Season 1
Episode 2 Recap And Review
Episode 2 begins with Priest Ronja being told about a man who seems to have disappeared. Neither his identity card nor his passport were found on him. Kine directs it to an old man sitting on nearby chairs. Ronja tries to talk to him, even in several languages, but he doesn’t answer.
On the train, Stine talks to her boyfriend on the phone and tells her about his plan to take the boat to Copenhagen.
At the airport, a Swedish woman in a fancy coat gets on Kine. His flight to London has been canceled and he wants another flight. He very rudely pulls out all his credit cards and Kine demands that he find another flight. Kine says there are no flights unless his cards can change the weather.
As the Swedish woman walks away sobbing, another young woman approaches Kine. Her name is Diana. He had to fly to Paris. He senses the hardships of Kine’s job and in exchange for Kine’s kindness, he gives him access to the VIP lounge.
The young lady at the bar has a suitcase with a creaking wheel. David starts a conversation with her. They talk about her vacations and how she likes to prepare in advance for things like hot temperatures.
In the VIP lounge, a Swedish woman is talking very loudly on the phone, arguing with someone about not being able to make it to the meeting on time. The lounge manager asks him to keep his voice down or he will have to leave. He leaves the salon anyway. Asle sees that he left his wallet behind and gives it to the manager.
Ingwild tells Ayda that she’ll miss the sound check and the meet-and-greet, but she’ll do it for her concert. Since they have time, Ingwild suggests that they interview a journalist of Ida’s choosing.
David notices that a young girl is making a wish list of things to get her father for Christmas. Trying to help, he asks the girl questions about her father. She doesn’t know their answer and soon goes to the bathroom in tears.
Bartender Marius calls Ronya and asks if he has a minute to talk. But he is with the old man and cannot.
A Swedish woman leaves the airport to see a long line for taxis. He disables the taxi and offers 100 times the taxi fare (KR 80,000) to take him to another airport where he has booked a flight to London. He agrees.
Diana goes to the VIP lounge and sits opposite the pilot Olav. He tries to talk to her about how interesting airports are and how much he loves Christmas. But he is the exact opposite. He claims Christmas is a money making scheme and then goes back to watching some sports on his phone.
Alex, the airport Santa Claus, is tired of hearing 6-year-olds asking for Chanel bags and iPhones. He blames it on the system and its wide gap between rich and poor. He goes to the bar for a beer.
Arthur, itching for a smoke, tries to ask Security Officer Thea if she’ll let him in after a quick smoke. He says he will have to go through proper security again. She recognizes him and tells him how much she loves one of his concerts, but he mocks it as a “commercial star wars soundtrack”. Thea looks disheartened.
Henrik realizes that the dog was not taken before. Meanwhile, the little girl seems tired of her parents’ constant arguments. He tries to distract them by saying that he is hungry.
A journalist comes to interview Ida. During the interview, Ida reveals that despite the mixed reviews of her album, she is trying to take it in stride and focus on the present. When asked about success, he says that when you are at your lowest, you find your true friends. But he claims that he has no real friends, only work colleagues or acquaintances.
As Ronja continues to talk to the old man, he says a word that bears his name – Abba. He leaves to get her more coffee, but when she returns, he’s gone.
Ida’s interview continues with audio. She talks about constantly having to be different versions of herself in different situations and feeling disconnected from her true, authentic self. At the same time, it is difficult for him to distance himself from all the fame and attention. Our interviewer thanks Ayda for her time and leaves her.
The little girl asks her father for her card so she can go buy herself a drink. He does so and reminds her that the code is her mother’s birthday. After they leave, Mom asks him why the code is still his birthday. He answers that I don’t know. Soon they realize that they cannot see their daughter anywhere and start looking for her, calling her name – Kaja.
Episode Review
How desires and needs sharply contrast with reality. How to easily make or break relationships with others.
This episode continues the emotional themes of the first with the right pace and intensity, striking the perfect balance between drama and reality. It is amazing how these multiple stories form a collage of the airport itself as an ephemeral meeting place. That’s enough to keep the audience hooked on a story about relatively ordinary people.