They might be Giants: a review Ragnarọk season 2

Ragnarọk season 2

Created by Adam Price

Written by Adam Price, Simen Alsvik, Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten, Christian Gamst Miller-Harris, Jacob Katz Hansen

Directed by Mogens Hagedorn, Jannik Johansen, Mads Kamp Thulstrup

Cast: David Stakston as Magne Seier / Thor; Jonas Strand Gravli as Laurits Seier / Loki; Herman Tømmeraas as Fjor Jutul; Theresa Frostad Eggesbø as Saxa Jutul; Emma Bones as Gry Isungset; Henriette Steenstrup as Turid Seier, Synnøve Macody Lund as Ran Jutul

Giants are a pain in the ass. You might be a Nordic god, or a Los Angeles Dodger, but either way, giants suck. In the event that you are a god, you end up having to fight the giants in Ragnarok. Ragnarok is the local version of the end of the universe, along with Götterdämmerung or the Rapture. The gods and the giants vie, lots of thunder and lightning, the end. It seems a colossal waste of effort, but then most religious-themed starts and stops to the universe do have an element of “why bother?” about them. You’re either back to the mud, or plucking a harp for several trillion years. Not only do you not know which side won, but it doesn’t matter—not to you, not to the universe. But it does make for some great stories.

Mind you, old Norse cosmology itself doesn’t make much sense. But unless you know a bit about it, this show is going to be perplexing. For instance, why would a 16 year old boy (Laurits) need to have a tape worm surgically removed, and then steal the still-living parasite from the hospital, take it home, and make a pet of it until it’s 15 cm in diameter and 3 meters long, only to release it into the frigid waters of the stream that runs through the town of Edda and near the home of the Jutuls? This kid is destined to have an interesting love life with horses and can’t be trusted around mistletoe. See: if that wasn’t familiar, you need to read up. Nobody trusts the kid and the gods hate him because he killed a god on a wager.

If you know Norse mythology, then you’ll spot the references to Loki, the Midgard Serpent, and Jutulheim, the land of the giants. Edda, of course, is the ancient narrative poem that describes all this.

Obviously, some knowledge of the old legends is needed to at least follow the show, but forget about it making sense; the legends don’t make much sense either. For instance, there’s an old boy in a wheelchair with an eye patch. Even without ravens, he’s important. But he prefers to be senile and in a rest home. Maybe he likes tapioca, I don’t know.

In the first episode, he has trouble with his wheelchair and is helped a strapping young lad who, despite being buff, handsome and with perfect teeth is a recluse because he has bad vision and dyslexia. Many of the locals consider him simple. Then a nice old lady story clerk touches him on the forehead, a glow ensues while the old boy in the chair grins, and over the next few days, the lad, Magne, no longer needs glasses, can run tirelessly and faster than any human, and toss a hammer 500 meters. The stage is set.

Magne and Laurits are brothers, but are actually half brothers, since Laurits is the bastard son of Vidar Jutul, factory owner and frost giant. I haven’t figured out the exact role of the mother of the two boys, except she is the most clueless human being this side of the farmer in Shaun the Sheep. Nothing fazes her perfect obliviousness.

Despite the confusing and unlikely plot, this is a really well-done show. It was good in the first six-part season; it’s even better in the second. The acting is solid, the characters engaging (OK, the frost giants come across as cold, but they’re frost giants, aren’t they?) and this Norwegian/Danish show is made with an obvious love and respect for the legends. Knowing the legends is of immense help in this show, but it’s well worth the effort to do so.

Subtitled. Now on Netflix.

Revisions based on corrections offered by Ashley Pollard, who also enjoys the show immensely.