That is too bad since I’ve always liked Beocca. Thanks! Pyrlig (Cavan Clerkin) enters and tells them that Cnut has left Aegelesburg and is now camped near Tameworthig. Finan wants Uhtred to realize that this is not the end and that Beocca would want him to believe the same. Prepare yourselves: the emotion comes thick and fast…. She visits his tent and they have set. .cls-2{mix-blend-mode:screen}.cls-3{fill:none;stroke:red;stroke-miterlimit:10;stroke-width:4px}.cls-4{fill:red}, The surprises keep coming in The Last Kingdom season 4. After losing David Dawson’s Alfred, the additional loss of Ian Hart’s fond, funny and often ferocious priest will be keenly felt. Neither do preening pudding boys like Aethelred, whose sexual cruelty reveals his weak desperation for power. Uhtred tries to convince Wihtgar to face him one on one but he isn’t going to cooperate and threatens to kill young Uhtred (Finn Elliot). Edward believes Cnut is trying to draw them out so he can find them in a place that is beneficial to him. Thank you for subscribing to HistoryExtra, you now have unlimited access. Aethelred is, as predicted, distracted. The Last Kingdom Season 4 Episode 1 Review: To Bebbanburg! Eadith returns to her tent and puts on the outfit Aethelred bought her. None of which makes it any easier to say goodbye. Aethelflaed, independent of her husband and against the orders of her brother, is heading there. He explains that Uhtred is doing everything he can to give his son the legacy he never had. Despatched from the army of Brida (Emily Cox) and Cnut (Magnus Bruun), a bunch of flame-wielding Viking horsemen emerge out of the darkness – and we get the sense that some action will follow soon. He offers to consider reclaiming the family’s name if Eardwulf can take all of East Anglia. The story might be imagined, but it’s a tangible reminder that real stories lie behind random objects discovered in the ground in the 20th and 21st centuries. In private, Aethelflaed tells her mother that her duty is Mercia and he must do what she can. This The Last Kingdom review contains spoilers. A series of thrilling skirmishes followed the men to the ship, where the rain too, wept for Father Beocca. Eadith dons of a Dark Age-version of ‘THAT Dress’, given as a gift by Aethelred with no uncertain meaning and no uncertain consequences. By entering your details, you are agreeing to HistoryExtra terms and conditions. Recognising the Christian faith of a friend, he lays something to rest which looks remarkably like a 9th-century pendant cross – a gift for archaeologists to ponder over in some imagined future…? She uses his religious believes to pressure him into delivering the message. I have to say that I find Timothy Innes’s acting to be a little over the top sometimes but I can overlook that most of the time. Aethelred, Lord and self-proclaimed King of Mercia, is still living it up in his royal encampment in newly-captured East Anglian territory, unaware that his head ranch at Aegelesburg (modern Aylesbury) had been torn to pieces in the last episode (we see the aftermath – it’s not pretty). She is warned that Edward will see that as a defiance but she reminds her mother that Edward isn’t her king. Brida says that they should do it for Ragnar and Cnut agree with that. Excellent stuff. Otherwise, the show has been very good this season. Even if the real Aelswith (historically ‘Ealhswith’) was dead by this point in Edward’s reign, the theme of maternal counsel given to a young king and its tensions are an important part of early medieval history. I am sure Brida is going to flip sides when she learns that Cnut has something to do with Ragnar’s death and I am curious as to what Edward will do. There seems to be a problem, please try again. Uhtred blames himself and says he failed Beocca. The Last Kingdom Season 4 Episode 3 Recap. As Uhtred and his men draw closer to Bebbanburg, the prodigal son Wihtgar returns with some tricks up his sleeves. Wihtgar tells Aidan (Anthony Cozens) that they won’t make it through the night so they can let them go. That was an exhilarating sequence. Osferth learns about Cnut and Brida attacking Merica and Uhtred admits he is worried about Aethelflaed. Our best wishes for a productive day. Brida (Emily Cox) performs a ritual so she can determine if her curse has been broken and she is pregnant. Aethelhelm says that will be a good thing since it’ll get rid of King Aethelred. He isn’t happy that Eadith isn’t wearing her new outfit before Eardwulf gives him a sword they took from a Dane. As the episode begins, we join the confrontation between Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) and Wihtgar (Ossian Perret). If I’ve tracked this correctly, the Danes and the Mercians both left their own lands to invade each other’s, just missing each other like a wife and a mistress in a French farce. Aethelflaed fulfilled her promise as a true leader of Mercia by coming to her people’s aid (even if her, Aldhelm and the bloke who waters the horses don’t stand a great chance against Cnut’s entire army). Edward waits for word from or about his sister and complains to Aethelhelm. Aelswith promises to speak with Edward and she doesn’t believe he will abandon her. Cue some serious self-sacrifice by Father Beocca (Ian Hart), whose dive in front of a fast-moving bolt means that Uhtred has now lost his oldest friend and confidante. If King Alfred was great, was Æthelstan even greater? Read more from the experts at our curated page on The Last Kingdom. Uhtred lets him go but he keeps Cnut’s kids and orders for them to be tied up. No time to grieve yet, though – Uhtred and company have to beat a fast retreat to their ship, not the ideal move in the middle of a storm. Everything you ever wanted to know about... Æthelwold: Alfred the Great’s rebel nephew. We join Eardwulf (Jamie Blackley) in East Anglia. Uhtred is a wounded animal now and he is stirring things up with Cnut. His son says his mother told him Uhtred left because he fought for a cause. @Louisa_Mellor, Louisa Mellor is the Den of Geek UK TV Editor. You have successfully linked your account! TV Show Recaps. Uhtred’s bigger loss of the chance of regaining his ancestral pile – something which few of us might directly relate to – is cast into sharp relief by the recognition that his friend’s body lies unburied. Eadith catches her brother burying the messenger’s body. Haesten promises to tell Uhtred who set Ragnar up to get killed if he lets him live. April 27, 2020 at 8:01 … Then, Cnut (Magnus Bruun) gets a visit from Bjorgulf (Oscar Skagerberg) who is carrying a Saxon head. He kills a few men while trying to get to Wihtgar but Sihtric (Arnas Fedaravicius) and Finan (Mark Rowley) try to get him to flee. are at loggerheads because Aethelflaed disobeyed Edward and raised the Mercian fyrds, while their mother Aelswith has a secret plan involving Father Pyrlig and the until-now-unmentioned King of Wales. Edward orders Pyrlig to send a messenger to track down Aethelred and get him to return. While there is no historical evidence that the ealdorman of Mercia was a sexual predator with sociopathic tendencies, the masculine abuse of power is an all-too-familiar theme, and Aethelred’s actions in the episode seem too real for comfort, made all the more so by our sense of Eadith’s own perspective. A despairing Uhtred is comforted by his long-time sidekick, Finan (an Irish warrior brought to the screen with a wry humour by Mark Rowley). ), Want to read more reviews of season 4 and know even more about the real events from history that inspired the drama? We jump over to Aylesbury in Merica and see bodies on the ground and some hanging from the gate. He visits Eadith (Stefanie Martini) and learns that she has received a gift from Aethelred but she doesn’t want to wear it. Your email address will not be published. In a split second, Beocca (Ian Hart) steps in the way and saves young Uhtred. She believes he would always have the strength to stand up when others have fallen. Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth), Aethelflaed (Millie Brady), and Aldhelm (James Northcote) enter seconds later. It happened fast, came out of nowhere and was in service of his constant task – protecting Uhtred, son of Uhtred. Please enter your number below. In the world of The Last Kingdom events are steaming to confrontation, and even if there’s plenty of artistic licence thrown in, the storyline neatly weaves in the historical events of the early 10th century. Uhtred does a ritual of sorts for Beocca before Finan arrives and comforts him. Major spoilers from the start in our review…. Aethelflaed and Aldhelm arrive and check out the destruction. A Wessex messenger (James Craze) makes it to Eardwulf and asks about Aethelred but Eardwulf kills him while his sister watches from a distance. The court at Winchester is well portrayed as a place of intrigue and plotting, and the storyline serves as a reminder that not everyone in the 10th century would have seen the formation of an English kingdom as the endgame. After the intro, we jump over to Winchester and see that Edward (Timothy Innes) is trying to prepare for Cnut with Aethelhelm (Adrian Schiller). “Your name will be forgotten,” Wihtgar tells Uhtred, blasting a rapidly-loaded crossbow bolt at Uhtred’s son and namesake, who stands gawping in the face of death (understandably – the lad wants to be a priest, not a warrior).