In Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 9, Thorfinn may have finally had a mental and emotional breakthrough after suffering through more nightmares. Thorfinn continues to be haunted by dreams only this time his father Thors, Bjorn, and Askeladd are present. The first one was more peaceful than usual. Waking up on a green hill surrounded by a young sheep. It turns out that he’s still unconscious from the fight. His dreams keep getting darker and darker until he encounters a old “friend.”
One dream seems to be some version of hell or Valhalla. The moment with Askeladd reminds Thorfinn of what war brings. He calls himself “pathetic,” after hitting the retainer and believes that he’s being punished.
Thorfinn seeks to atone
As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews Thorfinn is tortured by past and has given up on life. Askeladd encourages to become a “true” warrior and “take the people he’s killed with him.” Thorfinn hasn’t been accepting his violent past. He simply avoiding it and it’s eating him alive. If he wants to move past it not by forget what he did but by learning to live with it. He needs to atone.
The retainers are disappointed to learn that Ketil won’t punish Thorfinn or Einar. Pater came through with evidence, a button from Trygve’s coat, proving that the retainers were responsible. Ketil then says that the farm was “ravaged by wild boars and there was no fight between the slaves and the retainers.” As masters go Ketil and his father are reasonable and with they sympathetic Pater, Thorfinn and Einar lucked out.
Related: Vinland Saga Season 2, Episode 8: I don’t hate him anymore
Related: Series Review: Vinland Saga
Related: Vinland Saga 2 – Episode 9 Review
Definitely, this is the best episode this season had to offer (so far). It gave an incredible conclusion to what we’ve been building up for since the first season and opened many possibilities for the future of the story. We’re closing in to the end of the first cour, and I can’t help but wonder what the next part of the season will be like. Judging from the preview, though, there’s much more happening in the world outside of the farm so at this point, it’s only a matter of “when” it will be relevant to Thorfinn’s situation.
Yeah. At some point the war will hit the farm. I think Canute’s army or another one will need food. It might not end well.