It’s finally time for the last episode of Vinland Saga Season 2!
~Episode Recap~
This episode showed Leif taking Thorfinn back to his home village in Iceland. Einar is there too. Thorfinn doesn’t recognize the men who first come to see him, and they doubt his identity. It’s been about 15 years, and Thorfinn left when he was a little kid, so it’s not surprising. When Thorfinn goes to see Ylva, the older sister believes it’s a trick that Leif is playing to make her mother feel better. She won’t acknowledge that this man is the same as the little brother she lost so long ago. Again, I can’t really blame her.
Unlike Ylva, Thorfinn’s mother Helga recognizes him and welcomes him home. Thorfinn apologizes for leaving and the mother and son share a tearful reunion. Ari, the husband of Ylva, also welcomes Thorfinn to their home. Ylva comes to the house later and finally believes Thorfinn’s story. Her response to getting her brother back is to slug him so hard he crashes back against the wall. She’s as masculine as ever, and it’s refreshing to see – but Poor Thorfinn!
That night, Thorfinn tells the story of his experiences since he left home. At the end, he also explains that he needs to leave and go found the new country of Vinland. Rather than holding her son back, Helga encourages this plan. Leif promises to help with finances and boats. When Thorfinn visits the grave of the slave on the hill at night, he sees a vision of his father showing him the lush fields of Vinland. An unspecified amount of time later, we see Thorfinn emerging from his home with short hair. He’s ready for the new journey.
~Episode Thoughts~
At the start of this excellent final episode, I felt scared. I worried there would be some dark or sad plot twist at the end. It was a relief that the conclusion was so peaceful and hopeful. A happy ending isn’t always the best thing for a story, but it works very well for Vinland Saga. I loved seeing Ylva again, since I felt an immediate connection to her early in the first season. It was always a little sad that we didn’t get to see her story. Anyway, it’s awesome when an anime decides not to “domesticate” a fiery female character. I absolutely adore Ylva and hope she never changes.
I’m not going to spend too long on this, but I wanted to touch on an important point. It’s interesting to me that Vinland Saga answers the problem of violence with the solution of running away. This choice is unusual and often viewed as cowardly, but I agree with it for the most part. It works especially well for the historical setting of Vinland Saga. In this time, the world was not yet fully explored and conquered by seafaring empires. The people of those days might have thought that the vast Earth was infinite. It could always afford them places to run away and hide from large, warring civilizations.
Nowadays, we know that the earth is finite and won’t always have shelter for escapees. Especially with modern technology, you will always be found and monitored. With other countries nearby, the problem of violence and threat of war will quickly resurface. Furthermore, the idealistic thinking of Thorfinn falls apart when you consider that “Vinland” is literally North America, which was already populated. And those native cultures, by the way, usually engaged in war and slavery on a small scale. Basically, the answer in Vinland Saga is rather weak and temporary based on today’s knowledge.
Despite the unpleasant dose of reality I just provided, I still think the conclusion in Vinland Saga was beautiful in its own way. And I do agree that violence should be a last resort. If you can run, and won’t be metaphorically shot in the back right away, then run. Rather than be sucked into cruelty and strife, escape with your life. It’s just a shame that this way of dealing with things cannot be used forever.
That’s about all for my thoughts and responses today. I truly enjoyed Vinland Saga Season 2, even though it made me cry on at least three occasions. I plan to write series reviews for both seasons of Vinland Saga soon.
Thank you for reading~
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