FIRST TIME ANIME WATCHER | VINLAND SAGA (SUB) 2X18 'The First Measure' - REACTION 

Yeah it's definitely not his normal self.

Compeletely disagree. Ketil genuinely loved Arnheid. She was more like a mistress than a slave, and he treated her better than even his own wife. He clearly wouldn't have done what he did if he was in his right mind. Human beings are falliable, and so we will make mistakes, judging a person's entire charcter based on his lowest point in life is extremely naive and close-minded. It’s as if human beings are fixed, as if they’re just black or white, and as if people can’t change for better or worse. And it’s extra ironic in the case of Vinland, because one of the main themes that this series explores is *rebirth and redemption after spiraling down*

@@rikudou947”She was more like a mistress than a slave”…wrong. Mistresses typically WANT to be there and can leave at any time. Arnheid did not want to be there and she did not have the realistic option to walk away from him whenever she pleased. So yeah,she was his sex slave no matter how far you try to reach to make it seem like it was anything good.

⁠@@justmando9488 you said “typically”, so it’s not completely true, there are plenty of cases historically where that wasn’t the case and where the line between slave and mistress gets blurred, especially if you’re judging it by modern standards. Also when it came to mistresses of wealthy men most of them don’t get to have a say when there’s a clear power dynamic. And it’s not like Arnheid chose her previous husband anyway, it was arranged marriage. This isn’t that different. Plus Arnheid herself said she was looking forward to her future with Ketil and *THEIR* child, as that was a chance for her to restart her life and be a mother again. This time with someone who was the opposite of her previous husband Gardar, someone who wasn’t the typical Viking who fights for the sake of glory, and instead someone who’d rather properly protect his family by being by their side, while also providing a peaceful and safe environment for their child.

@@rikudou947 Arnheid never said she was looking forward to her future with Ketil. She was never content or happy with that situation, which is clearly displayed by her facial expression when we first see her comforting Ketil and by the fact that she tried to escape with the person she actually loves the first chance she got. She didn't choose to be with Gardar initially that's true, but the difference is that she actually loved Gardar unlike Ketil. Also Arnheid was Gardars wife, not his slave. Comparing her circumstances with Ketil and her marriage with Garder like that is wild. You don't beat someone you truly love to death, you don't keep someone you truly love enslaved when they seek freedom. Einar truly loved Arnheid. Despite the fact that helping Gardar would mean letting Arnheid go, he was willing to help without even hesitating. As the saying goes "if you love someone let them go", Einar was willing to let Arnheid go if that would ensure her happiness and safety. Because he actually loved her. Ketil loved having someone that wouldn't judge him and that would comfort and reassure him. If he truly loved Arnheid he would look beyond his own needs and consider her wants aswell. Your idea of love is pretty twisted.

Ketil didn't do his best to be kind his whole life. He chose to be kind when it was easy. Ketil at his core is a coward and spineless. His morals only hold up so long as it isn't inconvenient. Being a kind person means being kind even if it's hard, scary or inconvenient. I wouldn't say Ketil was "evil all along" but I certainly wouldn't go as far as to call him a kind man. He knows the slaves on his farm get mistreated but he doesn't intervene because it's inconvenient. He knows chopping off the arms of a child for theft is wrong and he has the power to stop it but he doesn't because he is scared. It takes Pater standing up for the child for Ketil to follow suit. At his heart he is a coward. That's why he vents his frustration on the defenseless pregnant woman infront of him.

@@mrlikerdh Also I think the impression of Ketil as a "kind" men mostly stems from him offering Thorfinn and Einar freedom/the opportunity to buy their freedom back from him. This seems to be kind and quite progressive for a slave owner but if one things about it, it really isn't. The goal was from the beginning to keep them as farmhands on the farm. Thorfinn comes from Island, Einar from England. Both are far away from their home and even if they would be free, they have no money to get home. They lifed for a long time on the farm, made social connections, they are connected to the land that they cleared and worked on. Ketil knows this. With 95% probability such slaves will stay on the farm as farmhands working his land for him. Ketil doesn't offer freedom because he is kind, he does it because he can use freedom as a carrot dangling in front of his slaves, motivating them to work hard and at the same time making them loyal farmhands through that grand gesture of freeing them. It is just a big cheap investment for him to grow his farm and get at least three years of free labor. There is even the comment made from Einar that the slaves and the farmhands are basically the same property wise.

What's the difference between this slave owner and today's farmer who also hires people to pick apples from farm??? They also treat them good and give minimum wages of respective region.

@@bendover-bz4bcI mean the obvious one slaves don’t get paid haha they get fed and a bed and that’s it anything they want they can’t have but a retainer or vasal fits what your trying to say better here

I mean.... he is not a violent man in normal circumstances...he didn't want to punish the kids who stole from him I understand he is still a bad person by modern standards, but considering the times and how people was raised back then, he was above average in terms of morality. I mean, even Helga (Thorfinn's sister) wanted a slave

@@kionashi (Spoiler Incoming!) It's the false dichotomy of love vs objectification. A good abuser is still an abuser. We are judged by the totality of our actions, not just our good moments or our worst. You can be morally righteous 99% of your life but if you beat your pregnant sex slave to death, you were always an evil man, always capable of this. He felt bad about beating that kid because Ketil didn't feel like he owned him the way he owns his farm, his family, his slaves, and his supposed pride. The pride that Arnheid died for.

⁠@@travisburton462 Důmb comment, every single human being has the capacity to do evil.