Apparently Zeb dreams of awful sexist beer adverts when thinking of finding Frigg. He takes his master plan to Axl and even he realises that it’s dubious and nothing about the Frigg prophecy guarantees Frigg’s bra size. Unfortunately, as he talks Axl decides running auditions for a fictitious advert for a fictitious beer “Odin’s Ale”, requiring actors fit the model of Frigg is somehow a good idea.
In one way this is very true to Norse Mythology. The Aesir aren’t the brightest bunch around.
To Anders’s office where Dawn is happy they’ve got rid of Colin (the wanker), but that they still need business – and she pokes for more information about what actually happened in the alley. Anders ducks the question and is rescued by Axl and Zeb arriving with their not-so-masterful idea about finding Frigg and wanting to talk in private (poor Dawn). Anders hears their plans and tells them exactly how utterly awful they are – but he will help them find Ingrid (who has gone missing) because her genealogy isn’t the worst idea – but no way is he setting up an advert that the real Frigg will run screaming from.
Is it shallow of me to want to give a small award to Dean O’Gorman’s tailor? Or a not-so-small award?
At Mike’s, Michele is glowing and happy despite putting in long hours at work – apparently on a medical research project (she is a doctor). Mike doesn’t believe her – he and Olaf go making money with his Ullr power and discuss the inscrutable secretive ways of conniving women when men don’t bother to actually ASK them if something’s going on. (Y’know, if he really wants to know, he could just have Olaf says “I bet you can’t guess what Michele is doing all day”). Mike decides that since she’s content, not guilty, it’s probably secret goddess stuff and, therefore, something he should stay out of (especially when Olaf points out Mike isn’t exactly telling her about the money he’s making using his Ullr powers)
Anders tries to get Stacey to tell him where Ingrid has got to. From there he goes to a swanky looking hotel, the same hotel Michele has been visiting and sees there’s an event called “The goddess healer speaks”. And Ingrid is the receptionist for the event (and collecting fees). He breezes past Ingrid to see Michele giving an empowering, but rather generic new agey presentation to a room full of women.
Anders confronts her afterwards about how it’s all generic new agey stuff and she’s really healing everyone with Yggdrasil – and to make lots of money. And he wants a part of it – she ignores him, so he asks what Mike thinks of the whole thing, to which she brings him on board.
Zeb and Axl continue their awful advert idea on social media, get a large number of women auditioning and borrow a set at a local theatre to “interview” potential Friggs.
Dawn has another Ty flashback, remembering when they were in a relationship. She returns a box to his house, after some awkward flailing, she asks if he still does ice carving – which Ty sees as odd because he hasn’t carved ice since losing his Hodr powers – Dawn shouldn’t know about it.
Anders gets to watch Michele’s healing (after she repeatedly threatens to club him) after fielding a call from Ty asking if he told Dawn about his ice carving (he didn’t). Michele heals a woman of her lumbago, only mildly hindered by the fact Michele hates people, hates hugging and hates talking. Afterwards Michele claims it’s all about helping people and women helping women – Anders asks how much she’s paid. She’s being paid $5,000 for 2 hours work, she waits for him to object and he merely says she’s really underpaid for performing miracles (oh Anders). He also questions why they’re being so discreet (at Ingrid’s insistence) and what Ingrid actually brings to the partnership, how she’s not that great an agent and how Michele is paying her far too much. Damn Anders is harsh – accurate and honest, but harsh. Ingrid is, understandably, concerned by Anders’s involvement. Michele goes home to Mike who clearly knows something is up but is willing to drop the issue with a naked Michele in front of him.
Ty consults Olaf with his problem – Dawn remembers him ice carving which means Hodr is well and truly back, not just in spurts. While that looks like a good thing, Ty would like to start afresh with Dawn rather than with the baggage between them – like him accidentally almost killing her. Ty decides to avoid Dawn – but they’re overheard by the creepy god-watching man who was following Axl who leaves a note on Ty’s car. “Honesty = freedom”, well he gives good advice anyway
To the auditions and, after discarding anyone they deem isn’t sufficiently Norwegian, they begin hearing these women who have taken time out to pursue a job that isn’t there. All of which are blonde, beautiful women in bikinis which Axl discards one by one, presumably failing to detect any Frigg-ness. He laments the fact they’re watching “talentless bimbos” uh-huh, you insult the women displaying the traits that Zeb has clearly selected? And Axl gets punched by a man outraged that one of the women took off her top and still didn’t get the role.
Axl goes home with a monster black eye that swells his eye shut - and sees Mike in the mirror. Mirror Mike says he is Axl – because Ullr is Odin and further adds that Destiny means he will find her before Axl does, because he can find anything. And he’s doing it because Axl fails as Odin.
At Anders’s office, Dawn is surprised that there’s a meeting for Anders that Anders didn’t tell her about – the creepy-god-following guy. Who gives Dawn random advice on how to deal with stress and how, if someone is stressing her, she needs to talk to him. And adds “being honest can set you free” before leaving and promising to reschedule his appointment with Anders. Well, that’s not weird at all. He leaves and disappears before Dawn can get his name.
When Anders returns he denies all knowledge and invites her to take the day off – the worst possible way because, well, Anders. Dawn goes to see Ty who tries to put her off – but she has to talk to him. She asks if they were lovers once. To-the-end-of-time serious lovers and she cries. Realising how ridiculous she looks (if Ty is the near stranger she thinks he is) she pulls herself together and starts to leave Ty says “yes” they were in love. Dawn doesn’t understand how she could forget that… and Ty decides to be honest with her.
DOOOO IT! DOOOO IT!
And he tells her! He tells her he’s Hodr! (And to look that up on wiki – hah, Hodr is on wiki, but the actual Norse god is a bit different from Almighty Johnson’s Ty). He tells her about his cold and nearly killing her and she remembers the snow in the alley. She kisses him and tells him she’ll take her chances and thinks she may have “cured” him - especially since he’s very emotional and the room isn’t cold – and they have sex.
Afterwards she asks more questions – and realises that the whole family are gods. And that Anders is Bragi – and they have a laugh at the idea of a god of poetry .
Meanwhile Anders is forcing Michele to meet with him by threatening to reveal all to Mike. In the meeting he mocks her sisterhood messiah plan and proposes expanding Michele’s healing to a whole spa complex – and her only healing the most worthy (wealthiest) patrons – and Michele hides that she’s the healer; being an anonymous staff member who heals in the guise of a masseuse of physical therapist. He’s very much focused on how Michele as a messiah/goddess/etc sets herself up as a target for persecution. Michele agrees to talk it over with Ingrid – and adamantly refuses to ditch her. And she sets a test – Anders needs to bring her a man willing to pay $50,000 to the goddess healer.
Zeb puts Axl’s vision down to brain injury from being hit – but Axl believes it. And Zeb remembers Mimir’s well (again criticising Axl for not actually reading the myths) – in the myths, Odin pulled out his eye and placed it into the well giving him insight; allowing him to see things as they are. Because Axl damaged his eye so gained insight into what Mike was plotting. Axl can’t believe Mike is Odin because of the signs and now further adds that Mike wouldn’t do that to him (he believed it before). And then Axl gets a text from Mike asking to meet
The meeting is actually Mike gathering the brothers because Ty has called for an urgent meeting. Axl, Mike, Olaf and Michele gather in Mike’s bar – joined by Axl. Mike is not impressed by the whole beer ad since he’s trying to keep the family out of the spotlight – and Axl being very hostile.
Which is when Ty and Dawn arrive – and Dawn slaps Anders’s face for Bragi-ing her. Mike is not thrilled that Ty has told Dawn the big secret; Anders steps forward to handle things but Dawn interrupts him and won’t let him Bragi her. Olaf is almost as amused as I am. And Mike loses his temper and rants at everyone for putting them all at risk by advertising their presence. Olaf tries to calm Mike down and Ty tells Mike he’s pissed on the happiest day of his life. Ty and Dawn leave
And Axl decides it’s time to poke Mike some more – asking why he’s in charge and what, exactly, Mike is leading them to – he doesn’t say anything beyond mocking Axl and Olaf’s belief about Jormungandr. Anders and Olaf leave, putting in their digs at Mike for being less than reasonable; even Michele hurries upstairs. And Axl leaves saying “no way are you me, and you never will be.”
Dawn knows the big secret! YES! AT LAST! More and more I hated that she was treated like a game piece to be moved and manipulated. Last week was awesome, but it still meant manipulating Dawn rather than informing her – and then Ty wanted to form a relationship with Dawn taking ADVANTAGE of her erased memory. This is aside from all the times Anders has played with her mind.
And Dawn is awesome! She’s snarky, she’s competent, she’s tough! Dawn is my favourite female character on this show! More Dawn! And her acting in this scene was awesome. Now she’s in the more all her interactions with the brothers will work so much better.
Who is this guy stalking the gods and guiding them? I wonder if he’s some kind of oracle or guide – maybe Mimir?
As to Anders and Axl’s disaster – well it was never a good idea; but they decided to discard women at the beginning because they were looking for a “Norwegian”. By the names they discarded, that seems to have been any POC (we didn’t even see them discard white people with non-Scandinavian surnames – which would also have been silly but at least less blatant). But surely Gaia alone proves that it’s quite possible to have Scandinavian ancestry and still be a POC? That was unnecessary, pointlessly racist and required Zeb and Axl to completely erase Gaia from their memory.
Mike stepping up to be fake Odin? That’s not unsupported in the mythology – I wonder where this will go and if it’s connected with Mike “abusing” his powers now – Olaf did warn him of the dark side and we’ve seen how Mike gets when on his power.
Still I hate the storyline. Just as things we’re getting back to finding Frigg and Dawn knew the big truth we have a rather convoluted brother vs brother storyline based on one vision? Especially with Mike going rather off on the deep end – I won’t say it’s not entirely justified – they did have hunters after all and Mike is the one who constantly cleans up the mess.
