About The Last Kingdom

Post 763:

Many moons ago I did a video about the best shows of the decade. The Last Kingdom on Netflix didn’t make the list but perhaps it should’ve.

I can’t think of a more entertaining show that is still running. Do yourself a favor and get after it if you haven’t already.

Why am I buying? A couple reasons, brothers and sisters.

A lot of my admiration comes from the charisma of the main character. The actor has swagger and looks game for what has to be a very physical role. His headstrong nature is great next to the other main character, the pensive, stoic and sickly Alfred the Great.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say, the show is historical fiction, about England’s formative years, when the island was split into several kingdoms. You got Saxons and Engels and Danes and Britons and all that good stuff.

Our main character acts as a bridge between the Christians and Danes. (Vikings) By the way, I really liked Vikings on the history channel, but this is better. Hopefully they end it strong and don’t stretch it out past its sell date.

I’m a big history nerd, maybe you know. They used to teach us that there were two ways of looking at the past. They’re called different things by different people but I’ll use the following labels: Trends and forces theory, or the Great Figures theory.

This is pretty self-explanatory and I won’t insult you by going into the differences.

I will say that the Great Figures theory makes for more interesting stories, even if the biographies of our favorite historical figures can be bloated and untrue. The Last Kingdom does a great job of explaining just enough about the trends and forces surrounding pre-England England but sticking to our hero. I forget the guy’s real name, but his character probably has the greatest name of all time: Uhtred son of Uhtred. I think he may based on a real historical figure but I don’t want to get too far into it.

I want to name my son Uhtred son of Uhtred. If that means I have to change my name to Uhtred, so be it.

I will say that it does meander and takes a few episodes to really find its rhythm. It’s by no means perfect and there are some time-killing plots, but I really enjoy it. The best show still going on Netflix for me. Yay! Sword fights! Hairy dudes! Political intrigue! Smelly people!

Or as I like to call it, the Grand Quartet for any show.

Cheers and see you after.