Northerly Winds
Episode 5 of Katla Season 1 starts with forensics joining Gisli as they bring the frozen body out from under the cabin. They hurriedly take it away for examination. When Grima shows up back home, she notices Tor with Gunhild and immediately leaves the house. However, Grima is convinced that the body they found is that of Asa. Kjartan passes this off as tiredness but it’s clear there’s something to the story. Meanwhile, Darri rings Gisli and brings him to Hotel Vik. He’s called in the report about Mikael and wants to give him to Child Services. When they arrive in the hotel room, Rakel has gone. She’s taken off with Mikael and decided to flee. As they head out onto the open road, it’s revealed that Mikael has a Stanley knife hidden in his coat. At the police station, Grima is questioned over the body and how she knew how to find it. Looking at the photos, they definitely look like Asa but whether it is or not remains to be seen. We’ll have to wait for the forensics on that one. Asa is certainly acting strangely though, placing her hands in the black pools of oil and questioning her own existence. Grima walks out midway through the police questioning (a recurring theme in this series it seems!), avoiding her sister and questioning the validity of her statement. Asa is soon interviewed though, as it seems the body has been there for about a year which coincides with the time Asa went missing. That evening, a storm rolls in as the winds pick up and threaten to knock Darri over. Grima continues to drive up to camp though, determined to investigate further. Also out on the road is Rakel, who listens as Mikael rasps about how much he hates his Father and hopes he dies. Well, Rakel soon starts to exhibit her own doubts over Mikael and eventually encourages him to step out the car. When he does, she quickly takes off and leaves her son behind. There’s talk of changelings again here too, although the storm puts a damper on much more than rumours and folklore tales for now. Still, this does seem like it’s the probable cause of what’s happening. That much is especially true as the episode draws to a close. Grima continues to investigate the camp and finds herself face to face with an ash-covered version of herself.
The Episode Review
Answers are slowly starting to trickle in now and it seems like these ash-covered doppelgangers are actually changelings. The big twist at the end involving one being Grima is a nice surprise while this slow burn really lives up to its name. There are small reveals here and there but largely this is a character driven piece that thrives on its various relations. In that respects, Katla has been enjoyable but it’s also a show that takes its sweet time with the story. Echoes of other mystery shows on Netflix definitely bleed through here and the ending hints that we’ve got more drama to come. So far this has been a really unusual, moody series but it’s also a show that needs some solid answers soon.
