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Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) might have faked his own death for the sake of taking Paris, but now that his life truly hangs in the balance, where will he end up when Season 4 rolls around next summer? Last night, the screen went dark on Rollo (Clive Standen) in Paris, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) confessing her undying love to Ragnar and Ragnar seemingly on the edge of death. Somehow, though, we knew Ragnar would make it through. Now that the dust has settled and the cast and crew are giving interviews in tandem with the finale, we're just not so sure.
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We've got awhile
"It's very important that Ragnar is weakened, ill and hovering between life and death when we come back for Season 4," creator and writer Michael Hirst said while chatting with The Hollywood Reporter.
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It probably won't just be a bunch of scenes on Ragnar's deathbed, though. Expect to see him in action, though perhaps not in battle. Hirst shared that when Ragnar and the rest of the vikings return, a few years will have passed and Auslaug will have gotten used to her role as leader. He said we'll see contention as they each try to find a new place in Kattegat. Hirst also said Ragnar's friends and family and Ragnar himself will need to deal what what was said at Ragnar's graveside. Will Lagertha's confession pull Ragnar back into her arms, or will his trick be the ultimate betrayal? Sounds like at least part of Season 4 will be devoted to figuring these things out.
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But, he'll probably die
Hirst said a few truly disconcerting things in regard to Ragnar's mortality. Hirst has stated before that the show doesn't rest entirely on anyone's shoulders and that he could see it living on without Ragnar, despite his current reign. He stood by that stance recently, too, telling THR he thought audiences could handle Ragnar's death now.
"Travis has been absolutely charismatic and magnificent. But by that stage, his sons will be young, hot guys and hopefully the audience will already be engaged with them and want to follow them," Hirst said. "They'll be different; each son has a different destiny and they'll be different sort of characters. But they'll be very powerful figures in their own rights. Instead of following one charismatic leader, hopefully we’re going to have four young charismatic leads to follow."
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In other words, he not only thinks we'll be OK if Ragnar dies, he's already planning when that happens. Are you ready to lose Ragnar? All signs point to Season 4 being the last for Fimmel and it's hitting us right in the feels.
Image: Giphy