Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 Episode 7 Recap – Choices

King Edmund is glad that King Canute is away and fighting a battle in Denmark. He thinks it will allow him to act and do other things. Godwin tells him that Canute knew he would think such, so before he left, he married Queen Emma. Godwin says there are other things Edmund should be worried about. When they enter the hall, Edmund meets King Sweyn Forkbeard, Canute’s father. King Forkbeard admits he intends to rule on his son’s behalf until he returns. He reminds King Edmund that he is not like his son — patient and fair. 

Harald confesses his feelings for Freydis. He tells her that when he’s king, they will have an open country where people are free to worship their god. On the same day, a lone ship arrives at Kattegat and gets the attention of its warriors. When the ship reaches the harbor, they see heads on the spikes. A woman is also crucified and placed at the ship‘s center. A crying baby is the only one left alive, with a cross mark on its forehead. When Freydis sees the child, she says she knows him. She says Kåre did it. Jarl Haakon orders Freydis to go to Uppsala to see the situation there. Freydis, Leif, Harald, and other warriors immediately make their way to Uppsala. When they get there, the bodies of dead pilgrims are scattered everywhere. The priests and priestesses are hanging upside down. Their house of worship is already destroyed by fire. While looking for survivors, they find some children. The children say they were only spared so they could deliver a message. The message is: God ordered Kåre to destroy Kattegat and kill Freydis. 

Ealdorman Sigeferth of Wessex says the House of Wessex is exempt from paying royal taxes. He says it is a binding promise from King Aethelred to his father. Ealdorman Sigeferth’s father saved King Aethelred against King Forkbeard in the battle of York. King Forkbeard says it‘s all in the past, so he will have to pay taxes like everyone else. Unhappy with the decision, Ealdorman Sigeferth approaches King Edmund who sits beside Forkbeard. He asks the young king if he can do something about it. Edmund says he doesn’t recall Ealdorman Sigeferth being there when he challenged the Vikings on the bridge. And because he wasn’t available back then, Edmund couldn’t do anything to help him.

Olaf travels to meet Kåre. He says he wishes to unite Norway under the banner of Christ. He knows there is real power in Kattegat, so it must fall to his hand. Olaf knows he needs Kåre to take Kattegat. Kåre welcomes him with open arms and calls him his brother. He says he already destroyed Uppsala and burned it to the ground along with its priests. Olaf offers to pay Kåre with silver and riches, but Kåre says he is not interested in those. He tells Olaf that he has only one condition if he is to fight with him. Kåre says God asked him to build a great church in Kattegat with a spire that reaches heaven. Olaf agrees to it. He says Kåre can have his church, but Kattegat has to remain a key trading port in his kingdom. Olaf realizes Kåre keeps on talking to someone as if there is someone there that only he can see. Kåre says he is talking to the Old One, a pagan seer who told him his destiny. Olaf removes the cover of the cage where the said seer is, but when the cover is removed, all he sees is an empty cage. Still, he and Kåre have agreed to work together and take Kattegat.

King Forkbeard calls for Godwin. He says Canute told him Godwin is a man to be counted on. Forkbeard says there are threats to Canute’s rule, and though they may seem small, they will grow in time. Godwin agrees and says rulers should address threats. King Forkbeard also calls for Ealdorman Sigeferth. He tells the Ealdorman that his response to his petition being denied was an insult. Ealdorman Sigeferth tries to explain himself, but King Forkbeard immediately stabs him with a knife, killing him. He turns to Godwin and says he can’t have a man of a low-rank work for him, so he makes him Godwin, Jarl of Wessex. 

King Edmund delivers a wedding gift to Queen Emma. He says it belonged to her mother — a gift to remind her of her importance to England. King Edmund says he wishes Queen Emma will receive it with the same spirit. Queen Emma is happy with the gift, so he kisses Edmund on the cheek. Godwin has told the young king before that there are people who would back his resistance to Canute. So, one day, they meet the Ealdormen who they think will take Edmund’s side. They promise their support to him, but while racing against Godwin, King Edmund’s horse trips, and the king falls. Edmund sees that a rope was intentionally placed for the horse to trip. Godwin admits it was his doing. He takes a sharp, straight, and pointed tool with a handle and pierces it through the king’s heart. When the Ealdormen come to check on the king, they see Godwin comforting the young king until he takes his last breath. They deliver the news to King Forkbeard. Because Edmund is dead, King Canute becomes the sole ruler of the land.

When Queen Emma checks on Edmund’s dead body, she notices something. She tells Godwin that the tiny cut beneath Edmund’s left breast, just below his heart, was the most lethal — it pierced his heart and filled his body with blood. King Forkbeard tells Godwin to leave, and then he reminds Queen Emma that the boy king‘s death leaves only one king on the throne — Canute. Queen Emma says she didn’t have anything when she arrived in the kingdom, but she has become a wealthy woman and a queen of an expanding empire. She tells Forkbeard she can handle both her husband’s interest and hers.

King Forkbeard gets surprised upon seeing Canute’s wife, Aelfgifu, in the palace. Aelfgifu says that since Canute is king, she’s also the kingdom‘s queen. Forkbeard reminds her that since Canute had not yet converted, they were never married in the eyes of God. He adds Canute has made his commitment to Queen Emma. Aelfgifu says Canute should be prepared to lose Norway, then. She reveals that Jarl Olaf visited her when he returned from England. He told her his plan to unite Norway. She adds that Olaf tried to buy Denmark’s fleet for an invasion of Kattegat. Since Canute is busy in battles on land, the fleet answers to her. King Forkbeard gets furious when he hears the revelation. Aelfgifu says if the fleet doesn’t hear from her at a certain time, they will sail to Kattegat under Olaf’s flag. Forkbeard wants to know where Aelfgifu is hiding the fleet in England, but she refuses to reveal its location. Queen Emma finds out that Queen Aelfgifu is in the palace. King Forkbeard then shares with Queen Emma the problem he is facing. He says he only has hours to look for the fleet, yet finding them could take them days or even weeks. Emma says she will help. 

Leif volunteers to check Kåre’s camp. There, he sees Olaf’s colors. He brings the news to Kattegat and tells them Olaf has joined Kåre. Harald tells Jarl Haakon that his brother has made a choice, so he also made his. Jarl Haakon thanks him for choosing to fight with them. Harald says he’s not fighting for the throne of Norway, but he fights for Kattegat. The next day, he rides to Olaf’s camp where his brother waits for him.

Our Thoughts

We thought Godwin was on Edmund’s side, but clearly, we were wrong. Godwin will choose what is best for him and that makes him dangerous. We don’t know how his mind works, so we can’t really guess what he will do next. As for Queen Emma, how will she do what she wants in the palace when Queen Aelfgifu is also there? They are both brilliant, but Aelfgifu already has the fleet under her control. Even Forkbeard doesn’t know what to do at this point, but if he accepts Emma’s help, we think he’ll find a solution to his problem.

In the last scene, Harald was seen meeting with Olaf. Olaf welcomed him as if he had been waiting for his brother, but we think Harald was only pretending to be on Olaf’s side. He just admitted to Freydis that he loves her and will do anything for her, so maybe he was just there to spy on his brother. He didn’t tell it to Freydis so his act would be believable.