‘The Last Kingdom’ Season 4: Why Uhtred Has to Sacrifice Himself for Wessex, Again
In season 4 of The Last Kingdom, it’s not surprising to fans that Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) sacrifices himself for Wessex, again. Why does he make the choice to put his life in danger? Read on to learn about what happened and why Uhtred has to make this choice.
When King Edward is away, the Danes take Wessex
Not surprisingly, Brida (Emily Cox) is still angry with Uhtred for allowing her to be captured by the Welsh and enslaved. She wants revenge and when she learns that King Edward (Timothy Innes) is away in Mercia, she gets Sigtryggr (Eysteinn Sigurdarson) to invade Wessex and take Winchester.
Unfortunately for King Edward, both of his male heirs are inside Wessex, along with his mother and his wife. He’s pretty much lost it after trying to unsuccessfully enter Winchester. Uhtred steps in when things become volatile and Edward mentions burning the place around the town to move the Danes out, which will lead to the destruction of Winchester itself.
Uhtred sacrifices himself for Wessex, again
Uhtred knows that Sigtryggr wants him dead, so he offers himself up for the lives of Edward’s sons when Sigtryggr says Edward must choose between them and retreat. Of course, it’s an impossible choice, so Edward walks off in a fury. Uhtred approaches Edward with his plan, and they go along with it. The exchange is made and Uhtred sacrifices himself by walking into Winchester ready to die for the cause.
Uhtred quickly realizes that Sigtryggr wants to talk. He wants to negotiate with him in regards to “peace and land.” Unfortunately, Edward decides to strike at the town once again, this time equipped with Aethelflaed’s (Millie Brady) men. During the battle, Uhtred tells everyone to stand down, and eventually each side forms the shield wall. Uhtred appears and so do the leaders. They decide to talk after they see the captives are still alive.
How do things play out?
King Edward and Aethelflaed discuss a solution with Sigtryggr, and it isn’t one that Uhtred likes. Sigtryggr also wants a captive, Uhtred’s daughter, Stiorra (Ruby Hartley). They don’t refuse him Uhtred’s daughter, which is a terrible thought considering everything he has done for Wessex and Mercia and Alfred’s (David Dawson) children in particular. Uhtred eventually agrees with it all, but only because Stiorra herself really wants to go with Sigtryggr.
Why Uhtred has to sacrifice himself
Uhtred always finds himself being the bridge between two worlds: the Danes and the Saxons. Without him, who knows where things would be? If he hadn’t stepped in when he did, Edward may have burned Wessex to the ground with his family inside.
Uhtred plays the mediator between the two parties because he can relate to each of them in his own way. With his sacrifice for Edward’s children, he helped develop a peace, at least for now. He lost a daughter in the process, so I’m sure he’s feeling pretty bad about that. Hopefully he’ll get to see Stiorra again in the future.
