01x03 - Episode 3

[bunniefuu]

Political scientists say
that it's doubtful

that Benedikt can keep his promise.

Benedikt is in a difficult situation
because if he fulfills his promise,

he's ignoring the will
of the majority of voters.

Why did you sleep here?

Um, Grímur...

I'm just...

We can discuss it later.

We can't trust him.

- We've seen it before.
- Eggert.

It will be okay.

Benedikt will come around.

It would be best if the nation itself
would write the coalition agreement.

On Twitter or something.

"Benedikt Ríkarðsson should become
Iceland's next prime minister."

f*ck.

Is this popular?

We should take care of our values
and integrity,

but we also have to
listen to our hearts.

And mine tells me that

for the first and only time,

I'm going to betray my word.

Leo.

You're so great.

- The nation...
- We're at a crossroads.

I'm sorry. I'm not finished.

We're at a crossroads
regarding the system.

It hasn't developed.
It's not fit for the 21st century.

The nation needs politicians
with a clear policy.

Not a theologian
who's going every way at once.

Well...

Are you telling us that
the Progressive Party

- has always had a clear policy?
- Yes, and the nation likes it.

- Why have people stopped voting, then?
- Exactly.

I admit that more people should vote.

Please...

The People's Party
supports electronic voting.

This is an unbelievable stream
of promises.

- I'll explain it.
- Be very quick.

Are you going to allow him
to keep going like this?

You look so great in that seat.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Did you sleep?

You have to take care of your routine.

Work, work...

The ship will sink if
the captain sleeps.

As I remember it...

It looked grander.

Right. Marble columns
and mounted animal heads.

I had it all removed.

The new parliament
will commence later today.

It will first select a new speaker.

Our sources tell us that
Hallgrímur Tómasson,

member of the Independence Party,
will be elected as speaker.

According to the Secretary General,

the ceremony will be traditional,

with members initially
meeting in the cathedral...

What's going on here?

We're renovating.

Renovating?

- This is the oldest church in the valley.
- Well...

Come on. Put it back.

I own it.

I've got all the permits needed.

Of course a man like you
attacks Christianity.

There are five churches
here in this valley,



- Jesus Christ doesn't need them all.
- This is a holy house.

And you're making it
into a summer house.

- Ríkarður, it's been decommissioned.
- It should be respected.

Yes, it will be a wedding suite.

Wedding suite?

For the hotel they're going
to build down here.

This is sacrilege.

Send God a letter.

- Give it back.
- Leave him alone.

Benedikt, I love you.

Now the members will elect
the speaker of Althing.

The law states

the candidates have to be nominated.

I have one nomination.

The honorable member of parliament,

Hallgrímur Tómasson,

first member of the southwest district,

is the elected speaker of parliament.

I want to congratulate him
and wish him good luck

and ask him to take over.

Congratulations.

The numbers are good right now
because of the election,

but we have to do a lot
to keep our readers.

We'll go down a bit now.

I would like to stop pumping out news

and write few but detailed reports.

You know.

Yes, great.

Hey, Steinunn,

what's the deal with Hrefna?

Were you okay with it?

I mean, she doesn't
have a network. Sorry.

Are you okay?

Yes. Sorry.

- What's wrong?
- It's okay.

- Welcome.
- Thank you.

Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting?

It's over. I found the royal grand.

I'll guess you're talking about
a musical instrument.

The royal grand, Hrefna.

We bought it when the king
came to Iceland in 1907.

There was no instrument
in the country fit for a king.

We even imported a piano player

because nobody could play
a grand piano here.

The thing is...

It was only played once.

- What then?
- What then?

It was forgotten.

It was put up for auction
where everything was bought

except the royal grand piano.

Then it was left in a field
for a whole summer.

Then Jónas from Hrifla bought it,

for his school.

There...

There...

The schoolboys pissed in it.

Good morning.

Benedikt.

- The piano's in here.
- Yeah.

- Come in.
- Thank you.

It's like new.

Don't you want some coffee?

Yes, please.

- May I?
- Please.

Wow.

- Let's buy it.
- What?

Let's buy it.

Uh... yes...

- Good morning.
- Morning.

Here.

- Do you need anything else?
- No, thank you.



- Would you like a bag?
- No, thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thanks.

Dad.

You didn't have to come,
but it's nice to see you.

What...

They were going to destroy
the old church at Vellir.

I took a stand with the church.

Aren't you going to the police?

The bishop must decide.

- What?
- I'm going to meet the church council.

I'm talking about your bruises.

What?

You're all black and blue.
Go to the police.

I'm not the main thing here.

Guðmundur the Good was the priest in
this church before he became a bishop.

It can't be turned into a wedding suite.

But he got permission,
that's why I came to the capital.

I'm going to stop it.

- Is that yours?
- Yes.

You receive me like a foreign dignitary.

But you'll only get
the guest room at home.

You're going to look into
the thing with the church?

- Look, I agree with you, but...
- Right.

You'll look into it.

Benedikt!

Good morning.

Hi.

Didn't Benedikt tell you
that I was coming?

No.

It's okay.

Is there something wrong?

What?

I'm...

I thought since you lost the...

Yeah, I just...

Me, too.

It's a miracle.

You're going to be a wonderful parent.

And Benedikt, too.

- Thank you.
- Here.

Hello, my love.

Sorry I'm calling so late,
but I've been very busy.

Of course.
Aren't you going to eat with us?

Yeah, about that.

I forgot to tell you, I need to work.

No problem. I'll put Sindri to bed.

Thanks, Mom.

The bishop has to do something.

It's happening everywhere.

The church at Stöðvarfjörður is a hotel.

The one in Eskifjörður is a house now.

Blönduós... I don't
even know what it is.

Mammon is taking over
the houses of the Lord.

It has to be stopped
before Christianity has lost.

I understand you.

I don't like it any more than you do

that rich tourists will be tempted
to have sex on the altar.

Thank you.

But this church has been decommissioned.

We have no control over it anymore.

As you know,
the state owns the land, not us.

Are you nuts?

Hi, can I get a pint?

Hi.

- Hi!
- I'll buy.

You're late. Working late, of course.

- That's 1,500.
- Thanks.

Aren't you coming?
We're here in the corner.

Well, look who's here.

Shouldn't we toast
the prime minister's aide?

Cheers.

She'll be great.

You'll become the
prime minister one day.

You'll be a power couple,
sharing the power.

Cheers, Hrefna.

Cheers.

The prime minister has the case.

No, we'll just have to wait and see.

No. He supports the church.

Yes. Great.

I'm just finishing up.

- Is everything all right?
- Yes.

You know, you can always talk to me.

It was terrible to hear about him
and Svanhvít,

that he's sleeping with her.

Did you know?

Okay.

Is it an arrangement?

Hrefna.

Sorry.

- Cheers.
- Cheers.

And what?

Already working for your own interests?

What do you mean?

Aren't they going to stop hunting you?

Who's hunting me?

I mean... No whale hunting.

Right, because Hrefna
is the name of a whale.

It was a terrible joke. Terrible.

I regret it immediately.

Really.

Did you think about it
all the way up here?

All the way.

Thank you for the beer.

I'm off.

I'm so afraid.

Ooh.

Not everyone is allowed to sleep
with the minister of the interior.

Let alone the speaker of parliament.

Wait... What...

I'll talk to you tomorrow
regarding the legislation.

Thanks for tonight.

Hi.

- Thank you.
- No problem.

It's finally home.

- Finally.
- Yes.

Yes, thank you.

Yeah, pleasure speaking to you.

Yeah, okay. Bye.

How did it go?

Very well.

Is your chiropractor article
becoming international?

I don't know about that.

The Brits are the
only ones discussing it.

Where can I see it?

It was just an interview,
but it'll be broadcast on Friday there.

Okay. The world might want to see this.

"The prime minister saves
the church at Vellir."

What?

Benedikt is making a huge mistake.

Why haven't we published this?

What about Steinunn?

It's today's top story.

We can stop publishing
if we're not going to cover this.

Yes.

And flip it.

Well done.

Go to Grandma.

- Hi.
- Hi, it's Óttar. How are you?

Fine. How are you?

Good. What about the church thing?

- Yes, what do you mean?
- Up north.

Right. I'm just looking...

Can I get a comment from Benedikt?

I'll check for you.

As soon as possible, please.
Will you call me?

I will.

f*ck.

"The prime minister's office

is going to stop the renovation
of the church at Vellir,

according to our sources."

The source is Ríkarður.
His friend wrote the story.

What nonsense is this?
You said I had permission.

- He doesn't have the power to interfere.
- He doesn't?

"Ríkarður says that the prime
minister is thinking about revoking

the permit from the county."

He doesn't have the
authority to do that.

Okay.

Listen, regarding the news.

Yes, it's great that you're interested.

We need more news about culture.

I've bought

the royal grand piano
on behalf of the government.

It has a great history.

Hrefna.

Talk to me, please.

What's the deal with the piano?

- What piano?
- The one over there.

The royal grand.

What is it doing here?

Benedikt decided to save it.

Do you think it should be here?

I don't know, Þóra. I'm a bit busy.

If you're going to put a piano here,

you have to go through
the right processes...

You decide. So...

You'll figure it out, right?

They thought it was a machine
for making sausages and...

Sorry.

I want to ask you
about the church at Vellir.

Why is the prime minister
interfering with the renovation?

- Benedikt, may I?
- Yes...

We're not finished.

Please turn it off, I
have to talk to you.

Yes.

Regarding the renovation
of the church that you're stopping...

The minister doesn't have a comment
right now. We'll be in touch.

Thank you.

Right, show it to me.

All the media says that you're
interfering with the renovation

of a church in your father's parish.

PRIME MINISTER BANS CHURCH RENOVATION

I only told him I would take a look.

Okay. We have to back out.

What if we don't?

Then we're violating administrative law.

See how beautiful it is.

- Destroying a church like that...
- There's no shortage of churches.

It's your father's parish.

Yes.

Our coalition agreement states

that ministers will not work
in the interest of their relatives.

We have to react now.

You have to go through these.

Then there's a visit
from schoolchildren at 2:00.

You should be able to receive them
before the session.

Thanks.

Where do you want it?

What is that?

- A grand piano.
- What's going on?

- Who sent this?
- The prime minister's office.

Benedikt?

Yes, he bought it
and they wanted to get rid of it.

There was no room for it.

We don't have any room either.

We were told to transport it here.

Should we just push it into the foyer?

No.

Leave it there.

The news stories are incorrect.

I can't save the church at Vellir.

We know.

But I've thought a lot about

- the situation of the church.
- Yes?

Yes.

The relationship between
church and state has been

an a*usive one from the beginning.

It began in 1551, when the king
k*lled two bishops and stole

a third of the land owned by the church.

Since then, the state has
continued to take and take.

And now the church doesn't own anything.

Do you know how much land it is?

Yes, I know.

About 45 percent
of the land in the country.

And what happens in
a*usive relationships?

The weaker party becomes codependent.

Exactly.

But the state agreed
to pay our priests' wages.

Yes, wages determined
by the state alone,

that it cuts down regularly.

We're often really defensive.

The church is always apologizing.

You have stopped going to schools because
the politicians don't want you to.

And if some capitalist
wants to buy a church

and turn it into a hotel,
you just say "yes" and "amen."

The church is in trouble.

It has to be saved.

We've often discussed this.

I think it would be best
to separate church and state.

Wait a minute.

- Isn't this a bit too much?
- No, Dad.

This is only the right thing to do.

We have to free the church

and return the land.

Óttar, the Brits are going crazy.

Because of your interview.

- "The UK Chiropractors Association."
- Yes.

They say they've helped a lot of people.

I'm just basing it on our experience,
here in Iceland.

Yes.

It'll blow over.

Church and state?

Is Benedikt here?

He's on his way from the bishop.

Yes, the bishop called me.

Shouldn't you at least let the minister
for ecclesiastical affairs know first?

Formally, you're not the minister
for ecclesiastical affairs.

That ministry doesn't exist anymore.

The ministry of the interior
handles church matters.

Are we really discussing
the separation of church and state?

The agreement between the church
and state is highly complicated.

Hrefna, please...

Great. You're here, listen...

We have to prepare the separation
of church and state.

Right. The bishop called me.

- We can do it in the summer.
- Can I please

have a say in this, since this matter
is under my ministry?

- Yes.
- The party doesn't agree with this.

But maybe the average member of the party
doesn't really know what it's all about.

Isn't that a good reason
to discuss it further?

Right. Don't we have
parliament for that?

Can we wait a bit
with changing the constitution?

Technically, we don't need to change
the constitution to do it.

Just so it's clear,

the Independence Party supports the
relationship between church and state.

Damn it.

Get the boys together. The piano.

Boys, come with me.

We don't have time.

KINDERGARTEN

The prime minister reportedly
stated that he was going

to stop a decommissioned church
from being changed into a hotel suite.

Or so says a local paper...

- Hrefna.
- Hello.

This is Hólmfríður at the kindergarten.

- Sindri is waiting here alone.
- Sorry, I thought his dad...

That's not our business.

This is the second time this week.

I'm sorry. It won't happen again.

I'm on my way.

Sorry, I'm late.

This looks great.

Have you and Dad eaten?

Yes, I'm finished.

Listen...

I've got news...

I've got great news as well.

I took a giant leap forward...

What's this spice?

Cardamom.

Are you cardamoming me? It's great.

We took a great leap forward
in separating church and state.

- Are you really going to do that?
- Enjoy your food.

- Did we wake you?
- No, no.

Sit down.

I have to talk to you.

Dad, it's no problem.

I understand. I forgive you.

No, no. You might think
you're helping the church.

I think you're making a huge mistake.

- You can't behave this way.
- Dad.

You lied to your friend
at the local paper that I would fix it.

- It was all taken out of context.
- Yes?

I just told him you were
going to look into it.

That's what I'm doing.

- I'm going to resurrect the church.
- Resurrect?

You're destroying it.
Don't you understand?

I'm going to lose my job
and all the small parishes...

It's not personal.
I'm thinking about the whole church.

Does the party agree?

We talked to the party
and the party said...

Are you working against me
in my own party?

I'm just working for the church.

If the church thinks that you
can run the country through me,

then that's a misunderstanding.

- Listen to me, boy.
- I'm not interested.

What kind of nonsense is this?

She's pregnant and...

- I hadn't told him.
- Sorry.

I just...

I'm sorry.

Are you pregnant?

Yes.

We're going to have a baby?

Yes.

There?

In there.

Good evening. Is that you, Benni?

Yes.

We haven't spoken for a long time.
How've you been?

I'm becoming a dad.
But you know, of course.

You did it yourself. I try to help...

I've been thinking about you.

What's going on?

This church thing.

Yes, that old question
about church and state.

- Isn't it just nice as it is?
- Are you against it, too?

It's no big deal.

- Everybody disagrees with me.
- It doesn't matter to me.

- Leo. Come.
- Change is always difficult.

Follow your conscience,
and it'll be all right.

That's true. Leo, come.

Love you.

Leo.

Building is empty upstairs.



We can't disregard the system
whenever we want to.

This is far too important
to deal with in a summer session.

Apart from that, we're in
the middle of a lot of things.

Changes in the tax system,
the new hospital.

We can't let everything
go to a committee.

We have to discuss this
at the general assembly.

I just want us to have great ambitions.

Great ambitions.

But it's not possible.

So you all think that we should
put this matter on ice?

All right.

I've got a compromise.

I'll give it to you.

"A parliamentary resolution
on a binding referendum."

Right.

This matter concerns the whole nation.

If parliament passes the resolution,

the Icelandic nation can finally vote

on the relationship
between church and state.

And the result will be binding.

Listen...

Everything will go crazy
if you put this up for vote.

That's how it is.

Then everything will just go crazy.

- Grímur.
- We have to talk.

- What are you two doing?
- Us?

I've got nothing to do with it.

Really? Is it just him?

Okay, we can't let it
be known that the party

is going to separate church and state.

You have to be on your toes.

- Me?
- The speaker of parliament

decides the agenda. You have to stop it.

You want me to go against the chairman?

- Only you can stop this.
- The party will support you.

I'll...

Keep that in mind.

Good.

Hey.

Good morning.

What are you doing with
the nation's grand piano?

What's going on?

They're going to auction it off.

What?

What do you mean?
It's a national treasure.

They say there's no room for it.

Then we make room.

Where?

It was in Eggert's parking space
last night and he wasn't happy.

Send it to me.

The prime minister's office.

Okay.

Well, Grímur.

Now we'll do this together.

This is challenging.

But...

We can't do it this way.

Didn't Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði
decide in one night

that we were a Christian nation?

Yes, but things have changed
since the year 1000.

Look.

You're sh**ting yourself in the foot

if you allow your own party
to stop your first big thing.

Yes.

- No, it's a matter of principle.
- I'll create a committee

that will analyze it
and then we take it from there.

No, then it will just die.

Well,

we can't put it like that
on my parliament's agenda.

Your parliament?

Benedikt.

You put your best man as speaker

to make sure things
were done the right way.

True?

- Benni.
- Yes.

I'll take care of it.

Yes.

- Okay.
- Trust me.

They're suing me.

Who?

The UK Chiropractors Association.
Because of the interview on BBC.

UK lawsuit. That costs a lot of money.

The paper will pay for it, won't they?

I don't know.

Talk to Steinunn right away.

- What were you thinking?
- I'm just writing the news.

Not our news.

But it's based on our article.

You should have talked to us before you
started ranting in the British media.

Look, everything I said is true.

And it's well supported...

Supported?

Would it hold up in court?

Yes...

Do you realize how brutal
British defamation law is?

Óttar?

- We have to be able to report the news.
- This is not news.

This is you alone saying
something in an interview.

Doesn't your insurance cover it?

I would say it's in a very gray area.

But we take care of our people.

I'll put a lawyer on it.

Thank you, Steinunn.

You're doing great, boys.

Hello, there. How are you?

Well, well. That's governing.

Like the man said,

"What men seek can't be found
in government."

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

Thank you, boys.

No problem, just call
if you need it moved again.

No...

It's home now.

Just look how they treat us.

That's beautiful.

The church and state thing ended well.

Yes, don't you think?

They'll put it to a committee

that will discuss it
for a thousand hours and...

And then they'll decide,

"It's too complex and uncomfortable."
And nothing will change, like always.

No.

Everything is going to change.

Then everything goes crazy.

Just a second.

Benedikt, quick.

You know, I'm just getting warmed up.