‘Vikings’ Season 6 Episode 8 explores Ivar the Boneless' affectionate side and we are all shocked
Who is Ivar? If anyone ever asks about his identity, then there is a very simple way to define him. Ivar the Boneless is a crippled Viking, youngest son of the great Vikings king, Ragnar Lothbrok, who is known for his extremely strategic thinking, intelligence, and inexplicable cruelty. He is a proud, smug, and egotistical maniac who would go any length to fulfill his desire and satiate his ego. So much so, that he didn’t flinch from turning against his own brothers, killing his own people to serve his own needs, and allying with the enemy whenever and wherever he has found an opportunity. It is very easy when a character is all but dark. We know how to read and assess their characteristics and what to expect. When such characters suddenly start to show a softer, rather a sensitive side, is when it surprises us. Episode 8 of Season 3 is a classic instance of Ivar’s ‘other side’ which we might have gotten glimpses of earlier but never saw in depth.
We know Ivar likes to befriend children. And we can also understand why. His childhood was anything but unpleasant. His handicap had kept him at bay from the usual fun children have and he would be often teased, even by his own brothers. He has always felt neglected and ignored by his own family. Or so he thinks. Whatever the case may be, all these suppressed feelings had turned into anger and hatred towards his family, and even people in general. But there has been one exception. The otherwise sadistic and hedonistic warrior likes children. In one of the earlier seasons, we had seen him befriend Aethelstan’s son. And now, in the final season, he made a new friend, Prince Igor. From the very day he stepped into the court of Prince Oleg, he found this little boy to be his friend, especially after Oleg cold-bloodedly kills the boy’s father. He feels a strange (and inexplicable) pang of pain for the young one and takes him under his wings.
Despite having a language barrier, they soon become friends and although it might be a long-term scheme, Ivar manages to brainwash Igor about his future as the king of Russia. They even team up to free Igor’s uncle and Oleg’s brother, Dir. They spend quite a lot of time together, and perhaps their growing friendship has also managed to mellow down Ivar, for we don’t see the darkness around him as earlier. In ‘Valhalla Can Wait’, these emotions of Ivar went another step further. When Oleg reprimanded young Igor for being playful, Igor turned feisty, and his reactions came out as suppressed anger (do we see a great similarity between the two friends here?) and Oleg thrashes Igor’s toy and gets violent.
While Ivar silently watches all the drama unfold and doesn’t react, he eventually resorts to a crying Igor and consoles him. For the first time (since his relationship with Freydis), we see Ivar physically comforting someone. He hugs Igor and tries to pacify him, just as a parent would comfort their child. This is perhaps the most beautiful scene in Ivar’s story but we are shocked nevertheless. This comes across as a whole new aspect to Ivar’s character as we know it and somehow we are not sure if one should be impressed, worried, or scared at such shades of Ivar the Boneless.
‘Vikings’ Season 6 airs every Wednesday at 10pm/9c only on History Channel.