This post will contain spoilers for TV series Vikings.
Few days ago I wrote a post about game of thrones. I said that it had great 4-5 seasons and then went downhile. I think that the same could be said about Vikings. In fact I would probably say that first 4-5 season of Vikings is even better than Peak of GoT. The worldbuilding, writing, acting and characters were great. Some of the best I have seen on TV. In the begining this series had a single main character Ragnar. We followed his journey in discovering new lands and rising from a simple farmer and raider to leader of the vikings and eventually even king. He faced many challenges and powerful enemies. But with the help of his cunning wit and allies( Brother Rolo, wife Lagertha and trusty sidekick Floki) Ragnar achieved incredible things and overcame most obstacles that stood in his way. Most of the time he managed to be victorious no matter how dire the situation was. But few times he hit a wall so big that he could not climb it. So what did do Ragnar do in the time when he could not win? He created a plan to sacrifice his own life in order to unite his sons and allies to seek vengeance and overcome the challenge that was too much for Ragnar. Ragnar is a complex character that was struggling between different cultures and religions. During his life Ragnar played the game of thrones as good as best players from GoT. He made many great moves but like I said the most briliant Ragnar's strategy was activated after his death.
After the death of Ragnar it seemed that the fate of the show was in good hands. His sons( especially Bjorn and Ivar) were great characters in their own right. Ivar and Floki were among my favorite characters. So I hoped that this show will remain great even after Ragnar's death. Sadly I think that final few seasons got worse and they did Ivar dirty in the end. All in all I think that while Vikings had some mythical elements I am glad that unlike GoT this show had normal mortals as enemies and not some undead monsters. Watching Ragnar and later Ivar fight against the rest of the world was fascinating. So I think that despite this shows showcomings(espesialy the fate of Ivar) I enjoyeed Vikings slightly more than game of thrones.