Warning: Spoilers for The Last Kingdom season 5!
Even though The Last Kingdom season 5 brings an end to the Netflix show, Uhtred’s story will continue in the upcoming film Seven Kings Must Die, and it looks to be a happy ending. The film is set to be Uhtred’s last hurrah and a standalone story that will excite returning fans and newcomers alike. The Last Kingdom is adapted from Bernard Cornwell’s series of novels, The Saxon Stories. Cornwell’s last few books have yet to be adapted, yet it is unlikely that the movie will attempt to adapt all of their material.
The Last Kingdom season 5 sees Uhtred finally reclaim his ancestral home of Bebbanburg. In his new role of Lord of Northumbria, he brokers peace between King Edward of England and King Constantin of Scotland by keeping Northumbria independent of either kingdom. This independence means that King Edward’s dream of a unified England remains unfulfilled.
Conflict could therefore ensue in the upcoming film between Uhtred and King Edward; however, Uhtred’s story appears likely to end in a happy resolution. In The Last Kingdom season 5, there are moments between Uhtred and Lady Eadith that imply that Uhtred will finally have a relationship that may not end in heartbreak. Furthermore, the final episode suggests that Uhtred might be reunited with his son Osbert as the abbess Hild leads the child towards Bebbanburg. When Osbert asks if the new Lord of Bebbanburg had once met his father, Hild teases him, saying, "Something like that." Osbert is Uhtred and Gisela’s youngest son, and his appearance in season 5 is the first news viewers have received of him since he was taken into Alfred’s care in season 3.
In the last season of The Last Kingdom, a potential romance between Uhtred and Eadith is teased when Eadith walks into Uhtred’s chambers. Uhtred grabs his clothes to change but drops a boot. The pair both grab the boot, stop, look at one another and giggle. In the final episode, Uhtred offers Eadith a place to stay in Bebbanburg and tend to the wounded. Eadith, with a smile on her face, does not rebuke the suggestion. Although season 4 plays with the idea of a romance between Eadith and Finan, it is Eadith and Uhtred that marry in Cornwell’s novels. Finan is married in the latest season, and Uhtred has been without a romantic interest since the death of his beloved Lady Æthelflæd. In the upcoming movie, Eadith could provide the harmonious marriage that Uhtred has been denied throughout the series.
Season 5 also provides an answer to one of The Last Kingdom’s biggest mysteries: the fate of Uhtred’s youngest son Osbert. In the final episode, Hild takes the child to finally meet his father. Hopefully, Seven Kings Must Die will therefore see the first time that Uhtred is reunited with all of his children. Especially since Stiorra and the Danes can settle peacefully in Northumbria now that Uhtred has reclaimed Bebbanburg. The arrival of Osbert could also lead to Uhtred having a male heir since Brida castrated Young Uhtred in season 5. This would answer King Edward’s question of who will hold Bebbanburg after Uhtred’s death. Osbert, therefore, opens the door to a lasting peace that would satisfy Edward’s dream of a united England and Uhtred’s dream of a united family.
Whilst The Last Kingdom season 5 ends in victory for Edward and Uhtred, the upcoming movie will pose dangers to their peace. Thankfully, the latest season hints that Uhtred’s destiny will give him the peace and happiness he has fought so long for.