The Last Kingdom Season 1 Episode 5 Recap

Young Odda goes to Mildrith to tell her that they are under siege by the Danes, so the peace is over. Mildrith worries about Uhtred. But Young Odda says they have killed all their hostages and know that the Danes have done the same thing. If Uhtred survives, it means he’s a traitor. Mildrith refuses to believe him, but Young Odda insists that whatever the truth is, what matters at that time is that they should bring them to safety. It’s a stormy night, and the waves hit the ships of the Danes. The sea storm destroyed a lot of the ships. Many warriors died and washed ashore. After seeing it, Uhtred rushes to return home.

Upon arriving, he sees the master of the farmstead having sex on his bed. Uhtred spares the man’s life, but he asks for the whereabouts of his family. That is how Uhtred finds out he has a son. Young Odda took the mother and child to his estate to keep them safe. King Alfred orders his two generals to ride toward the Severn River to face Ubba while he and his army will ride south to face Guthrum. Odda and the rest ride to Cynuit Hill where they can see the ships on the shore. Ubba, on the other hand, has decided that an early attack will be good. His sorcerer cast the runes and gave them a clear answer on when to attack. When Uhtred comes riding to Cynuit Hill, they are all surprised to see that he is still alive. Uhtred attacks Young Odda while looking for his wife and child. Odda defends his son and says Mildrith is at their estate where she is safe. Leofric hugs his friend and advises that if he wants to see his family, he should leave immediately. They are on top of the hill, and they will all die if they don’t win the battle. But Odda would rather sit and wait than fight. He plans to wait for King Alfred’s army, believing the king has already defeated Guthrum.

Odda meets up with Ubba to negotiate. Odda says they will never surrender, so Ubba should return to his ships. Uhtred angers Ubba and says Guthrum’s fleet is gone. He says he also cast the runes and saw that the gods are angry at Ubba for not avenging the death of Earl Ragnar. Uhtred even tells Ubba that he‘s next to die. Ubba gets really angry and ends the negotiation. Then later, Uhtred tells Odda that Ubba is the greatest warrior he has ever seen. And he only goaded him to make him doubt. Odda doesn’t want to send his men to battle because he knows each of them, so Uthred comes up with a plan. He will burn the ships and once the fire holds, Odda will send the men to fight. Odda promises he will, but Young Odda tries to change his father’s mind. He says it would be better for them to escape the hill and meet Alfred on the road, and together, they will fight Ubba.

Odda tells the others to prepare, but the generals don’t know if they should prepare to fight or prepare to escape. Uhtred takes some fat, wraps them in cloth, and then dips them in oil. He makes a couple of these and puts them in a sack. When he reaches the ship, he immediately starts to burn them using the things he made. The ships quickly catch fire, but Uhtred is also captured. Ubba gets really angry after seeing that his ships are on fire. He challenges Uhtred in a fight. To everyone’s surprise, Uhtred wins. Ubba got a bit confident leaving his legs unguarded. Uhtred cuts the top of his ankles, making him fall. Uhtred puts the ax in Ubba’s hand. “Go to Valhalla, Lord,” he says. Then he drives his sword to Ubba’s chest, killing him. All of Ubba’s men turn to look at Uhtred, but Odda and his army arrive just in time to save Uhtred. 

After the battle, Uhtred tells Leofric he wants Ubba buried with his axe. Leofric says the axe is missing, and Young Odda wants Ubba cut into pieces. Uhtred says Ubba is the closest the Danes will ever have to a king, so Leofric says he will see to it that Ubba will be buried. He also advises Uhtred to go to Alfred, kneel at his feet and tell him he saved Wessex. If he doesn’t, someone else will, and there will be a reward. Uhtred has already decided he will see his wife and child, so he immediately leaves. Young Odda presents Ubba’s axe to King Alfred. He says Ubba is finally defeated — Wessex is saved. King Alfred knows that Guthrum has no choice but to make peace now that Ubba is dead. King Alfred is so overjoyed that he tells Young Odda that while his father is recovering, Young Odda will take his father’s place, his father’s lands will be his, and more.

When Uhtred comes back to see Alfred, Father Beocca is surprised to see that he is alive. Uhtred realizes no one mentioned that he also fought in Cynuit. Father Beocca reminds him that he can‘t disturb Alfred while the king is praying in the chapel. The priest also reminds Uhtred not to bring his sword, but Uhtred marches to the chapel and disturbs the mass. He tells everyone that he is the one who killed Ubba. Then he draws his sword in front of the king. Alfred is furious and sends Uhtred out while he goes back to praying. Afterward, Wulfhere, a general, tells Uhtred that he is to grovel with Aethelwold. Death is the punishment for drawing his sword in front of the king, but Alfred feels merciful that day. He adds that Young Odda has claimed the credit, so it doesn’t matter that Uhtred is the one who killed Ubba. Both he and Aethelwold will dress like a girl, go on their knees, and be humiliated. They will crawl on the dirt all the way to the chapel. And when they are done, god and the king will forgive them.

Many people are watching and throwing things at them while they crawl. From where he is, Uhtred can see his wife looking at him. When they are in front of the chapel, Aethelwold says he will go first, but Uhtred owes him. He talks about his sins and begs for forgiveness in front of everyone. Then when he’s done, he lies flat down on his face. Father Beocca asks Uhtred to do the same, but Uhtred refuses. Mildrith follows him and asks him not to leave because their son hasn’t been baptized yet. Uhtred says his son won‘t be baptized; he will be a pagan like his father. He adds that he won‘t let any priest whisper lies and deceit in the child’s ear. Later that night, Uhtred tells his friend he needs wealth, but it’s impossible to find any. Leofric tells him they will pretend to be Danes and plunder. They will raid and take wealth. He assures Uhtred that men will follow him. When Uhtred returns home the next day, he catches Oswald dragging a fallen tree. He has confirmed that Oswald has been stealing from the land and not giving anything to them. Mildrith tries to calm him down, but Uhtred takes his dagger and kills Oswald. 

Our Thoughts

Mildrith is very different from Brida, so it‘s expected that she and Uhtred don’t see things the same way. She is pious and wants their child to be baptized. But after the humiliation Uhtred received, it’s not surprising that he doesn’t want his child to be baptized. Mildrith doesn’t really judge Uhtred, but she tries to reason with him. Still, Uhtred is always angry and refuses to listen. They might not separate, but they will always argue. 

Leofric gave a piece of good advice to Uhtred. He told him to go to Alfred, or someone else will claim the credit — Young Odda. The surprising thing here is that no one said anything. There are many warriors there, and they all know the truth. Still, Young Odda gets the credit without anyone challenging his authority. Maybe Alfred knows it isn’t really Young Odda who killed Ubba, but he still chose to believe it‘s him. All because he doesn’t like Uhtred.