The Most Pause-Worthy Moment From Netflix's Vikings: Valhalla Season 1
Watching a series for the first time can be an exhilarating experience. Meeting new characters and delving into new storylines can pull you into a world you never thought possible. Sometimes, these storylines will produce moments that make you pause and think, "Did that just happen?" They can cause you to scramble for the remote, pause, then rewind, only to watch again.
With "Vikings: Valhalla" hitting Netflix this week, viewers were almost guaranteed to experience a multitude of moments that spark the desire to pause and rewatch. The series follows Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett) and his sister, Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), as they make the trip from Greenland to Norway and become embroiled in the war between the Vikings and the English following King Aethelred "The Unready" II's (Bosco Hogan) purging of Vikings from his lands.
As viewers work their way through the 1st season, there are undoubtedly numerous moments to hit the pause button to rewatch the epic Viking moments. Here is the most pause-worthy moment in all of Season 1.
The brutal result of vengeance
Contains spoilers for "Vikings: Valhalla," Season 1, Episode 1, "The Greenlanders"
Fans didn't have to wait long to experience their first pause-worthy moment. In the pilot episode, Freydis confides in Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) about her real intentions on the shores of Norway. While the rest of the Vikings returned to join the Army seeking revenge on the English for the St. Brice's Day Massacre, Eriksson and Eriksdotter sought different revenge.
Freydis, who is a pagan, tells Sigurdsson about a Christian Viking who raped her numerous times before carving a cross in her back in an effort to convert her. She tells him of her intentions to find the man and repay the debt of the scar on her back. Later, during a feast to welcome the Vikings, Eriksson distracts the group while Eriksdotter approaches her attacker. Before anyone can stop her, she utters the words, "Hello, Christian. Now it is my turn to give you a cross." Freydis thrusts her knife into the man's chest, carving a cross.
The scene is cold, brutal, and shocking. While audiences could have believed the search for her attacker would define the warrior's story arc for the first season, writers surprised everyone by allowing her the satisfaction of revenge 51 minutes into the series. Seeing the rapist slumped over in the chair with a bloody cross deep in his torso begs the question — who is Freydis, and how will her story arc top this moment?
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).