#Vikings Season 6 Episode 12 Review: All Change

Who is lying to who?

Vikings Season 6 Episode 12 was a transitional hour that focused on shifting power, the lengths people will go to garner power, and it worked fairly well.

I should have known it was too good to be true for Gunnhild and Ingrid to work together as dual Queens or something of a similar nature. 

Then again, Eric is the person driving a wedge between them as he pits the two women against each other, knowing that he will latch on to whichever one lands the most powerful position in all of Kattegat. 

If you watch Vikings online, you know Eric has mostly been on the periphery, but the way he’s been manipulating the two women is abhorrent. 

Initially, his claim about Bjorn making a mistake with Ingrid seemed to build a genuine connection, but he only really cares about getting some much-needed power. 

Gunnhild’s meeting with the Seer allowed her to realize that she’s being played, but she also understands that she needs to be playing the game if she doesn’t want to be double-crossed when she least expects it.

That explains why she had sex with Eric, to make him think she was in for whatever deal he wanted. 

Ingrid being pregnant will complicate matters, but the last thing I expected was for Gunnhild to say she could be carrying Harald’s child. 

Ingrid has nothing to lose by lying, and after years of being a slave, she was given a glimmer of the rich life after getting close to Bjorn. 

For that reason alone, I suspect that she will cut whoever she has to if she wants to get what she’s always wanted: Power and good social standing. 

If it does come down to Gunnhild vs. Ingrid, it really is a toss-up for who would win. Gunnhild is a fierce person who will stop at nothing to win something. 

But in recent episodes, she’s been questioning how long the Vikings will last, and that could make her question her role more so than before. 

The people voting for a Queen could also warm to Ingrid because of her humble beginnings, resulting in a surprise win for the former slave. 

Ingrid will not take too kindly to Gunnhild bringing up Harald raping her, so I suspect Ingrid will want to get rid of Gunnhild before long. 

Then again, someone else from Norway could miraculously pop up, throwing Eric’s plans out the window. It would be satisfying, but it seems a bit out there. 

The show seems to be relying on the simmering tension between these two women for drama, and I would have much rathered they worked together. 

Kiev’s drama continued to be solid, and it’s largely because of how unpredictable Oleg truly is. We witnessed some bizarre moments at the hands of him during the first half of Vikings Season 6.

The loss of Kattegat has knocked his confidence somewhat, and that probably explains why he’s spiraling further out of control. There’s a fine line between good and evil, and Oleg is mad above all else. 

Destroying everything that made Prince Igor a child was clearly his way to get the Prince to think of the bigger picture and win more battles. 

Killing his own men was a big red flag, and that perfectly explained why Dir re-appeared, telling Ivar and Igor to be prepared to flee Oleg when they got the chance. 

Oleg getting Hvitserk hooked back on the drugs was another power play that will force Ivar to question his brother’s true allegiance. 

Hvitserk is unpredictable when he’s high as a kite and has killed many people as a result. Will this lead to Ivar cutting his brother off for good?

If Oleg wanted to cause problems between them, then he got what he wanted. 

Katia dressing like Freydis was certainly surprising, but we still don’t know the truth why this new woman bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman Ivar murdered. 

The biggest surprise was that Ivar managed to get an erection to have sex. Was this the setup for Ivar to have children, or something else entirely?

The Iceland storyline is still the weakest aspect of the show, with the scenes dragging on for dear life, but Torvi managed to talk some sense into Ubbe. 

Kettil has been scheming ever since he appeared, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns on Ubbe and Torvi in an attempt to throw them overboard. 

This storyline needs to pick up the pace because it really is letting the series down. My concern is that it only gets good in the final few episodes, making what came before irrelevant to the overall plot. 

“All Change” was a slower installment, but it was still very enjoyable. There are too many changes to keep track of, but if it all comes together in the end, it will be worth it. 

What did you think of Eric putting Gunnhild and Ingrid against each other? Are you digging the direction of the storylines?

Hit the comments. 

Vikings Season 6B is available to stream on Amazon. 

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.