"Vikings" season 3 episode 10, also known as the season finale, is called "The Dead."
While this title somehow speaks of a decease or a farewell, there is no assurance yet whether someone will die. One of the reasons is the characters, historically speaking, lived long.
As for the last episode, the History Channel original series saw its major character offer a bizarre tribute to his friend who is no longer with him.
Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), a pagan and leader of the Norsemen, still cannot move on from the fact that his Christian friend Althestan is dead. While his peers feel his sadness, they did not expect him to turn to the Christians to get baptized. His reason. So that he can be with Althestan once he leaves earth.
While a pagan getting baptism is not new to the people from Kattegat, it was still shocking for the vikings from Kattegat because Ragnar is their leader and Christians, especially those from Paris, are their enemies. Rollo (Clive Standen) did it before but Ragnar's case different according to series creator Michael Hirst.
"From Ragnar's point of view ... he's being baptized to make sure when he dies he sees Athelstan again," Hirst said in an interview with Zap2it shortly after the latest "Vikings" season 3 episode.
"For the others, it's very shocking. Although they have the precedent of Rollo being baptized in an earlier season and it not making any difference. Ragnar is a deeper, more mysterious character to them, so they're not sure entirely how to take it."
Hirst also explained what Baptism means, especially if it is done to someone who used to be a pagan like Ragnar.
"This whole issue of giving a proper Christian burial to a Christian -- especially someone who'd converted from Paganism -- was extremely important because it was a saved soul," Hirst says. "It was the way the Christian communities around Europe wanted to deal with the Vikings."
Check the video promo for "Vikings" season 3 episode guide for the finale.
