuart's writing for the spin-off does come close to the original series at various points but there's a certain sense of novelty in this one which makes it come across as a less surer version of historical representation as compared to Hirst's series which kept hyping itself with dramatic elements but at the same time kept a close eye on its factual bits and recreations of history. Nonetheless, Vikings: Valhalla takes off on a smoother note when it comes to welcoming us into the Viking world with characters full of conflicting minds, personal motives and a game of Danish thrones that's nothing like Game of Thrones.  The focus on the internal rift caused by Christianity and Paganism is nicely explored in the show and something that may even interest a few of you to read up on if you have a penchant for history. 

Much of the action in Vikings: Valhalla is expected to turn up later in the season but the start itself seems promising enough and one can expect the bigger bits such as the Battle of Stamford to have a greater impact in the eight-episode show. One thing that History's Vikings has been great with is its female characters and with the spin-off show too the legacy continues as Freydis (Frida Gustavsson) is one character who impresses from the get-go. There's more mind names for Freydis than hand-to-hand combat and possibly that's the relief you need considering the rest of the show is full of bearded men smashing each other's heads off. 

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In terms of performances, while Frida Gustavsson comes across as extremely powerful with her act as Freydis, Sam Corlett as her brother Leif is equally admirable. Corlett balances well the portrayal of Leif's stoic and skilfully agile warrior style perfectly well. Leo Suter as the Nordic prince Harald also shows immense potential and while his chiselled abs may be questionable historically, there's no denying that he makes for the best-looking Viking on the show. Among other strong performances is also that of Bradley Freegard as King Canute. 

For those seeking entertainment with a bit of history and violence, Vikings: Valhalla is a show that could suffice their interests. With decent performances and well-crafted action sequences, the show has the ability to engage you in Viking history. For fans of the original, the show may seem less enjoyable than its predecessor but for newbies, this Nordic Game of Thrones is watchable enough.