United Front (Vinland Saga)

United Front is the nineteenth episode of the first season of Vinland Saga.

Plot
Severely injured in his duel with Thorkell, Thorfinn must learn to outsmart his opponent in order to ensure victory and the right to Askeladd's life, while Thorkell reveals a dire secret to him.

Why it Rocks

 * 1) The character development of Canute and Askeladd from the previous couple episodes finally comes full-circle, as Canute becomes much more like a King and leader while Askeladd has finally found something he will gladly give up his life over in order to bring meaning to his actions throughout life.
 * 2) Thorkell also gets some character development as he's shown to be more reasonable and interesting than just another warmonger, as he respected Thors in life and wants to become a true warrior like he was. This also gives Thorfinn something to think about, as avenging his pacifist father may not be the right course of action.
 * 3) Thorkell's relationship is finally revealed to Thorfinn, as he not only was in the Jomsvikings with Thors, but Thorfinn's mother was also his niece, essentially making Thorfinn his great-nephew and bringing much more meaning to their conflict therein.
 * 4) The next bout of Thorfinn and Thorkell's fight is slower, but much more brutal and interesting in addition to being highly emotional, especially towards the end. It also shows that Thorkell is no longer undefeatable, giving Thorfinn's training and perseverance much more meaning.
 * 5) Many great lines throughout, especially from Canute and Thorkell. There's also some funny lines like how they talk about the deaths of Askeladd's former crew as "water under the bridge."
 * 6) The episode spends much less time with the fighting and much more time with character development and the emotional weight of the plot developments. In fact, only about five minutes (out of 24) has fighting in it.
 * 7) It also does a fantastic job cementing the character development of Canute, showing how he's gone from being a sheltered coward into a brave new person who truly can't be stopped by anything.
 * 8) The war between Canute and King Sweyn for the throne of the Danes, a major plotline for the remainder of the season, is finally set up as they gain lots of allies and join together against the might of Sweyn's army to depose him for his heinous actions.

Reception
The episode received 9.6/10 stars on IMDb.