‘The Last Kingdom’: Why Brida Manipulates Sigtryggr and How It Changes Things for Uhtred

In the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom, Brida (Emily Cox) is known to hold a grudge. She’s held a huge one against Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) in particular for years. When season 4 starts, Brida has found happiness with Cnut (Magnus Bruun) and is even pregnant with his child. Then Uhtred drops a massive truth bomb on the whole thing.

Brida learns the truth about Young Ragnar and she acts on it

Cnut believes that Uhtred killed his son, which of course he didn’t, but he wanted him to think he did. During battle, Cnut and Uhtred fight and the truth comes out. Uhtred confronts Cnut about how Young Ragnar (Tobias Santelmann) really died, since Haesten (Jeppe Beck Laursen) revealed the truth to him.

Cnut admits that he persuaded and manipulated Aethelwold (Harry McEntire) into killing Ragnar, which was the love of Brida’s life. She runs up and hears Cnut admit the truth. She decides to stab him to death even though she carries his child. She tries to run away, but the Welsh catch her and take her as a slave.

Brida is taken to Wales and is eventually rescued

Brida is fuming at Uhtred for not killing her and sending her to Valhalla, but instead she is taken to Wales where she faces unimaginably cruel treatment. Luckily for Brida, Sigtryggr (Eysteinn Sigurðarson) comes with his Danish army and slaughters them all. Brida is freed and joins Sigtryggr in his destruction.

Brida learns from Eardwulf (Jamie Blackley) that Wessex is undefended and holds riches that may be useful and ready for the taking. Sigtryggr isn’t convinced, but Brida tells him they can take Winchester without losing any of their men. They’ll simply take it easily, which they do.

Brida manipulates Sigtryggr which will change things for Uhtred. She chooses to make the move on Wessex because she holds a grudge against the Saxons and Winchester in particular is very important to them. She knows its significance and what taking it will mean.

With Brida and Sigtryggr in Winchester, Uhtred is taken by surprise when Haesten and his men find them in the woods. They abduct Stiorra (Ruby Hartley), Uhtred’s daughter, Aethelstan, and Lady Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth) and take them to Winchester. It’s then that Sigtryggr forms an attachment to Uhtred’s daughter.

A deal is struck for the Danes to leave Wessex, but there’s a catch Uhtred won’t like

King Edward (Timothy Innes) is ready to burn Winchester and everyone inside, but Uhtred manages to get Sigtryggr to talk with Edward and Aethelflaed (Millie Brady). They make an agreement, but there’s a stipulation included that Uhtred won’t like. Sigtryggr wants to take Stiorra with him. Stiorra is more than inclined to go, and she tells her father this.

How things change for Uhtred

When the Danes leave, Stiorra goes with Sigtryggr and Uhtred’s life changes forever. He finally regained his daughter just to have her taken away to start a life somewhere else away from him. He has to face the harsh reality that it’s something his daughter wants and he’s powerless to stop it because it’s all part of the deal struck between the Danes and Saxons.

Uhtred now has to go on knowing his daughter is somewhere else without him. He’ll have even more time away from her, since she was forced to grow up away from him at King Alfred’s (David Dawson) request. His life will never be the same, as he probably thought he was going to live alongside his daughter, but she chose a new path.

If Brida hadn’t manipulated Sigtryggr to go and take Winchester, then Uhtred would never have lost his daughter and things would be much different for them all. Brida’s choice changes Uhtred’s life in ways no one could have imagined.

Brida’s decision impacts Uhtred’s life, which she probably considers a punishment that he deserves. After all, Brida has a huge grudge against Uhtred in The Last Kingdom.