Vikings’ sophomore season is much better than its first. First, bravo to whoever decided that Ragnar Lothbrok needed to have an equally dynamic foil, King Ecbert played wonderfully by Linus Roache, who was the last ADA on Law & Order. Also the former monk’s character arc was well executed as Athelstan struggled with his experiences and faith. The show is at its weakest when it addresses the office politics among the Vikings. Last season, Gabriel Byrne played the uninspired role of Ragnar Lothbrok’s Earl, the main antagonist. This season, Donal Logue played the king, the main antagonist, but I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop thinking about Grounded for Life. Basically the audience needs to see Ragnar Lothbrok rise to power and since it seems like a foregone conclusion, all these plot developments feel like painting by numbers although Floki and Siggy do everything in their power to breathe life into it. Far more interesting is Lagertha’s rise to power. Vikings seems to enjoy predominantly putting her in female specific danger: rape, spousal abuse, etc. and I always find that tiresome as opposed to her dealing with more ordinary Viking problem like her ex considering that she is specifically a shield maiden. I do love it when a show successfully ages a child character by a million years while everyone else is the same age: Xena, BTVS, Angel and now Vikings. The show is still not sure what to do with Rollo-he is a rapist/he is reformed; he will betray his brother/he is devoted to him; he can’t be killed/he is going to die! While Vikings has vastly improved since the premiere, it is still somewhat uneven so if you’re too busy or have something better to watch, skip it.