First few seasons are phenomenal, but it goes downhill after Ragnar dies. It seems like the show should've ended there, but History refused to let their bread expire. Plot-wise, character-wise, and story-wise, the show has lost its way. Subsequent episodes feel like an epilogue to a greater story told in the earlier seasons. How does a story go from 'legendary warrior and king who sought power and fame' to 'petulant sons quarreling over existing lands and titles'.