My Guilty Secret

I have just watched the first episode of the new season of Vikings, I dismissed this offering a long time ago when I was asked to believe that the local Earl had no clue that land lay to the west of his hovels and that he could only continue to raid to the east. I then discovered the Dark Ages and felt compelled to give it another chance. Much of it is pure rubbish, the shield maidens pandering to ‘Girl Power’, the ridiculous haircuts, and the renaissance helmets worn by a great many of the Saxons. But, I like it. I find it ‘atmospheric’, the opening titles are superb, haunting music, crashing seas and macabre visuals of drowning men. Then there are the larger than life characters, chief among my favourites is King Ecgbert of Wessex, the cad Leslie Phillips made king, a man who exudes what will eventually become Britishness. I do hope he prospers.

I sometimes wonder where my ‘line in the sand’ is drawn with regard to history on TV or film, I can quite happily lose myself for an hour with Vikings, all the time hoping someone will kill Loki, and enjoy Wolf Hall, 300, and, may the gods forgive me, Spartacus, the one with buckets of blood. But I quickly threw out The Borgia’s, Rome, and The White Queen”, the former two had ‘atmosphere’ but it was obviously the wrong kind, the third only needed the line “Infamy, infamy they’ve all got it in for me” and you had “Carry On the Wars of the Roses”.

I have almost wrecked my eyes doing maps today, so I must call a halt, grab an ice cold cider, “Old Rascal” as nowhere local does a good Normandy cider, sit down and catch up with Ragnar, or maybe Jim Gordon in Gotham, Harvey Specter  at Pearson, Specter and Litt, or Saul Goodman, I am spoiled for choice just now. Anyway, cheers!