Saturday, August 18, 2012

The Almighty Johnsons, Season Two, Episode Four: Death's Cleansing Embrace

After Ty closes Eva's eyes, he leaves the freezer to find Agnetha waiting for him in a jump suit wearing yellow rubber gloves.  She suggests that he avoids calling the police and then complains that she has been waiting for him all night.  In shock Ty tells her that Eva is dead and Agnetha simply says, "is she?" and asks if he is sad she is dead.  When Ty answers yes, she says that it's the shock.  Ty realises that Agentha locked Eva in the freezer.  When Ty again expresses shock that Agnetha killed Eva, she responds, "someone had to."

When Ty sits in shock Agnetha tells him to keep it short because they have a limited window of opportunity.  We are then treated to a flashback of Agnetha killing Eva. She asks if Ty was aware that she was on anti-depressants and we get to another flash to Eva forcing drugs down her throat.  She tells him the level of police involvement is up to him and she won't fight or deny what she did but because of what Eva was doing to him, she is proud of her actions.  Ty yells, "I was going to leave her.  After what she did to Dawn, I was going to leave her." Agnetha shakes her head and responds, "she would never have allowed that."  Ty wraps Eva in plastic and puts her body in the truck, and he drives to a park with Agnetha following in Eva's car.  When they arrive, Ty unwraps Eva and Agnetha tells him to throw her over the bank.  Agnetha quickly packs up and Ty stands for a moment over Eva's body to say he is sorry.

The two drive back into the city and Agnetha tells him that he has to keep calling Eva and leaving messages.  Ty promises to call some of Eva's friends and ask if anyone has seen her. Agnetha says that if the police don't find her by the early evening that Ty should call them and report her missing and emphasis her erratic behavior. Ty says that she doesn't have a history of murder but there are a few people who would believes this.  Agnetha finishes with the suggestion that Ty avoid calling her in the foreseeable future, to which Ty responds, "I can live with that," before getting out of the car.

Agnetha goes back to the office and talks to Anders.  She asks about Dawn and he says that she is a nice girl and not bad if you like your biscuits plain. Agnetha asks if Dawn can be persuaded to do the right thing at the right time and Anders responds, "by me she can, but then most women can." Anders wants to know what she has in mind for Dawn and Agnetha says, "I want her to keep her mouth shut," but before she can tell Anders why, Dawn enters the office. 

Ty goes to Mike's bar and leaves Eva a message. He explains that when he got home that Eva was not there.  He then goes on to phone Loki who tells him to go away. Olaf and Ingrid enter the bar arm in arm.  Olaf looks at Ty and quips about him fulfilling a false prophecy, which freaks Ty out until he learns that Olaf was only joking about Ty being the the guardian of the last beer on earth.  Mike hands over two beers and Olaf quips about them being free, but Ty puts money on the bar to pay for them, before leaving saying that he has to find Eva.  

When Ty returns, he hears a noise in the freezer and it turns out that it's Colin, who apologises for being short with him earlier. He wants to know where Eva is and says that she was supposed to leave him some venison.  Yeah, I though that was weird. He then asks if Eva is cheating on Ty.  When Ty says no, Colin again asks where she is. Suddenly there is a knock at the door and it's the police. Colin asks "what's the stupid little bitch done now?"  The cop says that they have found a body and Colin and Ty go to the station and identify Eva's body.  Colin asks for a moment alone with Ty and as soon as the cop leaves, he attacks Ty asking "what did you do?"  Ty says that he did nothing but Colin responds, "no daughter of mine would walk into a forest to fucking die.  Eva hated fucking trees and do not lie to me. Do not tell me that it was suicide; no way would she wimp out like that."  I have to admit that given Colin's relationship with Eva, I am a touch surprised at his violent response.  They begin to circle Eva's body throwing accusations back and forth until Colin says, "you are a dead man," before leaving the room.

At Colin's house, he is ranting in front of Michele.  Michel asks if Colin has any actual evidence that Ty killed Eva and he responds, "I looked into his eyes and that is all the evidence that I need."  Ty goes to see Dawn at Anders office. She thanks him for getting her home and saving her life in the process. Ty says he is sorry that she got put in that position and says that Eva is dead.  Dawn says that she is so sorry and asks how he is doing.  Ty answers that he is okay.  When Dawn asks what happened, Ty responds that Eva killed herself and that it wasn't because of Dawn.  Ty says that he wants to keep Dawn out of it and that though he told the police he was with a friend, he didn't give them her name. Ty says that he has to go and that there are things that need to be organized.

Back at Ty's, Eva's grim followers are holding a vigil playing her music.  Mike asks if the police got in touch, and Ty says that they are waiting on toxicology.  Ingrid brings over some food and Stacey comes back from the door with a dead wreath.  Ingrid tells her that she no longer has to handmaiden Eva because she is dead and points out that she was never really Hel's handmaiden to begin with. Stacey says that she has nothing else to do. When Zeb comes in, he starts checking out the Emo's until Axl points out that it is too soon.


At the office, Dawn asks if Agnetha heard that Ty's wife died.  Agnetha plays innocent and says that she only really knew Eva in passing.  Agentha quips that Ty has the worst luck with women.  At Mike's bar, Ty says that there is only so much of Eva's music that a man can take.  Mike wants to know if Ty is telling them everything about Eva.  Ty answers that "it was, it is - a totally fucked up situation." They drink together with the toast, "Gods among men." 

The next day, Agnetha meets Ty at the fountain and she asks him how he is doing.  He answers that he is overwhelmed with good intentions and that he has a lot of fear.  She asks if he has spoken to the police again, and he says that this is one of his fears.  Agnetha responds that as far as the police are concerned, Eva died passed out and intoxicated, exposed to cold for a lethal amount of time. She believes that Eva's death with be considered self-inflicted, or violence of nature, and that eventually, a nice cop with show up to tell him this. Ty says that he cannot face her funeral and we get a flash of the brothers dressed in black headed out to the funeral.  Agnetha tries to assure him that they did the right thing and says that she would like to be at the funeral for him, but Ty answers that he doesn't want her anywhere near Eva

After the funeral, Mike drops Ty off.  Mike offers to come in but Ty says that sleep is what he craves.  When Ty enters, he finds that his ice angel is melting on the coffee table.  When Ty enters his freezer, he sees Eva's body lying there.  Colin enters and yells, "she's back." Colin asks, "you didn't think I would allow my daughter to have a Christian funeral did you? Loki's daughter will have a norse funeral and until that time, she will stay here.  And if you truly loved my daughter, if you are an honourable God, then you will give serious thought to joining her in death's cleansing embrace."

Ingrid, Michele and Stacy are gathered and Stacy says that has carried Eva home drunk a few times and thought that the coffin felt too light when she was acting as pallbearer.  Michele admits that she had to help Colin steal Eva's body from the funeral home. Ingrid says that it's disgusting but Colin is Loki, and therefore it goes with the territory. Stacey asks why Michele is hooked up with Colin and Michele replies, "after you bitches abandoned me, I did what I am good at - I fucked and formed an alliance." Colin storms in and orders that Stacey and Michele get naked and amusing, or get out of his house. They quickly get up and leave and Colin points at Michele and tells her to get naked.  She stands and starts undressing, as he sits in a chair and watches.  I want Michele to just leave Loki.  What exactly is she getting out of this so-called alliance?

Ty goes to Mike's bar and asks what Colin meant by death's cleansing embrace.  Olaff  tells them that back in Asgard, a Goddess threw herself on a God's funeral pyre, and then it caught on, but in viking times when they couldn't find anyone willing, they just threw on a servant.  Mike says that this was way back, and Olaf responds that he is unaware of any cases of this since they moved to New Zealand, but then he is not aware of many things.  Mike says that this is insane and that Ty is not throwing himself on a funeral pyre.  Mike asks why Colin wants to bring back this tradition, and Ty answers, "he thinks I killed her." This causes Mike to ask if Ty did indeed kill Eva, to which Ty responds no. Mike asks if someone who cares did and Ty admits that he was there when she died and that it was remarkable.  Mike wants to know what he means and Ty tells him to leave it be.

Axl gets a phone call from Mike to inform him that Eva is not buried.  Zeb wants to know what that means, and Axl says that there is going to be a Norse God funeral. Zeb being Zeb, wants to attend but Axl tells him that he is not a God, or a wolf, and that people get thrown on the funeral pyres. This is enough for Zeb to back out, but he disgustingly asks Axl to text him pictures on his phone.  Gee, and I thought Eva was macabre.  Axl wants to know why he is always the last one to find out these things and he is pissed because he is Odin.  Zeb tells him that as soon as he figures out how to be Odin, that one day he will be the first to know everything. 

Mikes goes to Anders office to see Agnetha.  Agnetha sends Dawn out to run on an errand, so that the two can be alone.  Mike asks if Eva's death was some type of fucked up God war that Agnetha has going with Loki.  Agnetha responds that she has no idea what he is talking about and Mike asserts that Agnetha killed Eva.  When Mike tells her not to play games with him, Agnetha laughs and says, "Oh you must love saying that Ullr.  You know that the bitch was going to kill him eventually, but you didn't have the balls to do anything about it, so I did. I stood up for Ty in a way that you never did."  They get into an argument in which the past is brought up and Mike tells her to stay away from him family. Agnetha calls him a coward and tells him to "get his hands dirty before pontificating" to her about family.  He walks out in anger.

At Ty's, Olaff  shows up and asks if Eva is still there.  Ty says that Colin came and collected her at dawn.  It turns out that Olaff is still drunk from last night. Ty says that when Eva died, he saw something leaving her body.  Olaff answers that it was Hel's spirit leaving her mortal body and returning to the universe.  Ty says that it was beautiful and Olaff remarks that he saw it with Ty's grandmother.  Ty wants to know if that would happen to him, if he joined her on the pyre.  Olaf answers yes, but it wouldn't be beautiful, because his human form would be screaming in flaming agony.  Ty points out that he wouldn't be a God anymore, but Olaf reminds him that he would be ash.

The Gods are in the woods and Eva is on her pyre.  Stacey starts to get hysterical, and says that she is not going on the bonfire and that she is Frigg's handmaiden. Stacey turns and asks Michele if Colin actually expects her to die, and Michele responds that she has no idea. Ty stares at Eva's body intently, so Olaff reminds him, "ball of fire, flaming agony, jar of ash."  Agnetha shows up to stand with the Goddess and Colin walks in looking ridiculous with a flame thrower strapped to his back. Colin asks "who will embrace the Goddess Hel in sweet cleansing breathe," and turns to stare at Ty, but when no on answers, Stacey screams no and runs.  Colin lights the pyre, and Axl actually does take a picture for Zeb, as Ty cries silent tears.