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3
TV series
“The Elf’s Swing”
Director: Frans Graham Guttormsen
TV Norway and Max
Premiere December 1
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Some of the country’s leading comedians and a wild guest gallery are embarking on a new Christmas calendar for TVNorge and the streaming service Max, or rather a prelude before the cold sets in. Unlike the many previous elf calendars within the TVNorge family, this is not a reality parody where participants disappear one by one. On the other hand, it is a comedy drama with many guests and not least a concept with newly written songs. The musical elements performed with karaoke aesthetics and subtitles appear to be the very peg on which the series creators hang this entire calendar.
When it comes to the action itself, there is seriousness in the secret gnome kingdom around the bend. Here Santa Claus is dying, and the only thing that can save him is a magical locket that Santa’s minions have bought on the internet. The valuable package must be picked up at the nearest “pick up” location, and the goblins’ trickery of a second-in-command, Judas (Selda Ekiz), has more than an ulterior motive when she entrusts possibly the most important mission in goblin history to the three notorious no-gooders Rolf (Morten Ramm), Trond (John Brungot) and Jerry (Calle Hellevang-Larsen).
The parcel will arrive at a local petrol station which has been left behind after the main road was tunnelled. Here, sweet Hans (also Brungot) and the slightly bitter Ella (Hellevang-Larsen) spend Christmas, but Hans, who has saved a little for bad days, has realized that without customers there is a hook on the door.
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In the race to sign off on the package, Judas ensures that her three helpers, with the hopelessly in love Rolf as group leader, end up astray. She then goes straight to the gas station herself to secure the locket. But the package takes a long time, and since Hans wants to cancel the mail-in-store agreement and close the shop, Judas appeals to Ella’s greed and persuades her to hold daily events until Christmas Eve with famous artists and influencers from whom they can earn “millions”. on.
Thus, the calendar rhythm is set. Every day a new celebrity comes to the petrol station, among them Gaute Ormåsen, Fetisha Williams and Jon Almås, the latter host of the world’s most exclusive Christmas bingo.
And not as far away as one would think, Rolf, Trond and Jerry – the latter not entirely without Tom and Jerry beats – have entrenched themselves and are trying out one failed plan after another. And occasionally it breaks out into song and dance, with karaoke lyrics and ready for separate use such as in music videos and for streaming purposes also outside the series itself. Even before the first calendar slot in “Nissesvingen” was opened, two of the songs have been released on video, among them the Ballinciaga imitation “NILF”. And “NILF” in this context is therefore not the abbreviation for the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural Economic Research, even though we are in fairly rural areas.
An inspiration for “Nisssesvingen” is TV 2’s first Christmas season series “The Julekalender”, with quasi-English and a bucketful of new proverbs and not least songs that went straight into everyday language. The producer of the company Salto, Espen Leervaag, has stated that they wanted to make a “The Julekalender” tribute three decades after the series that changed the idea of what Christmas calendars on TV can be. The story is written by Steffan Ludvigsen (“Vinnerschalle”, “Innebandykrigerne”, and throws in a bit of “Putti Plutti Pott” drama throughout, but “Nissesvingen” never lives up to the original. Unless it’s the beard that will be found before Christmas Eve , so at least a medallion, probably shopped from Temu, to save both Santa Claus and Christmas itself.The series’ artificial set design at times looks like it was shopped from China that too.
The type gallery is good enough. Morten Ramm’s Rolf breaks in a light swear word and comes across as a slightly low-brow cross between the late Rednex vocalist Anders “Dagger” Sandberg and E-Type. He has no chance when Selda Ekiz, like a sly Judas, promises him the very best. Brungot is genuinely the funniest element, either as the beardless elf Trond or as a petrol station host, while Calle Hellevang-Larsen is an almost wordless but deadly “prankster” elf, and all the more talkative as in the role of Ella, a modern version of Gjertrud from “The Christmas Calendar”.
Dialects are abundantly twisted, all while a not too complicated plot unfolds in episodes that are 11 minutes short. Very manageable, then, but even with minimal playing time, many wigs and persistent autotune efforts from the actors who sing the songs themselves, it is as if director Frans Graham Guttormsen has to struggle and drag the script to fill in the story, and then it becomes piecemeal and broken down so that it occasionally stops completely. No, sleeping gnomes in a hangover and waking up drunk anxiety is not very exciting. In particular, the plot around the three gnomes runs in a loop without much progression, but since we’ve only seen the first seven episodes, it may loosen up as we get closer to Christmas Eve.
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Both Santa Claus himself (Fridtjov Såheim) and Else Kåss Furuseth in a rather sedentary role probably have more potential than in the first episodes, while Snorre K. Monsson as Fregne certainly has nine lives despite fierce interactions with quarrelsome water and elf spirits.
Lars Bleiklie Devik is the prime mover for the music, pours on Santa beer and turns the party music volume to après-ski and roller bus level, with “Fyllejulekule” still spearheading Carina Dahl as Christmas star. “Everyone will join”, as they sing. Then it will be seen whether this calendar tribute is “rather delicious” as the episodes speed across the ice in the run up to Christmas.
Review is based on the first seven episodes.