Season 1 |
Season 2 |
Season 3 |
Episode Guide
New Boy -| Review Score – 3/5
541 Meters -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Jutulheim -| Review Score – 3/5
Ginnungagap -| Review Score – 3/5
Atomic Number 48 -| Review Score – 3/5
Yes, We Love This Country -| Review Score – 3/5
Norse mythology is full of interesting and fascinating tales depicting blood-shed, power struggles and epic fighting. The idea of a Norwegian-based show taking this idea and spinning a blend of American Gods and action thrills together, back-dropped by the beauty of the Scandinavian Fjords seems like the perfect recipe for a six-part series. Unfortunately Ragnarok drops the ball early on and delivers a season devoid of action or epic fighting, instead delivering teen drama with love triangles, half-baked mysteries and a faint veil of Norse mythology painted over the show.
The story wastes no time getting right to the heart of the drama. Teen brothers Laurits and Magne return home to the fictional town of Edda where they immediately make their presence known. A strange old lady called Wenche bestows powers upon Magne that seemingly ignite something deep inside him that awakens the power of Thor and gives him unwieldy strength and speed. An incident very early on in the show acts as a catalyst for this to kick into high gear and looks set to ignite the rest of the series into action after a rather expository-heavy and clunky opening that unfortunately never really improves.
The story teases Magne embracing his powers and fighting against the main antagonists of the series (presented here as a humanized version of the Jötunn) but beyond a few flickers of action, most of the excitement is reserved for the final 10 minutes of the show. Instead, the episodes dance around two love triangles – one that ends quite early in the season and another that lingers around and spills over to the finale. On top of the teen drama is a separate subplot involving Vidar and his polluting company, which acts as the big driving force as climate change threatens to destroy their quaint town.
Aesthetically at least, Ragnarok looks great and there’s some really nice juxtaposing shots across the season. Seeing the beautiful fjords back-dropped against the ugly, mechanical mass of the factories dwarfing the town below is a really powerful image and coincides with some of the main themes in a great way. The musical score is suitably ominous, at least early on in the show, and some of the special effects are pretty good, especially given the brief instances Magne uses his powers across the six episodes.
There’s an awful lot of exposition here though and at times it does feel pretty clumsily handled. The opening of every episode begins with a chunk of text describing a specific element of Norse mythology. Partway through each 45 minute episode we’re also graced with a classroom segment that dissects this term further, and that’s before mentioning characters researching this material online.
Those expecting an action-packed thrill ride full of fighting, action and dazzling special effects will be left disappointed. Some of the characters are really under-utilized here, especially Laurits who clearly plays the Loki role but doesn’t have an awful lot to do all season. There’s a fair amount of Spar product placement too and the entire series rests most of its drama on the shoulders of teen melodrama that does little to push the story forward.
To be fair, the finale does allow for some promising signs ahead for this show if it’s renewed for a second season but beyond the exotic location and sprinklings of Norse mythology, there just isn’t a lot else here to distinguish this against the glut of other teen dramas on the market. It’s not a bad show per-se, and those after a slightly different flavour of teen romance and drama will certainly find that here, but the overwhelming feel of a missed opportunity clings to large parts of this drama that’s hard to shake off.
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Verdict - 5/10
5/10
I am sorry that I slept on this show. I put it off because it didn’t look interesting but, after watching half of the first episode, I was hooked. Yes, the first season is a little slow but as the episodes go on, it proceeds to build up the plot so that once you get into season one finale, you are fully aware of what to look forward to in Season 2. Overall, my impression is that you should watch it. I watched it first in dubbed subtitles and then again as dubbed English. The one thing that I will mention is that Magne and Laurits’s mom is just pure annoying and clueless. I didn’t like how she was so oblivious to what was going on with both her son’s. Maybe this was done on purpose but it just made her look like a bad mom.
i loved the show and binge watched it. Love how Magna is discovering his Thor side, and can hardly wait for season 2, hopefully to see Laurits discover his Loki side. Live the Loki character and hope to see that in season 2..please 🙂
I also enjoyed the show, it’s slow buildup, how giants have evolved, and good use of backdrop and environmental concern.
But I didn’t like the weird popping dance style of the three during the school dance, the overdone dance when Magne was drunk on mead or why Vidar has to strip to use his power.
I also felt Laurits was not developed properly and underutilized.
But overall I would give the show 3/5, definitely watchable.
Actually really enjoyed this. A nice slow burner that played out well over its six episodes. Not every superhero story has to be about lycra clad goodies and baddies punching each other, and the theme of the giants and god’ss having to fit into the modern world was well executed.
Think the reviewers got this one wrong.
Thought it was great. It’s deep enough and has alot of aspects and layers to the story from climate change, high school dynamics, rich and poor, a company’s power over their work force, and Norse mythology. The season could have been longer so they could have dived deeper into the back stories. I look forward to season 2 and I hope it’s a longer season I like that they left us with alot of questions unanswered.
Really enjoyed it seemed like it ended before it really began though I would be very sad to see it end so quickly
i loved the show, especially as it was a slow build up drama and explodes in the finale. The character Magne is just discovering his powers. He’s a nerdy super heroe like Spiderman and I cant wait for season 2.
I like it good show can’t wait for season 2
loved the series despite the perception of some of the reviews. Very intriguing and much more to come ! I hope