Last week, Vikings: Valhalla returned to Netflix, transporting our Nordic heroes to Novgorod, Constantinople, and Jómsborg. There is mystery and intrigue, an abundance of conflicts, and even some traditional torture. Nevertheless, the highlight of Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 must be the return of one of Season 1’s biggest hits: shirtless Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter).
The producers of Vikings: Valhalla are aware that many viewers tune in particularly to see actor Leo Suter’s ab workout. When Harald first appears in the new season, he removes his shirt. Sure, it’s so that his girlfriend Freydis (Frida Gustavsson) can evaluate how a severe Season 1 injury is healing, but his rough-spun tunic has fallen off. It occurred. In the second episode of the second season of Vikings: Valhalla, Harald is shirtless throughout a lengthy fight action. Netflix even featured a photograph of a shirtless Harald as their primary key art on its official press website. And if that doesn’t imply, “We know what you associate this show with, and it’s this guy’s pecs,” then I don’t know what does!
Vikings: Valhalla is Netflix’s sequel to the wildly popular History series Vikings. Valhalla imagines a scenario in which future New World explorers Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett) and sister Freydis crossed contact with Norwegian hero Harald Sigurdsson and mythical King Canute roughly a century after the original series (Bradley Freegard). Season 2 begins with our beloved trio still grappling with the aftermath of Season 1’s horrific conclusion. Freydis, who is secretly pregnant, decides to end her relationship with Harald to pursue her destiny as a traditionally pagan Viking chieftain, while Harald travels to Kyivan Rus to ask help from his “uncle” Yaroslav the Wise (Marcin Dorociski). Harald concludes that the quickest way to earn money is to battle for it.
What follows is a heightened wrestling match. Harald, once again shirtless, engages two similarly muscular and half-clad warriors. Harald naturally holds his own. When Harald neutralizes one of his opponents, the referee commits a foul by substituting another fighter. This compels Leif to assist his pal by…um…killing one of the opponents, but you know what? Harald considers the situation to be excellent. People disperse, and Harald is covered in the blood of his foes. Once more, shirtless.
Okay, I realize it’s ridiculous to obsess on one man’s muscular chest, but this world is a transient sewer of nightmares. The characters in Vikings: Valhalla embrace this, and it appears that the showrunners do as well. In other words, we must find joy wherever we can. Me? I enjoy admiring this one guy’s ab routine. If I had known Leo Suter was hiding this under his austere outfit in Season 1 of the PBS show Sanditon, I would have rooted for his character to carry Charlotte away.
Valhalla is aware of what its supporters want, and that is shirtless Harald Sigurdsson.
»Leo Suter Delivers in Season 2 of “Vikings: Valhalla”: Shirtless Fights«