Athelstaaaaaaaaan. God, my affection for him might actually blur over into the creepy/annoying, I'm afraid, because I'm just always YOUR PRECIOUS FACE!!!!!!! when he's on screen.
Anyway, hm, I didn't have a problem with the scene in the show, but now that you mention it, I can totally see where you're coming from, and it's a good point. I don't know, I find the slow seduction of Athelstan (which I don't even mean in a sexual way [mostly], but it's the only word I can think of) to be such a fascinating story here. There's the way Ragnar is insanely charismatic, and the way that his slavery has to be so very different than what he was expecting, after the horror of the raid on Lindisfarne. He's not being abused. Ragnar smiles at him, and drinks with him, even invites him to his bed (which, I mean, the position of power there was not such where he and Lagertha had to have consent, you know), tells people he doesn't think of Athelstan as a slave. Sometimes it's almost like they're friends - except whenever that happens there's always something else that snaps it back, reasserts itself through the harsh parts of Ragnar's personality eventually.
I think probably the being in charge of the farm while Lagertha and Ragnar were away was probably the biggest thing, though. There's the trust and responsibility, and the fact that he really cares for the children, and then - I mean, in that episode, they're coming back from raiding Athelstan's homeland, largely with information he provided, and yet he is glad they are returned safe, he is glad they were successful. He's already moved largely to their side, I guess.
No I totes feel you. I knew I was going to be invested in Athelstan's story line because it's just a narrative thing that has always appealed to me, but at this point I'm all drawing hearts around his precious face every time he's on screen.
I'm completely in favor of the slow seduction of Athelstan (of all kinds. >.>). I'm 100% invested in it. I just "I am fascinated by these people and this is not as bad as I was expecting" to be very different from "I don't even care about trying to get my old life back. This one suits me" and I just didn't see that last push into the second one. Of course he's going to be pleased when they come back from the raid. If Ragnar and Lagertha did not return, what was he supposed to do as a Saxon slave with two children in a world he doesn't understand? He'd probably be killed. And we've seen from the start that there's enough fight in him for him not to see death as the inevitable end to this situation.
I just feel like if that conversation had taken place at Floki's instead while Ragnar was healing, I'd buy it more. If when they were attacked, that was the moment when he realized that he has genuine concern and affection for these people beyond just seeing them as protection from those who would treat him as a dog.
But. My feelings about that...hiccup that only I really felt apparently, which is fine. I love him. I love his curiosity, and his little boyish face as he listened to the stories at Floki's. I think he and Ragnar are both very curious men, and that's a great connection between them. They both want to learn so much about each other, and while, yes, Ragnar has other motives at times, I also think his interest is genuine.
And if they're not all one happy viking family at the end, I'll weep for days.
No, yeah, I think your thoughts on it make perfect sense! It's a really odd way they're going about the dynamic and jumping around with the way he's responding. But interesting.
But, yes, basically: his PRECIOUS FAAAAACE. And happy viking family FOREVER.
Anyway, hm, I didn't have a problem with the scene in the show, but now that you mention it, I can totally see where you're coming from, and it's a good point. I don't know, I find the slow seduction of Athelstan (which I don't even mean in a sexual way [mostly], but it's the only word I can think of) to be such a fascinating story here. There's the way Ragnar is insanely charismatic, and the way that his slavery has to be so very different than what he was expecting, after the horror of the raid on Lindisfarne. He's not being abused. Ragnar smiles at him, and drinks with him, even invites him to his bed (which, I mean, the position of power there was not such where he and Lagertha had to have consent, you know), tells people he doesn't think of Athelstan as a slave. Sometimes it's almost like they're friends - except whenever that happens there's always something else that snaps it back, reasserts itself through the harsh parts of Ragnar's personality eventually.
I think probably the being in charge of the farm while Lagertha and Ragnar were away was probably the biggest thing, though. There's the trust and responsibility, and the fact that he really cares for the children, and then - I mean, in that episode, they're coming back from raiding Athelstan's homeland, largely with information he provided, and yet he is glad they are returned safe, he is glad they were successful. He's already moved largely to their side, I guess.
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I'm completely in favor of the slow seduction of Athelstan (of all kinds. >.>). I'm 100% invested in it. I just "I am fascinated by these people and this is not as bad as I was expecting" to be very different from "I don't even care about trying to get my old life back. This one suits me" and I just didn't see that last push into the second one. Of course he's going to be pleased when they come back from the raid. If Ragnar and Lagertha did not return, what was he supposed to do as a Saxon slave with two children in a world he doesn't understand? He'd probably be killed. And we've seen from the start that there's enough fight in him for him not to see death as the inevitable end to this situation.
I just feel like if that conversation had taken place at Floki's instead while Ragnar was healing, I'd buy it more. If when they were attacked, that was the moment when he realized that he has genuine concern and affection for these people beyond just seeing them as protection from those who would treat him as a dog.
But. My feelings about that...hiccup that only I really felt apparently, which is fine. I love him. I love his curiosity, and his little boyish face as he listened to the stories at Floki's. I think he and Ragnar are both very curious men, and that's a great connection between them. They both want to learn so much about each other, and while, yes, Ragnar has other motives at times, I also think his interest is genuine.
And if they're not all one happy viking family at the end, I'll weep for days.
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But, yes, basically: his PRECIOUS FAAAAACE. And happy viking family FOREVER.
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