Season 1
Episode 4 Recap And Review
Episode 4 of A Storm for Christmas begins after a Swedish woman knocks Frank over with a taxi. He helps her and apologizes. Frank refuses to take her any further and demands that she pay. Then he realizes he doesn’t have his wallet or phone. Frustrated, Frank drives away. A woman finds her phone in the snow with a message saying her flight to London has been cancelled.
Arthur and Marius are talking in a bar. Arthur laments the end of his career. Marius asks if he has a family. Nevertheless, Marius encourages him. He says that even if only 32 people buy tickets to his concert, it should be really special for those 32 people.
Frank returns to pick up the Swedish woman. He tells her to take him to the city as the flight is cancelled.
A young girl wakes up. Marius asks her if she is visiting anyone, and she replies that she is visiting her father. He described how he spent Christmas with his father and how they ended up falling asleep while watching TV. Marius smiles. He gets a phone call and talks to the doctor, asking for an update. He was told the cancer had spread and required more radiation.
Ronja arrives at the luggage area and asks Henrik if he has seen the old man. Then he meets the dog Lasso. Henrik tells him the dog got stuck in transit from Spain. When Lasso sniffs the old man’s hat that Ronja found, she asks if Lasso can sniff the man.
Lucas tells his mother how his hearing has improved after his eyesight has deteriorated. He can say that a couple of men standing a long distance away are talking about football. He hears Lasso’s footsteps before the dog appears, carrying Ronja and Henrik.
A stranger who offers Stine a ride stops to pick up his friend. Smelling a strange smell in the car, Stine looks in the bag next to the driver’s seat and sees blood. When a stranger and a friend get into a car, he sprays them both with pepper spray and drives away.
Diana apologizes for calling Olaf a party officer. Olav admits that he focuses on things he doesn’t like, while Diana admits to being a bit naive. As they talk about doing things for others, Diana calls Olav selfish.
Stine walks back the way he came. They angrily explained that the bag in the car contained fresh sea trout and a sheep’s head for a Norwegian Christmas dinner. They drive him and leave him there. A woman in a truck pulls up next to Stin and tells him to get in.
When Olav returns to get his phone, Diana apologizes and persuades him to sit down again. He describes his personal Parisian fantasy and then emphasizes how important Olav’s work actually is. He says that people like him need people like Olev to fly to different places.
Kaja and Abba draw each other’s faces in the sheets as announcements about Kaja’s finding continue in the background. Kaja runs away when she sees security personnel nearby.
David and Marius are talking at the bar. David asks if Marius has done everything he wanted in life. Marius says he has nothing to regret. He looks bad, but tells his colleague to go home anyway.
Alex gets upset when a little boy gets mad at him. He leaves to smoke and is followed by Arthur who is eager to smoke. Arthur and he talk. Alex says this is his second job. He blames the system for the children turning out this way. He says that the true spirit of Christmas opens the heart.
Henrik asks Ronja if she can confide in him. He says he can never make a promise to anyone for fear of compromising. She says she shouldn’t compromise, especially if she finds that special someone. He just has to keep trying.
Kaja meets Alex and Arthur. She tells Alex that she wants her parents to stop arguing. Alex sits him down and they talk and Arthur leaves. Kaja explains that her parents seem frustrated with everything and get angry when they can’t express that frustration. He says that they don’t talk to each other about their needs, they just wait for the latter to know about it. Alex tells her that she can come over and talk to him some more if she wants.
The woman who gave Stine a ride invites him to her house. Meanwhile, the dog Lasso leads Ronja and Henrik to the prayer room where they find Abba.
Episode Review
The pacing of episode 4 dragged a bit compared to the others. The stories don’t feel very engaging, and even the conversations tend to go around in circles without offering much new information or insight. But when you see that it’s above average, it’s easy to forgive these flaws.
Of all the different and interesting stories, the one with Olav and Diana doesn’t strike the same emotional chord as the rest. It’s less quotidian and more cliche. While some of the other stories have an element of mystery, it’s predictable. As real as the debate between naivety and cynicism is, these characters seem more like caricatures of these traits than real people.
Nevertheless, there is enough heart in the story to keep one watching.