Borgen 2.03-2.04
Jan. 14th, 2013 07:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessBorgen 2.03 Hollow Victory
So much going on. I thought it was really fun to see so many of the Cabinet. And I’d like a Green party centred story, plus to find out who the new Moderate Cabinet members are (there was a bit of echoing of what happened to Bent thanks to Kruse, but that’s a minor quibble). I realised how few of the Labour people I really like. I was reminded why Hoxhaven is odious, that Pernille has also been nasty and I thought Thornsen was a snot after the Afghanistant episode. But I loved how it only became clear slowly that they (Hoxhaven especially) were a bunch of opportunists.
And Laugeson! Possibly the most interesting character of this episode - apart from the three leads – of this storyline then, despite not being prominent. Like the ex Prime Minister, there was a feeling of boys club – obviously not old boys club, because they hammered home Bjorn’s roots, but of a network based on shared experience closing ranks, and like Birgitte respected Bjorn’s loyalty, you had to a little. Even when it came from such a twisted direction as Laugeson.
I only twigged that he’d set up the young ‘photographer’ at the party, which I thought was such an EPIC MOVE. Sleazy, sleazy, sleazy (had Hoxhaven not made a power grab because of this before?) and probably not what Hanne meant when she asked for evidence.
So, I want to knows what happens next, after this comes out, who else stands for Labour leader and Birgitte’s deputy and chief threat in the Cabinet?
Obviously, crack reporter Katrine had other stuff on her mind than noticing who the trainee was flirting with. Kasper/Katrine is epic trainwreck territory, although there’s a part of me that is almost hopeful for them too. But then, the fact that they remembered what happened next at that hotel differently is so telling.
Kasper worked better as Birgitte’s eyes and ears and adviser in this episode. Oh, I forgot to talk about the thumb prints of the people in the Ministry and Sir Humphrey’s veiled threat. That thread continues to be fascinating. Of course, the tensions over the early retirement policy and Bjorn’s leadership should have come up before (a part of me wishes it was over several episodes rather than all of it, from the water being poured into the saucepan to the water coming to the boil in one episode, but that’d be a novel, not a TV show if it did. And anyway, surely the next episode picks up on all this.)
Birgitte’s position as leader (there she was, showing all the qualities Bjorn lacked) is rocked again then. I thought the scene with Bjorn was lovely. It’s so sad that Kasper is about the only one who can now call her on the personal bleeding into the professional. I was so sad for her over Philip and his new girlfriend. The use of the overheard phone conversations and how, as the not!instigator of the divorce, she couldn’t cope, was heartbreaking, while the compulsive tidying was such a sympathetic thing to do. Plus, of all the scenarios she laid out with the kids, of course it was the one where they got on with Cecile that came true. (But on a totally petty level, Philip and Cecile can deal with the consequences of letting Magnus stay up to play Pictionary.)
I wish we could have seen more of this Kim’s face.
Despite really wanting to know what happened next, I decided to leave the next episode for iPlayer. I don’t really understand why BBC4 are double-billing every episode of this show. Seeing as it's such a hit (in BBC4 terms/among the chattering classes), wouldn’t they want to draw it out?
2.04 Battle Ready
I was a little confused – I thought Hoxhaven needed to be ratified/voted in as Labour leader, although I suppose that wouldn’t affect his being promoted to Foreign Minister. That is to say, I thought there’d be more Labour party stuff – I suppose we’ll see who the new Labour leader is in the next episode. Doubt they’ll roll over for Birgitte.
Otherwise, yikes! Scattered thoughts – don’t take relationship advice from Kasper when you know it’s going to be rubbish, Birgitte. I thought I saw Birgitte/Kim coming, and the situation was clichéd, but kind of hot and sad - I was so on her side after all the Philip/Cecile stuff. She’s a paediatrician with a perfect blonde ponytail! Our statsminister is endearingly human. HOWEVER, Kasper failed epically in how he handled Kim – did not pick up on the fact that he had real feelings for Birgitte, and practically sent him to Laugeson, who will always be better at blackmailing than Birgitte.
What will Katrine and Hanne do now? (They were a great team, although I don’t think finding someone’s alcoholism amusing is a great tactic in life.) And Kasper might try to make it work with Lotte, but I can’t see it lasting, and for Lotte’s sake it probably shouldn’t. Katrine probably will land on her idealistic feet somewhere, even if she’s currently jobless. She can't keep walking out on jobs, and Birgitte's cabinet can't keep leaking ministers.
So much going on. I thought it was really fun to see so many of the Cabinet. And I’d like a Green party centred story, plus to find out who the new Moderate Cabinet members are (there was a bit of echoing of what happened to Bent thanks to Kruse, but that’s a minor quibble). I realised how few of the Labour people I really like. I was reminded why Hoxhaven is odious, that Pernille has also been nasty and I thought Thornsen was a snot after the Afghanistant episode. But I loved how it only became clear slowly that they (Hoxhaven especially) were a bunch of opportunists.
And Laugeson! Possibly the most interesting character of this episode - apart from the three leads – of this storyline then, despite not being prominent. Like the ex Prime Minister, there was a feeling of boys club – obviously not old boys club, because they hammered home Bjorn’s roots, but of a network based on shared experience closing ranks, and like Birgitte respected Bjorn’s loyalty, you had to a little. Even when it came from such a twisted direction as Laugeson.
I only twigged that he’d set up the young ‘photographer’ at the party, which I thought was such an EPIC MOVE. Sleazy, sleazy, sleazy (had Hoxhaven not made a power grab because of this before?) and probably not what Hanne meant when she asked for evidence.
So, I want to knows what happens next, after this comes out, who else stands for Labour leader and Birgitte’s deputy and chief threat in the Cabinet?
Obviously, crack reporter Katrine had other stuff on her mind than noticing who the trainee was flirting with. Kasper/Katrine is epic trainwreck territory, although there’s a part of me that is almost hopeful for them too. But then, the fact that they remembered what happened next at that hotel differently is so telling.
Kasper worked better as Birgitte’s eyes and ears and adviser in this episode. Oh, I forgot to talk about the thumb prints of the people in the Ministry and Sir Humphrey’s veiled threat. That thread continues to be fascinating. Of course, the tensions over the early retirement policy and Bjorn’s leadership should have come up before (a part of me wishes it was over several episodes rather than all of it, from the water being poured into the saucepan to the water coming to the boil in one episode, but that’d be a novel, not a TV show if it did. And anyway, surely the next episode picks up on all this.)
Birgitte’s position as leader (there she was, showing all the qualities Bjorn lacked) is rocked again then. I thought the scene with Bjorn was lovely. It’s so sad that Kasper is about the only one who can now call her on the personal bleeding into the professional. I was so sad for her over Philip and his new girlfriend. The use of the overheard phone conversations and how, as the not!instigator of the divorce, she couldn’t cope, was heartbreaking, while the compulsive tidying was such a sympathetic thing to do. Plus, of all the scenarios she laid out with the kids, of course it was the one where they got on with Cecile that came true. (But on a totally petty level, Philip and Cecile can deal with the consequences of letting Magnus stay up to play Pictionary.)
I wish we could have seen more of this Kim’s face.
Despite really wanting to know what happened next, I decided to leave the next episode for iPlayer. I don’t really understand why BBC4 are double-billing every episode of this show. Seeing as it's such a hit (in BBC4 terms/among the chattering classes), wouldn’t they want to draw it out?
2.04 Battle Ready
I was a little confused – I thought Hoxhaven needed to be ratified/voted in as Labour leader, although I suppose that wouldn’t affect his being promoted to Foreign Minister. That is to say, I thought there’d be more Labour party stuff – I suppose we’ll see who the new Labour leader is in the next episode. Doubt they’ll roll over for Birgitte.
Otherwise, yikes! Scattered thoughts – don’t take relationship advice from Kasper when you know it’s going to be rubbish, Birgitte. I thought I saw Birgitte/Kim coming, and the situation was clichéd, but kind of hot and sad - I was so on her side after all the Philip/Cecile stuff. She’s a paediatrician with a perfect blonde ponytail! Our statsminister is endearingly human. HOWEVER, Kasper failed epically in how he handled Kim – did not pick up on the fact that he had real feelings for Birgitte, and practically sent him to Laugeson, who will always be better at blackmailing than Birgitte.
What will Katrine and Hanne do now? (They were a great team, although I don’t think finding someone’s alcoholism amusing is a great tactic in life.) And Kasper might try to make it work with Lotte, but I can’t see it lasting, and for Lotte’s sake it probably shouldn’t. Katrine probably will land on her idealistic feet somewhere, even if she’s currently jobless. She can't keep walking out on jobs, and Birgitte's cabinet can't keep leaking ministers.
