The Last Kingdom

[CoffeeAndOranges]

Anyone watching this? Always wish they would do these things in Old English & Old Norse with subtitles. Matthew Mcfadyen's a bit posh for it. And what was the boy in?

No idea what to expect so hopefully it'll be good!

Alfred has such charisma despite being surrounded by much more handsome and physically intimidating men.

Young Ragnar, similarly to his late family, is so cool. There is no way in hell that an impressionable young man would choose duty over him.

'There is no way in hell that an impressionable young man would choose duty over him.'

He did, though. He was not so much impressionable as very stubborn and hard-headed.

Despite how he felt about Alfred at first, and it wasn't good on either side, he never outrightly betrayed any oath he made to him. He ran away, he thought about it, he was very tempted, but he never fought against Alfred. Ragnar the Younger, like his father, was very easygoing and forgiving, though, and also respected any oaths he made. Also in the book, by the time Ragnar meets up with him again, Uhtred is married to a Saxon woman and cannot leave either her as well as being sworn to Alfred. Both Ragnar and Brida complain that Alfred trapped Uhtred, which he very cleverly did, but Uhtred sees it as his fate. Destiny is everything.

A big part of why Uhtred always fought for Saxons, aside from being one himself, destiny and being sworn to Alfred, is that as a Saxon he was seen as a lord in his own right. This was not dependent upon Danish charity or recognition but by law. Ragnar once asked Uhtred to swear an oath to him. Uhtred could not, he had already sworn himself to Alfred. But he is quite upset by the very proposition because a) Ragnar is a brother to Uhtred, not an overlord b) Uhtred was an ealdorman by right, and ealdorman only take kings as overlords, not their equals.

How old do you think Uhtred and Brida are?

Everyone being surprised at him being "a man grown" (and the little beard) made me think he was supposed to be no more than 20, but the actor is over 30.

In the book, he's about 20 at the end of it. He was married when he was 18. Alfred first gets hold of him when he's around 15, then again when he's about 17. Uhtred's life was truly in danger once Kjarten finds out he is alive, a fact Alfred makes him aware of before Uhtred agrees to swear to him the first time. Their relationship is of each of them almost alternately saving each other's lives/helping each other and being annoyed/disgusted/or, in Uhtred's case, downright hate.

He is very young in The Last Kingdom and behaves like a bit of a dick at times as a result.

He grows up with the series. He is never an unkind person and tries to do the right thing, although it's not usually what he wants to do.

expat You make the books sound so interesting! I have to finish what I have first though... [sigh]

I just thought the Ragnars in the film are beyond cool. Alfred has my heart and mind though. That actor is super good!

They are very interesting!

The Ragnars are very cool. They have a true zest for life. Ragnar the Elder is much more developed in the book, of course, and it's impossible not to like him and through him, you see the type of world view Uhtred grows up with as he was only 9 when Ragnar captures him.

And much of it is quite funny. Uhtred hates Alfred at times, especially in the beginning, but even though he has the opportunity more than once, he can never bring himself to kill him or betray him so Alfred gets killed, even when he's not sworn to him, which he ends up being for good by the time he's 23, because ultimately he admires Alfred greatly and grudgingly comes to love him and vice versa. Alfred also refuses to kill Uhtred or have him executed despite ample opportunity. And that ultimately comes to good for Uhtred, that despite a lot of temptation, running away and thought, he never betrays Alfred or fights him.

Alfred never has him swear on holy relics, either. Uhtred is a flagrant pagan, even his own daughter chides him for being stupidly noisy about it and in time he learns to keep that quieter, but Alfred always knew relics mean nothing to him. Indeed, most of them are fakes and there is much humour in the books regarding them. So Alfred always manages to manipulate Uhtred into doing it the old way of an ealdorman to a king, kneel and put your hands between the king's and then seal it by kiss. So then he can never eek out of it.

The series is brilliantly cast, but naturally there is nuance and reading between the lines that is missing from the books.

We've just watched 3 episodes back to back over the weekend and I really love it! Love the way the friendship between Uhtred and the Saxon solider/leader guy is developing. Alfred is superb.. he made Ubba and the other Dane look like big tantrumming toddlers in the tent.

Really enjoying this and on the strength of this thread I have just downloaded the first book onto my kindle. Quite exciting so far... the Vikings are much more appealing than the Saxons.

I can remember doing the Saxons at primary school, I grew up near Winchester, so Wessex and Alfred the Great were very much local history. King Alfred was very much painted as the hero who pushed back the Danes with the Danelaw. There was a documentary on the Saxons recently which showed how clever Alfred was... and most importantly, Uhtred is very easy on the eye!

Oooh expat naked uhtred!!

I haven't watched this yet, will need to watch on catch up asap!

I'm really enjoying this - it's far better than I hoped.

I like the Vikings, the humour & especailly the banter between Leofric and Uhtred, mainly because it's nice to see Adrian Bower again!

One unexpected side effect is that I now refer to my youngest as "Arseling".....

I also love the casual, looming menace of the vikings - they really do come across as unstoppable, unflappable machines....

Finally, a naked Uhtred. Yum.

Uhtred loathed Alfred at first, thinking him weak and joyless and bridled against him. Leofric tells him one time that Uhtred doesn't have to like Alfred, that Alfred is his king, but Uhtred reminds him that he is from Northumbria and Alfred is king of Wessex.

Alfred never hates Uhtred, though, and certainly has just cause to have him put to death on numerous occasions but doesn't and is on the whole quite merciful with him. He sees him as someone who just needs to be brought into line and whipped occasionally and all would be well if he could just bring Uhtred round to being Christian.

That really comes across in the series, because the pair of them always manage to pique each other, since they are very alike in many ways, to the point where, on Alfred's deathbed, he smiles, 'Lord Uhtred, you always had the capacity to irritate me.'

Ooh, expat am enjoying the first book so far (not very far in) Uhtred has just met Brida. It's quite an exciting read. I, in fact, remember my dad reading them, so had definitely heard of them. It reminds me a little of Credo by Melvin Bragg, set in a similar time with Cuthbert and Lindisfarne and a central character called Bega, written from a very Christian perspective.

Ragnar the Elder is hilarious, isn't he, quirky? 'What if he were telling the truth?' 'Then he'd have told the truth and died.'

Hahaha.

Alfred very skillfully manages to bind Uhtred to him for good, though, and Uhtred comes to respect how clever he is rather than struggle so much against him, although he can never resist annoying him if the opportunity presents itself.

expat Your comment about Uthred headed straight to iplayer .
What is the title of the first book? I saw a book titled "The Last Kingdom" in Asda, but I do not want to read the shortened version.

It is 'The Last Kingdom', but it looks like the series might merge this book with the second 'The Pale Horseman'.

Thank you.

'Your comment about Uthred headed straight to iplayer blush.'

Which one? That actor is fucking fine!

Unless the series is due to end next week, it's likely they will merge with The Pale Horseman.

there are 8 episodes I believe and that was No 4 so it must head into the 2nd book expat

Well, I think it will go to the end of The Last Kingdom but then you run out of book and have to go into the Pale Horseman. If you've read the books you know what is coming in episode 5 but after that, it's into the next book.

Are we allowed spoilers that come from history and are over a millennium old?

The church in the village where I grew up claims as its history the baptism of, a certain person.