‘Vinland Saga: Season 2’ Episode 5 Recap & Ending Explained: What Has Been Canute Doing?

Welcome to the Recap and Ending Explained for Vinland Saga: Season 2, Episode 5. The fifth episode of the second season marks a turning point in the structure of the story. Recently, we were introduced to many new characters, including Einar’s important unique point of view, and we have spent a lot of time with Thorfinn, who has fallen from grace after the events of the first season. However, some characters from the first season, or prologue, as the manga calls it, have not made a reappearance until today.

Episode 5 catches up to what Canute has been doing. The ambitious and beautiful warrior we met in the first season is now different but also the same in equal parts. You could say that he has become even more dangerous than before. Even his physical appearance has changed to display a man who has left his boyish looks behind and turned into something closer to stone than a beautiful flower. This is a very nice change of pace. As for the previous four episodes, we were solely focused on Einar and Thorfinn and the slavery storyline.

The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Vinland Saga: Season 2, Episode 5. Read at your own risk.

What Has Been Canute Doing?

When Canute was introduced during Season 1, it was clear that he was one of the most important characters in the story. It didn’t matter if you knew or not what happened to his historical counterpart; the story made it very clear that we might be on a long journey with this character. In many ways, he was the opposite of Thorfinn. Canute is cold, calculated, and he prefers to avoid bloodshed if there is a simpler way to achieve his interest. He will make that choice if he can get what he wants by killing one person instead of a hundred. Meanwhile, Thorfinn was rabid, emotional, and more of a force of nature.

It seems that the roles have been reversed. In the main storyline, it seems Thorfinn has become a more docile version of himself. The times of blood, battle, and war have been left behind, at least for now. This is not the case for Canute, who right now is in the middle of a war for the throne of England. The episode begins with a flashback to the first season, to the moment that would change Canute’s life forever. That moment was when Askeladd killed King Sweyn right before his eyes. We see how that moment propelled him to become who he is now.

We find Canute in the middle of a battlefield as his troops pillage a destroyed village. Canute takes issue with this and orders the execution of all soldiers who are pillaging. Canute says that soldiers with no discipline have no place in his army. This already tells us that Canute is thinking differently from the Viking leaders before him. He knows that if he is to rule England, he will be kind to both the English and the Vikings in equal measure. The rest of the soldiers don’t understand this way of thinking, but they also don’t have the courage to stand up to Canute.

Here we are also reintroduced to Thorkell, the big and powerful Viking who is still under Canute’s banner, and his energy and love for battle remain the same. Canute and Thorkell don’t seem to have the best relationships. Thorkell tries to pump Canute up by reminding him that he only follows him because Canute promised he would be someone one day. Thorkell reminds him that years have passed, and Canute is still a nobody. He hasn’t even been able to become King of England. Thorkell warns him that the next time they meet, Canute must have achieved something, or he will be in trouble.

Does Canute Manage to Become King of England?

It is well known that King Canute was the first Viking King to take possession of the Throne of England. He is quite an important figure in England’s history, and so it makes sense that Vinland Saga, a story that takes that historical context as its foundation for the story, puts Canute on the same road to victory. There are a couple of details that differ from proper historical registers, but overall, Vinland Saga does a good job of teaching its viewers a bit of story while watching.

The first step in this story to the throne that is shown in the episode is the ravaging of Mercia, one of the English Kingdoms. Canute meets with a man named Eadric, who seems to be a sort of governor under the rule of another pretender to the throne, King Ethelred II. Eadric offers Canute a lot of gold and riches in exchange for him leaving Mercia. This could have worked with other Viking leaders in the past, but Canute’s ambition goes beyond riches; he wants the throne. He takes Eadric’s offer as an insult and makes a counteroffer. Eadric can tell him how to kill Ethelred instead.

Eadric refuses, as his loyalty rests with Ethelred, but then Canute shows the old man how useless his efforts are. Canute shows him that he can turn Mercia into ashes if he wants to and that Ethelred doesn’t have the power to stop. Eadric is shaken, and it seems he takes the offer; he betrays his king in exchange for peace for his family and the rest of the people in Mercia. It is quite a bargain. We then see that King Ethelred has been the target of several assassination attempts using poison.

Canute takes the road to victory, and he doesn’t seem to care that it is not one where he needs to face his enemies face to face. Canute is taking a road that looks more like the one the England Kings have taken for many generations. In the end, Canute achieves his ambition, and after killing both Ethelred and his son using poison, he then sits on the throne of England as its new king. We then see Thorkell dissatisfied as there are no more battles, and he doesn’t really respect Canute or how he achieved his goal.