RAGNARÖK

Not much is known about Ragnarök, no not the end of the world, but the Netflix series. It takes you away from real life for a moment and places you in between worlds, real life drama and that of the feud between Giants and Gods.

What makes this series different, is that it is a hidden treasure, it's not a big budget kind of show. I sometimes find that American shows, and their formats, can be very linear and throughout these shows the storyline is spelt out for you. I found with Ragnarök, which is originally a Norwegian series which is dubbed, topics such as LGBTQIA+, which sometimes seem to be a big issue in American dramas, were just treated as the norm throughout Ragnarök.

Laurits Seier, one of the main antiheroes in Ragnarök, who is also referred to as Loki, describes himself as being both male and female and there is no big issue with this, his mother, and friends except that is who he is. Furthermore, the same character is shown to have feelings for another male, and once again there is no problem with this from his family or friends. The progressiveness shown in this programme seems so much more forward than the American and British counter parts I am more familiar with.

Another example of these attitudes is when Laurits borrows his mother’s blouse for a school party, his mother isn't distraught and this is not a big deal in the storyline, I feel if other countries, like America, could adapt this attitude, the subject would either not be a big deal or at least would be addressed differently.

What makes this show interesting, is that it is set within reality, but with fantasy sprinkled in. The characters all seem very real, you could imagine really talking to them. One character that strikes me as a normal everyday person, not just written for television, is the mother to the main characters Magne, based on Thor, and Laurits. Her character just seems real, from her mannerisms and speech. One line that I thought unusual but refreshing was about her wearing Spanks. This is not seen as vulgar or unusual in the programme but casual conversation, their speech feels very real, teenagers acting like teenagers, unlike programmes where younger children act like adults.

Ragnarök is Norwegian, and because of this, learning about Norse mythology from this programme feels more authentic, unlike Hollywood’s versions of the same subject. Watching these gods come to live in a normal town in Norway, is exciting and funny. To see modern day gods and giants doing humans tasks, such as buying gas at the petrol station. Unlike its Marvel counterpart, Ragnarök feels very different, it feels fresh and full of life. I feel the storytelling feels authentic, like a history lesson taught by people from the country. It's exciting and unexpected. The first episode blows linear story telling out of the water, by introducing a main character in the pilot, only to have them die by the end of the episode. I like how it's unpredictable, unique to a British or American audience, such as one scene at a school dance, where the Giants, disguising themselves as humans, dance oddly on the dance floor, in a ritual.

I have heard people say they don’t like the pacing and the style that this was filmed in, and I admit, I do find it strange myself, but it's a great way to see inside other cultures, to see originality in Scandinavian entertainment. Overall, Ragnarök may not be for everyone, but for me, I enjoyed the juxtaposition of reality and myth, co-existing together. The fact that it is Norwegian is also extremely refreshing, to watch Scandinavian storytelling about their own history of myths told from their own perspective.