The midseason finale of "Vikings" season 4 was definitely something that fans of the hit History channel series did not expect. In episode 10, "The Last Ship," Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) and Rollo (Clive Standen) finally come face to face in one epic battle. While many were undoubtedly rooting for Ragnar to succeed, the showrunners decided to go the other way and let his traitor brother win.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "Vikings" creator Michael Hirst explained that they wanted to give fans a shocking midseason finale, something that they would never expect. After the epic battle, they decided to go on a significant time jump, showing the repercussions of Ragnar's defeat. In the end, a tense monologue asked who in Kattegat will be brave enough to kill Ragnar and take the throne away from him.
Hirst explained that "Vikings" has always been a story about Ragnar and his sons, pointing out that the time jump was definitely necessary to move the series forward. He, however, revealed that it is not the end for Ragnar. Hirst said that viewers can expect to see more of him when "Vikings" season 4 returns.
In the interview, Hirst also hinted that fans have not seen the last of Rollo just yet. He added that while many were rooting for Ragnar to succeed, some were actually delighted to see Rollo rise up the ranks. Now that he is a powerful figure in France, one can only expect that the storyline is only about to get even more interesting.
In spite of it all, the "Vikings" creator hoped that fans have not lost interest in Ragnar. He said that the coming episodes of "Vikings" season 4 will make them root for him once again.
"I hoped the audience would be both shocked by him but still never lose their affection for him. As I say, you wait until the next half. Expect to shed a lot of tears because what happens to him is brilliant and astonishing. This isn't the end of the story; this is a big milestone," he explained.
Tune in for more "Vikings" season 4 spoilers and cast updates.