Vikings Season 6 Episode 13 Review: The Signal

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That was tense.

Vikings Season 6 Episode 13 gave us a wild election, a predictable return, and a daring escape plan.

Ingrid is working all angles to make sure that she is deemed the Queen, and of course, the ruler of Kattegat when this whole mess is over.

Election Day Woes - Vikings

Praying to the Gods was a big surprise. She knows that Erik is wavering between choosing her and Gunnhild, but she may have made a big mistake in letting him watch her cast spells in the cave.

Erik, despite his flaws, is desperate to grasp on to some power before his miserable life is over. There's no other way to look at it.

Fighting it Out - Vikings Season 6 Episode 13

He's weighing up his pros and cons with both women, but the arrival of King Harald is only going to cause problems for him.

If you watch Vikings online, you know Harald is always thinking multiple steps ahead, and it seems that he is also trying to find a way to rule over Kattegat with one of the two women by his side.

But he's an abuser at heart, and I doubt Ingrid or even Gunnhild would give him the time of day. Gunnhild was right when she said that he wanted to be Bjorn.

He may respect Bjorn, but that hasn't stopped him from trying to kill Ragnar and Lagertha's son in the past. I can't help but think how much better and unpredictable this episode might have been had Harald remained dead on the battlefield.

Feuding Brothers - Vikings Season 6 Episode 13

He's one of the weakest adversaries in the history of the series, and I'm not buying the way he survived the battle. At least with Bjorn, there was another meaning for his survival, but Harald wants to cause problems at every turn.

Harald does have a way with words, as evidenced by the way he was petulantly saying Kattegat needs a ruler who will do their best for the city.

Under Harald or Ingrid's rule, I suspect Kattegat could implode because Harald could become a merciless leader in a similar vein to Oleg, while Ingrid has no experience of leading a nation.

Gunnhild may be the best person for the job, but she's slowly losing her grip on reality. In her eyes, the golden age of Vikings is over, and she's pondering what that means for her.

Gunnhild Talks About the Future - Vikings Season 6 Episode 13

It's an intriguing plot to have this typically strong character questioning whether it is worth it to continue to be strong and fight against the forces of evil.

It would be perfect if Gunnhild got a happy ending, but she's not happy with the direction of anything, and that doesn't bode well for the future.

It's possible Harald and Ingrid could team up, and Ingrid could fight back against Harald when he least expects it.

While the election took up the bulk of the action in Kattegat, it was all about Ivar and his great escape in Kiev.

Erik Listens to Gunnhild - Vikings Season 6 Episode 13

Oleg's manipulation is growing more worrisome by the day, and it was only a matter of time before he hurt Ivar, Igor, or even Katia.

The fight between Ivar and Hvitserk solidified the fact that their brotherly bond is not as strong as they would like Oleg to believe, and that probably explains why Oleg was all about causing problems for them.

There's a part of Oleg that desperately wants to take all of the power on offer, but it's hilarious to think that everyone escaped when he least expected it.

Katia handing over the dagger and the ensuing escape plan was executed fairly well. It could have resulted in some big deaths, especially when Oleg noticed something was amiss.

Torvi Argues - Vikings Season 6 Episode 13

Now it will all come down to how far Oleg is willing to go in order to prove that he's not to be messed with. He's losing troops, allies, and his prisoners, so he's going to have to adapt quickly to this new normal, or he's going to be killed off.

My one hope from this is that Oleg and Ivar face off in battle. It's been slowly leading up to it, and it would make this whole arc even more worthwhile.

Torvi losing another of her children was heartbreaking. It was inevitable someone would perish on the boat, and my money was on Torvi going overboard at one point.

Torvi understands the spiritual side of being a Viking and is at peace with the knowledge that her daughter has moved on to somewhere else.

Oleg on His Horse - Vikings Season 6 Episode 12

However, she's now lost multiple children in a short space of time, and I think that will cause a world of problems for her as she attempts to move on, assuming everyone escapes the testing waters.

Ubbe was adamant about leaving the fate of everyone up to Odin, and it seems that many people will die following his fateful decision.

He may not want to be a King, but Kettil and his family are going to lash out in fury if they lose many of their people after taking to the seas.

"The Signal" was a much slower installment than the ones that came before it. It was more about moving the puzzle pieces in place as we head towards the series finale.

A Beautiful Landscape - Vikings Season 6 Episode 12

What did you think of the bedlam in Kattegat? Are you on board with Oleg or Ivar?

Hit the comments below.

Vikings Season 6B is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

The Signal Review

Editor Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
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Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.

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Vikings Season 6 Episode 13 Quotes

I'm the King of all of Norway. This should be mine to win.

Harald

Torvi: Asa?
Ubbe: I think she went overboard.