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The Last Kingdom Season 4 Episodes
Season 4 Episode Guide
10 Episodes 2020 - 2020
Episode 1
Episode #4.1
Sun, Apr 26, 202056 mins
Bebbanburg's cruel usurper Lord Aelfric loses half his men in a battle with Viking pirates (slave-)raiding from Scotland. Uhtred's spies Finan and Osferth return to Coccham and tell him the attacks weakened him enough to be overthrown, striking Bebbanburg fortress before the Scots return and Aelfric can rebuild his his depleted forces, but king Edward denies support. Father Beocca and Uhtred's son Young Uhtred, a cleric, are willing respectively unwilling accomplices. Haesten sees that Cnut is moving his men from East Anglia, presumably to Ireland, and tells Eardwulf, now commander of the royal Mercian guard, who informs king Aethelfled, who sees this as an opportunity to conquer East Anglia. To increase his chances of success, he sends monks to Bebbanburg to buy St. Oswald's heart, a holy relic, from Aelfric. Young Uhtred joins the monks as camouflage to gain entry to Bebbanburg. King Edward increasingly depends on Aethelhelm, who tells him of Cnut's move to Ireland, still orders the defenses along the Wessex border increased. In reality, Cnut and Brida are planning to invade and defeat Aethelred and Edward to take over Mercia and Wessex.
Episode 2
Episode #4.2
Sun, Apr 26, 202055 mins
Young Uhtred despises Uhtred's heathen harshness. Lady Aelswith warns King Edward that Aethelred's goal of uniting all of the holy relics of St. Oswald means breaking with Wessex attempting to restore Mercia's historical supremacy among Saxons. Lord Aethelhelm advises Edward to ignore her concerns. Lord Aelfric decides to sell St. Oswald's heart relic to raise money to hire men. King Aethelred pursues Eardwulf's sister Eadith, in vain. Cnut's army arrived at Tetsworth in Mercia, Cnut sends his twin boys to safety with Haesten. Brida admits to Haesten that she expects Cnut's child, but wants to keep the pregnancy secret until after the battle with the Saxons. Although presumed drowned, Aelfric's banished son, Wihtgar returns to Bebbanburg with his battle-tested men. Lady Aelswith visits Edward's first wife, nun Ecgwynn and arranges a single meeting with her pre-teen son Aethelstan, apologizing for their separation, but sends the boy away. Thanks to his son, who gave a signal and didn't betray them even at the price of cutting his monk companions' throats, Uhtred forces entry to Bebbanburg fortress at night. Young Uhtred identifies himself to Aelfric and Uhtred prevents his murder. Uhtred offers to take over the men of Bebbanburg, but they decline due to their loyalty to third rival for the lordship Wihtgar, who kills Aelfric by arrow.
Episode 3
Episode #4.3
Sun, Apr 26, 202054 mins
Wihtgar shoots to kill Young Uhtred but Beocca throws himself in from of the his crossbow arrow, dying in his place. Uhtred and his men van barely escape to their leaky ship and beach up. Cnut invaded Mercia, while Aethelred rampages through East Anglia. Cnut waits at Tameworthig for a battle with Edward, who is expected to defend Mercia in Aethelred's absence as Aelswith urges, but Edward wants to wait for Aethelred's return before going to battle rather then risk almost certain defeat. Aethelflaed sneaks out of Wessex to summon Mercian fyrds at Tettenhall, Aelswith promises her that Edward's army will join them. Aethelhelm advises Edward to abandon Mercia to rid himself of Aethelred before uniting Saxon England by defeating a weakened Cnut. Aethelred is camped at Lena in East Anglia while re-claiming Viking-held land. Aethelred tells Eardwulf and his sister, Eadith, that he will pardon the disgrace of their family name if Eardwulf conquers all of East Anglia. Uhtred is devastated by the loss of his substitute father and of the Bebbanburg lordship, feeling his time is over. Haesten tells him that Cnut orchestrated Ragnar's death, and of the invasion of Mercia. He kidnaps Cnuts's twin sons.
Episode 4
Episode #4.4
Sun, Apr 26, 202051 mins
Aelswith's envoy to Wales, father Pyrlig, asks for help from King Hywel, who sends a thousand warriors. Uhtred is attacked in Aylesbury fortress by Cnut's men who want to capture Aethelflaed. Uhtred threatens to kill one of Cnut's sons, and when Cnut's henchman Bjorgulf calls his bluff throws the decapitated body of another dead child, so they retreat. Mercian guard commander Eardwulf murders the messenger to delay telling king Aethelred of the Viking invasion of Mercia. Eadith sleeps with Aethelred to soften him up. Aethelred blames Eardwulf and promises revenge. Informed by Aethelhelm Aelswith sent Pyrlig to Wales, king Edward confronts her, she replies his men will revile him if he lets Aethelflaed die. Told by Bjorgulf of his son's alleged death, Cnut marches immediately to rescue his remaining son. The Mercian fyrd and the Welsh battle the Danes at Tettenhall. Aethelred's army arrives to enter the fray. When all appears lost, Edward's army determines the outcome. While Uhtred fights Cnut, Brida hears of his betrayal of Ragnar and kills him. The Welsh take Brida prisoner. She asks Uhtred to kill her, in vain.
Episode 5
Episode #4.5
Sun, Apr 26, 202055 mins
Mercian king Aethelred is carried in mortally head-wounded after the battle of Tettenhall. Guard commander Eardwulf sees an opportunity in Aethelred's imminent demise while Eadith would prefer if they simply abscond. Aethelflaed and Uhtred travel to Aylesbury to address the Ealdormen about who is to be made Aethelred's successor by their witan. Aethelflaed wants Aethelred to find a suitable match for kid daughter Aelfwynn to ensure the succession and the Saxon alliance. After arriving in Aylesbury with the triumphant Wessex army, king Edward instructs Aethelhelm to have his mother publicly punished for involving Welsh king Hywel's army, so Aelswith is imprisoned in Winchester with the queen's consent. Aethelhelm advises Edward how to assume control of Mercia. Burgred's bid for his son to rule is unacceptable as it threatens the Saxon union, so Ludeca becomes favorite, but is offered a buy off with lands from the new king, as Edward plans betrothing Aelfwynn to Eardwulf. Aethelred will never agree, so Eardwulf discretely murders Aethelred to keep him quiet. Aethelflaed is outraged at Edward's plans, the king tells Eardwulf to confine Aethelflaed until the betrothal is finalized. Uhtred rides to estate Saltwic, where his daughter, Stiorra, Aethelflaed's daughter, Aelfwynn, and Edward's first son, Aethelstan, reside guarded by his men, planning to bring them to Ceaster to safety. Eadith helps Aethelflaed to flee and find Uhtred to tell him to meet her at St Milburg's priory in Wenloca.
Episode 6
Episode #4.6
Sun, Apr 26, 202053 mins
Eadith finds Uhtred's party returning to Ceaster, to meet princess Aethelflaed. They encounter starving Saxons who flee a plague. Fearing infection they continue on foot to Wenloca, where Aethelflaed waits with Aldhelm, but loses heart, so Uhtred arrives at Wenloca to find she left. Stiorra tells young Ragnar that she feels more Danish than Saxon. The Ealdormen refuse to confirm Eardwulf's betrothal to Aelfwynn. He defies Edward's instructions, setting off with Mercian warriors to search for the fugitives. At Aylesbury, Aethelhelm bars Aelswith, who escapes from Winchester, entry to the fortress, the gates being closed to peasants seeking shelter from the plague. Edward overrules the Ealdormen and opens the gates, feeding suspicions that he puts Wessex and his family above Mercia, compromising the throne plans. Brida's Welsh captors enjoy tormenting and humiliating her as toiling slave. Aelswith discovers that Edward imprisoned Aethelflaed and has sent men to hunt her and Aelfwynn. Eardwulf and Mercian soldiers track down Uhtred and his companions. When they try to capture Aelfwynn, Eadith tells them that Eardwulf murdered Aethelred. Eardwulf flees.
Episode 7
Episode #4.7
Sun, Apr 26, 202052 mins
During Mercian king Aethelred's funeral in capital Aylesbury, father Pyrlig helps Uhtred's party enter the fortress. At the Witan after the funeral, Uhtred enters tells the Ealdormen and Edward, of Eardwulf's treachery. Edward, challenged by Mercian autonomists, orders Uhtred imprisoned as a traitor and lord Aethelhelm tortures Uhtred, failing to extract the whereabouts of Aelfwynn. Grasping that Aethelhelm has his own agenda, Edward sets Uhtred free, dismisses Aethelhelm as an advisor and returns him to Wessex, while the queen-mother informally counsels again, but the suspicious king refuses to welcome his bastard prince. Viking warlord Sigtryggr, from Ireland having fought his band free, raids the Welsh settlements and allows liberated Brida revenge on her Welsh captors, then sends a welsh prisoner to King Hywel at Holywell with the decapitated head of his brother. Seeing how Uhtred instantly commands the trust of the Mercians, Edward offers to appoint him Lord and Protector of Mercia and his beloved Aethelflaed until the unrest in Mercia settles down and a suitable ealdorman coming of age can be betrothed to Aelfwynn, rebel leader Burgred being controlled by confining his son in 'monastery education'. Uhtred is given a deadline to accept this regency, Aethelflaed learns of Edward's plan.
Episode 8
Episode #4.8
Sun, Apr 26, 202050 mins
As Mercian nobles doubt Uhtred's conversion, he must agree to strip in front of them and Edward's retinue for his fourth baptism. The Mercian 'witan' (state council) now accepts him as temporary ruler till a noble son ages to wed widowed queen Aethelfed, yet she privately warns him the country will still not accept a Wessex appointee, however fit. Uhtred bitterly surprises Edward, who orders the capital taken under his guard's control, by handing over the throne to her, whom the nobles only accept although a woman, after a vow of chastity during her rule. After Uhtred levies a Mercian host to recapture the capital Aylsbury, but Aethelfled prefers a parlor with her brother, their mother convinces Edward to agree with a sibling of each throne and a joint expedition force to stop Danish intrusions in the north. Liberated in Debeubarth fort, Brida tortures the commander to death. When Welsh king Hywell plans to recapture it, Sigtryggr incinerates them in a field trap. Uhtred's son Junior doubts the sincerity of his baptism, decides to enter a Wessex abbey in honor of father Beocca's ultimate sacrifice for his life and leaves without saying goodbye to his father as Pyrig reports, adding it's a youngster to be proud of. Despite haughty abuse, Eardwulf offers Sigtryggr a sneaky way into nearly undefended Winchester.
Episode 9
Episode #4.9
Sun, Apr 26, 202052 mins
Crowned queen of Mercia, Aethelflaed leaves for Eoferwic with her army. Sigtryggr's Danes take brutal control of Winchester and plan to defend it as a strong fortress. Aelswith, Aethelhelm, Aelflaed and Edward's children are imprisoned. Uhtred and his men accompany queen-mother Aelswith to Bedwyn where she plans to raise little Aethelstan but are ambushed and captured by Haesten's Vikings, who suspend Uhtred, Osferth, Pyrlig, Finan and Uhtred by the feet and leave guards to watch them die. Eadith hid in the forest, unnoticed by the Danes, kills one of the guards and sets the captives free. Pyrlig is sent to inform Edward. Uhtred and his men set off on foot for Winchester. Eadith volunteers to enter the city to let Stiorra's party know that Uhtred is near. Eardwulf tells Stiorra is Uhtred's daughter to Brida, who wants to decapitate her, but Sigtryggr protects her to learn from her about the Saxons and Uhtred. Brida exhumes the bodies of deceased Saxons as a provocation. Eardwulf assaults Stiorra but Sigtryggr has him killed. Haeston captures Eadith. Against Uhtred's advice, Edward blindly attacks Winchester, which is too well fortified to be breached, hence looses many men senselessly.
Episode 10
Episode #4.10
Sun, Apr 26, 202055 mins
Edward has failed in thirty days of bloody siege to reconquer Winchester. Uhtred sees an alternative: Sigtryggr may well negotiate, so he offers to go, formally as alternative hostage for Edward's heir and bastard son, which were only promised if Edward retreats. Sigtryggr agrees, seeking land through a peace treaty, while vindictive Brida wants to torture Uhtred to death. Princess-regent Aethelflaed has claimed Eoferwic and arrives at Winchester with the Mercian army. Edward uses smoke to conceal an attack on Winchester and breaches the door to the fortress, but Uhtred stops the battle promising a proper peace. Edward and Aethelflaed agree to give Sigtryggr Eoferwic. He asks for a captive to guarantee the truce and chooses Uhtred's daughter, who wants embrace her Danish heritage as Sigtryggr's companion. Brida attacks Uhtred and fails to kill him, but vows to be his undoing before going into labor. Aelswith unwittingly seals her own fate when she tells Aethelhelm that there is a plant in the courtyard, the flowers of which when dissolved in water are tasteless and poisonous. Edward assigns crown prince Aethelstan into Uhtred's care, like Alfred once committed him.
