The Last Kingdom Is The Best Show On Netflix You’re Not Watching

Need something to fill the void between seasons of Game Of Thrones? The Last Kingdom is one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time.

I had not heard of the BBC2/BBC America drama The Last Kingdom until a friend at work recommended it to me, but the book series that it is based on is apparently quite popular. Since watching the show, I’ve started reading book one and it’s very good. Set in the 9th Century, The Last Kingdom depicts an England overrun with Vikings (referred to in the show simply as the Danes). England is on the verge of being completely conquered by the Danes and only the kingdom of Wessex, led by King Alfred, stands to stop them. Alfred has visions not only of defending Wessex against the Danes, but also uniting all of England as one nation. Alfred is a real historical figure and one of only two English monarchs to have the term “the Great” applied to his name. For that reason, and because this is a period of English history that I knew little about, I found the setting of this show to be fasinating.

Though the show is arguably about Alred the Great, it’s told through the eyes of Uhtred, son of the lord of the fortified city of Bebbanburg. As a young boy, Uhtred’s father is killed in battle by the Danes, and Uhtred is raised by a Danish lord in the customs of the Danes. As an adult, Uhtred feels out of place with both Dane and Englishman, but ultimately sides uneasily with Alfred. Uhtred’s long term plan is to reclaim Bebbanburg and take his rightful place as its lord.

I compared this with Game of Thrones but I actually think The Last Kingdom is a better show. As I’ve written before, Game of Thrones is a hard show for me to get behind because there are almost no good characters. It’s almost as if Game of Thrones takes place in an alternate universe in which Christianity (and thus Christian ethics and moral values and duties) never came to Europe. Almost every character in Westeros will do whatever it takes to achieve power. On the other hand, The Last Kingdom takes place in real historical England, and the Church is in place. There’s a lot of brutality in The Last Kingdom, but there is at least goodness in the land and there are good charaters to get behind.

You should be warned though that it is a pretty violent show. If you have difficulty watching Braveheart because of the violence, The Last Kingdom probably isn’t for you. There is also some nudity, though it’s nowhere near as abundant or as gratuitous as what you’ll find on Game Of Thrones.

Season one is composed of only eight episodes, so it’s a quick watch. That’s a double-edged sword (no pun intended) because it left me wanting more. There is a second season in the works, and I believe it’s scheduled to debut later this year, so we won’t have to wait terribly long for more.

I really loved the heck out of this show and can’t recommend it highly enough. As a Star Trek fan I have to say that the Danes make great Klingons. It makes me want a Star Trek series that’s more heavily Klingon-focused.