The following contains major spoilers for Season 2 of Vinland Saga and mentions of physical abuse and sexual assault toward women.
One of the most important lessons in Vinland Saga is that the Viking Age is kind to absolutely no one. It doesn’t matter if they’re a good person—this bloodthirsty era is unforgiving to most. It’s something fans learned off the bat in Season 1 when Thorfinn’s dad, Thors, was killed, and Thorfinn ended up being used by Askeladd as a dog of war.
Sadly, Season 2 isn’t any more hopeful, with Thorfinn meeting other kind folks on Ketil’s farm who are shackled by servitude. At the core of it is Einar, a fellow slave who’d become Thorfinn’s best friend. Both characters bonded through enormous tragedy, which is why fans do garner a sense of relief that Vinland Saga’s Season 2 ending takes them away from the turmoil to a haven. However, while Ketil’s slave estate is reshaped and freedom granted to most, one endearing character there suffers the worst fate with no justice garnered at all.
Vinland Saga Does Arnheid Dirty
Season 2 introduced Arnheid as another slave on Ketil’s estate. She was caring, compassionate, and filled with empathy, which is why Einar grew to love her. However, things get complicated in the final few episodes of the season when her husband, Gardar, invades Ketil’s estate from a nearby slave estate. Sadly, Ketil’s people beat and damage him for his savage ways, not caring that all he wanted was his wife back. In the end, Gardar dies, leaving Arnheid crushed despite never having any intentions of absconding with him.
When Ketil gets in, though, he proceeds to beat Arnheid in one of the show’s grimiest, most squeamish scenes. He thinks her helping Gardar was a betrayal, even though she was going to stay with him. Most tragic is the reason that Arnheid wouldn’t leave: she’s with Ketil’s child, although the master doesn’t know. The only way for Arnheid to remain safe was to cut ties with Gardar and remain on the farm. Unfortunately, like Gardar, Arnheid succumbs to her injuries as well, showing Thorfinn and Einar how cruel this world really is. They know she didn’t show insubordination, but Ketil flew off the handle, consumed by ego and rage.
Ketil’s animosity is all part of him venting, as he’s frustrated that King Canute is making moves for his land. Still, to take it out on an innocent, loyal woman like that—someone who was a listening ear and took care of his every need—just feels unfair. Arhheid’s slow, difficult death is the reason Thorfinn loses interest in fighting Canute’s army, realizing how war poisons men and drives them to commit the most sadistic acts. Admittedly, Ketil did show Thorfinn and Einar gratitude before the dispute, but it’s clear that he was one of Vinland Saga’s most toxic males underneath this veneer.
Vinland Saga Doesn’t Really Punish Ketil
When Canute’s forces attack, Ketil’s battered in the fight—but luckily, he has Snake and his sons to look out for him. He’s taken to the barracks and treated, not realizing Thorfinn has bartered a ceasefire with Canute. The regent withdraws his legion, with Ketil’s farm then becoming a place of healing. Arnheid is buried, while Thorfinn and Einar leave to go to Iceland.
The problem is, after his maddening moment, Ketil is still nursing injuries in silence. Sure, he’s in solitude, but his pain is more mental than anything. And even then, it feels like regret—as if he’s the one who lost something, when really and truly, he took two lives. Finding out one was his child is sure to sting, but knowing Ketil still gets to reap the benefits of the war is proof bad people do get rewarded. He still has his wealth and people working for him, such as Snake, leaving fans wondering if he understands the consequences wrought and if he really has changed.
This was a great opportunity for his son Olmar to hold Ketil accountable, as the show touted Olmar as another Thorfinn: someone righteous, who believes in upholding morals and ethics. It’d have been powerful to see him becoming the teacher, demonstrating it’s not a totally happy ending. However, he, Thorfinn, and Einar bond, laugh, and share light moments, as well as Snake and Pater—men who helped kill Gardar. To them, it was a job, not to mention they didn’t trust the runaway slave. But still, even after finding out Arnheid loved him, they showed no benevolence. To that point, it feels like Arnheid, who also saw her and Gardar’s son killed years back by slavers, may well have died from a broken heart rather than just physical damage.
Vinland Saga Needed More Voices for Arnheid’s Plight
Admittedly, Thorfinn and Einar should have had the final say with Ketil, letting him know he’s indeed a monster. That’s because they tried to get both Gardar and Arnheid out of the estate without knowing they’d fail on both occasions. Clearly, this couple reminded them of how humanity and love can be immortal, so to just have them leave for home without holding Ketil accountable feels like her character’s short-sold by guys who are supposed to be close to her.
Instead of an older Ketil, there’s also the harsh option of Vinland Saga actually having Ketil die from his wounds or in battle against Canute’s forces. That would have been true justice served to a man who, despite his occasional kindness, profited off the blood, sweat, and tears of many innocents. Unfortunately, the show frames him pensively staring out into the fields, as if he’s a victim. At this point, there’s not much emotional attachment to him, other than he should have to pay for his atrocities.
Instead, Ketil’s contemplation makes it seem like he’ll wallow in self-pity and bathe in self-loathing for the rest of his days—yet the price paid is in blood, which feels like too much. All Ketil had to do was listen to Arnheid, but he chose to pummel her, even after intervening in one of his goons trying to rape her. As such, he inflicted more horror than she could have imagined and fans could have predicted, and in reality, is a vile representation of how entitled, privileged men in this world are. Thus, it doesn’t feel like Ketil’s fate is earned; honestly, it’s as if he got off easy. Hopefully, if Vinland Saga Season 3 goes back to his farm, fans learn he suffered the way he broke others. And ultimately, it should be in a way that lets him know the universe remembers his sins against a woman who was willing to sacrifice true love and a soulmate to remain his concubine.
