REVIEW: ‘Vinland Saga’ Season 2 Episode 3 – “Snake”

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 3 is an action-adventure drama anime based on Makoto Yukimura’s historical award-winning manga series. Vinland Saga is animated by Studio MAPPA and directed by Shuuhei Yabuta (Attack on Titan). The voice cast of Vinland Saga Season 2 includes Shunsuke Takeuchi as Einar, Yuuto Uemura as Thorfinn, Mayumi Sako as Arnheid, and Kensho Ono as Canute. 

Previously Einar met Thorfinn, and they began to forge a path toward earning their freedom. Although the farm they are owned by does not seem to be the worst place, it is clear not everyone on the farm is as fair and understanding as their master.

In Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 3, two of the retainers, Fox and Badger, take the master’s son, Olmar, to the fighting ring near their fortress to get him drunk. Olmar accuses the two men of being reckless and challenges them to a fight but is quickly defeated and bursts into tears. He breaks down and drunkenly complains that no one respects him as a man. Fox and Badger pressure Olmar to kill Einar and Thorfinn to prove himself as a man.

Vinland Saga Episode 3 is similar to the previous two episodes regarding the absence of action. Although there are no big fights in this episode, the show continues to make up for it with its storytelling. Vinland Saga’s storytelling is one of the series’ most vital selling points, and it is about so much more than just action and bloodshed. The compelling storytelling keeps me coming back to this show each week. 

So far, Season 2’s storytelling has been highly entertaining, and Episode 3 is an excellent example of that. The show seamlessly introduces new and different characters from various walks of life in every episode without making the show cast feel overstuffed.

All the while telling the story from their perspective as the overarching plot develops. The tensions between the retainers, farmhands, and enslaved people will eventually come to a head this season. However, I enjoy watching the conflict build each episode as it reveals their motivations. 

A central topic Episode 3 explored is the value of life and death. Throughout the episode, various characters express their opinions on life and death. For example, in an attempt to teach Olmar a lesson, Fox, says everyone is afraid to die and therefore values their life. To prove his point, he slices Thorfinn several times with his sword, hoping to get a reaction out of him. 

In contrast, Thorfinn does not fear death and no longer seems to value his life. In one scene, after having withstood the onslaught of abuse from Fox’s sword without flinching, Thorfinn wonders why he should be afraid of dying because he believes nothing good has come from him being alive. Thorfinn has reached a point where not long fears death, not out of arrogance but because he does not have much of a will to live anymore. 

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 3 tells a tense and gripping story, and the overarching conflict continues to build up. Although Season 2 continues to lack in the action department, it makes up for it with thought-provoking storytelling and captivating characters. 

Vinland Saga streams weekly on Netflix and Crunchyroll.