Vikings (TV Series) To the Gates! (2015) User Reviews

As the Vikings claw their way to ascend the perilous wall, the series has reached its grand zenith.

[quincytheodore · 9/10 · 10 April 2015]

This episode marks the highest production value presented on Vikings series. It's packed with series of polished scorch marks and flesh scars. Cinematography is nothing short of splendid as it moves back and forth from the walls and beyond. Caliber of action is different from usual medium size skirmishes displayed before, the siege of Paris delivers grit and wit from both participating parties.

As soon as the episode starts the Vikings storm the so called impregnable city. Clash of steel and wood is portrayed with visual vigor. Though it seems hectic, it never loses focus on what transpires on the battlefield. The use of several parties is great since it anoints each major character with respective spotlight. They all have clear purpose as they find out the solid wall of Paris is league taller from settlements they have previously raided.

Choreography ensures that everything moves at steady pace, the color palate is glossy though the carnage escalates by the minute. It gives more clarity when combined with amazing camera work. The closest comparison would be Game of Thrones' sieges, and even against such caliber Vikings doesn't falter. There are many several sequences that let the camera pans through the wall, slides in parallel with the siege weapons and even uses bird eye view that overlook both sides. These fast pace scenes are executed flawlessly.

Characters also develop with the ordeal, this is not the Vikings' first dance, but their will is tested in the baptism by fire and blood. Everyone gives a valiant performance. One minor hiccup is Princess Gisla. She is meant to be the authority figure and she just doesn't exhibit that kind of royal presence. As the series moves towards the end, the Parisian might rise to prominence, but the quality of the mainstay cast will be sufficient to carry the series till the end.

There are three letters in the word "WOW"

[A_Different_Drummer · 10/10 · 26 September 2015]

And if the IMDb allowed one word reviews (they do not) that would be the whole review.

This reviewer grew up on the "sword and sandals" epics.

And this reviewer was lucky enough to catch the latest iteration of that genre in TV productions like Spartacus (a series so solid that even though the quality lessened as the series wore on, no one really noticed or cared) And now we have Vikings, from the History channel no less.

This could be one of the most perfect hours of TV ever created. It is hypnotic. Part of you wonders whether you are watching something even close to historical fact, and part of you is having so much fun you don't care.

That is TV at its best.

Astonishing Episode

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 6 October 2017]

Floki commands the attack on the wall to Paris with Ragnar, Rollo and Bjorn while Laagertha, Kalf and Erlendur lead the attack on the front gate. However both groups are defeated by the Christians when Princess Gisla restores the moral of her army and the Northmen survivors have to retreat. Floki questions his gods why they have been defeated and Ragnar and Bjorn are badly injured.

"To the Gates!" is an astonishing episode of "Vikings" and probably one of the most expensive, using many extras, sets, locations and CGI. The sequences are amazingly real and impressive and Princess Gisla is another strong new character. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "To the Gates!"

Just the first attempt!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 8/10 · 26 October 2019]

Finally the action takes place in all fronts, the battle has just about to begin, Lagherta stays ready on position on main gate, the rafts with ladders reach near the high walls with Ragnar, Rolo, Bjorn and Floki as leading men, which seems simply, becomes in a bloody nightmare, the Parisians defend themselves with many tricks and well elaborated defense plain, almost unbridgeable at least, Ragnar reach the top, on hand to hand combat was thrown away to the walls, extremely injury he has a time to collect Bjorn's body almost death, Floki stayed haunting over such stateful defeat, the bells ringing all around on Paris, impressive episode over a unsuccessful attempt to gets Paris, however Ragnar won't give up so easily!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: Blu-Ray / Rating: 8.75

This raid on Paris was epic tragedy

[denise_actress · 10/10 · 26 April 2022]

Wow this is beyond cinema level battle scene for a television series. I can't even begin to imagine how this was choreographed and film. It leaves you breathless. This one episode alone surpassed anything by Game of Thrones.

Very amazing

[fyjhgnnwgt · 10/10 · 20 September 2021]

I was addicted to drug then i saw this episode owwwwwwww my god i felt like i died and i found myself buying an android then i felt like its the end of the world please help me god I cannot resist buying this android phone until I reached the end of the episode I realized it was really a message from god above and his angles that i should be an android accessory and become one with the androids agility and speed and power and strength and humility so i am here to tell you everyone to go and discover your lives and phone choices go ahead don't be afraid of the light just go and get yourself and android thanks for listening cuz the angels are driving you home from school.

the new french queen reminds me of Elmer Fudd

[forrestgnome · 8/10 · 9 April 2015]

Love the show, but the new French Queen spweeks wike she has mawbles in hew chweeks.

Wascally Wabbit.

Episode was OK, but the storming of the gates seemed cheap and the wall scale was also a bit amateur. These great warriors should have had better warfare techniques. I'm probably too used to GOT. Here we have lower budget History channel.

Base cast was spot on and Floki was great. Especially when he was in the water.

And again, the new French queen is just the worse. Like Copolla casting his daughter in GF III. Total casting mistake. If you're going to make a mistake with a female role at least cast someone who is hot.

Too lucky

[MajorBaleegh · 6/10 · 19 September 2021]

All the Northman were just killed by one arrow shot where as Bjorn was shot twice in the back and was thrown from the castle wall still manages to escape death like wise Ragnar was thrown away from castle wall got his back smashed with tower pole then hit the castle wall and then to the ground also manages to escape death which entails that whatever they do the main cast escapes death all the time like cartoons. That makes this show a laughing stock instead of a powerful Vikings battles saga.

Historical accuracy sacrificed for drama - minor spoilers

[DonB-5 · 5/10 · 19 February 2021]

Its certainly true that a majority of viewers won't know the historical facts or may not care. With Viking ancestety i have a different view.

The earliest recorded use of crossbows was in the 11th century a good 200 years after the first viking attack on Paris. They certainly were not an every-man weapon until the 14th century and evolved due to the need to pierce plate armor. Thats the first problem with this episode.

The Vikings of the 9th century had the longbow and were very skilled. The longbow had better range and accuracy than a crossbow and its unlikely longbowman would get in range of crossbows before firing. Thats a 2nd problem with this episode.

The first historical use of the Oriflamme banner was in the 12th century. The legend of its use by Charlemagne during campaigns in the holy land show that the banner was nothing more than an adornment for a Lance which was used to fulfill a prophecy regarding a knight possessing a golden lance, from which flames would burn and drive out the Saracens. Thats a 3rd issue.

Lastly - the first Viking assault on Paris was highly successful.

Very poorly written!

[coneyipad-65772 · 3/10 · 15 November 2018]

The series has been great so far but this episode was poorly written and goes head to head with the realism and magnificent history up to this point. Four of the main characters (Ragner, Rollo, Bjorn and Floki) was either unmistakably dead or about to die, and all of a sudden, all of them are back at their camp. I know that main characters rarely dies, but in this instance I would say that not letting somebody important die is a massive mistake. It truly destroyed a very interesting and otherwise great episode.

Rapid fire crossbows.......

[stellansson · 3/10 · 25 May 2020]

I can take a few things that are out of historical context, but this was just too much. The thing that irked me the most was the automatically loaded crossbows that could fire 2 bolts a second apparently. There's a limit to how much a writer and director can stretch reality without calling it science fiction. If this was an episode of Dr Who I would never complain, but this............ Enough said.

I'm done with it!

[rmvanlangeveld · 2/10 · 1 May 2020]

With this episode i am done with this serie! Although it is good filmed the carracters are great but historical..................??

It is a mess. In 793 Ragnar raided Lindesfarne great his star is rissing. But at that time his age could be in the mid twenties! After some years he plans to raid Paris! Some years? Although the Viking pressance started in 799 in Frnce the first raid on Paris came in 845 and was succesfull by the first attempt. The Viking party occupieded Paris und the leadership of "Reginherus"( saga and myth Ragnar Rothbrok) 52 Years after Lindesfarne Ragnar would be in his late seventies. Then the raid on Paria as showed in this episode is simular tot the rais on Paris 0f 885 where the Vikings suffered great losses and never entered the city of Paris.

Historical the serie stops for me here!

Porum A poorly told ending.

[GuilhermePP · 1/10 · 24 August 2021]

Porum, The character was a fighter and of humble origins, but gained respect and freedom. She fought even pregnant and she got the marks of the fight. She didn't deserve to disappear without an explanation. It doesn't make sense, how can such a beautiful story end like this? There are inexplicable contradictions, and that left me disappointed. Looks like the writer wanted something that got lost. The same happened to Porum and his daughter sigg. How can Bjorn forget like that? Did not Ragnar teach him to love his children? I did not like. A poorly told ending.

Awful, just so bad

[robertalevesque · 1/10 · 5 February 2024]

This episode was terrible. I love the series so far, but this episode takes the cake. I'm not sure if it's all the writers fault or the director. All these little moments where the main characters storm Paris and somehow everyone around them gets hit with arrows and die, but they don't. Rapid fire automatic arrows might I add. Why not just introduce cannons while you're at it??? Then all 4 main characters have these cathartic moments and everyone nearly dies, but doesn't. I really hate how they made all these characters look so stupid as warriors. It's so cheesy it's borderline comical now. Bjorn gets 2 arrows in the back, survives. Also, his slave turned free woman, turned wife wandering off? Leaving her child. What is that? Almost all of them stood back at some point during the battle and didn't fight... while chaos around them happens and everyone else is dying. Also, almost all of them stood there with no shields. Again, everyone else gets killed and they stand there like nothing can touch them. The Princess and the flag thing was stupid too! Stopping while they're all fighting for this big moment, FULLY exposed. She coulda been picked off easily. Truly my favourite moment was when the Viking in the water gets the arrow through the face. I laughed out loud. Rolo fighting without any armour at the top of the wall against 5 men with swords and nobody can pick him off with an arrow or sword? He fall, appears to drown, and then is alive yet again. The man truly has 9 lives. It's just so unbelievable. Lagertha's relations at the end after saying she will kill the earl who took her earldom??? So unbelievable. Flocki about to be burned alive in the ladder tower for what seemed like an eternity, and still survives without burn marks. Not to mention the smoke could have taken him out anyways. I truly hope the rest of the series doesn't continue like this because they lost their way with this abomination of an episode. That episode was a crash and burn!! Shame on everyone who allowed this amazing show to have all the moments aforementioned and thought they were great ideas.