Aethelstan - Blog Posts
aethelstan & finan / the last kingdom 4x06
little things I noticed in The Last Kingdom that make me smile;
Sihtric and Finan have matching hair beads (they go along the top of the ear)
in the episode 4x8 (around 34:41) Sihtric keeps Osferth standing when he starts to pass out cause Finan got him so drunk. He pats him and tells him to stay awake, and then proceeds to watch him quite closely for the rest of the episode
after the slave ship, Uhtred never makes Finan row again, even during emergencies
Finan is always takes care of Uhtred (feeds him and gives him his cloak when he's sick, checks over his injuries after Edward has him tortured, hugs him and helps him mourn after losing *insert a list of characters Uhtred has lost over the span of the show*
Sihtric treats aethalstan like a little brother. when they were being hunted down, and we're corned by eardwulf, presumably about to die, he hands him a dagger but makes the stereotypical bug brother "I want it back" comment. he pretends to be grouchy with him but protects his life and childhood with his own.
furthermore, when running from eardwulf Sihtric and Finan both hold his hand while they run.
finan treats aethalstan like the child/children he lost (we know prior to the slave ship he was married with children, but we don't know much)
osferth is used to having no one when he first joins the group so he tends to drift away, anticipating being rejected, so the others physically draw him in and show him rather then tell him they love him. particularly finan.
Sihtric always looks to finan when nervous or unsure. they click their weapons before battle so Sihtric knows he has someone to fight for, to live for, to go back to.
it was finan that helped him find his faith, even if Sihtric was a pagan and Finan was a Christian.
Sihtric started having some sort of trauma response to being tied up and Osferth immediately started trying to calm him down despite having to armed men with orders to watch them die or slit their throats if it took to long, standing 5 feet away from them.
Sihtric, Finan, and Osferth are considered "Uhtreds pretty boys"
pyrlig became a priest in attempt to retire, then met Uhtred, and he was forced to throw retirement out the window and hasn't known peace since
the boys loves Hild like a big sister/mom
Uhtred has been shown to form deep connections with his horses
no matter how much osferth grew, he remained the groups baby, and they loved him to peices.
TLK Season 5 - NO! OSFERTH!!!
(Spoilers ahead!)
What a treat season 5 was. It was the first season where I was there for the release. Got it finished the same day it was out. Don’t regret a thing.
Um… first thing to say… WHAT THE FUCK??? While this was a brilliant lot of episodes, WHY DO THE WRITERS KEEP BREAKING OUR HEARTS??? There were three major deaths that occurred and all were executed extremely well. By that I mean they were beyond emotional, extremely heartbreaking yet satisfying deaths. Every character who perished (save for a few) died with dignity and purpose. And the emotional fall out of them was felt for episodes to come. I’m so sad and happy at the same time.
And Osferth... Oh my god... The way he was pleading for his life. The way Finan just hugged him close. The way he fucking sobbed when they laid his body down. I can’t...
My heart fell out my ass when they made Finan almost fall off that cliff.
The Coccham gang is in Rumcofa now! We have a whole bunch of new characters to enjoy. I live all of them but special shout out to Aethelstan. Everyone wants you as a son now, apparently. As do I. He must be protected at all costs.
Special shout out to Aelfwynn also for being annoying??? I dislike her and I hate that. Little Aelfwynn was beyond cute but now that she’s grown I just feel like she’s not a good character. No hate to the actress, she did a great job. She’s just whiny. Yeah, yeah. Maybe that’s how she’s meant to be. Just doesn’t work for me.
I can see so much of Gisela in her children. Both of them, even though Stiorra and Uhtred are almost complete opposites, they both have their mother’s traits. It’s so damn cute.
Brida was very hit or miss for me. She got SO cruel this season, but I found myself feeling for her. She lost the only damn child she had after DECADES of wanting for one. That makes it a little hypocritical for her to attack Uhtred’s children. Fuck that. Her ending though was brilliant. She needed to die. Sorry. I don’t like that Uhtred couldn’t kill her even after everything she had done. I’m glad she got a little bit of humanity shining through in those last moments though. I saw the Brida there from season 1, the one I actually loved. They way she called out for Ragnar made me weep.
How amazing was that final episode, though??? We end where we began, at Bebbanburg, now with the true lord restored to his rightful place. I’m so fucking happy with how this panned out and I’m so fucking sad that it’s over. Looking forward to the movie that’s coming after it, though. If this show is anything to go by, it’s gonna be a banger.
TLK Season 4 - The Best???
(Spoliers ahead!)
I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion or not but… I think season 4 is my favourite of the lot. It’s very difficult to say for definite which I like the most, but when I sun up the pros and cons of each, 4 is quite possibly the one I can say I enjoyed the most.
There are a lot of new characters or ages up characters that are introduced this season. Usually I don’t enjoy when there are so many new introductions all at once but TLK always does it well. Maybe it works because there is so much death anyway, they kind of just fill in the gaps.
Speaking of death… Thyra was done dirty is season 3 and now Beocca has been done dirty. I say that lightly, because while I hated his death, it did make sense in some aspects. He died protecting Uhtred’s son. As a father figure to Uhtred himself, that just kind of comes full circle. Moreover, he died where his story began: in Bebbanburg. After Thyra was already gone, I think I can kind of accept this. It broke my heart, but death is meant to happen. Not everyone can always die of old age like they do in the books. People want to see drama on screen.
The character progression in this season is phenomenal. We see so many people grow out of old, bad habits or come to have new views of life that just feel so satisfying. There are many examples of this, but Lady Aelswith is probably the most prominent of these. She has always been an interesting character though not particularly likeable, but I actually kind of love her now.
Uhtred, however, is someone who also has a big change of character this season. He becomes less of a warrior and more of a father, not just to his own children but to Aethelstan and Aelfwynn. He becomes a protector rather than a fighter. And I love that. I love to see how many times he fails only to keep going because it is love for his family that drives him forward (both his children and his men).
The friendships have developed tenfold. Stiorra was right when she said that Uhtred’s men are his family. They feel so close knit and the dynamics are so good. Good fucking job to the actors for just being able to translate real life friendship into on screen friendship. It’s so real and honestly I just want to give them all hugs, all the time.
Eadith??? Hello??? I love her. Her and Finan have CHEMISTRY, so I’m rather disappointed that they didn’t do something with that in season 5, but also I’m so glad to finally see a female character that doesn’t need a man. I found her a little annoying during the first watch but after countless rewatches, she’s actually very likeable. I am very happy with her.
Episode 6, I think, is one of my favourite episodes in the whole show. Am I being dramatic when I say that I love the little family dynamic they make while on the run? Maybe. But it’s nice to see them running for once rather than fighting. Bad way of phrasing it, perhaps. The quiet moments in the woods, though, are ones I enjoy a lot. And Finan playing with Aethelstan is the cutest shit I’ve ever seen.
Young Uhtred and Stiorra are so well casted. We love Sigtryggr. Brida continues to be a menace that I despise. Also, fuck the Welsh (only in this, love my Welsh folk in real life).