Vikings’ Season 6 Episode 10: Could Bjorn Ironside’s death be just a cliffhanger and not what actually happened?
When it comes to ‘Vikings’, we have come to terms with the fact that anything is possible on this show and creator Michael Hirst could turn around the fate of any character. In a dramatic midseason finale, Ivar the Boneless kills his stepbrother, Bjorn Ironside. Or so it seems. In a very intense and emotional scene, we see him falling to the ground, sword dug in his chest; courtesy, his brother. And preceding that scene, we saw him and Ivar having a serious conversation. Ivar claimed that he is better than Bjorn in carrying on their father’s legacy and was confident that Bjorn would lose the battle. Following the interaction, when we see Ivar killing Bjorn, it seems quite logical. But, come to think of it, are things always what they seem?
As we have experienced many times in this show, people and their destinies are above and beyond what meets the eye. What if Bjorn is not dead after all and the scene of him dying is just a creative way of portraying his imaginations? So, here’s our theory on why Bjorn has not die and the ending might be serious and a big cliffhanger to get us all thinking.
Let’s look at it this way - Bjorn has been anticipating this attack for a long time. Ever since he has gotten the news of Ivar’s presence in Kiev and his alliance with Prince Oleg, Bjorn knew that the day would come when his arrogant and vengeful brother will come back and try to overthrow him.
That’s why he delegated some of his men to find out more about Ivar and what he could be up to while in exile. By now, Bjorn knows how Ivar functions and how he thinks. It is highly possible that Bjorn would try to devise a well-knit battle strategy to outwit his brother. And while he does that, he might be thinking of all the possibilities that could occur during the attack.
So, it will not be a stretch to think that the entire battle scene, including Ivar killing Bjorn and the conversation between the two brothers could all be a manifestation of Bjorn’s mind. He could be creating these scenarios in his head so he could think like Ivar and plan how to retaliate when he comes powered by Oleg’s army. Sometimes, when you think too clearly and calculatedly, the possibilities often seem realistic enough to make you feel as if it’s happening right in front of you. What made us come up with this theory is the entire back and forth of scenes between an empty beach and the battleground with hundreds of warriors and dead bodies. In all probability, Bjorn is not dead and he is thinking how Ivar would think and what if he killed him.
So, for those who have shed a few tears or have been in shock since the episode aired, this might give them some peace and make them get a fresh perspective to the plot.
‘Vikings’ Season 6 is scheduled to come back with last 10 episodes of its final chapter, sometime towards the end of the year.