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Vinland Saga Season 2
Episode 21

by James Beckett,

How would you rate episode 21 of
Vinland Saga (TV 2) ?
Community score: 4.3

vinland-saga-21.png

I'll tell you, friends, “Courage” marks one of those rare yet powerful instances where I am honestly glad that Vinland Saga didn't drop another masterpiece on us. Don't get me wrong, this episode is still quite good, but after what feels like months of consecutive bangers, “Courage” gave the show (and its audience) at least twenty minutes of breathing room, while the story sets up the final dramatic conflicts of the season's run. It's table-setting, to be sure, but since this is Vinland Saga we're talking about, it's still better than almost anything else airing on television at the moment.

Naturally, given that this is the same gut-wrenching drama we've all been captivated by for going on six straight months now, "table-setting" is hardly the same thing as "low-key." Take Olmar's role in the story, for instance. Having completed this phase of his excellently rounded character arc, Olmar must now confront the degrading, sickening consequences of the warmongering cultural carrots and sticks he felt so compelled to live up to just a few days ago. Even with the usual censorship-shading that the production has to go with for broadcast, the aftermath of the Battle for Ketil's Farm is gruesome, and the sight of all that mangled flesh doesn't just move Olmar to puke his guts out; it gives him the resolve to stand up to Thorgil and insist on surrendering to Canute. Table-setting, indeed.

Thorfinn's story feels like a setup for more important developments down the line. It isn't just that the Bastard King Canute won't give his old retainer to the audience that Thorfinn has certainly earned by this point, attempted assassination or not; this is also the most that the artwork has suffered enough to somewhat detract from the drama at hand. Now, I like that the show is going out of its way to remind us that Thorfinn's life of abuse and malnourishment has left him pretty short and scrawny compared to the likes of Canute's Jomsvikings, but some of the stiff character animation and wonky perspective made Thorfinn's scrap with the burly soldier this week seem almost comical, which I don't think was the intention. The scene still works, but it's a far cry from the gorgeous tableaus and detailed character work of the past few weeks.

Still, “Courage” gets the job done, and if Vinland Saga needs to rest on their laurels a bit after what feels like an unprecedented string of knockout episodes, then by the gods, they've earned it. Hell, the rest of this season could dip down to PowerPoint levels of limited animation and focus on nothing more than Thorfinn standing around and pleading with people to stop trying to punch him in the face, and this season would still probably be average out to be a once-in-a-generation masterpiece. Far be it from me to complain about being so spoiled.

Rating:

Vinland Saga Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.


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