Summary
There are good levels of excitement in the third episode. One highlight includes the conflicting views Emma and Edmund share towards his impending coronation.
This recap of Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla season 1, episode 3, “The Marshes”, contains spoilers.
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Vikings: Valhalla season 1, episode 3 recap
Upon arriving in London, several men steal money and several valuables. In one of the properties, Olaf finds a hallow floor, and when he looks inside, he finds Lady Kent hiding in fear. From Lady Kent, he learns that Aethelred the Unready is already dead. It causes anger for Harald, who now will pursue revenge for his brother’s death by seeking the head of Prince Edmund.
Edmund, who is now King, prays over his father’s body before taking his sword. Emma, meanwhile, still wants to wait on crowning Edmund as she adds, “if England fails, so does Edmund”. Leif watches as Harald brutally ensures that the Saxons are dead. Harald defends his actions by saying that he shows “mercy” by ending the man’s pain. Leif remarks that it looks a lot like his father’s “glory”.
Edmund practices his fighting alongside his soldiers and appears to be doing very well. Godwin doesn’t have as much faith, and when Edmund becomes cocky, Godwin instantly beats him in a fight. He adds that his soldiers would never dare beat him, “Your arrogance is your enemy; control your arrogance,”. Despite Godwin’s warning, Edmund still maintains that he wants to be crowned King soon.
In Sweden, Freydis, Toke, and Yrsa are attacked, with Toke ultimately getting killed. Freydís kills the attacker and discovers he has a cross on his head. After discussing the upcoming war, Olaf has Leif lead a battle. This, in turn, leads to speculation that it’s because Olaf wants Leif dead. When the mission fails, due to a trap, it causes the speculation to increase, with Olaf mocking Harald for his claims that he and Leif got ambushed.
The ending
In actual fact, King Edmund is behind the trap. And so, he brings his coronation forward. A huge mistake Emma believes. Will Edmund regret not listening to Emma? Freydis and Yrsa take a baby to a healer, where she learns that the man who attacked them is a warrior who hunts pilgrims.
As Edmund gets crowned King, Harald saves Leif from certain death, and afterward, they sneak through a river. Once on dry land, they mingle with Saxon civilians. Harald manages to protect their cover by being able to speak and understand the Saxon language. And when a boat sails past, Leif inspects the bridge. What is he looking at and does he have a plan in place? The third episode of Vikings: Valhalla ends as Freydis arrives in Uppsala and Kare finds the body of the man that Freydis had killed earlier in the episode with a blood trail that could lead him straight to Freydis.
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