Warning: Spoilers for the Vikings episode "Scarred" follow...
In the Vikings episode "Scarred," Harbard the Wanderer worked his magic and threw Kattegat into chaos - with poor Siggy paying the ultimate price while trying to rescue Aslaug's sons, Ubbe and Hvitserk,from a watery grave. The boys survived, but Siggy succumbed to the icy waters of the lake. Catching a glimpse, right before she perished, of a young blonde woman in place of Harbard.
Vikings: "Scarred" ReviewI spoke to actress Jessalyn Gilsig about her Siggy's frozen fate, her decision to leave the series, and the true identity of The Wanderer. I also asked her, as a Heroes alum, to share her thoughts on the property returning to TV with Heroes Reborn.
IGN: First off, that lake scene. That must have been freezing. You looked so cold!
Jessalyn Gilsig: [laughs] So we actually filmed that inLuggala, Ireland. We filmed in two places actually. The underwater stuff was filmed in an outdoor swimming pool in Ireland. Which is rare, just to be able to find one. And then when I was diving into the water they built a replica lake area and I was diving into a tank. But everything obviously was outside. And yes, I was freezing. It's part of being a viking.
IGN: How soon did you know Siggy's death was coming? Were you told ahead of time or was it a quick shock?
Gilsig: I knew it was coming. It was actually a collaborative decision between myself and Michael (Hirst, creator/writer). So I knew going into this third season. I had some personal things come up in my life that needed attention. Some family things. And so living in Ireland wasn't allowing me to attended to what my family needed from me. And they were unbelievably kind and supportive about it. So Michael and I discussed it. And I really wanted to come back and resolve the character, so we made arrangements for me to come back and make sure that we had some great closure for her. But it was a decision that I had brought to Michael, and he was wonderful. He couldn't have been more receptive and supportive of it. So in a way it was my decision.
IGN: And what did you think about Siggy's ultimate fate?
Gilsig: I loved what Michael did. Because we always talked about how Siggy had all this conviction about her rightful place as a leader. And I think that she was on a trajectory toward taking her position back. Siggy was such an interesting character because this was someone who made no apologies for her presence, for her ambition, or for her confidence that she was absolutely qualified to be a leader. She found it really insufferable when others didn't rise to the occasion. Which is what I think she liked about Aslaug. What Michael did with her was so clever. Because you might imagine a violent viking-style death for her, but in fact sometimes you're walking through life and you're moving in a certain direction and you get blind-sided. And that's what happened to Siggy here. And she got cut off right as she was moving back toward her former position. Which is why we talk so much about the scene when Aslaug leaves and Siggy took the throne one last time. Not knowing it was one last time. She thought it was the beginning of something, when in fact it was the end of her life.
IGN: Right off the bat, Siggy didn't trust The Wanderer. What was it about her that allowed her to see something in him that others couldn't?
Gilsig: One of the things I always took from Siggy, and one of the things I loved about the character, was that she's the last of the old generation. Of Haraldsons. And then everyone else on the show is part of the new generation. Kind of like how there were the Bushes and now it's the Obamas. And so everything that happens, the way I would think of it, Siggy has experienced already in some form or another. So everything that's new and exciting for everyone else - like "Oh, this is a new opportunity" or "This is a new love" - she's seen it before. She's seen people come through town with big stories. Maybe she was seduced by a guy like that in the past. And she's got a sixth sense about things. We used to talk in the first season about she'd probably gotten married at age 12. She's done this for thirty years. This is the life she knows. She has a keen sense and a keen nose for what people's intentions are and what they're bringing to the moment. So it's really hard to get one over on her. She was always three steps ahead. Just the wisdom of experience.
IGN: Back in Season 1, part of her backstory with Earl Haraldson was that they had two sons who were brutally killed and the culprit was never found. It seemed like Siggy's end, with the two boys, was a nod to that.
Gilsig: Absolutely. I agree with that. I think the fact that it was two boys was intentional. It closed a circle for her somewhat. I think what Michael did was that he used that to start up something new. He's starting a new story here. If Alsaug hadn't gone off to the fish shed and Siggy hadn't gone after those children, there could have been more to explore with her. But life doesn't work that way sometimes. Just because a narrative begins doesn't mean it will continue.
IGN: For a brief moment, Harbard appeared as a young woman. And so with the shared dream, and him being able to take away the baby's pain, we're getting into supernatural territory here. Who is The Wanderer?
Gilsig: Well, I know who it is. [laughs] But I can't tell you. But it will continue on. And it will all be revealed. And it's based on their belief system. The idea of the shared dreams and the idea of being able to assume different forms. There are more chapters to come.
IGN: Finally, I have to ask, as a former member of the Heroes universe, what do you think about NBC bringing the world back with Heroes Reborn?
Gilsig: I think a lot of people felt like that was a premise that sort of had a lot of momentum but then maybe got a bit lost along the way. But there's still a lot of potential there. So it kind of makes sense to me that they'd bring it back. It's amazing working in television because people who become attached to television shows, they're deeply attached to the characters. And they have a real sense of wanting the stories to be served and the characters to be served. And so this may be a case where there's still more to tell. So I'm hopeful that it's going to work. Unfortunately, I died, so...
IGN: But it's Heroes. They can figure something out, right?
Gilsig: Yeah! Exactly. Anything could happen.
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/Showrenity.