Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 Episode 3 Recap – The Marshes

The Vikings attack Kent on the road to London. While Olaf searches the house, he finds Lady Kent hiding with her servants. He takes the lady and presents her to the king and warriors in the hall. The lady tells the Vikings that their war is pointless because King Aethelred is already dead. The king died ten days ago, and his son now sits on the throne. 

Queen Emma says that once Streona arrives, she will send him to the south to trap King Canute. She adds that Edmund will stay in the palace where he is safe. Godwin agrees because Edmund is still a king-in-waiting, but Edmund says he will join Streona in the battlefield once he arrives. He worries that if Streona goes into battle, he will take the glory and people will look up to him. Edmund says the nobles might think Streona is more fit to be king. Edmund wants to be crowned as soon as possible, but Queen Emma tells him he should not be crowned immediately because once he becomes king, his life is entwined with England. If Edmund falls, England falls. 

Edmund shows his sword skills by fighting his soldiers. Even when he fights three soldiers at the same time, he wins. The guards compliment him. Edmund is happy and feels confident that he is good enough to defeat the Vikings in battle. He screams he is ready, but Godwin tells him he’s not. Godwin orders the soldiers to leave them. Once the soldiers are gone, Godwin doesn’t hold back and attacks Edmund. He kicks Edmund and continues to attack him even when he is on the ground, crawling through mud. Godwin tells Edmund the Vikings wanted his father, but now that the king is dead, the Vikings want Edmund as a replacement. Edmund says his instincts tell him he should be crowned king, but Godwin says there is a reason why they have to delay the coronation.

On their way to Uppsala, Freydis and her companions stop to rest. A warrior arrives on his horse. When he sees them, he draws his sword and starts attacking them. He easily defeats and kills three of them. Freydis fights back, but the man is too strong. She takes her necklace and strangles the man with it. Yrsa survives but is badly wounded in the fight, so Freydis prays for help. She sees a bird and thinks it is a sign. She finds a settlement nearby and a healer to help her friend. When the healer is done saving Yrsa’s life, she also tries to help Freydis. Freydis tells the truth that someone attacked them on their way to Uppsala, but she already killed the man. The healer says the man hunts pilgrims and tells Freydis to go to Uppsala fast and avoid the main road. She says she will look after Yrsa until Freydis comes back. When the man’s companions find his dead body, they look for the person who did it. 

Olaf chooses to send Leif to check around the bridge. Leif wonders why he was picked, but he still follows the orders. He says since he is there to pay a debt, he will do what is asked of him. Harald tells him not to worry because he will go with them. Leif brings his crew with him and Harald brings some men. They are met by a local who will be their guide through the marshes. The guide hands them torches, saying the tide and fog are coming in. It’s already dark but they keep moving. They stop when they hear splashes of water as if someone is walking. An arrow hits their guide and kills him. Harald orders the men to throw their torches so they won’t be seen, but the soldiers on the boats still kill some men. Harald leads the survivors out of the marshes, leaving Leif behind. He tells Olaf and King Canute that they were ambushed, and the soldiers seemed to be waiting for them. While talking, they hear a horn sound, so they immediately go out to see what it is. A soldier brings the king’s banner and plants it in front for everyone to see.

Queen Emma says she doesn’t want the Vikings to leave. She needs them to stay where they are. Edmund stands up and claims it‘s his idea. He says he made a trip to Mercia and convinced Streona not to come to London to trap the Vikings in the marshes. He then tells the nobles that asking Streona comes with risks. In time, Edmund will need the nobles’ help to handle those risks. Queen Emma tells Godwin he made a mistake supporting an impulsive child, but Godwin reminds the queen that it is up to them to make it work. He reminds Queen Emma she has a lot to lose if Edmund fails. 

Leif’s crew wants to go back for him, but Harald tells them not to. When Leif opens his eyes, a girl walks to him and hands him a cross. When he finally comes to his senses, he sees Harald just saved him from a soldier. Harald admits he thought Leif was dead, but he still came back for him. They continue to scout the area, joining the people crossing the bridge. Harald figures out the city must be preparing for a siege because a lot of food is being delivered by the people. Leif sees there is a drawbridge. He quickly scans the base of the beams for some weakness. Meanwhile, Edmund is crowned as the new king.

Our Thoughts

Edmund is so arrogant that it’s so funny. Did he really think he‘s a better fighter than his soldiers? Godwin was right. The soldiers just didn’t want to hurt him. Maybe they tried to feed the boy’s pride, so Godwin showed Edmund the truth. It was just surprising that Godwin was a bit harsh. And when they met with the nobles, Edmund claimed it was his idea to send Streona to the south of the fortress. Queen Emma and Godwin just exchanged looks because they knew it was the queen’s idea. Still, they let Edmund grab the credit.

As for Freydis, we think she is about to face her own battle. When the other warriors saw that one of their own was killed, we knew they would look for Freydis. They might figure out she met the warrior if they go to the settlement and see Yrsa. The healer knew this, so she chose to send Freydis on her journey.