For as emotionally taxing as Winnick's Vikings swan song was, it was also incredibly rewarding for her. The episode immediately following the one on which Lagertha dies is one that Winnick herself directed. Stepping behind the camera to direct "Valhalla Can Wait" was monumental for several reasons: It marked Winnick's directorial debut, and is the first and only episode of Vikings ever to be directed by a cast member. This all added sweetness to Winnick's series farewell.
"What a way to say goodbye. To [...] say goodbye as a director was the best gift I could ever ask for and the best goodbye I could ever ask for," Winnick said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "Vikings has been definitely a momentous, if not the highlight of my career to this date, and it was an overwhelming experience to actually leave Ireland and say goodbye. But I feel that I left a completely different person."
She added, "It was just so gratifying to be able to work with my fellow actors who I consider close friends and family at this point. And to be able to know the storylines as well as you do and know every script and know about the characters and know the tone of the show, and to be able to put your creative flair on it behind the camera was such a rewarding experience — and the most challenging [...] I couldn't have asked for a better platform to be able to have a directorial debut. I had such support from my fellow actors, as well as the crew members that gave me a lot of their time and energy to really help make it a smooth, easy process, and rewarding. I couldn't have done it alone, so I'm very grateful for that."
Lagertha's time on Vikings is over, and the show will wrap up its story with the second half of season 6 later this year. The show is already set to find an afterlife when Vikings: Valhalla premieres on Netflix.
