Vinland Saga Season 2 Episodes 1-3 review 2023

On the day Einar lost everything, he had no idea what a "Thorfinn" was, and he couldn't use a map to point out Iceland. The Vinland Saga's first season made it easy to forget that Einar's quest for revenge was not exceptional in 11th-century Europe, where the specter of death and warfare loomed over many thousands of people. What distinguishes men like Thorfinn from men like Einar is how they responded to tragedy. Thorfinn gave up his future and humanity for revenge, while Einar, his mother, and his sister banded together to love each other and keep living.

Regardless of their different paths, both Einar and Thorfinn end up in the same place because of the endless cycle of war. This time, war wears the face of the Danes instead of the English, and Einar suffers the indignity of slavery after watching the slaughter of his family. Thorfinn, once fiery and defiant, now takes the abuses and indignities thrust upon him without so much as a glance. He has become unmoored from his life's purpose and believes nothing good has ever happened to him. Ketil's son Olmar, moody and arrogant, is wracked with insecurity over finding a direction in life. He believes he is destined for more than life as a mere landowner and farmer, but he's headed down the same road of being caught up in the life of a killer.

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episodes 1-3 review 2023

However, Einar exemplifies everything Thorfinn and Olmar are not. He rejects the valor and allure of war and has a natural inclination towards believing in a world that upholds justice over the right of might. When told that he can "earn his freedom" with enough profitable work, he commits to his new profession wholeheartedly. Even though he still harbors fear and anger towards the Danes for slaughtering his family, he believes that everyone is the same when working together in the fields. Einar has found a reason to keep living and believes there is a path forward for him.

Some fans of the first season may balk at the relatively bloodless direction of the Vinland Saga, where the bursts of violence are petty and cruel affairs. As of yet, the show has not delivered the same pulse-pounding battles that took up so much of the first season.