Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 13

Living Like We’re Free

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 13 features a new OP. My initial reaction was that this OP is worse than the previous OP. Mainly, that was because I prefer the previous song; this OP has great visuals. But, after watching it a few more times, I’m liking the new OP more.

Enough about the OP, though. Let’s get into the episode. After Sverkel collapses in his field, the mistress sends Arnheid to take care of him. And, for the first time since becoming a slave, Arnheid felt as if she was free again.

That’s a bit of an exaggeration, I’m sure. But, what she meant was that this was the first time she was able to enjoy a meal. Under normal circumstances, slaves don’t get to eat meals like this. But, Sverkel doesn’t like the idea of having slaves. So, everyone is equal in his home.

What I liked most about this whole scene, however, was how it sets up the life Einar isn’t going to have. As we know, Einar is in love with Arnheid. But, as we also now know, Arnheid is already married. So, in this scene, Einar gets a glimpse at family life with her, and later has it ripped away.

I’ll discuss Arnheid’s husband more later in this review. But since I brought him up, did you realize that’s who he was during the opening scene? If you didn’t there were some hints.

We see both Arnheid and her husband with their son in the OP. Now, sure, Arnheid’s husband hasn’t had a haircut in a while. But, once he said that he was looking for a woman at the end of the opening scene, it should have been obvious. What other female character is there who you can name?

Thorfinn Finds God

Apparently, Thorfinn is interested in the Bible. I guess that makes sense considering the time period and his newfound hatred of violence. Though, I’m going to guess he hasn’t yet heard all the violent parts of the Bible. He might change his mind about Christianity once he does.

Where did Thorfinn learn about Christianity from? Snake and Sverkel. Snake has been reading the Bible to Sverkel and Thorfinn has been eavesdropping on them. We’re also told by Einar that Snake is doing this because Sverkel can’t read. But, it’s unclear what exactly that means.

Does Einar mean Sverkel can’t read at all? We’ve certainly never seen him read, so that could be the case. Or, does he mean that Sverkel can’t read due to his ailing health? That seems more likely to me considering Sverkel owns a book. Books weren’t cheap during this time — why have one you can’t read?

The fact that Snake reads the Bible to Sverkel is weird. But, when asked about his relationship with the old man by Thorfinn, he says there is no relationship. All he wants is to inherit the Bible from Sverkel so he can sell it.

As I mentioned, a book like that isn’t cheap. So Snake could definitely sell it for a good amount of money. But, I don’t believe he was telling the truth when he said that. My impression is that Snake is a Christian convert and that’s why he’s taking care of Sverkel.

What evidence do I have for that? First of all, Snake is educated; he can read. So he doesn’t seem like some random soldier. Also, we’ve seen multiple times throughout the season that Snake reads the Bible on his own. Sverkel may have introduced the Bible to him.

Arnheid’s Husband

It’s time to talk about Arnheid’s husband, Gardar. He’s the slave we see escape from another farm at the start of the episode. And, he did more than simply escape. He killed his master and his master’s sons. But, he did let a woman and child go free.

It’s unclear who this woman and child are. Is the woman the wife of the master or one of his sons? Or, is she a slave who’s charged with taking care of the family’s baby? We don’t know. But, the fact that Gardar spares them appears to be important.

As I pointed out earlier, the OP depicts Gardar, Arnheid, and their son. So, I don’t think Gardar spared the woman and child on a whim. My guess is that he spared them because they reminded him of his own wife and child.

But, where is Gardar’s child now? There are two possibilities. Either the child is dead or the child was sold separately from either of his parents. I have no idea which is right. However, I’m going to predict that the child is dead. Though, it’s possible that we never find out. Gardar and Arnheid may not know the fate of their son.

So, now that Gardar is here, does that mean Einar’s chances of being with Arnheid are gone? No. There are a few ways those two could still end up together. And one is if Gardar dies, which I find pretty likely.

Though, what I kind of find more likely is that slavery changed Gardar. Vinland Saga is all about how war and suffering affect people. So, I could see Arnheid not recognizing the violent man her husband has become. She may not like that he’s a murderer now. Einar would never do that.

Conclusion

What do you think of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 13? Do you like the new OP or the previous OP more? What about the ED? Do you think Snake is a converted Christian? And does Einar still have a chance with Arnheid? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on your social media of choice — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 14 is available now.