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in two sittings. Not really sure it counts as a "superhero" show since it involves Norse gods, so I put it in "General".
It's about modern reincarnations of Norse gods who live in a small Norwegian factory town called Edda (I guess because "Saga"
would have been too on-the-nose). A bumbling lunky dyslexic kid named Magne is the reincarnation of Thor, and has to discover
his powers as well as his purpose for receiving them (from a old woman Seer / Volven who works in the local supermarket).
The rich family that runs the town (the Jutuls) is secretly a group of four Frost Giants (jotunns) who are actually thousands of years old. They exhibit physical perfection, amazing strength and great beauty, so as you might imagine there are some beautiful Nordic blondes in this series, namely Theresa Frostad (Saxa), Synnove Macody (Ran) and the whimsical high-school sweetheart Gry (who kind of has that Breakfast Club Molly Ringwald vibe). In fact, almost everyone in this series (except maybe the town junkie) is exceptionally good-looking.
In fact, the high school setup in the Norwegian town is very much like the ones in America (so, you have to imagine that this was influenced by American films, including the John Hughes classics), and the small industrial town feel is also similar to American movies which are set in coal-mining or manufacturing towns in the Midwest or Appalachia, etc except here the scenery is glaciers,
peaks, and fjords.
The series does focus on a specific progressive cause: that of environmental destruction (for which the evil selfish Frost Giants are responsible) and, to some extent, climate change (occasional mentions are made of warming weather). But other than that, it stays clear of preachiness; the "diversity" is present mostly in the background cast but not at all intrusive or imposed; and the emphasis is made on the classic "hero's journey" (Magne as the reincarnation of Thor) which is so crucial to the stories of Indo-European cultures. And not much CGI until the final episode of the first season - all the action is natural and much of it takes place among the skies and the outdoor elements.
Check it out and see what you think. The second season just came out this week, and I'll be imbibing it by next week, probably.
Next season there are supposed to be additional reincarnations of Odin, Loki, Freyja and Tyr.
- Ragnarok-Season-2.jpg (165.92 KiB) Viewed 804 times
