Episode 3
Episode 3 of A Storm for Christmas opens with Stine just missing her ferry to Copenhagen. She calls her boyfriend who insists that she come home as soon as possible. Little Kaja runs off to a shop with her dad’s card and buys herself some goodies while the speaker announces that her parents are looking for her. When the shopkeeper asks if she is alone, Kaja lies and points to the old man standing nearby — Abba. She says he is her grandfather. The Swedish woman tells her taxi driver, Frank, to drive faster. He refuses because the roads are slippery. Arthur asks for nicotine gum at a shop. Lukas, the young boy travelling with his mother Maria, sees Arthur tapping his fingers on his bag and tries to mimic the movement. Maria tries to buy bananas and some chocolate but her card is declined. She removes the chocolate and buys only the bananas. Marius asks Arthur how the nicotine gum is working out for him. Arthur says it isn’t They discuss letting go of the habit when Marius reveals he quit smoking when the doctor gave him an ultimatum. Alex arrives and chides Arthur for ruining Thea’s memory of his concert. In the VIP lounge, Diana records a video for her social media. She calls Olav a party pooper when he tries to tell her to quiet down. She says that being a pilot must be magical, particularly during Christmas. He says Christmas is just a way for people to spend more money. When she recited a poem about love in Paris, he calls her naïve and says she is living an unrealistic dream. She gets annoyed and leaves the lounge. Ronja the priest searches for Abba. When Marius asks her for some time, she is once again unable to do so. Marius then gets informed that bars and restaurants have to be open all night for the stranded passengers. Arthur gets a call from his agent Mary. He wants to cancel his coming concert but she refuses. She asks him what happened during the concert in Oslo, where people said that he had ‘lost it’. Mary tells him to do what it takes to ‘find it’ once again. Stine tries looking for cabs to take her to Larvik where she can catch another boat. A stranger offers her a ride there and she gets in his car. Olav sees Diana from afar and folds his hands together as an apology, asking her to return. When she does, she finds a milkshake on the table — his offering as an apology. Her anger melts away. He asks what her plans for Paris are. Marius talks to David as he fixes the wheel on the young girl’s suitcase. The bartender asks about the wish list on the table and David mentions that it’s for the girl’s father. The girl arrives but is annoyed at David for fixing her suitcase since she didn’t ask him to do so. He apologises and goes away. Marius tells her David was just being nice. He then asks about her wish list and says he will help her think of something. Henrik inquires about the dog who was left behind, Lasso. He’s told to be with the dog for three hours before the right authority can step in. He goes to the airport store and gets a small sweater to keep the dog warm. Maria tries to reschedule her son’s eye operation but faces difficulty in doing so as she is used up all her saving in the deposit for the original operation. Lukas says he is still hungry. With no more money on her, Maria tries to steal some food from the store. Before she can do so, David sees her and warns her about the camera. He kindly offers to buy them food and water instead. Frank stops the cab to go to the toilet, much to the ire of the Swedish woman. When Ingvild goes to buy Ida some refreshments, Ida finds her notebook that is full of song lyrics. Enraged, she rushes to confront Ingvild. She demands to know how Ingvild could write lyrics about Ida when Ida was going through hell herself. Frustrated with Ida’s accusations Ingvild says that she wrote the lyrics for Ida. She just didn’t show her because she didn’t think they were good enough. Maria thanks David for the food. He says everybody should be kind to each other, particularly during Christmas. When Lukas disappears, Maria finds him playing a piano in the middle of the airport and tells him to stop. Frank comes back from the toilet to find that the cab is stuck in the snow. He says someone needs to push the car. Arthur hears Ingvild crying in the toilet in the cubicle next to his. He asks her if she is okay. She says she is tired of being treated like a servant and not being seen by Ida. Arthur says relationships are hard and he has ruined many himself. He muses on how the airport brings people together in queues and bars. How various acts can lead to a friendship but the friendship itself needs to be lived and that can be the hardest part. He says it is easy to hurt people. Ida wonders out loud why the image of yourself never matches what others think of you. While trying to get the car out of the snow, the Swedish woman sits in the driver’s seat and Frank pushes from behind. But she reverses by mistake, knocking the car right into Frank.
The Episode Review
A Storm for Christmas is concerned with some of the most ordinary things — money, career, talent, and relationships. And yet these simple, everyday issues are what makes this series so compelling. By episode 3 I would have expected things to get a little monotonous, but they haven’t – and it’s a pleasant surprise. Apart from some stellar writing and impactful dialogues, I also attribute this to the editing and the crisp run time of the episodes. It’s wonderful to flit from one story to another and it’s amazing that they all hold steam enough to remain invested. Although seeing how important each character is, I did expect the recurring shopkeeper to play a larger role. A shout out to the monologues towards the end of this episode and the previous one that encapsulate what this show is meant to do — to make one reflect and think. And, most importantly perhaps, feel.
