Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla hacks through new history, but familiar territory

polygon.com:

Sequels, reboots, and the sometimes unholy union of the two (“Requels”) are everywhere these days — notably on Netflix, where what is dead may never die and the streaming service has resuscitated more than a few dormant or waning projects. See: Texas Chainsaw Massacre, You, Manifest, Designated Survivor, and Lucifer; all Netflix originals now, in one way or another.

But Vikings is a whole other ballgame. The original series was History Channel’s first stab at fiction TV, and a massive ratings success out the gate. The exploits of the great Ragnar Lothbrok, Bjorn Ironside, Lagertha, or Ivar the Boneless was like a smaller-scale Game of Thrones, with an emphasis less on complex political intrigue than a world audiences knew coming into a new period. Plus, incredibly bloody raids.

Netflix’s spinoff, Vikings: Valhalla, aims to capture that lightning again, just a bit further down the timeline in Vikings history. And it comes to TV when ax-swinging imitators are much more common. Put another way: Valhalla has to do more to set itself apart from the pack — of historical fantasy epics and the Netflix glut alike.

Set 100 years after the events of the History channel original Vikings, Valhalla picks up as the age of the Vikings is just about coming to a close (though the Vikings on the show certainly don’t know that).

When the show arrives in Kattegat, it’s hard to know exactly what will be the biggest contributor to the downfall of the civilization. But there’s certainly a lot to choose from: The Viking infighting spurred on by religious differences? The waning influence in Europe? The ever-expanding empire Vikings have carved out and rule with an iron, often bloodied, fist?

Vikings creator Michael Hirst stepped aside as