Those are all my questions too. "Betel nuts" would not have such an intoxicating effect, as I (ahem) have heard. More liked Hawaiian "kava" drug.

Maude Hirst may be chilly but her heavy eye makeup should have provided some warmth.

I too was surprised that Halfdan would separate from his brother, Maybe the purpose is to kill Bjorn as they would know he would seek revenge if his mother had been killed or he would be a supporter of hers if she continued as ruler of Kattegat.

Sigurd in history did quite well, so it's surprising to see him killed here if the show's future depends on Ragnar's sons in combat with counterattacking Saxons.

Yes, she was horribly burned on her face by the Parisian raiders, possibly through torture. Then she makes a quick recovery and shows no scars. Maybe Porun (Bjorn's old girlfriend) can find such a complete cure for her battle scars.

I'm in the minority here in that I enjoyed the episode and am willing to give the writers creative freedom to pursue the story in their way. The first two seasons were great while the writers broke conventions and left motivations unclarified, so why assume they have no plan. Seeing Paris was a nice variation from…

The blood eagle of Aelle seemed muted in that the bloody lungs are never shown and the scenes only showed Aelle from in front and with a shirt on — but spread widely — at the end when he was hoisted. Maybe the show has had too many complaints about blood and gore.

I don't recall that scene either. Was it done to Egil? Or back in Season One when two men tried to rape her?

I agree about those characters losing their complexity. The show has so many different scenes and locations to cover, that the main characters don't get enough script and screen time to be anything other than stereotypical ("Fighting Shieldmaiden!" "Obsessed Empty Nest Mom").

The historical battle against Aelle and the capture of York was a series of conflicts, including alliances with other Saxons, an initial Viking defeat, deception, more than enough for a proper, detailed coverage. What happened to Aelle's family? If I recall history/mythology , his quiet daughter (the one whom Judith…

The English love their roasts.

Your points make sense to me. Characters seem to change motivation without contextual explanation. Another example is Bjorn losing interest in Torvi, whom he chose and who saved his life. Nor does he show any memory of his previous wife Porun who wanders the hills with her scarred face, perhaps honing her fighting…

Rhys Meyers will apparently play a Christian bishop with fighting skills, a Templar precursor. There was such an historical figure although he didn't fight in many battles.

The show wouldn't show us that she's alive unless she either recovers or gets a speechy lingering death scene "I loved Bjorn but he left me for his Mom's girlfriend…"

Ragnar was the exciting central character when healthy and active, but for me he lost much interest as he moped around, made bad choices, became the implausible opium addict, and flailed spiritually at various religions. We never got much sense about what he did or how he changed while vanished for years after the…

The series does use his name, Lodbrok, though. It's a bit like having someone called Ivar the Boneless who is actually physically normal and his name is never explained.

The Swedish fans of their national soccer team also wear horned helmets, looking like our own NFL Minnesota Vikings. I read that horned helmets would have been a weakness in medieval battles because your opponent's sword could easily knock off your helmet. A smooth helmet was better for deflecting sword blows.

Isn't he just really, really old?

The show seems to be setting up Astrid for a demise, probably by a Ragnar Junior. Astrid has received no character development or background, just two vows to defend Lagertha against the Ragnar Boys. And showing that she's not at Lagertha's skill level in combat. Guess her fate? And then an embittered Lagertha…

Agreed. What's happening in Paris with those crafted characters? Why the Chinese drug-pusher with hinted imperial family who then is drowned with no consequence or explanation? How about Porunn, an important relationship figure who vanishes?