ad

On the box

On the box

In the business of television, there have always been copycats.

Once there’s a winning formula, a sure-fire hit that everybody’s talking about, it’s naturally only a matter of time before some half-baked imposter shows up on the TV Guide. This may not come as a shock, with all of the singing, cooking, home-renovating goodness that’s been littering our screens  (and this column) lately, the concept is not an unfamiliar one.

We’re used to seeing more of the same but, this time though, it’s not some reality show clone where the teaser is some underwhelming “twist” on the already over-exploited and uninteresting format. It’s not a crime show of any kind. It’s not even a medical show. It’s a show about swords and men with beards. And sex.

Vikings is a TV series commissioned by Canada’s History Channel. It follows the exploits of real-life historical figure Ragnar Lodbrok, a Viking folklore legend who, up until now, I have never heard of.

Ragnar and his merry band of Vikings carry out the adventurous and plunder-rife lives that are depicted in the stories you’ve already heard of. They plunder, steal, murder and rape their way across what is now called Greenland in an attempt to gather fortune and glory.

Vikings attempts to tell the human stories of such people, as they struggle against the elements (and each other) and live deeply ritualistic and traditional lives befitting their renown.

The cast is very good, especially Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lodbrok, who is a clear standout, and many of the main actors carry a sort of Scandanavian accent, to lend some kind of authenticity to the dialogue, except Gabriel Byrne who plays the township’s ruler. Byrne’s use of a Victorian English accent, is quite mismatched, and undoes the convincing nature of his performance.

Adding to that, this series is built on the idea it is meant to follow historic events, considering its main character is a real-life historical figure. However, experts are already speaking out about certain flaws in the historical accuracy of the show, which to me makes the whole thing kind of redundant.

Joining me, and most of you, the former Prime Minister Julia Gillard is also a devoted fan of the HBO adapted Game of Thrones (GoT) series which is clearly the inspiration for Vikings’ production.

Despite the fact that it doesn’t air on terrestrial television, the devoted fan base of people addicted to it, manage to find it online. Despite the fact that Vikings is clearly trading on the flavour of the week, it is a poor substitute when compared to GoT.

Had I not been addicted to the latter, I could call myself a fan of Vikings but as with many programs that crop up as part of a trend, it pales in comparison to the material it was inspired from.

Join our Facebook Group
ad