'The Last Kingdom' Season 4: What to expect in Uhtred's quest for Bebbanburg as new king Edward takes charge
It was 2018 when Season 3 of 'The Last Kingdom' aired. So it has been a while since we were enmeshed in the politics of the kingdom of Wessex, surrounded by enemies within and without.
Season 3 had quite a few plot threads that needed tying up and with season 4 featuring a time jump, we could see some interesting developments (and cast additions). For instance, Uhtred and Gisela's children, who were taken away by the Church, will be all grown up now. Ruby Hartley has been cast as Uhtred’s daughter, Stiorra, while Finn Elliot will feature as Young Uhtred.
Last season also saw Uhtred killing Aethelwold (King Alfred's scheming nephew) to avenge the murder of his adoptive brother, Ragnar, who was also Brida's great love. With Ragnar's soul in Valhalla, Brida is satisfied with the revenge. But she still blames Uhtred for going off to rescue Princess Aethelflaed from her murderous husband Aethelred of Mercia instead of staying with her and Ragnar. She doesn't know that her new lover, Cnut, was the one who egged Aethelwold to kill Ragnor.
She is still with Cnut when season 3 ends and we wonder if season 4 will bring her the knowledge of Cnut's treachery. Cnut and the double-crossing Haeston both survived the war with the combined armies of Wessex, Mercia, and Kent. So we can expect them to continue to threaten the dream of a united England.
Another Danish warrior who features in the trailer for season 4 and is a new cast member is Eysteinn Sigurdarson who will play the warlord Sigtryggr, who questions Uhtred's loyalty to the Saxons.
Aethelred will be another villainous character who we still haven't seen the back of. With King Alfred's death, he will continue to make ambitious plans to establish himself as a rival to Wessex and disrupt Princess Aethelflaed's previous efforts to support Wessex. He won't be too pleased about the growing closeness between Uhtred and her -- now that Uhtred has killed Skade, the Danish seer, to neutralize the curse she put on him, he will be more willing to pursue a romance with Princess Aethelflaed in season 4.
In the upcoming season, we will also have Stefanie Martini join the cast as Eadith, Aethelred’s new love conquest. Her brother, Eardwulf (Jamie Blackley) will be Aethelred’s new right-hand man, which means the kingdom of Mercia will see a shake-up.
We also saw Father Beocca smuggle Uhtred in to see the dying King Alfred to resolve their differences in season 3. Just before he died, Alfred wrote a letter pardoning Uhtred for his "crimes" of killing a priest accidentally and giving his wife a pagan burial after desecrating her Christian tomb.
He also makes Uhtred a free man, much to the anger of his pious wife Aelswith, who sees Uhtred as a pagan abomination. She rescinds the pardon, most unfairly.
Unfortunately for her, the new King Edward, who ascends to the throne after his father's death, has a much better relationship with Uhtred. So he overrules his mother much like how he had overruled his father earlier in season 3 to team up with Uhtred. Season 4 will see how this partnership plays out, especially since Uhtred is serving Edward as a free man rather than a bondsman bound by an oath.
Another fly in the ointment will be Edward's father-in-law, the nobleman Lord Aethelhelm, who is interested in knowing about Edward's previous commoner wife and children, spirited away by Aelswith and the Church. Aelswith will likely also continue to alienate those who were once close to King Alfred, like Father Beocca, still grieving the death of his wife, Thyra, who was also Uhtred’s adoptive sister.
The official synopsis of season 4 reveals that Uhtred will finally go after his treacherous uncle Aelfric and try and reclaim Bebbanburg -- a long-held ambition that he keeps getting deflected from. Season 4 might start with him attacking Aelfric because "Uhtred believes the timing is right".
But just like previous seasons, "fate shifts in a different direction, leading Uhtred to realize that his destiny is tied to Alfred’s dream of a united land. This, and Uhtred’s feelings for Aethelflaed, drive him back into the politics that threaten to break out into war.”
'The Last Kingdom' Season 4 premieres on Netflix on April 26.