I really love the priest, Willibard, and the way he responds to his circumstances here. he was the only person who tried to warn the villagers of what was about to happen last episode. he got the shit kicked out of him for it, and it didn't work, but he tried. and now here he is, questioning god, for the role that god has played in humanity's suffering... whether through the challenges he's making them face intentionally, or the way he's simply neglected and abandoned humanity to its own devices. in general, it seems like both Willibard and Anne (red haired girl from last episode) share a perception of god, sitting in heaven, aloof, and unwilling to intervene in the trials he sets before human beings, who are not empowered to make a difference as they weather it all. but Willibard's questioning of god, the father, seems to strike a nerve with Canute. when Canute says that "all fathers love their children," his assertion seems like an insecure statement about the king... his own father on high, powerful yet distant, sometimes inscrutable and yet... always loving. right? Canute can hope... but it may be right for his faith to be shaken. this may not be the time or place for naive hope. and Ragnar has known this since before their journey even began. back when we caught our first glimpse of Canute, there was already a scene of Sweyn giving the order for Canute to handle the siege, and Ragnar protesting, while probably in the process of coming to the horrible realization of what that assignment really meant. Ragnar was already aware of the political situation between Canute and Harald's respective factions. the love of The Father might not extend to all of His children... and Ragnar still wants to shield Canute from that reality. and on the subject of absent yet loving fathers... after Canute storms off, Thorfinn once again has cause to think of Thors. and I think it's very relevant that Thorfinn is missing him here, now, after this dark deed. Thorfinn is living very far from the love his father displayed so readily. if there were grace and compassion in the person raising him... who might Thorfinn have turned out to be? as for Ragnar... I think I said already, but he breaks my heart because he's not good at this. the show has made a point of displaying this on multiple occasions. when he calls out in the midst of the forest fire and identifies himself even to the enemy, or when he demands three warships for their travels when Wales isn't equipped to provide them with such an extravagance... it's not just that Ragnar is used to high society (though it is partly that) but also... Ragnar is not good at playing the field strategically. he has very little tact, and poor instincts. his main method of protecting Canute is to keep his hackles up, indiscriminately, all the time. and then he still fails to notice really obvious stuff, like the setup in this episode. it's horrible, because that annoyingly defensive helicopter parent tendency of his from early on, is really just this man trying his absolute 110% maximum to keep one child safe. and when he talks to Canute about cooking, you can see the interest he shows in it, and how engaged he is... even privately going and asking for recipes when they eat something that tastes good, because he knows Canute would like that. in general, cooking together and sharing a meal is such a distinct indication of care for another person... something sorely lacking from Canute's relationship with his actual father, who would rather destroy what Canute made, than take a single bite. but this is why it makes sense that, when Ragnar asks to speak with Askeladd... it's not because he's thought of some brilliant plan. he's not a strategist in the best of times. but he does deeply care about Canute. so he straightforwardly asks Askeladd to take care of him, and warns him about what may come. Ragnar knows that many, many people are against Canute in this world, and Ragnar was one of the most dedicated people that would always be in his corner, for Canute's sake... not for the sake of anyone or anything else. so he makes one final blunt plea for his safety. because at the end of everything, that's who Ragnar is. if he could've lived as an honest man with a simple life, I think he would've done that well and successfully.
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I really love the priest, Willibard, and the way he responds to his circumstances here. he was the only person who tried to warn the villagers of what was about to happen last episode. he got the shit kicked out of him for it, and it didn't work, but he tried. and now here he is, questioning god, for the role that god has played in humanity's suffering... whether through the challenges he's making them face intentionally, or the way he's simply neglected and abandoned humanity to its own devices.
in general, it seems like both Willibard and Anne (red haired girl from last episode) share a perception of god, sitting in heaven, aloof, and unwilling to intervene in the trials he sets before human beings, who are not empowered to make a difference as they weather it all. but Willibard's questioning of god, the father, seems to strike a nerve with Canute. when Canute says that "all fathers love their children," his assertion seems like an insecure statement about the king... his own father on high, powerful yet distant, sometimes inscrutable and yet... always loving. right?
Canute can hope... but it may be right for his faith to be shaken. this may not be the time or place for naive hope. and Ragnar has known this since before their journey even began. back when we caught our first glimpse of Canute, there was already a scene of Sweyn giving the order for Canute to handle the siege, and Ragnar protesting, while probably in the process of coming to the horrible realization of what that assignment really meant. Ragnar was already aware of the political situation between Canute and Harald's respective factions. the love of The Father might not extend to all of His children... and Ragnar still wants to shield Canute from that reality.
and on the subject of absent yet loving fathers... after Canute storms off, Thorfinn once again has cause to think of Thors. and I think it's very relevant that Thorfinn is missing him here, now, after this dark deed. Thorfinn is living very far from the love his father displayed so readily. if there were grace and compassion in the person raising him... who might Thorfinn have turned out to be?
as for Ragnar... I think I said already, but he breaks my heart because he's not good at this. the show has made a point of displaying this on multiple occasions. when he calls out in the midst of the forest fire and identifies himself even to the enemy, or when he demands three warships for their travels when Wales isn't equipped to provide them with such an extravagance... it's not just that Ragnar is used to high society (though it is partly that) but also... Ragnar is not good at playing the field strategically. he has very little tact, and poor instincts. his main method of protecting Canute is to keep his hackles up, indiscriminately, all the time. and then he still fails to notice really obvious stuff, like the setup in this episode.
it's horrible, because that annoyingly defensive helicopter parent tendency of his from early on, is really just this man trying his absolute 110% maximum to keep one child safe. and when he talks to Canute about cooking, you can see the interest he shows in it, and how engaged he is... even privately going and asking for recipes when they eat something that tastes good, because he knows Canute would like that. in general, cooking together and sharing a meal is such a distinct indication of care for another person... something sorely lacking from Canute's relationship with his actual father, who would rather destroy what Canute made, than take a single bite.
but this is why it makes sense that, when Ragnar asks to speak with Askeladd... it's not because he's thought of some brilliant plan. he's not a strategist in the best of times. but he does deeply care about Canute. so he straightforwardly asks Askeladd to take care of him, and warns him about what may come. Ragnar knows that many, many people are against Canute in this world, and Ragnar was one of the most dedicated people that would always be in his corner, for Canute's sake... not for the sake of anyone or anything else. so he makes one final blunt plea for his safety. because at the end of everything, that's who Ragnar is. if he could've lived as an honest man with a simple life, I think he would've done that well and successfully.