Vinland Saga 2 - Episode 8

In this episode, the theme of slavery is revisited. Thorfinn, still haunted by his past and broken inside, has another nightmare in which he remembers falling off a cliff and hands reaching up from below to drag him down into hell. As he struggles with his past and his memory gaps, the wheat field thrives under Einar's care. However, the farmhands, angered by the slaves' success and emboldened by Ketil's weak leadership, begin to scheme against the two. Sverkel tries to help Thorfinn by teaching him new skills and ideas, but Thorfinn remains trapped in his own prison of self-doubt.

Tensions escalate when Ketil's thralls ravage the field, leading to a confrontation. Thorfinn advises appealing to the master, but the thralls provoke the two into a fight, knowing how it will end. Thorfinn finally pulls himself together and unleashes his inner warrior, awakening all the ghosts of his past and forcing him to face the inevitable.

The episode ends on a grim note as Ketil faces the consequences of a slave being allowed to strike a free man and live another day. The situation seems hopeless, and Einar's idealistic sense of justice clashes with the brutal reality of the world they live in. The future of Thorfinn and Einar remains uncertain, and the shadow of slavery continues to loom over their lives.