Vikings: Season 6, Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Vikings: Season 6, Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 16, 2022

Vikings has often been written off as a Game of Thrones wannabe, and even I haven't shied away from describing at least some tethers that some viewers may see as connective tissues between the two series. One subliminal way the two shows may be related is that their final seasons may be perceived as at least a bit of a letdown, especially for longtime fans who have stuck through the series for several years. Also much as with Game of Thrones, Vikings has portrayed the often fractious family dynamics in a war torn environment, beginning in this case with paterfamilias Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), and then continuing on with his heirs and assigns. Season 6 of Vikings was split into two parts, and kind of interestingly from a broadcast perspective, Part 1 aired on History while Part 2 streamed on Amazon Prime, something which may have given the impression that the series was being shunted off into some kind of virtual wasteland. This second part of Season 6 picks up where Part 1 left off, and attempts to deal with a probably unmanageable number of characters and competing subplots. Because of the necessities of expositional elements, these final ten episodes may not have the same kind of epic sweep and especially action elements that some diehard fans of the series have probably come to expect.

As I mentioned in a previous review of Vikings, due to the vagaries of changing labels and/or distributors, as well as to our various reviewers assigned to them, unfortunately we've only covered the first season and then the fifth, before this final sixth season. For the volumes we have reviewed, please click on the following links:

Vikings: The Complete First Season Blu- ray review

Vikings: Season 5, Volume 1 Blu-ray review

Vikings: Season 5, Volume 2 Blu-ray review

Vikings: Season 6, Volume 1 Blu-ray review

Another potential further connection between Vikings as it wraps up and Game of Thrones as a whole is an increasing reliance on what might be termed supernatural elements. The series has had the same sort of "relationship" with mortality that Game of Thrones did, and in terms of this series, there are almost genetic obsessions with death and dying on the part of several characters. Even those who make it through at least some of the maelstrom, including focal character Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen) can end up being pretty horrifyingly disfigured.

Rather interestingly, and perhaps completely unexpectedly, this final set of episodes may be peculiarly relevant all of a sudden since quite a bit of it revolves around "Rus" and (believe it or not) Kyiv. That element may seem almost preternaturally "ripped from the headlines", but it may also at least subliminally suggest that whatever tensions are being experienced in the 21st century may have had formative antagonisms launched long, long ago.

While this particular aspect is suddenly of interest, I have to say I felt like these final ten episodes had more than their fair share of padding, as if a pre-order for them had determined just how much story was needed, rather than structuring the number of episodes around how much story there was. There's also a problem of an almost insane number of interconnected characters and storylines that keeps these final episodes darting to and fro like some kind of Scandinavian ping pong match, such that even decent vignettes can get swallowed up in the general rush to get every dangling plot thread dealt with.

Vikings: Season 6, Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Vikings: Season 6, Volume 2 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. If the general narrative of these final ten episodes may strike some fans as lackluster, the cinematography and production design of the series continue to be absolutely top notch, and are more than capably supported by this often staggering looking presentation. As with all of the seasons that I've personally reviewed, there is a surplus of slate grays and cool blue tones on display, but as I've also mentioned with regard to some of the previous seasons, there can be sudden pops of warmth, in this particular set of episodes including both buttery interior moments and some really nicely suffused exterior scenes. There's actually a kind of evolution of palette on display over the course of these episodes, whether intentional or not, that sees things slowly warming. Detail levels are typically excellent, though this set of episodes once again indulges in a number of "arty" framings and/or techniques where things become intentionally gauzy, as can perhaps be made out in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. I noticed no compression anomalies.

Vikings: Season 6, Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Vikings: Season 6, Volume 2 offers another nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. While there are some set pieces in these final episodes, there may not be the same level (no pun intended) of huge battle effects, though the side and rear channels can still be regularly engaged, especially when the series ventures outside, which it does quite a bit of the time. There are some excellent placements of discrete ambient environmental effects scattered throughout virtually every episode, and the interesting score also fills the surround channels winningly. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available, and there are a few instances of forced English subtitles for various ancient languages.

Vikings: Season 6, Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Deleted Scenes

  All Change Episode, Scene 06 (HD; 1:32)

  
  

  All Change Episode, Scene 13 (HD; 2:14)

  
  

  The Signal Episode, Scene 09 (HD; 4:07)

  
  

  Lost Souls Episode, Scene 09 (HD; 3:44)

  Note: There is a Play All option for the above four deleted scenes.

Disc Two

• Deleted Scene

  All at Sea Episode, Scene 20 (HD; 1:54)

Disc Three

• The Epic Worlds of Vikings (HD; 10:43) is a relatively brief overview featuring Michael Hirst.


• The Vikings Series Finale Commentary with Creator Michael Hirst and Actress Georgia Hirst


• Deleted Scenes

  The Last Act Episode, Scene 6 (HD; 1:38)

  
  

  The Last Act Episode, Scene 19 (HD; 2:33)

  
  

  The Last Act Episode, Scene 36 (HD; 2:05)

  Note: There is a Play All option for the above three deleted scenes.

Additionally, packaging features a slipbox.

Vikings: Season 6, Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I frankly inherited reviewing Vikings and just as frankly did initially think it was simply going to be a Game of Thrones wannabe. I've found myself repeatedly nicely surprised by the series both for its visceral characters but also for its epic production design and typically very evocative aesthetic. These final episodes are not as exciting as I might have hoped, but at least those looking for a little "closure" may find some. Technical merits are first rate for those who are considering making a purchase.