The fifth episode of “Vikings: Valhalla” Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger, where the audience did not know if Freydis was captured or if she escaped Harekr’s men by leaving her son behind. Jorundr has also been taken captive; what will his fate be? Harald and his men are off the hook from the slaver; will the women who were captive finally get to enjoy their freedom? This and more are to be answered in “Leap of Faith,” the sixth episode.
Spoilers Ahead
Olaf In Novgorod
Olaf and King Svein reach Novgorod to find Harald. Olaf and Harald’s uncle give them the bad news that Harald has already left for a voyage to Constantinople to seek more money and men to raise an army. Olaf is stunned to see the amount of work Harald has put in just to get his country back. Though his uncle reveals that Harald was joined by Leif and that there was no woman with him, Olaf doesn’t believe that Harald would take a route so harsh to form an army. He finds this tale quite implausible. He believes Harald probably lied and is lying low with Leif. He will strike back when the time is right. Olaf is desirous of eliminating Harald from the scene of succession.
The captive women on Harald’s ship are finally free and are very happy to be in the company of people who are safe and secure and wouldn’t harm them. They don’t know what lies ahead, but they don’t care, for they want to enjoy the freedom they have achieved by killing the man who owned them. Harald anchored the ship once again to check the length and depth of the waterfall, and once they crossed it, they would have to face the dreaded Pechenegs. Initially, no one is willing to take the risk of crossing the waterfall. The recently freed women don’t want to die yet since they have just felt freedom. Mariam, the wrestlers, Elena, and Leif had initially joined the expedition, knowing the dangers it held. Out of nowhere, all of them, including Leif, make a statement that puts Harald in a horrible position because he has a goal set for himself.
Harekr Seeks Freydis
Hrefna sees a blood trail near her home. Harekr and his men searched all the homes of the refugees to find out where Freydis was hiding. None of them had any answer to this question, for no one had seen her the previous night or this morning. It is essential for Harekr to spot Freydis because she knows of his plan for the refugees, and she is a threat to his power in the town. Hrefna takes him to a trail where they find wolf tracks as well. Freydis cannot be alive as per Harekr, so he makes it a news to the town that Jorundr killed her. Jorundr is captured and put on trial. Gudrid begs Harekr to be lenient to him, but her pleas go unheard. The whole point of blaming Jorundr is to make sure the boy is out of the picture and to make a statement that Harekr no qualms dealing with his kin as well. Jorundr is not Harekr’s son, so removing him from the picture would make way for the son of Freydis, who has been kept hostage and planted as his successor.
Emma’s Quest For The Truth
Queen Emma is on a quest to find out who is the “Barr,” or the bear, who gave the assassin the money to eliminate her. She heads to Sussex but informs Gytha and Godwin that she is headed to Winchester. As Godwin is the Earl of Sussex, going there will help her gain more information about his past. She comes to know of his guardian, whom Godwin, with love, called “the bear.” This man is John Fletcher, who was found dead in his home. Emma, at this point, is unsure what thread to pull for whatever lead she is informed of, it takes her to a dead end. She procures a ring from John Fletcher’s body and takes it back with her to London, hoping it will serve some purpose in blackmailing Godwin. On reaching London, she finds her husband, King Canute, back from the war in Denmark. Emma is happy to have her husband back and lets him know of her suspicions. Emma believes maybe Canute might be able to find her a solution to this matter that’s been bugging her for a while. Canute asks her to let go of her suspicions because they are not going to take her anywhere unless she has strong proof to prove that Godwin tried to kill her. Emma lets go of it, finally.
Who Kills Harekr? Can Godwin Save His Neck This Time Around?
Harald gathers all of them around him and decides to push them to take the plunge with him. One by one, they remove all the objects in the ship, especially the furs, to reduce the weight of the ship. All of them help him to do this, which proves that they are keen to get to the other side of the waterfall and take the plunge to understand the thrills of life. Meanwhile, Leif and Mariam sleep with each other and confess their love for each other. Mariam also confesses that she doesn’t want to die yet because she wants to see life and spend more time with Leif as well. Mariam is not happy with the fact that her terminal illness is killing her slowly, but she is accepting of the fact that death is inevitable. Mariam and Leif’s realization of their love pushes them to understand they should take the plunge that Harald is expecting from them. All of them threw all the rugs off the ship and began their journey towards the fall. As they brace for the impact, everyone holds on to their loved ones and lives.
Godwin is approached by King Canute, offering apologies for Aelfwynn. King Canute, in the hope of keeping this man around him, proposes the idea of marrying his niece Gytha to Godwin. Queen Emma is taken aback by this proposal, but Godwin accepts it gladly. Gytha accepted the offer, too, for she had heard from Aelfwynn that Godwin was a genuine person. Gytha also reveals the fact that Godwin has always wanted a child of royal blood, which she will be able to give him now. This sets off alarms in Emma’s mind, for she thinks all of this was an elaborate setup that Godwin had anticipated to get what he wanted. Emma cannot believe she was fooled by Godwin this way. Since she has no proof to find him guilty, she lets it go, just as her husband suggested. Canute probably is keeping Godwin around to keep an eye on the man who now will be married to a Viking family.
At Jomsborg, Gudrid begs the elders to have mercy on her only son, Jorundr. Harekr puts forward false proof to paint Jorundr guilty in front of the tribe. Jorundr claims all the charges levied against him to be false, and that he did not kill Freydis. He claims that Freydis died due to childbirth complications. Freydis is rescued and nurtured back to health by Hrefna and her mother. Jorundr sadly is deemed guilty, and there is no way he can prove himself to be innocent. Harekr makes sure that Jorundr is killed. But the elders take the mercy plea, order them to chop his sword arm off, and send him into exile. The said action is done, and Jorundr is sadly put on an empty boat and lets destiny take the boat’s course, taking him to a strange land. Jorundr did everything he could to stop Harekr’s nasty power games, but unfortunately, he wasn’t successful. Jorundr sadly became a victim while trying to save the refugees and Freydis. A few days after Jorundr is asked to leave Jomsborg, Freydis arrives all healthy and hearty to confront Harekr. She demands to see her son and to be allowed to take him with her. Harekr proposes to fight her till death to see who can take custody of the kid. As they begin charging at one another, Harekr starts overpowering Freydis, but when she is just about to lose, Gudrid throws a massive stone at her husband, Harekr. All the natives and refugees follow in her lead and stone Harekr to death. Freydis is happy to see Gudrid take things into her own hands and take a stand against injustice. Freydis will welcome everyone to the temple a few days later, which would include all the refugees and the native tribe. Gudrid was fed up with the fact that Harekr became too powerful for his own good, which did not stop him from hurting his kin. Gudrid actions had been a message to him that she didn’t want him in her life anymore and that Freydis was the future of Jomsborg.
Final Thoughts
“Leap of Faith,” just like previous episodes, could have been easier to follow if the writers did not try to add many subplots into one episode. Either the screenplay could have been tighter, or the editing should have been structured so the audience could understand the pattern of all the events that takes place in the show. It is shoddy to have a haphazard script where one cannot depend on the actors to keep the show afloat.
