The Last Kingdom is one of Netflix's greatest original shows. The story follows Uhtred, a Saxon boy who was raised as a Viking, as he lives through the conflict between the Saxons and Vikings on England during the First Millennium.
While many consider The Witcher to be Netflix's answer to Game of Thrones, the fast action and political scheming of The Last Kingdom suit the Game of Thrones viewer far more closely.
This article will list the 10 best episodes of The Last Kingdom according to IMDB. Please note, spoilers will be included.
Season 3 Episode 7: 9.1
The 7th episode of season 3 was a pivotal point in the series. In season 3, Aethelwold had managed to upgrade himself from minor annoyance to full-fledged villain after he murdered Ragnar in a cowardly manner. Fortunately, in this episode, the snakey character was tried before a witan, found guilty, and brutally punished.
While this episode was clearly not the best, it was still a fantastic episode. Aside from the Aethelwold plot, this episode also reunited Uhtred with Skade and revealed that Sihtric was working undercover for Uhtred.
Season 3 Episode 8: 9.1
While prior episodes of The Last Kingdom focused on political or bloody clashes between individuals and armies, this episode revolved around theological conflict with some witchcraft thrown in. Throughout the season, Uhtred had been concerned about a curse placed on him by Skade, which he deals with swiftly in this episode.
Aside from the witchcraft issue, Thyra and Beocca clash over their respective religions when discussing the fate of Ragnar. While Thyra was baptized as a Christian, it is clear that she still holds her Nordic beliefs as she is horrified to learn that Ragnar is trapped in Niflheim and is willing to agree to Uhtred's bloody ritual to remedy the situation.
Season 2 Episode 3: 9.1
The episode is split between two major locations. On the one hand, Uhtred has been taken as a slave on a galley ship, a storyline that is incredibly dark and brutal for our central protagonist. On the other hand, Alfred is in Mercia arranging his daughter's marriage to the King of Mercia.
However, Alfred is also working to free Uhtred from his life onboard the galley ship and sends Ragnar and Hild in order to accomplish this.
Season 3 Episode 4: 9.2
The 4th episode of season 3 is one of the most shocking in the entire series. The episode opens with Uhtred's fight with Bloodhair. Despite losing his sword, Uhtred gets the upper hand in the fight and is about to defeat Bloodhair before Ragnar steps in to end the fight. Aside from this action-packed opening scene, most of this episode is built around Ragnar's impending battle with Alfred.
Towards the end of the episode, Cnut and Aethelwold are discussing Ragnar and the latter suggests killing their Viking leader. After Cnut suggests he should act quickly and offers his protection, that is exactly what Aethelwold does; he sneaks into Ragnar's tent and kills him in his sleep.
Season 3 Episode 5: 9.2
This episode follows on from the shocking end of the prior episode. Ragnar, a character we'd known since the first-ever episode of the show, had been murdered in his sleep by the cowardly Aethelwold. After Uhtred learns of Ragnar's death, our protagonist heads to Mercia in order to see Alfred. Uhtred offers to deal with Haesten but has to rely on the support of Edward as Alfred is unwilling.
The episode is one of the most intense of the season. It balances the grief the characters (and the viewers) feel perfectly with the political maneuvering around the impending battle.
Season 2 Episode 4: 9.3
This episode is one of the most monumental in The Last Kingdom. After being freed from slavery, Uhtred is married to Gisela by Father Beocca before then heading north with Ragnar and the others to defeat Siegfried and Erik. Our protagonists defeat the brothers in battle and send them into exile.
After the early victory, the group then decide to storm Durham and rescue Thyra from Kjartan. After capturing Durham, Ragnar defeats Kjartan in single combat and frees his sister.
Season 1 Episode 8: 9.3
This episode is the finale of the first season and it certainly lives up to the hype. Uhtred and Alfred finally put their differences aside in order to launch a critical battle against the invading Danes.
The episode features an epic showdown between Alfred's Wessex and the imposing Danish army. Of course, Alfred is victorious and Ragnar and Brida are taken as hostages.
Season 2 Episode 8: 9.4
Uhtred agrees to keep Aethelflaed's love for Erik a secret, allowing Alfred to believe that he can still ransom his daughter as opposed to embarking on military intervention. However, Erik declares his love for Aethelflaed publically and this eventually leads to his tragic demise.
Despite returning his daughter safely to him, Alfred still does not truly trust Uhtred and this will ultimately lead to tensions between the two in the future.
Season 3 Episode 9: 9.5
Episode 9 is one of the most emotional episodes of The Last Kingdom as it focuses entirely around the death of Alfred. The episode opens with Alfred and Uhtred discussing the chronicle of the former's life. Alfred reveals that his chronicle will not mention Uhtred, yet admits that he has had to rely heavily on him at times. The two then share wine and discuss religion, politics, and Edward's future.
While the episode heals the divide between Alfred and Uhtred, it does not do so between Uhtred and Aethelswith. Despite Uhtred's pardon and promise to Alfred to remain in Winchester until Edward becomes king, Aethelswith wishes to revoke Uhtred's pardon and remove him from Winchester.
Season 3 Episode 10: 9.6
The prior episode ended on the cliffhanger that Thyra, Beocca's wife, was trapped in a fire that was started by some bigoted Winchester inhabitant. Rather than let herself be consumed by the flames, Thrya stabs herself with a knife and takes her own life. The death of his wife reveals an entirely new side of Father Beocca, with the priest wanting to take part in the battle against the Danes.
In addition to the conflict between Edward and the Danes, this episode resolves the Ragnar plot. Uhtred learns that Aethelwold was the one who murdered Ragnar and, after a short chase, Uhtred kills Aethelwold and frees Ragnar from Niflheim.