Come late May, my internal clock tells me it is time for new episodes of Game of Thrones . But with Season 7 premiering later than usual in July, I have no way to sate my cravings for Medieval action. Luckily, Netflix has just released the second season of its criminally under-watched The Last Kingdom. Releasing just over six weeks ahead of the Game of Thrones Season 7 premiere, it may be a transparent grab at impatient Game of Thrones viewers, but even so – you owe it to yourself to be grabbed.
The Last Kingdom, and the Bernard Cornwell’s book series it is adapted from, contain the Medieval battles and plots and betrayals of Game of Thrones, but instead of the fantasy realm of Westeros, The Last Kingdom is grounded in English History. On the grand scale, it is the story of the unification of the Seven Kingdoms of England after the Viking invasions. On the personal side, it is the story of Uhtred, a Saxon raised by Vikings and thus stuck with one foot on each side of the war. If, as a Game of Thrones fan, the mention of Seven Kingdoms tickles your ears, it is worth mentioning that the history of Westeros draws heavily on this period of English history.
The show itself is in some ways far easier to follow than Game of Thrones – we’re primarily with Uthred on his journey and we meet other characters through him. However, the show also doesn’t bend over to make the culture and politics of the time easily digestible to the audience, and for better or worse, the dialogue heavy scenes don’t feature the patented ‘sexposition’ that plagued earlier seasons of Game of Thrones.
You can read more on how the shows relate to each other here. Or better yet fire up Netflix and dig in. You have two Seasons to get through before Game of Thrones Season 7 starts on July 16th.
