Warning: Spoilers for Episode 2 of Season 5B of Vikings lie ahead.
Things took another intriguing direction on tonight's Vikings as Ivar's personal life took huge leaps forward. His ability for independent thought took many steps back. Ivar crowned his new wife and queen, Freydis. That move was slightly expected; the next one, not so much.
After telling Ivar that he is a god to her and seemingly convincing him that he is one, she took things a step further. Freydis convinced Ivar that he could father a child, which is something Vikings viewers and Ivar know is not possible. Or at least he used to.
Margarethe went so far as to share this intimate knowledge with Harald, and that is a reveal that could come into play down the line. For now, let's head back to Ivar and Freydis.
To conceive their child, Freydis sliced Ivar's hand and drank his blood. She told him that was all it took for them to make a baby. Not too long after, she tells him that what they did worked, and she is now carrying his biological child. In actuality, she hooked up with a guy in Kattegat and is having his.
Putting a punctuation on all of this is what happens to Margrethe. She is murdered at the end of the episode by men wearing hoods. Ivar appears to be the culprit behind the killing. He had a nightmare in which she killed him and he seemed to take that seriously.
Plus, he knows that Margrethe knows about his situation. Perhaps he did not want to chance her doing what she already had, even if he believes Freydis. So, what do all of these happenings mean? Well, Ivar is less in control than ever before, as Freydis' power over him makes clear. As Vikings' creator previously teased, she has an influence on Ivar.
Now viewers know it is to the point that he believes he can father a child and he is a god. By believing in his status as a god, Ivar's ego is destined to go into overdrive. Ivar believes that because of Freydis, though. With her ability to convince him of impossible things, it would seem she is in control now.
If he comes to stop believing in her, it may give him pause. With his ego already being quite sizable, it may not cause him to lose too much faith in Freydis' claim. What is Freydis endgame though? Does she just want power and influence? If so, choosing to align herself with Ivar puts her in a particularly perilous situation. Ivar tends to turn against people quickly.
Putting yourself in an intimate relationship with someone so dangerous does not seem like a good long-term plan for maintaining delicately held power. She is running the risk that Ivar could turn on her too.
Freydis has to be confident in her own personal power to not be concerned. She is playing a dangerous game, and it could get her killed. What is so valuable that she would risk meeting a horrible end to pertain it? By Ivar's side, power and glory could vanish quickly.
That is if she assumes that power through him. For all intents and purposes, Freydis is the mother of Ivar's child. If Ivar were to die, she could assume power through them. Thus, taking Ivar out of power and installing herself.
Freydis should not underestimate Ivar though. His affection has another edge. New episodes of Vikings Season 5B air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on History. The drama is among many returning this fall with many more ahead in the midseason.
