REVIEW: ‘Vikings Valhalla’ Season 2 Keeps Expanding Its World

Vikings Valhalla opened up the world of the franchise that found great success on The History Channel. With Kattegat serving as the true international hub for trade reflected in the new problems and people in the story, the first season of the Netflix Original series set the stage nearly perfectly. Set over a thousand years ago in the early 11th century, viewers met explorer Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), his fiery and headstrong sister Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), and the ambitious Nordic prince Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter). Now, Vikings Valhalla Season 2 finds our heroes shortly after the tragic fall of Kattegat; an event that has shattered their dreams and altered their destinies—finding themselves suddenly fugitives in Scandinavia, they are forced to test their ambitions and courage in worlds beyond the fjords of Kattegat. Fighting to survive, for their thrones, for their faith, and to find a reason to keep living.

Like last season, the eight-episode season order is what holds Vikings Valhalla Season 2 back from being something truly great. Like the series before it, the creative team manages to tell multiple stories across one timeline. Paths are connected, and people impact each other hundreds of miles apart, but because of how small the episode count is, there isn’t enough space to explore each narrative dynamically. Leif has love and loses it again, however, the lack of build-up makes it hard to feel something. Harald is closer to getting his army to win back the throne of Norway, but his success comes at the sacrifice of more interesting characters introduced this season.

The only lead with any bite is Freydis. She has power now, vengeance, and represents her people, and she won it through battle as much as through the love the people have for her. However, her final battle with Olaf lacks much of the weight that we’ve seen in one-on-one battles. While Freydis is her own character, it’s hard not to compare her battles to Lagertha’s, especially when there are so many elements here that were seen in the first Vikings series. Freydis has so much potential and here, we see some of it. She fights harder and wins against men and women. She moves people. She keeps the faith. And more importantly, her identity as a mother isn’t something that keeps her from being a warrior but a reason for her to fight even more.

There is something missing from Vikings Valhalla Season 2. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but while the first season was a worthy successor to the franchise that began on the History Channel, this second season leaves me wanting more but not in a good way. Each main character is missing something from them, and that is due in large part to how pared down their complexities became in Vikings Valhalla Season 2’s narrative. This doesn’t mean that the series is bad. It just means that it has so much to offer, and Netflix would do well to order larger seasons to allow it to thrive.

All in all, I’m still all in on Vikings Valhalla with Season 2, and I wish I could see into what the next season has planned. However, it’s always hard to watch a series stand in its own way. With great action, an intriguing cast, and a more expansive world, Vikings Valhalla Season 2 could have been great, but for now, the series will have to settle with being just fine.

Vikings Valhalla Season 2 is streaming now on Netflix.