The Vikings go all out for a second assault on Paris. Recognizing the desperate state of affairs for his city, Emperor Charles must make a difficult decision. In Wessex, Judith is compelled to make a difficult decision of her own.
Despite his selfish and reckless decision to risk thousands of viking warrior's lives just to prove a point to Floki, Ragnar was still committed to conquering Paris at the end of the last episode. To get from that state of mind to making a deal with the French is a big transition. The first assault on the city failed. That shook Floki to his very core while thousands of warriors were either killed or wounded - including Bjorn. And yet, Ragnar was still determined to breach the city and explore its beauty. The second major raid on Paris is much more of a stealth attack in the cover of night and shadows. But it reaches the same outcome as before.The only thing that has really changed for Ragnar is his failing body. Allowing Floki to take charge of that first battle was a very risky move that proved to have serious complications for Ragnar. He was valiantly able to safe Bjorn as well as get a glimpse of the beauty of the city. And yet, fighting to get that moment broke him in a way that he hasn't experienced before in battle. Oftentimes, the show does have a problem with Ragnar being too right in terms of strategy in battle. In this case, that isn't entirely the case. He allowed his warriors to go into battle knowing that it very likely wouldn't end with success. He did that just to get Floki to calm down in his demented ways. The consequences of that strategy are much larger than the benefits though. The size of Ragnar's army has been weakened while he himself is now barely able to stand up straight. He is a warrior who will always fight alongside his comrades. In this instance, he is unable to do so. His ego got in the way of the effective and smart strategy. And now, he is paying for that.
Ragnar is still king of the vikings though. He is the man who decides what they do and how they do it. Everyone already him is still committed to conquering Paris as well. They are the ones who go into battle a second time and see what other types of defense mechanisms the French have. However, Ragnar simply hasn't been thinking clearly since Athelstan's death. He had his moment of retribution in seeing Floki be so wrong in battle. And yet, that moment has damaged him as well. He is yearning for that friendship again. He sees conquering Paris as the means of filling that void because that's what their last few interactions were about. However, Ragnar isn't capable of returning to the battlefield. He's brought to his knees in immense pain. He is the crippled warrior huddled in a ball in the field. He still holds all the power but he physically is weak. He sees death right around the corner. It would be a game-changing move to kill off Ragnar now - given that the show has already been renewed for Season 4. And yet, the episode does enough to get the audience into Ragnar's headspace and why he might belief that his days may be numbered. When he's lying in that field, all he wants is to talk to Athelstan one more time. He's not able to because Floki killed him and Ragnar's recent actions have become so destructive.
When Ragnar sees a vision of Athelstan, it's not a pleasant hallucination of his best friend. It is a violent experience cut together with quick edits and a look of severe judgment on Athelstan's face. Ragnar was simply trying to avenge his fallen friend and has failed spectacularly. It's because of that feeling that he's willing to reach out to the French. Hear what they have to offer to them and ask to be baptized. Ragnar wanting to receive this sacrament is entirely about him wanting to be closer to Athelstan. Their connection has faded in the aftermath of his death and Ragnar desperately wants to fill that void again. Athelstan's faith gave him clarity in his final hours of life. And now, Ragnar is hoping the same will happen for him.
It's an act that pushes Ragnar even further away from the other people in his life who he cares about. He rushes to the meeting with the French without giving any of his fellow warriors a chance to follow. He knows how they would react to such a thing. Getting baptized is very personal to him. It's an act that he hopes will bring him closer to Athelstan. It's not an act of him embracing the christian God over the viking gods. He has embraced both religious beliefs willingly over the course of this season. The French may still see him as a monster. But he heads into that negotiation with Athelstan's cross hanging around his neck. He desperately wants this. The French have no understanding of the inner turmoil he is going through. They believe he is going straight to Hell and doesn't deserve to receive this blessed sacrament. They still compile because it's in the city's best interests.
So the negotiations end with everyone seemingly getting what they want. The French are desperate to get the vikings to go back to their home. They are willing to pay them off just so they can heal and replenish their food rations. After another failed attempt to break into the city, the vikings are starting to realize that it may be a hopeless mission after all. The morales on both sides of this war have started to fade. They aren't as passionate as they were during the initial siege. Such is the consequence of war. The wear of battle is starting to get to them. They still passionately fight to uphold their views. But the action sequences are largely lingering and intimate which stand in contrast to last week's epic siege.
The rest of the vikings aren't sure if they should appease the French by accepting their call to end the fighting. Rollo and Bjorn recognize that the French reaching out is actually a gesture that they are more vulnerable than they were before. They need to end this fighting and that could be the opening the vikings been looking for to get into the city. It's still ultimately Ragnar's decision. He can barely stand but he still needs to exert his power and influence in regards to this decision. He's desperately trying to hold onto his position as king. Without that, he would never be able to be baptized. He needs to be the one to represent the vikings because he needs something that his comrades simply couldn't understand. Ultimately they don't. As his head is plunged under the waters, Lagertha, Rollo and Floki watch in disdain. To them, this is a betrayal to their people. Now, they might have reason to see Ragnar as being unfit to rule as king. As Ragnar himself said, he had to take over the responsibilities as king for the sake of all the vikings. He didn't want the power but he gladly embraced it. Now, his closest friends will have to decide if he still deserves that power. After this betrayal, that seems very unlikely.
Some more thoughts:
- "Breaking Point" was written by Michael Hirst and directed by Ken Girotti.
- This season has strongly been about how Floki sees religion. So it was important to have that subplot exploring how the rest of the viking people see christians. It's because of that that Ragnar's baptism carries more weight as an action against the whole viking community.
- Seeing Aslaug as a ruler who has to make decisions over disputes amongst the people back in Kattegat was a different side of her character. She had power in those scenes which is a quality she usually doesn't have. She had a vision of the missionary being successful at the test. And yet, she still ordered his execution. The story didn't make her more interesting, but it was also a necessary component of the episode.
- It was easy to guess that the earl captured by the French would use the man holding his hair back to inflict more pain on the French people. And yet, it still was very shocking and wonderful to see.
- King Ecbert has also made it known that he wants Judith to be his mistress and only then he will offer his protection to her and her children. The stuff happening in England just doesn't feel all that connected to the rest of the show anymore.
- Apparently, Horik's son survived the battle from last week which means only extras died during the first siege on Paris.
- Lagertha making her way down that hallway taking out all of those soldiers and making sure she didn't get caught was very impressive.
