What Happened to the Nice, Old Lady?
Episode 2 of Ragnarok Season 2 begins with Laurits confronting Turid about his Father. Magne tries to forbid his brother from seeing Vidar but it only riles him up more, with a trickster smile crossing Laurits’ lips. Vidar meanwhile, joins the family together and drops the bombshell on them about Laurits. Vidar sees an opportunity, deciding to use his son as a pawn in this game of war and turning him against Magne. When Ran realizes that her husband has slept with Turid though, she’s not happy. Well, there’s no time to dwell on that AS Laurits heads over to Vidar’s place to play happy families. Meanwhile, Magne meets Iman and spills the truth about Laurits to her. Iman is certainly a bad influence though, encouraging Magne to go rogue and use his powers in much the same way she is too – for selfish deeds. Thankfully, Harry -the mechanic from the previous episode – shows up with the hammer. Magne immediately decides to test it out. With Iman by his side, the pair head up the mountainside and watch as Magne throws the hammer out of sight. Unfortunately, it fails to return to him, prompting the pair into a rather brisk hike across the mountains. They’re not the only ones up there though, as Vidar takes Laurits up to see the ancient lands and the gorgeous backdrop. He doesn’t realize Vidar is grooming and manipulating him, as he happily spills details about Magne. Back at the factory, Saxa tries to learn the ropes with the intention of proving herself to her Father. Morten and the other environmentalists have done their homework though and it doesn’t look good. Calcium, lead and mercury have all been found in the drinking water. The upper-management intend on brushing it aside with a “no comment” but Saxa has other ideas. With Vidar nowhere to be found, and Fjor spending time with Gry, it’s up to her to try and change the image of Jutul Industries. In fact, she goes on the news and apologizes, promising to work closely with the authorities and get to the bottom of this. She does well to fool the public, but when Fjor hears her step up, he hurries out the diner in frustration. Back home though, drama consumes the Vidar family. Vidar’s nonchalance toward Jutur Industries is problematic enough, prompting Ran to stand up and try to lash out against him. Vidar is too strong though and he brushes aside her anger. Saxa has seen enough though and she storms out the house. In fact, she heads straight into the burger bar Magne happens to be sitting and eating in. She finds solace in Magne and mentions how messed up her family is. Ironically, he too is going through the same thing given what’s happening with Laurits. It doesn’t stop her from taking his burger and biting a big chunk out of it though. Magne can only sit and watch her though, in what easily looks like awe. With the wheels turning, Ran visits Fjor and tells him he’s no longer the one in control. However, Ran believes Fjor is better suited to the role, leading to tensions in the family. Ran tries everything to convince him later that day but Fjor refuses to play ball. In her frustration, she floors her car up the road and almost runs over Turid on her way home. Magne manages to save his Mother but Ran brushes it aside, claiming she “lost control of her car”. Magne is wise to what’s going on though. In fact, Magne heads home and grabs his hammer, stuffing it in a bag and heading up to see Wenche. When she sees his cosplay attempt at Mjolnir, she scoffs at the notion of him creating this from an ordinary engineer. She instead gives him a new mission, regarding a fire that continues to burn. She tells him to meet up on the mountain at sunrise. Only, when she disappears she doesn’t actually state which one. It’s a minor point but amusing given Edda is surrounded by lush mountains. While Magne prepares for the next stage in his journey, Vidar gives Laurits his. After sacrificing a deer earlier in the day, he encourages the boy to bite into its heart. When he does, Laurits sees frightening visions of the Old Gods, including the giants. Vidar grabs Laurits’ arm, showing his powers by casting it into the fire. It heals immediately, leading one to realize Laurits is now immortal with half-God and half-Giant blood. When Ran finds out, she’s livid that he didn’t consult her first. Well, when Magne heads over to see Laurits, he’s unable to get through to his brother either. Vidar threatens him and forces the boy out the house. Laurits follows though and reveals that he hasn’t completely betrayed Magne. He breaks the news that Ran intends to go after Wenche, prompting Magne to hurry out and try to save the Old God before it’s too late. Wenche promises the giant that she can’t win, turning into an eagle and flying away. Unfortunately Ran hits her with an arrow from afar, knocking her down and into the old Gods’ hideout. She pleads with Wotan to help Magne, handing over a necklace, before she crumbles and dissolves into dust in Magne’s arms.
The Episode Review
So much for meeting Wenche up on the mountains at sunrise! With the Old God now dead and out the picture, the attention turns to Magne and his crusade to try and stop the giants. This episode slows things down slightly, focusing instead on the growing divide between Magne and Laurits. This ultimately take center-stage while drawing clear battle lines in the sand. It’s obvious now that Vidar is central to everything going on and he intends to use Laurits as a weapon against his brother, even if Laurits can’t quite see it. On top of that, Ragnarok continues to weave its various familial drama threads into this, with an interesting conversation between Saxa and Magne. In fact, seeing the pair share common ground with the way their families have been acting is a nice touch and a good inclusion to this series. So far there hasn’t been a lot of action but with Magne’s quest now turning to making Mjolnir and living up to his expectations, this second season leaves some glimmers of hope that this won’t devolve into a melodramatic slog like the first.
