Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 19

The Battle of Ketil’s Farm

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 19 is what the kids in my Discord server call “peak.” Now, I don’t think it’s actually the best episode of the series. However, it does showcase a lot of what makes the series so good.

There’s action, drama, character development — everything. And to start this review, we’re going to look at the character development. Specifically, we’re going to look at the development of Snake and his men. Since the battle of Ketil’s farm is about to begin, it’s time for these soldiers to prove their worth.

So, one of the first things we learn is that Snake is the only “real” soldier among his men. The others have combat experience, for sure. But, when Fox and Snake are scouting out the King’s forces, Fox doesn’t realize how much trouble they’re in.

Yes, Fox knows that Thorgil is strong, so the Royal Guard are going to be strong, as well. And he knows they stand no chance against the Jomsvikings. But, he didn’t even recognize that’s who the soldiers in white cloaks were. He just doesn’t have the same level of experience as Snake does.

And yet, after learning that there’s no way they’ll win the battle, Snake’s men stand with him. They’re afraid, yes. But, Snake gave them the chance to flee and they chose not to. At the end of the day, they have their honor. And, if you pay attention, you can actually see this group on the battlefield in the OP.

Now, where Snake’s development comes in is when he reveals his relation to Ketil. Iron Fist Ketil actually trained Snake. He’s a real person. But, he’s not the same Ketil that owns the farm. And yet, Snake is going to fight by Ketil’s side.

350 vs. 100

Ketil Managed to muster 350 men. But, with the exception of Snake’s small group, they’re mostly farmers. Thorgil is the only other one with real combat experience. And Thorgil is likely the strongest man on Ketil’s side. I have a feeling he could defeat Snake.

On Canute’s side, there are only 100 men. But, the catch is that these men are Royal Guards and Jomsvikings. That means they’re the strongest warriors in northern Europe. So, even with a numbers advantage, Ketil’s forces stand no chance. And Thorgil is counting on that.

Even though Ketil’s men are going to get slaughtered, Thorgil still plans on winning. As he explains to Olmar, his strategy is to use the other men as a distraction. While Canute’s men are focused on them, Thorgil and Olmar are going to launch a sneak attack.

I never expected Thorgil to be the kind of man to use sneak attacks. He seems like someone who would want to be on the frontlines of any battlefield. But, he’s actually a far better strategist than I (and Snake) thought. Maybe I should have expected that from a former Royal Guard, though.

Anyway, Thorgil and Olmar were going to get in the ocean and swim around behind Canute. Then, they can launch their surprise attack and take out the King, thus ending the battle. But, there are two problems with Thorgil’s plan. And the first of those problems is Olmar’s inability to swim with a sword on his back.

The second problem is that I don’t think killing Canute would end the battle. It might cause the Royal Guard to break rank. But, the Jomsvikings wouldn’t stop. And then instead of being banished for 10 years, Ketil’s family would get executed. Not the smartest strategy.

Crossing the Boundary

I know a lot of people are going to think the best part of Episode 19 was the action. But, I’m here to tell you that’s not the case. The best part of Episode 19 was the scene of Arnheid, Gardar, and her children in the wagon.

In this scene, we see Arnheid crossing over into the afterlife. Gardar and Hjalti are there because they’ve already crossed over before her. This was meant to show that she’s joining them now. But, what about the other child? Gardar and Arnheid only had one child that we know of.

That other child is Arnheid’s unborn baby. Obviously, if Arnheid dies, so too will that child. She’s not far enough along for the baby to be born alive even if she dies. And, that’s confirmed by something Gardar says a bit later.

But, before we discuss dead babies further, the part of this scene that really made it great was when we saw the deer. Arnheid starts talking about how even in this forest of death, life is clinging on. And we got a very scenic shot of the dear accompanied by some amazing music.

Alright, so back to the dead baby. After Arnheid’s little speech, Gardar tells her she needs to go back and thank those who helped her. But, importantly, he says that he and the children will be waiting for her on the other side. The implication here is that Arnheid lost her unborn baby due to the beating.

This ruins my theory that Einar was going to raise the baby with her. But, at least Arnheid is alive. So, Einar could still end up marrying her. Well, that is if Arnheid actually survives. Based on the next episode preview, I’m not expecting her to last.

Conclusion

What do you think of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 19? Were you surprised that Snake knew the truth about Ketil? Do you think Olmar is going to flee the farm with Thorfinn’s group? And, are you expecting Arnheid to survive? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 20 is available now.