What’s Worth Watching: The Vikings March on Paris

Vikings, “To The Gates” (Thursday, April 9, 10/9c, History)

Nobody can call the French “surrender monkeys” in this thrilling, battle-heavy Vikings episode. The Norsemen were definitely mistaken if they thought Paris would be easy pickings on their plunder-and-pillage express. So many axe-wielders get struck with arrows, pushed off ladders, and burned alive that Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard)—who did a great job building cool stuff for the attack—blames the bloodshed on Athelstan (George Blagden), the born-again English monk he had recently slaughtered.

Thor only knows what a more and more crazed-looking King Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) thinks about Floki’s actions, especially since Ragnar’s never without his dead monk friend’s crucifix. And a resounding “merci” to the brave French princess Gisla (Morgane Polanski) who rallies her troops with a blood-stained banner. We’ll see if the jour de gloire est arrivé, or if the big blondes turn Paris into a Nordic playground.