After a long wait, the second season of the Nordic series Ragnarok has arrived on Netflix. The story gets complicated, new characters appear and our hero Magne has to face his existential doubts.

Preview

Magne’s body is changing fast; more strength, sharper eyesight, yet there is still something missing. In the legends of the mythical Thor, there is talk of a special hammer, the Mjöllnir, the weapon without which the hero is nothing.

But there is something else that is creating an internal debate: Magne does not want to kill, yet it seems what is being asked him. How can it be right to commit murder? Do not good people define themselves as good precisely because they always keep stable the concept of justice? Is it the revenge he is fighting for?

His gentle and candid soul clashes with the war. The war that spares no one, that drags even the good ones into the mud and demands its price; a marathon made up of clashes and subterfuges for the best arms race. And so, can murder be justified if committed on the right side of the line? Magne is not sure.

Danu Sunth and David Stakston in Ragnarok (2020)

Danu Sunth and David Stakston in Ragnarok (2020) © Netflix

Review

In the first season of Ragnarok, we saw the battle of Magne to bring out the truth that the brave Isolde had sought when finding death. A truth that acquires value and concreteness as the second season proceeds: yes, as we all suspected, the waters are polluted by toxic agents; the citizens of Edda have been drinking poisonous substances for years.

The factories of the Jutul family are in serious crisis, they have lost credibility and their image has been damaged. But Vidar seems distracted by family issues that bring him closer to feelings – an unknown matter for the giants – so it’s up to Saxa to take matters into his own hands.

Female emancipation, the desire to have a strong position within the company, make Saxa a shrewd and fierce soul, who with her cunning and her modern approach manages to save factories from ruin. She is a woman, her mother considers her inferior to her brother Fjor, yet, as everyone collapses under the weight of emotions, she remains steadfast.

Although in the first season I felt sincere dislike for her character, in this second season I understood her characteristics and desires better, her struggle for equality within the family. The initial dislike has turned into solidarity with her.

David Stakston in Ragnarok (2020)

David Stakston in Ragnarok (2020) © Netflix

The ambiguity of Laurits

Throughout the first season, we all enjoyed the ups and downs of Magne’s brother Laurits. But it is in the second season that the ambiguity of his character stands out, the inner rift that makes it difficult to understand which side he is on.

Deception, cunning, and betrayal run through Laurits’ blood. In the evolution of his character we see him accept himself as a transgender, seek a link with his origins, and become the pawn halfway between the two worlds.

His figure is well studied and reveals itself one step at a time, unleashing a kind of love/hate in the audience that makes the development of the story very interesting.

We are only at the beginning

Ragnarok is a well-done show. The producers did a great job in building the characters, and in how they managed to seamlessly blend the modern world with ancient Norse legends. Norway and all its wild beauty are the backgrounds to this story that one episode at a time will lead us towards the great battle.

The Season 2 finale still leaves a lot unfinished, a sign that we are only at the beginning of the war. Much has yet to be told, I hope Netflix will renew the show for a third season!

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