Reviews

I'm up to episode 7 from the 1st season, and I still haven't found a reason to keep on watching. 7 episodes should be enough chance, but I keep waiting for an interesting plot line to reveal itself, or a twist to give me a glimpse of the show's probable depth and potential, or a character to at least seem like one I could feel drawn to, or one that could spark some wonder and admiration at some point. But I haven't found myself wondering - or caring about - what's going to happen next once so far. The show's just empty, slow and boring. Some parts (like Ragnar's visions) and characters (like Floki and the seer) seem like a joke, out of tone with the rest of the show; childish, even. I decided to stop wasting my time, and I'm glad I did, after seing all the bad reviews for the final season - I do not want to relive GoT's disappointment!! I first gave it a try because of all the undeserved good ratings, and specially because of people comparing it to The Last Kingdom, which is, along with Breaking Bad, one of the best shows I've watched, but there is nothing to compare.

I absolutely loved this show. I have no negative remarks to make about it. I have to say I felt tempted to stop watching it and didn't find the main character very likeable at the beginning, I couldn't see how I would be able to connect with him further along. And then I did. The story is captivating. The way all the different events develop and concatenate, and the pace at which they unfold, are just right. There are no boring, senseless filler side plots, and none of the easy, irrelevant and predictable resources writers so commonly make use of to create controversy and get attention for the wrong reasons. The production has good quality. This is the result of professionals not taking the easy way and actually working to make good TV. Everything that happens has significance, I was engaged the whole time. All actors delivered good performances. There are good, interesting characters, and I particularly liked the way the main character was developed. I don't cry easily with movies and series, and this is not drama, but I became so involved and so moved by different situations, I found myself crying a lot while watching this. It's a very well made show; a good story, that is well told; and it is very satisfying to watch.

Everything revolves around one single subject in all ten episodes. There's no plot, really, no story. There are no interesting characters, the dialogues are weak - in form and in substance - and the performances are well below average, with maybe two or three exceptions. I agree with other reviewers who have described it as "soapy", and those who have pointed out how dark the picture is. It's inevitable to compare it to GoT without quickly seeing how inferior it is. The script, the production, the cast. I watched the entire season and had to push myself to get to the end, because I don't like to stop half way, but I found it hard to stay engaged.

This is not a show I would recommend to everybody. It has its audience. It is slow-paced, and it doesn't have this one single main character or story that you actually expect to find and feel compelled to follow through the whole thing, so I can see why it might not be particularly appealing to some people. But I think it's brilliant, in a different, more subtle way. I watched season 1 twice; liked it better the second time around; and am hopeful that we'll get a third season. All performances are impeccable.

Seing Dakota Fanning in the cast was one of my motivations for watching the show. I've been very unimpressed by her performance, though. The plot itself sparks interest and is entertaining, but Daniel Brühl is the real reason I've kept up with it. He's outstanding as Dr. Kreizler. Inexplicably, he became Sara Howard's sidekick on season 2, which is a tiring feminist cliché... And I'm a woman.