Epic saga ‘Vikings’ meets its glorious fate in the series finale now on Showmax

The time has come at last to light up the Vikings saga and push it out to sea. 

The sixth and final season of Vikings

The sixth and final season of the groundbreaking historical epic is now streaming first and only on Showmax. Thankfully, early reviews suggest the hit series is getting the glorious sendoff to Valhalla it deserves. 

Express (UK) says, “The final 10 episodes have everything fans want. From huge battle scenes, the return of some fan-favourite characters, unprecedented twists and turns, to sex, sea dragons, drugs, death and even witchcraft… Creator Michael Hirsthas succeeded in pulling off an epic goodbye to the beloved historical drama.” 

“Hirst has left us a show for the ages, one that transcends the war, blood, and murder that first drew audiences to its story,” echoes Den of Geek. “The closing run of episodes is at turns thrilling, stirring, chilling, harrowing, heart-breaking, savage, sensual and ethereal, and is capped off with a mesmerizing, mytho-philosophical finale that retroactively elevates everything that came before it, all the way back to the moment when Ragnar first asked Floki to help him sail west.”

Vikings reinvented how history could be taught. As Deadline puts it, “Vikings has been a legacy show for History. It marked the network’s first foray into ongoing scripted series. Vikings was a breakout ratings hit when it debuted in 2013 and remains History’s #1 scripted series of all time.”

After six seasons, Vikings still holds an average critics rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 100% rating for Season 6. It has an 8.5/10 score on IMDb, where it’s currently at #4 of the Most Popular TV Shows. 

Vikings has earned 13 Emmy nominations since its 2013 inception, finally winning for Outstanding Special Visual Effects at last year’s awards. Deservedly, other awards have been more generous, giving Vikings 36 prizes, including the Satellite Award for Best TV Drama. Even more accolades seem likely, as the show already has 2021 Critics Choice Super Awards nominations for Best Action Series, Best Actor: Action for Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn, and Best Actress: Action for Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha. 

The end of the saga brings the tumultuous conflict between the Rus and Vikings to a conclusion with grave consequences. Meanwhile, in Iceland, Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith from Lovecraft Country) is determined to fulfill his father Ragnar’s dream and sail further west than any Viking has traveled before. And there is unfinished business in England, where the Vikings have established settlements and over-run most of the country – except for Wessex. The King of Wessex, Alfred the Great (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo from Sing Street), is the only Saxon ruler to seriously challenge their complete domination. Now, Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen from the Oscar-nominated A War) must again face, in battle, the king he only knew as a boy.

Hirst told Variety, “I always knew where I wanted the show to go and more or less where it would end if I was given the opportunity. What I was trying to do was write the saga of Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons. I’m very proud of the show. I did what I wanted to do, that’s the truth.”

Their fates decided

Speaking at last year’s Comic Con, Hirst teased the second, and final, half of Season 6, saying, “The characters who we all — including me — have grown to love will all have their fates decided. Whether they live or die is of course in the hands of the gods — although I had a hand in it, too… I think the conclusion of the saga is deeply satisfying, a proper and meaningful ending. And I hope all of our fans will feel the same way.”

The series finale will bring “mixed emotions for everyone”, said actress Georgia Hirst, who plays Torvi. “I don’t think there’s ever a way that it will end where you’ll be completely satisfied. Fans will always be upset that it’s over. It’s one of those things,” she told Daily Express.

On his last day of filming, Andersen was in tears. He told ET Online, “I was bawling my eyes out throughout the entire day… it was complete closure and it was a phenomenal, great, beautiful day … At 5 a.m., when they gave me a cake, I was crying straight away. I was like, ‘You’re the kindest, nicest people in the world, and this is exactly what I needed…’ I knew that it was going to be a long time before, if ever, I was going to experience such a well-orchestrated machine that I was working on with these beautiful, beautiful people that were so, so great at what they were doing – so great at the work they were creating and the art they were creating. To be a part of that was just such a thrill. And I’m very humbled by that entire experience.”