‘Vikings’ Season 2 Debuts For History Channel On Different Week Night

The highly anticipated continuation of Vikings returns to the History Channel for a second season this Thursday night.

The miniseries was a surprise hit for History after viewers flocked to their televisions each Sunday night to follow the saga of Ragnar Rothbrok portrayed by Australian actor Travis Fimmel — who became an overnight sensation — as the leader of the Vikings.

Perhaps one of the surprises for the series creators was that viewers didn’t shy away from the many bloody, violent scenes that are present in just about every episode, we are talking about the ruthless Vikings after all.

Ragnar starts as the young, ambitious leader of his people. A family man, with a happy marriage if such a thing was possible in those days.

In an interview posted on TVFanatic.com Fimmel is asked if he had a difficult time getting back into character for Season 2:

“The sets and the costumes are so good, that they really help put you in that world again.”

Vikings creator and executive producer Michael Hirst told The Hollywood Reporter:

“Ragnar starts this season as an earl, he’s fighting against his brother and the stakes are high — in terms of his political life and his personal life. They’ve never been higher because his marriage is falling apart. Everything has moved up and his ambitions are much more profound and much bigger in season two.”

Even though Ragnar had a very strong bond with his wife Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and kids, he was not immune to temptation and the audience was introduced to the Princess Aslaug, played Alyssa Sutherland with whom he fathers a child.

Aslaug didn’t have too many fans in Season 1, for many saw her as a home wrecker, coming between Ragnar and Lagertha.

“It’s a real testament to how invested (fans) are in Lagertha and Ragnar.” said Alyssa Sutherland, “We were actually talking about Aslaug and Ragnar feeling like they were destined to be with one another and having this feeling that this is destiny and fate.”

Hirst says the scene in which Ragnar mourns the death of his daughter is possibly his favorite scene of Vikings, Season 2:

“I connect with that. I’ve got lots of daughters and I imagined myself in Ragnar’s situation talking to a daughter who died. I think that that is what makes the show because it’s not getting its own whistles-and-bell thing for effect; these are things that are heartfelt and these are things about real people and real life. It intersects with my life, it intersects with the audience; it’s about love, it’s about adventure and even though we’re talking about the 8th century, these figures are not fantasy figures and I’m hopefully taking the audience to real places and trying to understand a Viking world on the basis of how we understand our own lives and experiences. That’s my mission really. That’s my job in a way.”

And so the audience’s fascination with Vikings continues in Season 2 and viewers will get to see how the characters they met last time continue to evolve.

[Images courtesy of History Channel]