Andra Åket: By Another way

Are you all in a band? 

A Swedish series available on public television: SVT. Andra Aket:  By Another way.  I found it by mistake as I go to SVT play on its digital platform to learn about the country and to learn Swedish.  The show is about a young couple, in their 30s or early 40s may  be, who have returned from Stockholm to a village in northern Sweden.  The woman hails from there--and her husband is obviously there for his family.  They join the family business of running a 'mountain/ski hotel/lodge'.  The plot then allows them to bring in new interesting characters every week. 

IMDB defines it as: A woman moves from Stockholm back to her hometown in the north of Sweden, and finds that the lifestyle and people are now very different to what she is used to.

For me the show reminded me of my all time favourite show Northern Exposure.  Northern Exposure, commonly known as NX is set in Alaska.  I started watching it in reruns.  When A & E used to run the whole five years worth of show (110 episodes, within 6 months).  After the first run, I knew I was in love with the show, I recorded each and every episode. And watched it numerous times, so much so that I had memorised its lines and scenes.  

Andra Åket is reminiscent of that but without poetry or philosophy (a big chunk of NX).   The language in Andra Åket is neither clean nor refined which was characteristic of NX.  NX discussed the absurdity of life, in a light manner.  

Andra Åket is funny and quirky and is set in a godforsaken place, that is covered in snow for a good portion of the year.  All of which affects the culture of the town and therefore the language, attitudes and solutions to different problems.  So it is just the quirkiness and the language that bear a similarity between to NX.  For that part, the show is fascinating and leaves me smiling often.    So, here is a scene, which is not funny, not really, but ultra funny, if you understand the context.  And if you have lived in Northern  Sweden or anywhere in Sweden for that matter. 

To encourage her husband to make some friends, the protagonist asks her husband to join the 'killar'--the guys, on a hunting session.  The only outing they can have.....And when he arrives, he sees them all in white parkas. And asks....

Are you all in a band? 

What do you mean, they ask?

You are all dressed the same he says, ..

No, it is because we do not want ot be seen they say.....its camouflage !!

I knew, I knew. I was just joking says, the embarrassed nollåttare--who has just realised that small town folks, have their own wisdom, own knowledge and own terminology.

 (08--Those from Stockholm are usually called nollåttare--which stands for 08-Stockholm's telephone area code.).

The word nollåttare is also used as a slang for clueless city folks. 

I will end with another incident in the show.  The father and daughter (the couple has a 14 year old daughter) aree going for a drive on snow scooter when they spot a cafe, the small, lone building in a field of snow is lit.  They go in and order coffee.  The woman says, I have only 'cooked' coffee, meaning nothing special, just regular brew.

It will do, says the father.  After a while, they order something to eat. 

The woman says, we are not a restaurant.  Embarrassed they stand up. 

When they are leaving a man who seems like the owner walks in.  And asks the woman, 'Do you know them?"

'No, they looked cold and needed coffee, they asked, I served.'

That reminded me of what a friend /scholar from Wisconsin had said, 'we who grew up ini cold climates never closed our doors, for we knew that people who might get stranded in the cold will look for places to sleep in.  And that way a security was provided by a shared understanding.

Andra Aket, brings up many such incidences, and despite bad language and not being very sophisticated, it brings a smile on my face, because it deals with family, returning home, city vs.small towns and humanity of those who live in extreme climates.