One of the most popular historical series on TV is the Norwegian comedy series Norsemen. In fact, one-fifth of all Norwegians tuned in to watch the pilot episode. After the release of its third season on Netflix, Norsemen has more than established its staying power--and a huge part of that is because of its unforgettable characters.
From brave warriors to opinionated slaves, Norsemen brings the Viking Age to life with its amazing cast. The deadpan humor relies on the way characters interact and react (and overreact) to the circumstances of the times. These are the show's five best characters, as well as five who fans love to hate.
10 BEST CHARACTER: Frøya
The shieldmaiden Frøya is quite possibly the greatest character of the whole series. She fights and raids alongside the men when they sail off a-Viking, collecting grim trophies from those she has conquered.
Frøya lives by honor, both in combat and in daily life, where she is fearless, just, and compassionate. She is also far smarter than most people. Her romance with Arvid is tender, but even with this tenderness, her will is strong enough to dent iron.
9 LOVE TO HATE: Liv
Liv is pretty much the polar opposite of Frøya. She is actually inspired by a stock character in the Viking sagas, a shrewish housewife who incessantly nags her husband. Liv is manipulative, petty, disloyal, and entirely by greed and spite.
Interestingly, Liv and Arvid share a romance for a while before he hooks up with Frøya. In one scene, she even tries to do the medieval equivalent of a roleplaying with him. However, they did not last, as she has neither patience nor interest for anyone save herself.
8 BEST CHARACTER: Arvid
Norsemen's protagonist, Arvid, is a barrel-chested warrior and Chieftain Olav's best friend. At the start of the show, he is homeless, living out of a tent. Then he challenges a wealthy farmer to holmgang, killing the man in single combat and taking all he owns, including the farmer's wife, Liv (which Liv is originally quite excited about).
Eventually, Arvid becomes the chieftain of his community. He is not the wise man (in fact, when he sits alone and has "big thoughts," he is thinking of whales, mountains, and large rocks). However, he is a just man, and there is no warrior who has proven his equal thus far.
7 LOVE TO HATE: Orm
The younger brother of Chieftain Olav is a cowardly man, ruled by his insecurities and his failures to live up to society's standards. He even kills his own brother (though Olav was mortally wounded at the time), part of his desperate attempt to seize control of the village.
One unfortunate creative choice the show makes is to lump a number of traits together as "unmanly," equivocating Orm's cowardice, lack of battle prowess, and backstabbing with his desire to have sex with men. Frankly, homphobic humor belongs in the past.
6 BEST CHARACTER: Chieftain Olav
The leader of the small close-knit community is both stalwart and wise. In many ways, Olav is a classic manly man, who keeps his word, kills his enemies without hesitation, and takes what he wants for himself.
Despite this, he is also shrewd and subdued, seldom needing to speak his mind but clearly having a deep awareness of everything going on. He is mortally wounded in an ambush while emptying his bowels, and even then, he is armed, showing how prepared he is at all times. On his death bed, he plans for the future of the village.
5 LOVE TO HATE: Hildur
Olav's wife is a complicated character. She is not particularly loyal to Olav, but rather to the seat of power she holds as his wife. As he lies dying, she learns that Olav has asked Arvid to be the next chieftain. Hildur proclaims herself the chieftain's wife (as opposed to Olav's specifically), making love to Arvid on the spot to secure her position.
She fakes being pregnant, then fakes losing the child. It is also revealed that she once learned the slave Kark might be the long-lost third brother to Olav and Orm and that he only could be identified by a marking on his back, prompting her to whip Kark so hard that she permanently disfigured him, making the mark unreadable.
4 BEST CHARACTER: Kark
Honestly, Kark is probably the happiest character of everyone on Norsemen. He genuinely loves his life toiling as a slave, no matter how hard it might be. There are also several jokes which indicate he has a deeply submissive side, such as his eagerness to be whipped.
As stated before, he was almost certainly the brother to Orm and Olav, separated from them at birth. Despite the loss of his freedom and his inheritance, he remains chipper while performing grueling labor. Even when he is nearly sacrificed to the gods, he merely stops to offer constructive feedback.
3 LOVE TO HATE: Rufus
Rufus is a Roman slave captured in a Viking raid. He was formerly an actor, and after years being pampered and doted on, he is unaccustomed to the harsh treatment he receives in Norway. His favorite cloak is stolen and he is repeatedly subjected to cruel punishments. His whining contrast's Kark's good-natured attitude about enslavement, but it is Rufus's gross incompetence and egotistical snobbery which make him unlikable.
Eventually, Rufus earns the trust of the new chieftain, Orm, and the two set about trying to turn their small village into a cultural hub. Unfortunately, these pair earn the ire of everyone else, who quickly learn not to trust them.
2 BEST CHARACTER: Bjorn
Bjorn is a character introduced in Season 3 as Varg's former best friend. He is quick to laughter and always willing to show hospitality. People respect him, and they readily come to his aid after he survives Varg's betrayal and the burning of Bjorn's hall.
His affable manner and openness with people make Bjorn one of the most likable characters in the series, but it is his willingness to forgive even the most heinous of crimes against him that make him truly unique.
1 LOVE TO HATE: Varg
The primary villain of the series, Varg, is a sociopath whose sole joy in life is making people suffer. Whether he is impaling people, burning a hall down with all of his loved ones in it, shooting innocents full of arrows, or ordering a person's scrotum be savagely caned, Varg has found diversity in his sadism.
That is the only form of diversity that he seems to value though. Several hints throughout the series suggest he is a parody of the Norwegian white supremacist and murderer Varg Vikernes, including the fact that he locks a man up just for the color of his skin. In other words, there is nothing redeemable about Varg.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/34XVuv9
0 Comments