Historical drama The Last Kingdom has returned to BBC2 and Netflix to document the power struggles and violent battles of ninth-century Britain in a second series.
Adapted from The Saxon Stories, Bernard Cornwell's series of historical novels, the show stars Alexander Dreymon as Uhtred, the orphaned son of a Saxon nobleman who was captured by Viking Danes and reared as one of them.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The new series sees him older, wiser and battle-scarred, facing life without his loved ones.
The first episode went out last Thursday. Here are the main talking points that viewers and critics alike are debating.
Will Kjartan get the better of Uhtred?
Uhtred's biggest enemy is Kjartan (Alexandre Willaume), the man who betrayed his Danish family and burnt down their home.
The ruthless warlord has declared his desire to destroy our hero, saying: "I want him alive. I will take him piece by piece. Uhtred Ragnarson is mine."
Uhtred may have already outwitted Kjartan's weakling son Sven, but the father is a different matter. It looks as if the two will have a showdown before the season is out.
Can Guthred be trusted?
After King Alfred's success at Ethandun, Father Hrothweard (Richard Rankin) has started a revolt against the Danes.
But the plan to install Danish slave Guthred (Thure Lindhardt) as king in Cumberland seems questionable at best.
Can Guthred really be trusted, or is there more to him than meets the eye?
How will Uhtred and King Alfred fare on their own?
The first series seemed to imply that Uhtred and King Alfred, while both very different men, complemented each other and balanced out the other's weaknesses.
Series two sees them men separated, however: Uhtred has headed north with Hild the nun, while Alfred is strengthening his power base.
Will Uhtred make an error without Alfred to calm him down? Or will Alfred flounder without Uhtred's skill for making a decision in the heat of the moment?
What are they speaking?
Christopher Stevens in the Daily Mail calls the dialogue in The Last Kingdom, "infectiously strange".
The characters speak "part Shakespeare, part folk ballad and frequently inaudible", he says, which is even odder when you add in the "hodge-podge" of accents.
Hild (Eva Birthistle) speaks Chaucerian English "with the clipped tones of Cheltenham Ladies College", while the Danish hordes prefer "a rustic growl" reminiscent of The Archers and Uhtred "veers from South African to Norse to Russian, often in the space of a line".
According to the critic, the mix of accents make the series seem like sword and sorcery epic Game of Thrones, but without the "dragons or the boobs".
Is The Last Kingdom too similar to Game of Thrones?
It's easy to see why people would compare the two, says Huw Fullerton in the Radio Times.
There's the medieval dress, the political intrigue and the violent battles reminiscent of the HBO series. Plus it's unlikely The Last Kingdom would have been commissioned without the success of GoT.
But it is "a different beast", argues Fullerton.
The Last Kingdom can "stand on its own two feet as a historical drama with something to say about life, love and the formation of Britain".
The Last Kingdom continues at 9pm on BBC2 on Thursday.
-
Shutdown: Democrats stand firm, at a costFeature With Trump refusing to negotiate, Democrats’ fight over health care could push the government toward a shutdown
-
TikTok: A little help from Trump’s friendsFeature Trump’s new TikTok deal would hand the app over to 'his billionaire allies,' ignoring national security concerns
-
Antifa: A useful right-wing bogeyman?Feature Trump signs executive order labeling antifa a “domestic terrorist” group
-
Jump scare! Evil villain! These are fall’s most exciting horror movie releases.The Week Recommends An Airbnb rental gone wrong and another ‘Frankenstein’ adaptation highlight this autumn’s horror crop
-
Eurovision faces its Waterloo over Israel boycottsTalking Point Five major broadcasters have threatened to pull out of next year’s contest over Israel’s participation
-
'The Office' spinoff, a 'Mare of Easttown' follow-up and the Guinness family royalty in September TVthe week recommends This month's new television releases include 'The Paper,' 'Task' and 'House of Guinness'
-
The best limited series of all timethe week recommends Trading cliffhangers and endless renewals for narrative closure
-
The return of 'Wednesday,' an 'Alien' prequel and a dramatic retelling of the Amanda Knox trial all happening in August TVthe week recommends This month's new television releases include 'Alien: Earth,' 'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox' and a new season of 'Wednesday'
-
Unforgivable: harrowing drama about abuse and rehabilitationThe Week Recommends 'Catastrophic impact' of abuse is explored in 'thought-provoking' series
-
Friendship: 'bromance' comedy starring Paul Rudd and Tim RobinsonThe Week Recommends 'Lampooning and embracing' middle-aged male loneliness, this film is 'enjoyable and funny'
-
The 5 best TV reboots of all timeThe Week Recommends Finding an entirely new cast to play beloved characters is harder than it looks
