Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 21

When Boys Become Men

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 21 wasn’t as depressing as some of the recent episodes have been. Sure, Olmar still had a good cry. But, it’s not like anything happened to any of the characters we know and love this week. Well, unless you count Oddny’s dad.

In case you somehow forgot who Oddny is, she’s Olmar’s “girlfriend.” Well, girlfriend might not be the right word here. She’s the girl Olmar was sleeping with toward the start of the season. And her parents wanted Olmar to marry her because that would increase their own status.

Well, Oddny’s dad lost both his hands in the battle against Canute’s army. And when he sees Olmar, Oddny’s dad begs him to take care of his family. So, does this mean Olmar will finally take Oddny as his wife? It’s possible. But, I think it’s more likely that we’ll never see Oddny again.

Enough about Oddny. Olmar is the star of the first half of Episode 21. With Ketil incapacitated, Olmar is the de-facto head of the clan. That’s right, it’s not Thorgil. And there are likely two reasons for this. Though, these two reasons do appear to be related.

The first is that Thorgil isn’t around much. Until the recent developments, Thorgil was away as one of Canute’s soldiers. So, it makes sense that Ketil wouldn’t leave his farm to Thorgil. Thorgil already has a profession as a soldier and likely wouldn’t have any interest in running a farm.

But, the second reason may be the true reason. Ketil isn’t a warrior. Remember, he stole the name “Iron Fist Ketil” from another man. So, the other reason he likely named Olmar as his successor is that he identifies with Olmar. He sees himself in Olmar and not in Thorgil.

What’s Next for Snake?

Once Olmar became head of the clan, he chose to surrender to Canute. His reasoning is that he doesn’t want to see anyone else die — and he doesn’t want to die. He doesn’t care what happens to the farm or himself as long as he gets to live.

Obviously, Thorgil doesn’t agree with this choice and storms off. But, Snake chooses to stick by Olmar’s side and even goes with him to meet Canute. This seems to mark a turning point for Snake. Though, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s just going along with whatever Olmar says.

It’s true that Snake is loyal to Ketil and his family. When he first arrived at the farm and learned that Ketil wasn’t Iron Fist Ketil, Ketil allowed him to stay. And Snake took him up on that offer because it was better than a life of war.

But, even though Snake was glad to not have to fight, he still has his honor. When Ketil wanted to fight Canute’s army, Snake stood by his side. And when Thorgil was talking about continuing the fight, Snake said he would continue, as well. So, why did he suddenly side with Olmar?

Is Olmar’s new status as the head of the clan the reason for Snake’s allegiance? Not quite. All Olmar’s status did was allow Snake to follow him without seeming like he was betraying the clan. In reality, Snake chose to follow Olmar because he respects Olmar’s decision.

Snake isn’t the same kind of warrior as Thorgil. He doesn’t blame anyone for not wanting to die on the battlefield. He’ll go to war, but he doesn’t want to die in battle like Thorgil does. That’s why we saw him announce the retreat. In Olmar, Snake sees a man who values life.

The Slave and the King

The second half of the episode is about Thorfinn attempting to speak to Canute. He wants to convince Canute to leave the farm alone. Despite Ketil not exactly being a good guy, Thorfinn still wants to repay the kindness he was shown on the farm.

Based on the next episode preview, we know that Thorfinn gets his audience with Canute. But, I’m not expecting Thorfinn to be able to change Canute’s mind. Canute does remember him, showing that Thorfinn made an impact. However, neither man is the same as they were 4 years ago.

Thorfinn is no longer someone Canute has to fear. He’s not the violent person who didn’t care about authority that he was in the past. And, similarly, Canute isn’t the cowardly prince he was back then, either. He’s now the King of Denmark and England.

I think that when Canute sees Thorfinn, he’ll realize this isn’t the same Thorfinn he once knew. I’m not sure how he’ll react to that. But, it’s going to be pretty obvious to him that Thorfinn is a changed man. And I could see Canute viewing Thorfinn’s change in personality as a sign of weakness.

However, even if Canute doesn’t stop the war because of Thorfnn, the war will stop. Olmar is already heading to Canute to surrender. And, this might be where Thorfinn can finally make a difference. He may be able to convince Canute to show leniency to Olmar.

Also, let’s not forget that Thorgil is still out there somewhere. Is he still planning on trying to assassinate Canute? If so, Thorfinn might also be able to convince Canute to spare Thorgil’s life. You know, because I can’t see Thorgil actually killing Canute. Thorfinn may even stop Thorgil.

Conclusion

What do you think of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 21? Do you think Olmar will remain as the head of the clan even after Ketil recovers? Will Snake continue to serve Olmar after Canute hands down his punishment? And how do you think Canute will react to seeing Thorfinn? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 22 is available now.