The Outsider is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Vikings. It is the fortieth episode of the series overall. It first aired on November 30, 2016. It was written by creator Michael Hirst and directed by Daniel Grou.
Synopsis
Ragnar arrives home unexpectedly to see what has become of his sons and to handle unfinished business with King Ecbert. Lagertha plans a power play. Bjorn prepares to explore the Mediterranean in a sleek, new boat built for him by Floki.
Plot
Ubbe steps forward to challenge Ragnar as king, but instead the two embrace. Later, when Ragnar asks his sons to go with him to England, Bjorn refuses, as he has plans to raid in the Mediterranean with Floki, Harald, and Hvitserk. Ubbe and Sigurd have promised to stay home and protect their mother, as well as Kattegat, which has become a major trade center in the region. Ivar sees his brothers share Aslaug's slave girl Margrethe, and tells them he wants to have her as well. After failing to sleep with her, he threatens to kill her but instead cries as she tells him that being a son of Ragnar is more difficult than being a common family man. Ragnar visits Floki and tells him that he loves him. In Hedeby, Ragnar apologizes to Lagertha for his failings after she refuses to accompany him to England. They share a kiss before Ragnar departs. Ragnar finds a massive tree while riding back to Kattegat and hangs himself, though ravens chew through the rope to stop his attempt. Back in Kattegat, Ragnar finds Ivar in the throne room and asks him to accompany him to England, to which Ivar agrees.
Cast
Main
- Travis Fimmel as King Ragnar
- Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha/Earl Ingstad
- Gustaf Skarsgård as Floki
- Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn
- Alyssa Sutherland as Queen Aslaug
- John Kavanagh as The Seer
- Alex Høgh as Ivar
- Marco Ilsø as Hvitserk
- David Lindström as Sigurd
- Jordan Patrick Smith as Ubbe
Guest Starring
- Josefin Asplund as Astrid
- Maude Hirst as Helga
- Ida Marie Nielsen as Margrethe
- Georgia Hirst as Torvi
Additional Cast
- Anton Giltrap as Guthrum
Uncredited
- Amy Donnelly as Shield-maiden
- Aisling Goodwin as Shield-maiden
Episode Deaths
- N/A
Trivia
- Clive Standen, Lothaire Bluteau, Peter Franzén, Jasper Pääkkönen, Kevin Durand, and Linus Roache are not credited and do not appear in this episode.
- Alex Høgh, Marco Ilsø, David Lindström, and Jordan Patrick Smith were credited as series regulars in this episode after guest starring in the previous episode.
- This episode has the first kiss between Ragnar and Lagertha since Season 1.
- When Ragnar hangs himself, this mirrors the story of Odin. Odin hung himself for nine days from a branch of the Yggdrasil, known as the World Tree, to prove his worthiness of the sacred knowledge of the runes.