I think if we see it from Alfred's perspective... Why now! Becaus he's getting old and his kingdom is constantly in danger... uhtred may be a great warrior and may be doing great things for wessex. But he doesn't always tell the truth, he doesn't always answer to the king when he should. He acts with disregard for the King. And on top of that, he is not a christian, something that is difficult for a holy man like Alfred to ever accept... Like he said "I cannot" trust him. He isn't saying he doesn't want to .. he does, but Uhtred does make it hard for Alfred to trust him. I mean if Uhtred would at least be more respectful the crown, I think Alfred would find it alittle easier to trust him... Uhtred may never be christian, but if he would be a little more respectful he would at least make Alfred feel less paranoid... it's not about Uhtred having good intentions, sometimes his actions have always been contradiction after contradiction so in a way we have to blame Uhtred too, he doesn't seem to care about what Alfred thinks... And that makes Alfred, who is older and closer to death, worry because he wants someone loyal to protect his country and land but Uhtred keeps inadvertently provoking Alfred's fears. And Alfred also is to blame for reading into everything. But he's a king of an entire kingdom. King of all saxons in many ways. He rules over thousands of people, and thousands of warriors. He is a father trying to protect his wife and heirs... And then there's Uhtred, a man who he wants to trust to protect his people, land, and loved ones, and yet Uhtred is a viking and a pagan, and unfortunately not always a willing servant... That's what Alfred wants. Uhtred is serving him reluctantly, Alfred wants someone to serve him willingly and honestly, and not just someone... He wants Uhtred, because he does realize his potential... Anyways I rambled lol. Great episode and great reaction! Looking forward to the next one 😊
Maybe he should’ve stopped making him serve him in underhanded ways and maybe Uhtred would’ve served him less reluctantly. Every since they first met, he has been on Uhtred’s ass for no reason lol. Uhtred proves his loyalty over and over again and he still questions him.
Thank you for reacting to one of my favorite shows! In the books, Alfred's inner conflict really seems to center on his piousness vs. using a pagan (Uhtred) to achieve his dream. Just my opinion, but I always felt Alfred also represents pure order and Uhtred represents pure chaos. Alfred believes the only path to his dream of a united England is through structure and order while Uhtred believes his life is at the mercy of the whims of the Gods and his purpose is to entertain them by being daring, brave, bold, and passionate, hence why "Destiny is All" is his catchphrase. They have different religions but also different philosophies about the world.
The show is a bit unkind to Aethelred, according to the chronicles, he was loyal to his wife a bit sickly like Alfred and died fairly young, nothing like the Joffrey's twin brother portrayed in the show.
The why now, with Alfred being insecure about uthred, as u are definitely right there. I think at this stage it’s way past the time he reclaimed Winchester so he feels like he should be king in his own right, well that’s how I see it it. He feels at this point he should be able to achieve his goal without relying upon the strength of a pagan and more so his sword which is what he is trying to get away from. However he knows in his heart he needs Uhtred. I also think he is not truly sure why uhtred stays loyal when he is not a Christian or even married to one. It’s like why are you really here. But we know why because Uhtred is honourable and sees the value in peace and his title.
Well there is that, and of course Uhtred is not a Dane by birth, he has killed Danes in large numbers, and title to his home Bebbenburg is a Anglo Saxon title not Viking/Danish. If he want's to get his home back Alfred's vision of a United Kingdom is the best way to get it. If he takes back Bebbenburg and the North East is still under viking control, he will never be able to hold on to it.
when the pagan doesnt fit the Christian narrative(as being evil,dishonorable,unkind,disloyal,degenerate etc..), kind of situation....don't play into the Christian narrative and it will blow their minds.
@@Gabe-cv4yr Well there was that as well, Uhtred's refusal to play the hypocrite and embrace a religion he dosn't believe in. I am sure many Vikings of the period embraced Christianity because they found themselves controlling large swathes of the British isles with largely Christian populations. Uhtred stuck to his principles, but it made no sense to Alfred, after all if Uhtred intended to retake his ancesteral home of Bebbenburg just about all of the people of his feif would be Christian. Who accept the rule of a Christian lord more readilly than a Pagan, that's politics rather than religion. I guess Uhtred was always a better soldier than politician.
A word on Paranoia, you have heard of the sword of Damocles, the parable goes that a King Dionysus the second of Syracuse had so many enemies that he lived in constant fear for his life, a courtier Damocles flattered the King saying how fortunate the King must be, so the King offered Damocles the throne to sit in, and Damocles did and was having a great time flattered and lavished with food and drink. Damocles noticed that a razor sharp sword was dangling by a horse hair over the throne he was sitting on. And that was what it was like to be King. Damocles not surprisingly vacated the throne.
