The seventh episode of The Last Kingdom’s fifth season opens with Stiorra, played by Ruby Hartley, mourning the death of Sigtryggr, played by Eysteinn Sigurdarson (Devs, the Courier); it’s a major event for her, and his sword is placed on his chest while he prepares for his last journey into the afterlife. Unfortunately, the funeral rites are interrupted once the attendees discover that Brida has stabbed Pyrlig. Pyrlig, played by Cavan Clerkin (The Capture, Muscle), stumbles upon the funeral scene covered in blood, warning Uhtred that Brida is coming for revenge.
Shocked and enraged by this news, Uhtred, played by Alexander Dreymon (American Horror Story: Coven), seeks out Edward, played by Timothy Innes (The Favourite, The Sense of Ending), first. Given Stiorra’s current grief, Edward sees an incident that could fuel more rebellion against him. The only way to ensure that this doesn’t happen is for Stiorra to publicly swear loyalty to Edward.
If Stiorra agrees to these terms, she’d rise up and be given a purpose to lead the Danes, all under Edward’s banner. Uhtred even sees it as a means to unite the lands against the threats posed by both Brida and Aethelhelm.
In Macclesfield, Aethelhelm, played by Adrian Schiller (Beauty and the Beast, Suffragette), has his men close in on Aelfwynn, played by Phia Saban. Aelfwynn’s men are taken, soon to be used as a bargaining chip of sorts. Aethelhelm goes on to plant some seeds of doubt among the people in Scotia, claiming that Edward had the queen murdered and that he cares about no one but himself. Aethelhelm is on the hunt for allies that are also interested in taking out Edward, which would allow his grandson to ascend to the throne, a figure whom he can control.
Stiorra chooses to pledge her loyalty to Edward; however, she turns away at the last second. Edward, understandably, is furious and banishes Stiorra from his lands.
Meanwhile, Uhtred is summoned to meet with Brida alone. Knowing it’s a trap, Uhtred feels like he doesn’t really have a choice. The fight between the two is ultimately a little bittersweet, given their past. The montage combining the present and the past does an excellent job at capturing the depth of the two’s relationship and the stakes at hand.
Ultimately, Uhtred refuses to kill Brida, but he does beat her in battle. He instead urges Brida to find a path to salvation that doesn’t involve violence; however, as soon as she agrees and seems to be enlightened, an arrow strikes her through the heart. It’s revealed that the murderer is Stiorra, who tells Uhtred that she finally did what he could not.
The ending of this episode is incredibly jarring and captures the overall essence of the show itself and what has been at stake this entire time. With Brida now gone, it should be interesting to see how Aethelhelm will decide to pose his threats to all of the neighboring lands.
This episode is one of the best this season, full of emotion, action, and even more plotting.
Rating: 9.0/10.0