A mixed bag of a first season. It's not Game of Thrones, Black Sails or even Vikings yet; it doesn't have the budget but it started out on the BBC so that's to be expected. I'm looking forward to seeing what the move to Netflix will do it budget-wise. It's very impressive for a BBC series in terms of the scale and drama it achieves; and a lot of that is down to Bernard Cornwell's novels which - from what I remember, are very good, although it's been a while since I've read them.
The first episode didn't really grab me at all and was easily the weakest of the whole season. It was exposition heavy and Uthred isn't exactly a likeable protagonist early on. He grows on you as the series progresses; as do all the characters, but at the same time having him as a lead character for the first few episodes was as testing, especially when he stuck by Alfred after everything that Alfred put him through for minimal returns. The Danes were the more lively characters of the bunch and Ragnar and Brida needed more screentime - in general, The Last Kingdom has a major problem with its female characters that never really got addressed to the point where Iseult's plot and everything that happens to her is laughably bad. Mildrith deserved a lot better; and her storyline made me feel sorry for her character and the luck of the draw that she got. Brida threatens to be an actual character at times but the show pushes her to the side after a few episodes to the point where she and Ragnar almost feel like extras by the end of Season 1.
The action scenes are brutal and intense and I like that this show packs a lot of story in its episodes - it's rare that there isn't an hour long episode that doesn't make the most of its runtime and there's enough plot in episode five alone to fill an entire season which is a refreshing change when Netflix just lets its episodes run and run. Episode 5 is easily the highlight of the entire first season. Odda the Younger was a really detestable antagonist; and Ubba was a more than credible threat for the Viking side; so the series did a good job at building up its characters and making you invested in Uthred's struggles even if I never warmed up to him that much over the course of the show.
Review by LeftHandedGuitaristBlockedParent2017-03-15T11:07:15Z
What it lacks in budget it makes up for with storytelling. It's impossible not to compare it to the likes of Game of Thrones or Outlander, which manage to outshine it just due to the resources they have, but the first season of The Last Kingdom is gripping and well put together. Battle scenes are creatively shot using very limited angles and the dialogue is unfortunately modernised a bit too far, but the cast are the show's secret weapon.
It moves extremely fast, and this is both a good and bad thing. It means that the show is rarely dull, but it also means we don't get to spend any time just taking things in. There's an episode where Uhtred is given over as a hostage and has to stay with the Danes; this could have made up a whole episode or two, but lasts about 10 minutes. The passage of time is lost on numerous occasions in the show's attempt to just fit as much in as it can.
Speaking of the Danes, I was hoping to spend more time with them than we did. They are really the most interesting (and fun) characters, and I savoured any moment that an episode cut away to them.
The plot is pretty simple by many standards, with only a small cast of core characters that are easy to keep track of. It makes for a very easy watch. I think I found the first five episodes to be the best, having Ubba as the main bad guy was brilliant, and it's a shame he couldn't stay around longer. I also adored Mildrith, Uhted's reluctant wife, and felt incredible sorry for her.. Uhtred himself can be annoyingly arrogant and hot-headed, and he never seems to learn from his mistakes.
Looking forward to season 2.