Regardless of his pragmatic method, Hirst was nonetheless eager to do his personal factor — and inform his personal story — for so long as potential. “I had a type of large menu in my very own thoughts about what I wish to do. Loads of that was to do with overturning numerous cliches about Viking life and in regards to the Vikings typically.” It helped that the sequence appeared to draw a much bigger viewers with every season, so Hirst’s technique was clearly working. Nonetheless, the large take a look at got here within the fourth season, when Hirst made a controversial alternative with one in all his foremost characters:

“Though I mentioned from the start that this was going to be the saga of Ragnar and his son, after I lastly introduced to everybody that this was the season I used to be going to kill Ragnar I received numerous warning, definitely from the Individuals, that was a harmful factor to do. And that almost all reveals, who lose their lead character, do not proceed efficiently.”

Season 4 of “Vikings” is an uncontested low level within the sequence. Ragnar’s demise was a stunning blow to followers — even after his sluggish descent within the seasons prior — and it positively might have killed the sequence in flip. Fortuitously, “Vikings” managed to outlive on the energy of the remaining ensemble, ending sturdy with two extra seasons and provoking an equally profitable spin-off. “There’ve been numerous large moments alongside the way in which,” Hirst admitted, “however I might by no means in my wildest goals have anticipated that we might get to 6 seasons and 89 episodes.”