Vikings is currently in its sixth season and the series has had a couple of continuity errors so far. These aren’t so easy to notice due to the captivating subplots and solid character development. The series has a general score of 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which ranks it higher than Game Of Thrones, which has a score of 90%.
The early seasons of Vikings followed mythical Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrok and his raids. However, Ragnar ended up dying in the fourth season and so the focus shifted to his sons. Here are the continuity errors in the series that you might have missed.
The Sudden Sails
In the twelfth episode of Season 4 titled “The Vision,” Ragnar wanted to sail to England but there was much concern from his warriors that he had been deserted by the gods. Many felt the mission would be dangerous. It turned out to be so because a violent storm occurred, causing their ships to capsize.
A continuity error in the episode occurs at around the 36th minute and 38th-minute marks. Camera angles from inside the boats show them to be without sails. However, shortly after that, camera angles from behind the boats show that the sails are already present.
Ragnar Forgot That He Named His Son?
In the second episode of Season 2 titled “Invasion”, Ragnar bids farewell to his wife. He is planning to leave for foreign lands, though the voyage was hit with plenty of setbacks. In one scene, he turns to Alyssa’s belly and speaks to his unborn son.
He speaks to the child and goes on to even name him, specifically saying: “And to you, Sigurd”. However, when he makes a return in the fourth episode and Alyssa shows him their son, he asks “How did you name him?” Maybe long voyages create amnesia. Who knows?
Vanishing Slash Mark
In Season 2, Episode 8, Bjorn and Rollo are doing battle practice at around the 8th minute. Rollo manages to slash Bjorn across the left side of his abdomen first and then makes contact again, slashing his right arm. An in-form Rollo eventually forces Bjorn to submit.
Shortly after, Rollo assists Bjorn to get back to his feet. However, after Bjorn has stood up, the slash mark that was on his abdomen is nowhere to be seen. Unless his skin regenerates like that of a mutant, this is a highly illogical occurrence. Someone forgot to draw or edit-in the mark again.
A Repetitive Arm
Torvi the shield-maiden is one of the characters that got better as the show went on. She never has any form of tolerance for abusive relationships and as a result, she is normally more than glad to move on. Throughout the series run, she has been married to Borg, Eriendur, and Ubbe.
In Season 4, Episode 6, Torvi, unfortunately, ends up being part of a continuity error. She is seen pointing at Lagertha’s boats then she lowers the arm that’s pointing. A consecutive shot shows her pointing with the same arm again before lowering it.
Ragnar’s Torture
In what can also be termed as a not-so-satisfying plot twist, Ragnar, the main character of the series ends up dying after being thrown into a pit of snakes. This happens in the fifteenth episode of Season 4 titled “All His Angels.” Fans have been hoping for him to make a surprise return. Sadly, Vikings creator Michel Hirst confirmed during an interview with Variety that he isn’t a fan of raising characters from the dead so Ragnar won’t return except in flashbacks.
In the episode in which Ragnar dies, he arrives in Northumbria where he gets tortured by King Aelle. In one scene, the ropes around his neck are taken off. However, when King Aelle begins to hit him, the ropes suddenly appear again. Seconds later, the ropes are gone again. This happens at around the 29th minute.
Bjorn’s Eyes
Bjorn, the eldest son of Ragnar and Lagertha is normally seen as the most similar to his father. He enjoys exploring and conquering. He somehow looks like Ragnar too. He even managed to overthrow his half-brother Hvitserk Bjorn and take over his throne.
When Bjorn was a child, his eyes were shown to be brown. However, as an adult, they are blue. How did this change happen? Litmus test? Unless suffering from a condition, a human’s cornea never changes its color throughout the person’s life.
The Priest’s Tied Hands
In the Season One episode titled “Dispossed”, the hands of the dead priest are tied together. The hands remain this way as the body lies next to another man who is alive. However, when he is thrown in the water, a camera angle from inside the water as his body sinks shows that his hands are free.
A quick guess of what might have happened here? The man who played the priest probably didn’t want to go into the water with his hands tied. It’s not safe to do that. Free hands enable one to quickly swim back to the water surface. So, shouldn’t the whole tying of hands been left out?
Pointing Or Not
In the episode titled “The Profit and the Loss”, King Ecebert goes to Mercia where he meets with Prince Wigstan. The prince informs Ecbert that the Mercians will never accept Kwenthrith as their queen. He then promises Ecbert to hand over Mercia to him.
While the two are talking, King Ecbert’s left hand appears to be open and pointing at Wigstan. However, about a microsecond later, his hands are again clasped in front of his chest without him ever being shown moving them. Quite strange.
Inconsistent Downpour
In the Season 3 episode titled “Scarred”, Princess Kwenthrith kills her brother Burgred by poisoning him. She then toasts to herself since she has remained as the sole leader of Mercia. The crowd in the room accepts this and so they pour their wine on the floor as per the traditions.
To emphasize the somber mood, a heavy downpour occurs. Outside, rain appears to be falling everywhere. However, a few seconds later, the water-filled barrel located outside in the background appears to be intact. There are no raindrops making contact with the surface of the water.
Freydis’ Dress Colour
After Ivar freed her from slavery in the fifth season, Freydis ended up becoming his wife. Later on, in one of the most brutal death scenes of the series, Ivar strangled her to death for treasonous activities. It was easy to pity Freydsi but she was no saint.
She had the biological father of her child killed. In the scenes where the father of her child dies and Ivar tells Hvitserk he’s a God, Freydis’ dress changes from green and then to white and back to green in a matter of seconds. The costume designer must have wanted the white dress to follow the green dress but… well, that happened.
