Based on what I've seen here, and pretty much everywhere, my opinion seems to be in the minority. But, being me, I'm going to give it to you anyway.

I'm disappointed.

Don't get me wrong... It's entertaining. But I wouldn't suggest it to anyone who wanted to learn about Vikings, not unless I wanted them to have a series of really bad assumptions about some things buried in with the actual knowledge. There were many things, I won't go into any serious detail, but here's a few nuggets I caught which stood out.

Let's start with the one that made me start paying attention. The sunstone. Come on, History Channel, we've known the truth of the sunstone for a while now. At least a decade in academia, and as far back as twenty years if you aren't worried about peer review and consult Karlsen. Icelandic Spar, aka clear, polished calsite, aka suntone, does not mysteriously magnify a clouded sun... It refracts light into two distinct paths, allowing one to figure out east/west by causing the refracted light to recombine (Barney style explanation). This is information anyone can find with a Google search, giving weight to recent sources over antique supposition.

Then there was the Thing. Again, good start. Good display of the law and its function, even with the side explanation about blood feuds arising if it's not followed correctly. But then comes the execution. First, what was that crap about atoning for sins by going to the headsmen? And then, saying that this death was somehow a route to Valhalla? And to finish it off, what Thane (or whatever his title was, I missed it) thinks he has the say so on who goes to where in the afterlife? He didn't say it as a guess, or an interpretation of theology... He made a pronouncement as though he expected his word to be honored.

And don't get me started on the people, namely that they were all filthy. Pretty much all the time. We all know that's wrong, that the Norse were the cleanest Europeans of their time. Even if you want to make the argument of clean relative to everyone else, that doesn't because them all showing up to the Thing filthy. People damn well washed before they went to a Thing. Washed and put on their best. On a related note, why are the colors so muted? The Norse were colorful people, and flashy dressers!

The talk of "always raiding east into Russia" was a bit funny as well, since the show supposedly takes place before Rurik went east with the Rus. Or before Rurik even came out of his mother. Simply put, there was no Russia and would not be for a few more centuries.

There were more, and even some I didn't notice (feel free to point them out).

All that said, I was entertained, and I will continue to watch. I just wont expect to be educated, and neither should anyone else.

Feel free to add to the list, or tell me why I'm wrong.