A Very Scandi Scandal

May 2, 2020

Not sure why, but I’ve never seen any of the Scandi noir TV shows. I missed out on Sarah Lund and her sweater and had to Google to find the names of the detectives in The Bridge* I don’t know, perhaps I missed the launch episodes and then didn’t want want to be late to the party so just avoided it? Maybe we didn’t have “catch up” TV back then?

I just don’t know.

Anyway that means it’s likely I missed some of the jokes in A Very Scandi Scandal our latest lockdown binge (Walter Presents on All4) . No matter, I had loads of laugh out loud moments. I don’t want to give away the plot in case you watch it, but it centres around two respectable mature women who turn to crime. Along the way they take on sexism, ageism and debunk many “Scandi” tropes. Best friends Cecilia and Jenny (the central characters) talk a lot, and so do the other characters. The ranting Patrik Dellborn is a perfect love to hate character. There aren’t many stripped back interiors either; Cecilia’s house is crammed full of furniture and pictures although Jenny does hanker after a fancy streamlined apartment which is way beyond her financial reach. Series one maybe had a nod to the Sarah Lund’s jumper but I took more notice of the hats. Cecilia usually wore slightly more chic felted numbers while Jenny favoured a pale pink knitted beanie, often topped off with a cycling helmet.

woolly hats posed by model (me)

It was so much fun, and great to watch two older women and their friendship being the centre of a show. Women with many facets to their lives; careers, colleagues, husbands, lovers, children and all the complications these bring. After we’d watched series one I tried to find out more about it and got annoyed when I read a review which described the two women as “grannies” Now Cecilia is a granny and we see her looking after her grandchildren, but often under duress and it definitely does not define her. Jenny has a daughter who is an important character but no grandkids. They are women who definitely want to live and have fun. They do ordinary and extraordinary things. They plot, squabble, cook, shop, celebrate, fret and generally have a ball.

And so did we.

Highly recommended lockdown viewing.

BTW featured image is not a Scandi snowscape, I have been to Oslo in the Autumn but all my photos are trapped inside my old iPad so I had to cheat.