TV Review: Ragnorak

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It's rare for two of my more extreme interests to intersect, but here we are! I love Norse mythology and I love Scandinavian tv shows (I use 'Scandinavian' as an all encompassing term for anything filmed and produced in Sweden, Norway, or Denmark--please correct me if I am using this term incorrectly). As a high school English teacher whose classes are built on world literature, I love delving into mythology and particularly the dark, brutal but cleverly funny realm of Norse mythology. In addition, I think Scandinavian crime dramas are some of the highest calibre shows and I love how many are on Netflix-- although, sadly, I have watched almost all of them by now.

"Ragnorak" was recommended to me by a colleague months ago. I dutifully added it to my queue and forgot about it until this week. I am not ashamed to admit that I devoured it over the course of two days... :) It's dark, funny, heartfelt, and sinister all at once. I will try to review it without giving any major spoilers!

"Ragnorak" is set in the small town of Edda, Norway. Turid and her two sons are moving back after leaving the town shortly after the death of her husband over ten years ago. Magne is the oldest-- he has an awkward haircut and old man wire-rimmed glasses. He is good at heart--kind-- but he is an outsider who struggles in school in part to his dyslexia. His younger brother Laurits is pale and thin. He is clever and moves his way through the social hierarchy of their school efficiently. Their school, like any tv show involving teens, is divided into the popular kids and everyone else. The Jutuls are the richest family in town (the father owns one of the largest factories in the country and their mother is the principal of the school) and the two children, Saxa and Fjor, are followed by a group of hangers on who hope to be as popular by association. The Jutuls are impossibly chic and good looking and seem to move through life effortlessly.

While the show at times might feel like it falls into the tropes of teen drama (new kids in school, failure to fit in, misfits vs. popular kids, school assignments that lead to the uncovering of secrets), I think it's far from predictable or boring. The eco-friendly facade of Edda masks global warming and suspected pollution of the town's water source by the Jutul's factory. The protected status of that family begins to crumble as it become apparent to the viewers as well as Magne that they are much older and sinister beings that they present themselves as. The violence in the show feels rooted in the primal aspects of Norse mythology and the ancient nature of beings like the Jutuls and Magne.

Overall, I recommend the show! Hopefully there will be a season 2!