Vikings: Every Season Ranked Worst To Best

Season 4B is smaller in scale, but Biblical in scope.

Returning to Kattegat a broken man, Ragnar wants to return to England one final time to settle the score with King Ecbert after the destruction of his settlement. The first half of this season is very reflective, as we see a man come to terms with, and accept, all of his failures and shortcomings.

Ragnar must face the resentment of his sons, except for Ivar - who still craves a relationship with his father - and he makes peace with his former lovers and, of course, his best friend. It is during his final exchange with Floki that the viewer realises we are building towards Ragnar's demise.

However, Ragnar cannot accept death until he confronts King Ecbert. Here, Season 4B has some of the best screenwriting in recent television history, particularly in Episode 14 where Ragnar and Ecbert greet each other as two old friends and reminisce of Athelstan. Ragnar even comes to accept Ivar as his son. After making his peace, Ragnar dies in what is a brave move to kill off the show's lead protagonist.

All of this paves the way for the following half of the season to serve as a transition into a new era for Vikings as the Sons of Ragnar wash away the previous generation of characters, in a bloody display of retribution.