Season Finale Vikings - Q and A Rollo Clive Standen

https://www.facebook.com/Vikings/photos/pb.258436810927867.-2207520000.1429769786./686950758076468/?type=1&theater

Hail Vikingsfans,

Are you ready for tonight's season finally? What we do know is that this episode called 'Death' so with that in our minds what is going to happen? I am not sure, but exited as I am hope you are as well.

Then we have a Q and A with Clive Standen coming your way through Facebook. You can ask him anything just use #Vikingsfinale! and Twitter use #VikingsFinale! #Vikings

©TamaraBakx

With Spoilers Vikings season 3 'Breaking Point'

http://www.history.com/shows/vikings/pictures/season-3-episode-9-breaking-point/vikings_s3e9_gallery_6

Hail Vikings,

What an episode and I yet can´t wait for the season finally. I got so much to discuss with you guys. This episode is good in many ways it refer to one and other. It isn't predictable. It will be a bit of a recap in a few ways episodes but also seasons of Vikings.

Again we start with King Ragnar and Floki in the episode before we started the same way only a different place and setting. It is not about how to attack but about the defeat. They will try it differently this time by the idea of the others. The first attack it is all about the women. By taking down the French men one by one in the great hall towards Paris. While doing so they make less noise. But here we can see a true battle between Lagertha who knows how to fight and Gisla who doesn´t know how she is going to battle but also arms her women with a small dagger/knife. Where we can see Lagertha battle. Gisla is not particular good at fighting we haven't seen her fight yet, she is good in politics. 

When this girl power almost kill the guards inside the hall the men show up. When they came through the burning doors of the hall. After the pike car wheel we see Rollo take command first he defeat the wheel then a lot of soldiers alone. What a great warrior he almost singlehandedly take down lots of the soldiers of the French army. But he is blind to see what happens. His eyes are the eyes of Floki who sees what coward Count Oddo does and he reinforce the army. When Floki calls out for Rollo, Rollo started to realise that this is yet another retreat they need to make. Before that Lagertha saves Kalf but it was also a warning to him that she could kill him anytime. While doing the retreat they lose Cedric and Earl Siegfried to the French because they can't reach the gate in time.

Then we have the most interesting part of the episode or should I say the beginning of the end and the beginning of something new. The funny thing in this part is that you could interpret in many ways. Many would say it is the switching of believe who made him there laying in his own blood pool. I agree it could but it wouldn't be me that I doubt about this. He is laying as it starts there as a baby the beginning at the end of the scene he is still the baby but I will tell you why. What we see in this scene is how he became that way and how he will end that way. It is the circle of live they show us. Not only that there is much more in there. This is how I wrote it down in my handwritten book.

Ragnar-Odin-Athelstan-Jesus-Odin-Athelstan-Odin-red-cut in the hand of Ragnar by Odin I  think to made him realise that he doesn't need to ignore the faith he was born in these are the stages he lived in taken as the believes. But there is more to it as far as I can see the changes from Athelstan are also in there.

Then we go to the next stage: laying in a pool of blood like a baby-Athelstan-Jesus-Odin-Jesus-Athelstan-red-crow-human wolf-giant-himself outside of his body-Odin-laying in a pool of blood like a baby. In this you can see the doubt, but also the change in Athelstan's live, the changes of Ragnar himself, circle of live, but also his way how he become a King. He started as just a farmer a crow, he needed to become a human wolf to become Earl, and he needed to become a giant to become King.

That brings me to another link in this episode the scene he is explaining why he has the last judgement. He became Earl by other people's actions (Lagertha). He became King not out of ambition but again he had no choice as result of other people's actions (Rollo, Floki, Bjorn, Siggy) Does he do this to ask forgiveness to Erlendur, Kalf, Floki, Rollo, Lagertha etc. And wasn't the sentence to Athelstan I don't ask for forgiveness but I hope you forgive for what I am about to do. Ragnar got baptized at the end of this episode.

In the scene we are at Wessex and King Eckbert and Judith have an interesting conversation also not about faith but about what might be and what has been. There is one link this episode I could find between Ragnar and Eckbert. Footsteps echo in the memory the scenes Ragnar has is definitely an echo of memory. If we take King Eckbert and Ragnar they are very similar. The emperor of France is as smart as the both of them but in a different way. King Eckbert needs Judith (daughter in law), the emperor needs Gisla (daughter).   

In Kattegat they bring Aslaug a Christian missionary who is actually thinking that he could face the gods who he founds deaf, dumb and blind. Deaf is about Heimdall because his ears are hidden in Yggdrasil, the eye of Odin is there hidden as well. The Cristian also talks about the pagan gods that their made up. When he challenged by Aslaug to let the gods decided what to do with him he accept, the first time he has nothing the second time he burns his hands. Hands that are also get hurt in another scene the scene of execution where a French soldier loses his hand because the executioner pulled his head back.

There are more things I could write about but then I would spoil all the episode so I don't.

©TamaraBakx

Vikings Gamers wanted

http://catalystgamelabs.tumblr.com/post/116474462286/do-you-want-to-playtest-vikings-longships

Hail Vikings fans,

Are you the Viking and Gamer Catalyst Gameslabs is looking for?

Just click on the link to find out if you are that Viking they are looking for.

It is for the table top game Vikings: Longships this one is new in the range to come.

They already had made Vikings Jarl and Vikings Boardgame.

http://catalystgamelabs.tumblr.com/post/116474462286/do-you-want-to-playtest-vikings-longships

©TamaraBakx

SPOILER ALERT Vikings season 4 UPDATE

http://www.history.com/shows/vikings/pictures/season-3-episode-8-to-the-gates/vikings_s3e8_gallery_3

While season 3 is still on TV and the preparation  season 4 are on it´s way.

What can I tell you about season 4 our beloved cast are gathering again in Ireland for preparations and the shooting of the new season 4 will start on 20th of April.

Actors who are already present or on their way to Dublin as far as I can tell are:

Clive Standen (Rollo)

Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha)

Alyssa Sutherland (Aslaug)

Maud Hirst (Helga)
Gustaf Skarsgård (Floki) 
Gee Hirst (Torvi)
Moe Dunford (Eathelwolf)
Edvin Endre (King Horik's son Erlendur)

Amy Bailey (Kwindreth) 

Unknown so far:

Travis Fimmel (Ragnar) I think we can count him in because he need to take back the settlement and conquer Paris

Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn) had preparations in Ontario so I think we can count him in

Ben Robson (Kalf)

Gaia Weiss (Porunn)

Linus Roache (King Eckbert)
Kevin Durand (The Wanderer Habard)

Returning to the directors seats 2nd block filming is Helen Shaver.

Finally I like to say that Clive Standen (Rollo) answered my question. Do you see difference between them and how would you describe them? How is it to work with different directors?

Clive Standen: "Every Director works closely with Michael Hirst but each one always brings a different flavour and style...keeps the show fresh"

©TamaraBakx

MEFCC with Clive Standen (Rollo)

Hail Vikings warriors,

While we attack Paris and could live for a week wondering what is going to happen in next weeks episode. Our Rollo (Clive Standen) was at MEFCC in Dubai. Where he took the opportunity to give the fans half an hour of his time to answer questions to the fans of Vikings on Twitter.

What I do know from other fans questions is that on the 20th of April they start shooting the new season 4. He would love to work with Viggo Mortensen. He thinks he would be a good dad if Rollo becomes one. If you want more details on his answered questions go to:

https://twitter.com/CliveStanden/with_replies

I did ask questions but they weren't answered but the #MEFCC had a funny gadget send my way on twitter you can see the picture below.

Hi there! Here's a custom #MEFCC comic, by @Dubai_Calendar / http://dubaicalendar.com 

©TamaraBakx

With Spoilers Vikings season 3 'To the Gates!'

http://www.history.com/shows/vikings/pictures/season-3-episode-8-to-the-gates/vikings_s3e8_gallery_6

This episode was not only amazing but so very heartbreaking in its own way. I don't know which words I need to use. Simply because Michael Hirst tricked us all. How on earth did he do this. I really thought every main Vikings character was dead except Lagertha, Kalf and Ragnar and the people from England off course because they weren't in this episode. I felt pretty bad about the idea that almost every character will die eventually. But Clive Standen warned us at Comic-Con that every character could and will die in the end. Today was a bad day Bjorn told Ragnar and indeed I was heartbroken by the idea that my beloved characters played by good actors where going to die today. But there are two more episodes and only Michael Hirst and the crew knows what is going to happen.

This episode I take you to the difference Vikings vs. Paris in warfare, battle preparation, and some of the characters. 

Vikings vs. Paris battle preparations

Vikings: The siege towers built on land and go into the water by a wooden road, they have built a wooden crane with ropes to load the ships with goods they need. They use a cage and ram, spears, axe, sword and shield.

Paris: They have thick walls, shields, swords, oil, iron crane.

Vikings vs. Paris warfare

Vikings: The siege towers they use to climb the walls and ladders, cage and ram to get the door open if not possible they use spears, robes and horsepower to  get the door out of the castle, archers as backup.

Paris: the archers are using different material of arrows, oil to set things on fire and to burn attackers, stones to get damage to the cage. 

Characters

Team enter the tower: Lagertha (leader of command), Kalf (leader), Elendur and who  is this chunk of meat Siegfried.

Lagertha starts of with being a good leader to the team.  She was almost in but Kalf took over as a leader, interesting development between the both of them. But the truth is if Kalf didn't save her by knocking her out then she could be death. Luckey we got Kalf to save her although his betrayal of her still hurts. Elendur try to save himself I am not sure if he did.

Team siege tower: Floki (raid leader),  Rollo (leader of a siege tower), Bjorn (leader of a siege tower), Ragnar.

Each personal struggle with feelings, Rollo (love or showing of for the Princess), Bjorn (need to show to his dad he could be a leader without title), Floki (betrayal from Ragnar and the gods) Ragnar (death of Athelstan). They actually made it to get into the city for a very short time. Rollo pushed from the siege tower into the water where we thought we see him drown. Ragnar who in a moment got surrounded and pushed back of the wall of Paris. Dead is also knocking on Floki's door when he puts himself in danger but Floki I will catch up on later. How Bjorn got hurt that badly I can't figure out yet.

Floki thinks he betray by gods and Athelstan. Floki tells the gods you know who I am! I still think he is Loki and it could be because if Ragnar is Odin's eye. Odin did betray Loki to bound him because he had done way too  many tricks on the gods. Floki still believes in the gods but doesn't understand why the gods left him after a great sacrifice he made in killing Athelstan. He did everything for the gods. Funny in this situation is that you do have that with jesus in the bible he asks to god why did you betray me? Isn't it exactly what he heard before he was killing Athelstan in his prayer. The dead people surrounding him makes him scared and that is why he fled into the burning tower. He realise it could be everyone's dead and he put that many lives and families in danger. He want to sacrifice himself with knives. After a while I was already thinking he was dead we see him with Helga and in that split second that he was only thinking about himself Helga still don't understand what is so special about Floki.

What I like about Gisla is that she is a commander for sure she can convince anyone to do what she orders. We saw that in last episode and in this episode even more. Like the Oriflamme banner she convinced the priest to bless it. It is the secret banner of Saint-Denis bathed in the blood of Martys. To find out more about this: http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/oriflamm.htm

Last but not least I would like to share a source with you if you want to have facts about numbers of actors, candles, siege towers etc. go and read this source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vikings-take-paris-a-by-787064 after reading this article I know that next season will be more and more impressive than this season.

I want to show you some of the art work as well the source of this art work is Entertainment Weekly I would recommend you to take a look at the picture below. Amazing stuff this week.

http://www.ew.com/2015/04/08/vikings-paris-history-axe-time

©TamaraBakx

With Spoilers Vikings season 3 'Paris'

http://www.history.com/shows/vikings/pictures/season-3-episode-7-paris/vikings_s3e7_gallery_3

'Tomorrow we attack Paris' Floki says in the promo. In Paris we see new characters and with new characters we meet new scenery,  and new cast members. 

We get introduced with Count Oddo, Emperor Charles of France and Gisla. Count Oddo want to protect Paris and try to get the Emperor out of Paris. The Emperor and Gisla decided to stay in Paris no matter what will happen because they don't want to abandoned the people of Paris. He doesn't want any help from his brothers because he want to have proved himself that he is like his great-grandfather. Gisla will be the spokesperson to the people of Paris, Count Oddo has done his preparation and knows how to offer for the of Paris in food and water. What we see in Paris is that they speak Latin instead of France.

http://www.history.com/shows/vikings/pictures/season-3-episode-7-paris/vikings_s3e7_gallery_6

But we start this new episode in an interesting setting in the boat with Floki who last week killed Athelstan in favour of the Gods and Ragnar who knows Floki killed his best friend out of jealousy. In seeking revenge Ragnar puts Floki into charged of this Paris mission. Something that will bring Floki pressure turning him into madness it makes him week, he feels important and that makes him enormous strong in a couple of ways. He loves his job and even tells his deed to Helga what makes here place weaker. He didn't keep it for himself because he was proud of what he did. The difference between the Floki season 2 and season 3 is that in season 2 he did everything to protect his child and Helga in season 3 with his confession he puts his whole family in danger.

Someone else who is living on the edge of enemy states is Bjorn especially his relationship between him and Torvi. Where the ex-wife of Jarl Borg Torvi is now the wife of Erlendur both brought by Earl Kalf to get the Lothbroks out-of-the-way it is fun to see how these two still love each other because Erlendur is treating her as bad as possible. While she likes Bjorn she would in my opinion never hurt the Lothbroks. Erlendur is the one to watch out for. He hasn't learned a thing from Siggy when he was young.

That brings me to Rollo who has indeed an invading plan of Paris although he wasn't the only one thinking about it when he was still in Kattegat. What we see is coöperation between the different teams after they had tried to come with the boat near the fortress Paris. The differences are not aside at all when they talk about the plan how to invade. What we do see is that Floki hasn't got a clue and if he had paid attention and asked Ragnar what he could expect he wouldn't have helped him. Ragnar wants to see Floki's downfall. 

The warfare used is a tactic they invented with simultaneous attacks on both land and water, tower and gates, river point attacks, and scaling walls. We don't know if this was always a tactic of the Vikings but when they start to write about it we are already in the 1100 A.D. but if we do some research about it you will find out that this warfare is from father to son. We saw it already in the warfare of the battle of Mercia they could have chosen to battle both sides. 

I will now turn over to King Eckbert. He is one of the persons who doesn't believe in friends, he does believe in alliances to finally call himself Bretwalda, King of Kings, King of whole England. King Eckbert sends his son away to Mercia after he got angry with Judith. King Eckbert will protect Judith no matter what. That is because he believes she chosen by God to  give birth to the new-born child like the Virgin Maria. After they find out that Six nobles killed in Mercia and Eathelwolf needs to get things right in Mercia. Princess Kwindreth got a surprise for him. She gave birth to a child Magnus (Barefoot) the child is from Ragnar. She knows what will happen when Ragnar returns from his raids to get his settlement back and he  will find alliances in Mercia. King Eckbert plans are also to overthrow King Aella.

Then there is a scene between Porunn and Aslaug. Aslaug tells Porunn to not abandoned her child. Wow was that really Aslaug is she finally seeing things and is she able to cope with here children alone? The one who almost killed her own to get what she desired. Aslaug tells Porunn what burden they must bear in all times with children.  

©TamaraBakx