‘The Last Kingdom’: Was King Alfred Using Uhtred in Their Final Discussion?
In The Last Kingdom, there is one friendship that seems more critical than all the rest. In Uhtred’s (Alexander Dreymon) last conversation with King Alfred (David Dawson), they share a positive moment together that is refreshing to see. They’ve been through so much together and it was nice to see them patch things up between them, but could Alfred have been using Uhtred in their final conversation? Read on to learn what fans are saying.
Uhtred speaks with Alfred the Great 1 final time
In season 3, episode 9, Alfred is close to death and Uhtred goes to speak with him. Uhtred is at this time an outlaw, but he risks it all to speak with Alfred. During the conversation, Alfred admits how important Uhtred is to his reign as king.
“It will not be written that Alfred did stand on Uhtred’s shoulders. Many times, but I know it to be true,” Alfred tells him.
Alfred knows he is dying and he asks Uhtred to watch over Edward (Timothy Innes) until he is crowned king. He also pardons Uhtred and seems genuinely remorseful. Alfred takes his hand and says, “I’ve made my peace. I’ve made my request. I do not require an answer.”
Was King Alfred using Uhtred in their final discussion?
A Reddit user recently posted about the encounter and wondered if Alfred was still trying to manipulate Uhtred in that moment just as he always has. Some fans think he was attempting to use Uhtred, while others think it’s a combination of Alfred influencing Uhtred and wanting to make peace before his death.
“Alfred probably did want to make peace with Uthred one final time for all he’s done but watching the scene I couldn’t shake off the idea that he was trying to win back Uhtred’s heart once again,” a Reddit user wrote. “To use him to help Edward secure the thrown and ally with him.”
Alfred cares for Uhtred, but he also cares about his goal of a united England
Fans seem to agree that Alfred is trying to manipulate Uhtred to some degree in their final moment together. He wants to ensure that his dream and legacy live on in his son and he knows that Uhtred is the ally Edward will need when he is gone. Edward is Alfred’s legacy and his chance for a united England in the future.
“Well it is Alfred so probably a mixture of both. He very much did care for Uhtred and also pushed him to do what was right for England,” another user explained.
One fan brought up an excellent point that Uhtred was already going to be pardoned no matter what, so his choice to protect Edward wasn’t going to change that.
“He did say that it was Uhtred’s choice to even see Edward crowned. He would’ve been pardoned regardless,” the fan wrote.
Alfred wanted to secure ‘his dream’
Another fan thinks Alfred wanted to secure “his dream” and also clear his record before his death. He’s done some pretty terrible things, especially to Uhtred.
“He wanted to ensure Edward and his dream of England were protected and he wanted to ensure he died without a black mark (taking Uhtred’s kids, for example) on his record,” said a fan.
It’s pretty clear that Alfred was using Uhtred in their final talk to some degree. He did pardon him, but he was also going out of his way to manipulate him to stay and look out for Edward for him. It worked because that’s exactly what Uhtred does. A part of Alfred cared for Uhtred too and it’s obvious to fans watching.
