u/NewBus8187

Rewatching Season 1 and the scene where Thorfinn has the opportunity to kill Askeladd in his sleep feels like subtle foreshadowing of Askeladd later killing Olaf in his sleep. It also symbolizes that Thorfinn’s “character development” is really a decline in character during his teenage years, driven by trauma, followed by an eventual return to the ethical framework Thors originally taught him. The later scene where Thorfinn formally challenges Askeladd to avenge Thors reinforces this, because it shows that Thorfinn still held onto those ideals, while Askeladd chose a more pragmatic path when avenging his mother.