‘Vikings’ Season 4: Recap of Episode 8, “Portage”

Here’s the recap for episode 8, entitled “Portage” of season 4 of Vikings.

SPOILER ALERT: This recap contains information about the eighth episode of season 4 of History Channel’s Vikings. Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed this episode and wish to avoid spoilers.

The defeat at Paris has been hard on the vikings. King Harald Finehair (Peter Franzen) is blaming Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) and he is not the only one. Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), however, is still Team Ragnar. But all the hate directed at Ragnar is probably just what he needed to devise a very clever plan to get past the Frankia river forts. The title of this episode was a give away anyway. “Portage” means “the carrying of a boat or its cargo between two navigable waters.” And that is exactly the plan. Ragnar gets the help of Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard) who is as humble as pie in episode 8 of Vikings, and the longships are raised up onto dry land before the episode end.

But all does not go well for Ragnar. His addiction to betel nuts is still a raging concern and when he asks Yidu (Dianne Doan) for the last of her supply because he is going away. When she declines he finally snaps. Yidu pulls what she thinks is her draw card, saying she is now the holder of Ragnar’s big secret, and storms off. Rather than have everyone know about the massacre of vikings that occurred in England, Ragnar drowns Yidu. Yes, he kills her, taking her stash after she dies, and then turns to find his sons looking on. It is at this point that I am done with Ragnar Lothbrok for season 4. If Rollo Clive Standen) were to kill him tomorrow, I would not even weep.

Back in Kattegat, Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) has discovered she is not Harbard’s (Kevin Durand) only lover, with her son showing her just what Harbard gets up to when he is not with Aslaug. It breaks her heart but for those that are Team Ragetha, it is about time Aslaug got a taste of the bitter pill that is labelled “homewrecker.”

While episode 7 of Vikings was pretty brutal, this episode is worse as far as main characters are concerned. Just when everyone was starting to tire of the Frankish royalty and King Ecbert (Linus Roache) with his arrogant ways, episode 8 of Vikings holds its own among the other shows that kill their main characters like they are nothing more than red shirts. While it was a welcome surprise to see Helga (Maude Hirst) had survived what appeared to be a death sentence last week, for Count Odo (Owen Roe) and Queen Kwenthrith (Amy Bailey) things are not as optimistic.

Count Odo is finally held accountable for his treasonous ways and is executed by the Emperor (Lothaire Bluteau). He then elevates Duke Rollo to Odo’s position. Therese (Karen Hassan) immediately lets the Emperor know that she is looking for a new lover. Gisla (Morgane Polanski) also announces her pregnancy in this episode of Vikings.

Another character who announces their pregnancy is Kwenthrith. It turns out she is going to bear Aethelwulf (Moe Dunford) a child. Judith couldn’t care less. But when King Ecbert announces Kwenthrith is no longer the queen of Mercia, things really start to go downhill. Kwenthrith raises as much hell as a de-throned queen can, but considering Ecbert has the official paperwork announcing him as the official king of Mercia, there is nothing left to do but for Kwenthrith to try to escape with her son Magnus. When that doesn’t work, she then tries to assassinate King Ecbert. This goes as well as her escape plan — worse, in fact — because Judith (Jennie Jacques) stabs Kwenthrith in the back after the ex-queen starts monologuing. As Kwenthrith lays dying, Judith then blames Ecbert for what she has become. Unfortunately dear Judith, this is the price one must pay for female freedom in Vikings.

What did you think of episode 8 of Vikings season 4? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below.

Season 4 of Vikings returns to History Channel with episode 9, entitled “Death All ‘Round” on Thursday, April 14, at 10 p.m. ET.

The official synopsis for episode 9 is as follows.

“The labors of the Vikings eventually bear fruit as, within sight of Paris, they re-launch their boats but this time along with some interesting structures that Floki has made. Aethelwulf and Alfred eventually arrive in Rome and honors are conferred by Pope Leo but relations are not so cordial in Wessex between King Ecbert and the disgruntled King Aelle.”

[Image via Bernard Walsh/A&E Network]