In history there were several Viking sieges of Paris. In one the Vikings sent fire boats under the wooden bridges and flammable castle support works. I thought maybe those rafts would be such a fire weapon, after serving as a mass archery platform. But by the Vikings' retreat, the rafts have just vanished.

And (Queen) Siggy's daughter, who in Season One dies in a plague. When Siggy dies, she sees herself reunited with the daughter in Valhalla (or wherever women go).

Religious symbolism similar to Jesus was clear; Ragnar also looked like a monk or pilgrim later when he returns.

Ragnar looked like a monk in his robes and carrying a staff, similar to Aethelwulf and little Alfred on their pilgrimage to Rome. It wasn't clear to me what he learned while away, though, but he does seem reenergized. He's kicked his drug habit.

Daughter Gisla was shown scowling at the favor that her father showed to the brother and sister team in an earlier episode. Maybe she changed his mind about their loyalty. The King might also want to eliminate any gossip about his sexual proclivities in that religious city. It wasn't smart at the meal table for the…

The King seemed suspicious about their plotting all along but wanted to give them each a try in bed before proceeding with their execution.

That's a clever insight. I don't think it will be revealed in that way, but such subterfuge would be consistent with the plot.

How do we know that Lagertha is not dead?

The river battle scene was not convincing. The Vikings had maybe five of those raft-boats but we were only shown one — with Ragnar, Floki, Bjorn, and Lagertha — being attacked and stopped by the Franks. What were the other boats doing?

My guess is that Ragnar dies this season (as Fimmel goes off to make the the Warcraft movie). Hirst wouldn't be able to resist the legendary snake pit death, and King Aelle may visit to Paris, or Ragnar may make one last attack in Northumbria, Aelle's kingdom. Remember that Rollo was baptized a Christian while in…

Yes, that interview was in Entertainment Weekly. She said that originally she was to die in the Viking camp (not Kattegat), as the women defend the camp and children against Roland's raid while the men are boating on the river to Paris.

Yes, two children were found drowned in a fisherman's net, presumably from far at sea. And then Ragnar's two sons were put in icy peril.

What was that red liquid she was forced to drink? Was it supposed to enhance her courage, make her obedient, or what? I expected that it might be poisonous and that she would collapse and die just as Bjorn was hugging her.

Any reason to suspect that little Siggy was murdered? Aslaug and Ivar didn't seem surprised at the news.

In terms of major characters on Vikings, more men are killed proportionally than women. Men: Earl Haraldson, Athelstan, Torstein, King Horik, Jarl Borg, Kalf, Count Odo, maybe Erlendur soon. Only Ragnar, Rollo, Floki, EcBert, and Bjorn are untouchable so far, and maybe Harbard and the Seer if they are major. And…

Helga looked to be in very bad shape, severely burned after possible Frankish torture. It appeared that Floki put some poultices on to heal her, but there's not even a scar. Too bad that he couldn't use the same medical miracle for Bjorn's facially-scarred girlfriend who's now wandering somewhere — ever to reappear?

I had the same thought, that Yidu might be holding her breath in some yoga or magic technique, playing dead. We'll find out tonight.

That battle scene did show some Vikings charging toward the archers, with Viking archers also launching arrows, but the Vikings were outnumbered and tactically at a loss. I would swear that I saw a preview scene where Harald and his brother want to punish Lagertha for her tactical (or intelligence) errors). The…

I agree that Yidu was a failed character although I don't understand how that can happen. Did he introduce her with no viable concept about how she would contribute to the series? If lost for followup, who not have her show the Vikings a secret passage into Paris, known from her slave days? Or use her magical song…

I wondered why he would let her body float away with possibly much more "Chinese Medicine" in her clothing — if he was planning to continue using the drug. I thought the battle aftermath suggested that he would realize he was making bad decisions while on the drug.