Here’s How ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ Created a Frozen River in the Middle of Summer
After Vikings: Valhalla‘s smashing debut on Netflix in February of last year, series creator Jeb Stuart teased the theme of exploration for Season 2.
“My Vikings are going to get on their boats and explore a little bit,” Stuart told Newsweek in March 2022. But Stuart didn’t mention that the “exploring” would be done via boat … on a sled pulled by horses … atop a frozen river. Epic.
‘Vikings: Valhalla’ Season 2 premiered on January 12, 2023
The sequel to the hit History Channel show Vikings, Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla is set 100 years after its origin story. It features historical characters Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter), King Canute (Bradley Freegard), and Olaf Haraldsson (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson).
Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 introduced viewers to siblings Leif and Freydis as they arrive in Kattegat from Greenland. They quickly ally with the charismatic Harald but clash with the leader of the Christian Vikings, Harald’s half-brother, Olaf.
This is the throughline of the season. Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 ends with Leif and Freydis (and eventually Harald) defending Kattegat from Olaf’s invading forces. Meanwhile, Leif spends the season toying with converting to Christianity, and Freydis and Harald fall in love.
Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 begins one month after Season 1 ends as Freydis, Leif, and Harald recover from Kattegat’s fall. Harald is injured, Leif is mourning Liv’s death, and Freydis is bent on revenge. But wallowing in place is not exactly a Viking trait. Soon, the warriors set off again.
“Everybody’s a Viking in Kattegat,” Stuart told Rotten Tomatoes. “[But] It becomes a road movie for season 2.”
The Viking’s choice of transport? A boat, of course … kind of.
Behind the scenes of ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ Season 2: filming the ‘frozen’ river
Traveling from Novgorod to Constantinople via the Dnieper River, Harald faces many obstacles on his journey in Vikings: Valhalla Season 2, not the least because the river is frozen solid.
“I’m taking a boat to Constantinople,” Harald says, “… on a sled.” While viewers will be amazed by what unfolds onscreen, Netflix on Youtube reveals that what happened behind the scenes was unbelievable too.
Contrary to the wintery scene portrayed in the series, the scenes were filmed in Ireland in the summer of 2021. In the featurette, the actors are clad in layers of furs and stand before portable fans while the boat-sled is rigged behind them.
The boat, weighing in at three-and-a-half tons, required a custom-built trailer, which was then disguised as a Viking-built sled. A team of eight horses (and, sometimes, hilariously, by an SUV) pulls the entire 10-ton unit over a river of 3,500 square meters of concrete covered in prop snow.
Of course, the Vikings and their boat-sled encounter even more obstacles on their journey because, you know, ice cracks under pressure, unlike Vikings. “It’s a huge sequence,” says Suter. “I can’t wait for people to see it.”
‘Vikings: Valhalla’ Season 2 reviews
So far, critics seem to agree with Suter. Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 boasts a glowing 100% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Collider calls it “a non-stop, breathtaking, utterly relentless foray,” among other good reviews from websites like Decider and Total Film.
Audience reviews, however, are not as stellar. It only receives a 67% rating on the site. Many fans called the series’ sophomore outing a disappointment.
Released on January 12, 2023, Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 landed in Netflix’s top 10. So the ratings will likely change as viewers continue tuning in for the wild ride.
