'The Last Kingdom' season 2 episode 7 preview and spoilers: Price of victory

After the victory in the previous episode, the Saxons will now have to deal with the price they had to pay to get that victory. A preview video of the next episode released online shows Aethelred claim credit for taking back Lundun, but he will also have to reveal what they lost in the process. The following article contains spoilers.

The preview video of the next episode [see below] shows Aethelred (Toby Regbo) telling Alfred (David Dawson) about the victory in battle. But, when the king is told that this victory came at a significant cost, he is dismissive about it at first. “It is the way of battle,” he assures his warriors. It is easier to be dismissive about the loss of life of soldiers, but losing one of his own is a little hard to digest.

When Alfred learns that his daughter may have been taken by the Danes, it enrages him. His wife wonders out loud what the Viking brothers could do to her in captivity. Paranoid thoughts race through their minds, and some of that anger is directed at Aethelred for putting his wife in a dangerous situation.

Aethelred conveniently blames his wife to be headstrong and eager, while portraying himself to be too weak to control her. The medieval sensibilities of Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth) compel her to remind her son-in-law that he is her daughter’s husband, meaning he has the right to demand her obedience.

Alfred on the other hand is only interested in knowing whether or not his daughter is still alive. Aethered doesn’t know anything for certain, but he pacifies the king by pointing out that the Viking brothers have no reason to kill her. It is normal practice of that time to exchange people of importance for a ransom.

However, the brothers had previously teased Aethered about exchanging his wife for leaving Lundun. The fate of Aethelflaed (Millie Brady) is still unknown. She managed to evade capture until the last minute after the raid on the camp, but she was followed by a few Danes.

The victory of the Saxons is hollow, as it was allowed by the Viking brothers. The army of the Danes is still intact, and they will choose their next target with ease.

Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) is nowhere in sight after this “great victory,” even though Aethelred used the same strategy that was devised by the Dane. “The Last Kingdom” season 2 episode 7 will focus on Aethelflaed’s storyline, which is promising to become more important as the story continues.