Ragnarok (TV series)

Ragnarok is a Norwegian-language fantasy drama series inspired by Norse mythology[1] from Netflix that premiered on 31 January 2020. It is Netflix's second Norwegian-language TV series, following Home for Christmas. The series is produced by the Danish production company SAM Productions. The show has been renewed for a second season.[2]

Ragnarok
Genre
Created byAdam 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
Starring
Country of origin
  • Denmark
  • Norway
Original languageNorwegian
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Adam Price
  • Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen
ProducerStine Meldgaard Madsen
Production locationNorway
Production companySAM Productions
Release
Original networkNetflix
Original release31 January 2020 (2020-01-31) – present
External links
Website

The show takes place in the fictional Norwegian town of Edda in Hordaland, Western Norway,[3] which is plagued by climate change and the industrial pollution caused by the factories owned by the local Jutul family, the fifth-richest family in Norway. The Jutuls are actually four Jötunn, frost giants and giantesses posing as a family in Edda.[3] They are challenged by Magne, a teenage boy who is surprised to learn that he is the embodiment of Thor and begins the fight against those that are destroying the planet.

Cast

Main
  • David Stakston as Magne Seier, a reincarnation of the thunder-god Thor
  • Jonas Strand Gravli as Laurits Seier, Magne's brother
  • Herman Tømmeraas as Fjor, the high-school aged “son” in the Jutul family of Jötunn from Norse mythology
  • Theresa Frostad Eggesbø as Saxa, the high-school aged “daughter” in the Jutul family
  • Emma Bones as Gry, Magne's and Fjor's love interest
  • Henriette Steenstrup as Turid Seier, Magne's and Laurits' mother
  • Gísli Örn Garðarsson as Vidar, local tycoon and “father” in the Jutul family.
  • Synnøve Macody Lund as Ran, principal of the high school and “mother” in the Jutul family

Supporting
  • Ylva Bjørkås Thedin as Isolde, Magne's green activist friend
  • Odd-Magnus Williamson as Erik, Isolde's father and teacher at the high school
  • Bjørn Sundquist as Wotan
  • Eli Anne Linnestad as Wenche, who awakens Magne's powers.
  • Tani Dibasey as Oscar Bjørnholt
  • Iselin Shumba Skjævesland as Yngvild Bjørnholt, the local policewoman and Oscar's mother

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [4]
1"New Boy"Mogens HagedornAdam Price31 January 2020 (2020-01-31)
Teen Magne, his mother, and his younger brother Laurits return to the Norwegian town of Edda after many years of absence. Their father died in Edda when they were children and they moved away. As they drive into Edda their car gets stuck behind an old man on an electric vehicle in the middle of the road, who comes to a halt trying to turn right. Magne gets out of the car to help, and is approached by the old man's wife. She tells Magne he is a good boy and looks up at him intensely before touching his forehead. A change flickers through his eyes. The two brothers begin attending the local high school and awkward Magne becomes friends with green advocate Isolde. Isolde later dies when she appears to paraglide into power lines. That night, a distraught Magne holds his mother's sledge hammer as lightning fills the sky. He throws the hammer and it disappears into the clouds.
2"541 Meters"Mogens HagedornSimen Alsvik31 January 2020 (2020-01-31)
The high school mourns Isolde's death as Magne suspects it was not an accident. Magne learns the hammer he threw went over 1500 metres and embedded itself in Vidar Jutul's car, and strange occurrences happen at a school dance. Vidar admits to his wife that he killed Isolde. Magne's enquiries begin to disturb the Jutul's as Vidar searches for Isolde's mobile phone which has some incriminating photos of illegal waste disposal by Jutul Industries.
3"Jutulheim"Mogens HagedornMarietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten31 January 2020 (2020-01-31)
Magne learns that he can run faster than any other human, and is uninjured when he's hit by a snowplow traveling 50 km/hr. The Jutuls aware of this try to find more about Magne and invite him to dinner. They try to get him drunk and after giving him mead they succeed. In this state Magne realizes the family is not as it seems; he arm-wrestles Ran Jutul who defeats him. When he looks in the mirror in the bathroom, he sees a bearded warrior version of himself.
4"Ginnungagap"Jannik JohansenChristian Gamst Miller-Harris31 January 2020 (2020-01-31)
Magne continues Isolde's work in investigating the Jutuls and their role in Edda's water pollution problem while learning more about his abilities and evading the increasingly suspicious Jutuls. Magne's mother bonds with Isolde's father, Erik. Magne and the Jutul's son, Fjor, are both romantically interested in Gry, who seems to care about both. On a school trip up the mountains Magne confesses his love for Gry but she chooses to go off with Fjor. After seeing Vidar cutting up raw reindeer meat, Magne realizes that it matches the same blood from Isolde's jacket at the time of her death. Magne then deduces that Vidar was behind Isolde's death all along, and warns him that he will not get away with it. After Magne follows Fjor and Gry, Vidar sends Trym, the hellhound, to kill him. However, Trym proves to be no match for Magne. Gry notices that something is wrong with the Jutul family, including century-old photos and even older artwork showing the Jutuls physically unchanged from the present.
5"Atomic Number 48"Jannik JohansenChristian Gamst Miller-Harris31 January 2020 (2020-01-31)
Magne is punished for killing Trym and when he proposes to submit an assignment critical of Jutul Industries is forced to return Isolde's laptop to Erik, who had given it to him. To make amends Erik gives Magne Isolde's mobile phone, which he found high on the mountain. Magne succeeds in unlocking it and finds the incriminating photos. He goes up the mountain and discovers 2,500 barrels belonging to Jutul Industries leaking toxic waste. Magne reports the existence of the barrel store to the police but when they go to find them the toxic barrels have disappeared (as the police had pre-notified the Jutuls of the visit). Magne is not taken seriously by the police and the school authorities and he is excluded from the school subject to psychological evaluation. Gry continues her relationship with Fjor even though she finds him odd and his family pressurise him to break the relationship off.
6"Yes, We Love This Country"Jannik JohansenJacob Katz Hansen31 January 2020 (2020-01-31)
Magne is diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic by the psychiatrist and is prescribed anti-psychotic drugs, which he refuses to take. Fjor still displays feelings for Gry and tries to help her family with money. He also informs Magne that he was correct about the toxic barrels from Jutul Industries, and reveals that they are going to be shipped away from Edda. The Jutuls tell Fjor to kill Gry; Saxa threatens to kill her herself if he does not. Magne leaves some toxic barrels on the police station steps and they begin an investigation in spite of Vidar's attempts to intimidate the police chief. Fjor takes Gry to an abandoned warehouse and starts to attack her, but Magne intervenes and saves her life. Vidar appears, identifies Magne as Thor and attacks him. Before he does, Magne warns Fjor and Gry to run. Magne is almost overcome by Vidar but he calls up lightning and, directing a bolt from the sky, uses it to strike Vidar. Magne is hurt by the lightning as well, but it appears that he survived the strike.

Reception

The series holds a rating of 7.5 on IMDb. Wired said Ragnarok was "angsty, eccentric" "climate change fiction" and compared it to Twilight.[5] The A.V. Club also compared it to Twilight.[6]

The series was not well received by some Norwegian media. VG called it nonsensical, said that the characters, plots, and dialogue were a failure, and noted that even though it was in Norwegian that it felt more like a Danish series.[3] Despite being set in Western Norway, the characters do not speak in western dialect.[3] Dagbladet called it a stilted mixture of Skam and Norse mythology, "just as bad as it sounds".[1]

References
  1. Thorvik, Hannah Bull (28 January 2020). "Like dårlig som det høres ut". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  2. "Netflix Nordic on Instagram: "you can all stop asking now. season 2 is happening⚡️"". Instagram. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  3. Nilsen, Morten Ståle. "Ragnarok: Norrønt nonsens". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  4. "Ragnarok – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  5. Grey Ellis, Emma (31 January 2020). "Climate Change Is Netflix's Ragnarok". Wired.
  6. McLevy, Alex (30 January 2020). "Netflix's Ragnarok doesn't give Marvel anything to worry about". The A.V. Club.
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