I am on the fence with Season 3, there are bits I really like and bits I really dislike. I'm mostly tired of Floki and his bitching, that's all it seems he has done for the entire 3 seasons so far, he seems like a sulking child the whole time and I am tired of seeing him on screen lol. Most of the women in the show are just annoying and/or badly acted, not that many of the male characters are well acted, but there are far more likeable male characters than female IMO. I think the only female character I can stand is Siggy SPOILER And now she's dead there's not a female character I like at all.
The show seems to be all over the place at times and I don't think they're handling so many "main" characters that well. It is entertaining still so I will continue watching.
It is all over the place, alright.
To me, Floki does represent some decent characterization, though. I don't like his behavior, but I think it's for a good reason rather than a bad (such as a character behaving in a way that does not make sense for that character) one. He's the religious guy, sent to a relatively alien place and living in a deprived (they don't really show it in the show, but fucking around in a foreign country while waging a war would be constantly stressful) state, so it makes sense to me.
I've liked Lagertha for the most part. At least, better than Bjorn and Floki. I'm not sure why they keep introducing male characters only to kill them, but hey. Ecbert and Ragnar are my current favorite characters, and I want to see more interactions between them akin to Episode 4. It's probably the actors selling the characters hard rather than the other way 'round with those two.
Aethelstan is without a doubt the show's Jon Snow.
I like where they're going with Ecbert's son. It looks like Moe Dunford is finally getting a feel for the character.
In some ways, the acting (especially Clive Standen's) seems to have improved, I think. It's the writing and directing (was there always so much deliberate obstruction, presumably to make up for shitty choreography, in their action scenes?) that seems to be off. Some of the lines could have been straight out of a B action movie.
Like Leesin, I'll continue watching.