Summary
Part 2 of Season 6 had an entire fanbase on its shoulders, and it delivers the final episodes with care, thought and precision. We hope this gives closure which the fans deserve.
This review of Amazon’s Vikings season 6, part 2 contains no spoilers. The final 10 episodes will be released on the streaming service on December 30, 2020.
We recapped every episode of part 2 — check out the archive.
I hate to say it, I do. Mostly because I’m confident that we are not over it. But the final ten episodes of Vikings season 6 has a stronger acid test due to the failures of the Game of Thrones final season. Yes, I know they are comparatively different due to one being coated in historical facts while the other is pure fantasy, but a low benchmark was set — the Vikings writers not only needed to exceed that benchmark, but they needed to significantly please the fans who have stayed with them since 2013.
I am cautiously confident that the final ten episodes (labelled Part 2) of Vikings Season 6 will hit expectations. Ensuring the final episode count is twenty chapters gives assurance alone that space is given to flesh out the conclusion; it gave the creator and writers time to sit back, breathe, and think about how they want all this to close. And splitting Season 6 into two parts and 12 months apart gave the team time to reflect, and understand where the characters are positioned in the world.
After many voyages, far and wide, the second part of Season 6 sees a small cluster of characters still trying to find meaning and purpose in the world. It’s a strong theme, of course, “purpose”, but with a timer on the story, there’s a sense of anxiety from all the characters that they need to find their ending. You can feel it oozing out of them; Ubbe and Torvi trying to find paradise, Bjorn attempting to leave a legacy, Ivar the Boneless finding his final meaning, and Othere attempting to hold on to hope for a greater world — these are the resounding examples where the plot toils with the audience, teasing them all the way to a few climatic episodes.
Vikings Season 6, Part 2 exceeds that acid test by not feeling rushed. Even with the penultimate chapters, there’s no sense that the story is trying to squeeze in as many plot points as possible. Rather, the series has used the entirety of Season 6 to bring conclusions, with major character deaths and important objectives.
Like the previous seasons, the sense of spirituality and religion can either be cast as irrational and gruesome; Part 2 of Season 6 has a feeling of warmness with the unparalleled belief systems. Naturally, as the characters reach the end, their beliefs are the remaining elements to hold on to. Without that belief, they are reduced to power-hungry pawns, part of a cruel world. As Part 2 of Season 6 progresses, Vikings brings a welcoming theme of inner-peace, that comes unexpectedly when you remind yourself of the blood that has been shed.
Without delving into the ending, it is articulated with care and precision — the messages curated will resonate with the audiences, and the final scene not only brings closure to the characters but naturally with the audience as well.
Vikings Season 6, Part 2 had an entire fanbase on its shoulders, and it delivers the final episodes with care, thought, and precision. We hope this gives closure which the fans deserve.
