In recent times, there have been a number of television series that have transported audiences to the age of the Viking. An age of the rising and falling of kingdoms in a cycle of never ending conflict, have made for brilliant television. However, The Last Kingdom for all its bloodshed in the quest of glory, sought peace ultimately in the formation of a united England. Based on Bernard Cornwell's best-selling book series, the series aired its final season in March 2022.
The Last Kingdom tells the tale of Uhtred Ragnarson (Alexander Dreymon), born a Saxon but raised a Dane, and is forever caught in the crossfire of the conflicts that plagues both people groups by virtue of his bloodline and upbringing. The series wrapped with Uhtred finally reclaiming his ancestral seat as the ruler over Bebbanburg. It is a quest that had largely defined his person throughout the show and seemed a fitting ending to the saga. However, a feature length film titled Seven Kings Must Die was announced to conclude the epic tale of a valiant warrior. The film sees Uhtred once again take up arms to fight for a unified England with the ultimate showdown occurring at Battle of Brunanburh where he is injured. Speaking to RadioTimes, Dreymon revealed satisfaction at the story's ending saying, "I'm actually very happy with the way that it ends because there's that ambiguity."
The last we see of Uhtred has him in his ancestral home and on his deathbed, torn between the great halls of Odin in Valhalla where true Vikings feast and the land of the living surrounded by those he holds most dear in the world. The final scene left a bit of ambiguity but showed a man who had lived "a full life" according to Dreymon. "You see everything that he's fought for his whole life and he's believed in… because the idea of Valhalla and heaven has been such a big character in the show in a way. And that he has the option of going to the feast hall – that he aches for so much – is beautiful to see. But it really shows that he's a man who's had a full life and who is loved by the people who are still there," the actor says. On Uhtred's final decison, he adds it would be a fitting end either way, "It's such a big thing for him to have that choice. To be able to decide: 'Do I stay with the people that I love here or do I stay with the people that I love there?' And ultimately, it's all going to be okay."
Lord of Bebbanburg
The plot line of the series and the feature film emerge from the aforementioned Cornwell's Saxon Stories book series. Bebbanburg, Uhtred's family seat is tailored after a real place from the histories. Now called Bamburgh, it was the seat of power of the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria on the Northeast coast of England which is now called Northumberland.
You can watch The Last Kingdom and Seven Kings Must Die on Netflix.