‘Vikings’ Season 4 Part 2: Recap Of Episode 17, ‘The Great Army’

Welcome to the recap for Episode 17, entitled “The Great Army,” of Season 4 Part 2 of Vikings.

SPOILER ALERT: This recap contains information about the 17th episode (entitled “The Great Army”) 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.

While this episode of Vikings is titled “The Great Army,” a lot of it also deals with the revenge Ragnar’s (Travis Fimmel) sons want to exact on Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), rather than forming the Great Heathen Army against King Aelle (Ivan Kaye).

Ivar (Alex Hogh) is determined to kill Lagertha to revenge the fact she killed his mother, Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland). The other sons of Ragnar Lothbrok have varying responses during Episode 17 of Vikings. Sigurd (David Lindstrom) is not particularly concerned about Lagertha, after all, Aslaug was not a very good mother in his eyes — unless your name was Ivar the Boneless. Ubbe (Jordan Smith) seems to agree with Ivar, yet, there is a hesitancy there at times.

In the process of discussions on the matter, it is decided that while revenge on Lagertha is important, they need to start the formation of a great army unlike anything seen before as a fitting way to avenge their father’s death. Ivar wants this army to be twice the size of the army Ragnar took to Paris in Season 3 of Vikings. It is decided they will call in any favor they can and be nice to previous enemies in order to create this army.

Ubbe, therefore, in Episode 17 of Vikings, gets tasked with asking Lagertha to fight on their side when they return to England. While Lagertha seems eager to join in, she decides to stay behind in Kattegat to continue on with her fortifications of the town. As she explains to Ubbe, by asking Vikings to come to Kattegat and join with them, the town will need all the protection it can get once the other Vikings see just how much Kattegat has grown and how lucrative a location it is.

In Northumbria, Judith (Jenny Jacques) is visiting her dad, King Aelle, and warning him against the expected Viking retaliation. Aelle is as smug as only he can be and insists he has a big enough army to counteract anything the Vikings can throw at him.

Meanwhile, in Wessex, King Ecbert (Linus Roache) is teaching Alfred (Isaac O’Sullivan) how to deal with life as a king. Alfred learns very quickly that he should trust no one — even Ecbert — thanks to a drinking game of Ecbert’s invention.

In Episode 16 of Vikings, viewers saw Odin (André Eriksen) reveal himself to Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig) and tell him about Ragnar’s death. As a result of this, Bjorn is heading home to Kattegat. Duke Rollo (Clive Standen) is given a choice to return to Kattegat with them, except it isn’t really a choice. Rollo can return to Frankia, or be killed when he sets foot on Kattegat. It’s no surprise that Rollo chooses Frankia.

However, he does offer his fellow Vikings farmland in Frankia. They all decline, not sure they want to be involved with the traitorous Rollo any longer. When Rollo leaves, Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard) comments Bjorn should have killed Rollo because he has a hunch the duke will “reach more fame than any of you.” Which, historical Rollo really does.

After Rollo is dropped off at Frankia, Bjorn returns home just in the knick of time to save his mother, Lagertha, from Ubbe and Ivar. The pair has decided they would dispatch Lagertha prior to exacting revenge on Aelle and Ecbert. So, while many Vikings are arriving to show their support for Ragnar Lothbrok, Ubbe and Ivar have Lagertha’s shield maidens detained while they confront the new queen of Kattegat. Just when it seems like this is the end for Lagertha, Bjorn walks in and sorts the mess out.

Afterwards, it is an awkward conversation between all of Ragnar’s sons in regard to what should be done with Lagertha. Bjorn, naturally, wants his mother to live. Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø), surprisingly, supports Bjorn, indicating that it would be wise to leave Lagertha alive and protecting Kattegat while they avenge their father. And so Lagertha is safe for another week.

According to International Business Times, Katheryn Winnick has revealed her character will die. However, her wording indicates Lagertha will die because Vikings is a show about historical figures that lived a very long time ago and not because she is in immediate danger. Katheryn Winnick’s Instagram account, on the other hand, indicates her safety will stretch out into Season 5 of Vikings at least.

Since preparations are now officially underway for the Great Heathen Army, Ivar goes to Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard) and asks for help with designing something that will help him on the battlefield. Floki, being ever inventive, comes up with a chariot that can be pulled behind a horse and renders Ivar upright. Ivar, as to be expected, is ecstatic at this development.

OMG #Vikings pic.twitter.com/wRxsYQXSOf

— comunista delirante (@ninaborges) January 12, 2017

Along with these developments in Episode 17 of Vikings, a new character, Egil (Charlie Kelly), is introduced. Egil is the bastard son of an Earl and sides with Harold Finehair (Peter Franzen) in regard to taking out the Lothbroks and breaking through the defenses being built at Kattegat.

Episode 17 of Vikings then ends with an unexpected twist: that of Lagertha returning to Hedeby on an unknown expedition, and Bjorn and Astrid embracing. It is unclear just how long Bjorn and Astrid have been involved or how this will impact the storyline in upcoming episodes of Vikings.

What did you think of this recap and of Episode 17 (titled “The Great Army”) of Vikings? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below.

Vikings returns to History Channel with Episode 18 on Wednesday, January 18, at 9 p.m. ET.

According to the History Channel’s schedule, Episode 18 of Vikings will be titled “Revenge.” They list the synopsis for this episode as follows.

“Ragnar’s plan comes to fruition; the Viking army lands on the coast of Northumbria.”

Make sure you check back here next week for our recap of Episode 18 of Vikings.

[Featured Image by Jonathan Hession/History Channel]