01x01 - How It All Began

[bunniefuu]

[man] I updated our calendar.

I'm playing padel
with Nille tomorrow night.

[woman] Great. I just added Isabell's
dentist appointment on Thursday.

[computer game sounds]

Okay, Frank, no more gaming.
Eat your breakfast.

We're leaving in 10 minutes.

[man] Coffee's ready.

Isabell, wear your warm jacket today.
It's freezing outside.

Here you go.

I'll stop by the deli on my way home
and get dinner.

Great. It's my first day on the new job,
but I should be home by six.

Huh?

I just got you a new winter jacket.
Why won't you wear it?

Because I hate Mini Rodini.

[woman] I'll go and do my makeup.

-[computer game sounds continue]
-Ten minutes, Frank.

[man] Don't forget,
we need to decide on the tiles.

[man talking on radio]

[woman moaning on phone]

[moaning intensifies]

[heavy breathing]

["Blister in the Sun"
by Violent Femmes plays]

[Frank] Mom, we're going
ice-skating today. Where's my helmet?

It's in the hallway. I'll be right down.

[breathing heavily]

♪ When I'm out walking… ♪

[exhales]

♪ …I'm so strung out ♪

♪ I'm high as a kite
I just might ♪

♪ Stop to check you out ♪

♪ Let me go on
Like I blister in the sun ♪

♪ Let me go on… ♪

LOVE AND ANARCHY

[song fades out]

Hi.

[man] This place can be hard to find.

-Hi. Welcome to our publishing house.
-[woman] Thank you.

[man] I'm so happy you could fit us in.
I know how sought-after you are.

Thanks.

-Hey.
-Hey.

So, we have a room for you right here.

-In here?
-Yes, right here.

-Oh.
-Okay.

Um, ah…

I apologize.

This belonged
to our most senior publisher,

and he was a bit gaga when he retired.

I see. Well, get rid of the clutter
and we'll be fine.

Listen, I have to admit…

I may be the director,
but I still have my doubts.

You and I both know this has to happen.

Either you go digital now, or in five
years, you'll be history. Simple as that.

That's good.

-[woman] All set?
-Yes, let's go.

[woman] Hello, everyone. I'm Sofie,
former Senior President at BCG.

Now I'm an independent consultant,
specializing in future strategies.

I will be joining you
for the next six months, starting today,

to assist your publishing house
in going digital.

The plan is to make this leap
into the future together.

Will you be f*ring people?

Super important question.

To me, you're more than just people,
you are all individuals.

I will find the best solutions
for this organiza--

-Hello.
-Sorry.

I believe we can all agree that--

Oh, f*ck!

Um, uh…

-Sorry, did I make a mess?
-It's okay.

Thanks.

Here.

[director chuckles] Well.

Sorry, it was an accident.

-It didn't spill on you?
-No.

[upbeat music playing]

-[drilling]
-[music stops]

Hey, would you mind?

-Just get rid of this stuff.
-Sorry.

-All of this clutter has got to go.
-Yes.

-What is he doing?
-That's Max, our IT guy. He's just a temp.

He's fixing our intranet,
usually he doesn't do much drilling.

-Tell him to be quiet.
-Of course.

Hey.

-Yeah?
-She wants you to drill more quietly.

[scoffs]
Are you kidding me?

-Perhaps wait until she's on her break?
-How the hell am I supposed to do my job?

f*ck it.

[toolbox clattering]

-Don't get mad.
-I'm not mad at you.

[chuckles]

[sighs] Step right in.

Friedrich is our Literary Director.

-[Sofie] Hi.
-Hi.

[director] Denise is our Head
of PR and Communication.

It was decided a few years back

that they have to agree
on all publications

to create a better… balance.

-How exciting. I'll have a seat.
-You do that, perfect.

-Will you be sitting in with us?
-Yes, that's how I work.

I hope you'll make Sofie
feel like part of the team.

-[Denise] Sure, of course.
-[Friedrich] Great.

Hi, Hilma.

-Hi.
-This is Hilma. She's our intern.

She's in charge
of our Instagram account this week.

I've been working hard
on establishing our social media presence.

-We now have 5,000 followers on Instagram.
-5,022.

Okay, this is the rejection pile.
These are recently received manuscripts.

These are the ones we're publishing,
divided into limited and major releases.

And from there we go over the strategies.

I've read this amazing manuscript
by Tove-Lee Ljungström.

It's her debut novel.
Lots of gay sex, dr*gs.

They visit an ayahuasca retreat.

Definitely a rising star.

I read the manuscript over the weekend
and I can't say I share your enthusiasm.

And yet, we're meeting with her tomorrow
to seal the deal, if I'm not mistaken.

Yes, and since you would like to publish
that poetry collection on fir trees,

I assume you think it's a brilliant idea?

Absolutely.

What kind of data
do you base your decisions on?

What do you mean? We read the manuscripts.

Well, I… Mm…

No one other than you reads them
before publication?

I've been in this game for 30 years.

I tend to have a pretty good eye
for what's good and what's not.

One thing that's proven to be very useful
are these e-book reader apps

that register where
the user stops reading.

Apps?

For instance, this book you mentioned,

it would seem that it caters mostly
to young, gay women,

but with a few tweaks in the content,

it might be possible to pique the interest
of a middle-aged heterosexual male.

So I tell this… receptionist,
or whatever she is,

"Okay, email me the contracts
and I'll have a look."

Nope, instead she drags me off
to a godforsaken storage room

with binders
chock-full of these contracts.

-They haven't been digitized?
-[Sofie] No!

I accepted this job because
it was supposed to be a cakewalk,

but I'm going to have
to clear my schedule.

[soft rock plays on stereo]

So you won't have time to meet
with the bathroom designer this weekend?

[Sofia] No, Sunday works.

-Don't just eat bread.
-But it's tasty.

He's not wrong.

[phone ringing]

It's Dad.

[man] Tell him we're eating.

-Hi, Dad. You're Facetiming me. Well done.
-[man] Yeah, well.

But with this sharp and recent increase
in labor union law violations,

I can't just sit idly by
and assume that…

Right. Dad?

The working class has to understand

that banding together
is the only solution.

I hear you, but I thought you didn't watch
the news anymore since it only upsets you.

[scoffs]

Change the channel. Watch something else.

[scoffs]

[sighs]

[Sofie sniffs]

[lock clicks]

[woman moaning on phone]

[light music playing]

This is so exciting! I'm really
looking forward to our collaboration.

When the final revision is done,
your book will be amazing, Tove-Lee.

-Please sign here.
-Thanks.

This feels totally awesome.

[Denise] Nice.

-Congratulations!
-Thanks.

I noticed that you have
an impressive social media reach.

-I'll take a photo, if you don't mind.
-Of course.

-For Instagram.
-[Denise] Great.

Okay. [clears throat]

Oh, right.

-Friedrich, maybe you can take the photo.
-Me?

-Yes.
-Sure, I suppose I can.

-[Sofie] That's good.
-Sweet.

One more. Flip the camera.

[Sofie] Snap away.

-[Denise] No, I mean…
-This way.

[sighs]

-Are you smiling? Let's be "power ladies."
-Claes!

-One moment.
-Just take the…

-So good to see you.
-You too.

[grunts]

-I didn't see you at the club.
-No, I had to write my op-ed piece.

What's he doing here?

[Friedrich] It was right on the money.

Are you his publishers?

He sent her a f*cking d*ck pic!

-Why should we believe that?
-Because she says so.

Fine, but where does his literature
come into play?

-What are you on about?
-This is still a publishing house.

I don't give a rat's ass about
what people do in their spare time.

You can't just ignore public opinion.

He's one of our biggest moneymakers
and has been for the last 30 years.

That doesn't mean
he can get away with everything.

Well…

We have to see to
the business side of things.

I see.

It's like I always say:

"You cannot combine true artistry
and an unblemished track record."

Okay.

Wonderful. Thank you so much.

[drilling]

Hello!

Hello!

-You can't drill while we're working.
-Huh?

You can't drill when we're trying to work.
I can't think over the noise.

-I also happen to have a job to do.
-That's not my problem.

Get creative.

Like, get here earlier in the morning.

What a f*cking bitch.

I'll come back later.

[music playing on headphones]

[knocking]

Hello?

Hi. Sorry to bother you.

Do you need anything else before I go?
The cleaner's still here.

I see. You can go, I'll stay on a bit.

-Bye.
-Goodbye.

[door closes]

Hi. How's it going?

That's good.

Listen, if you could stay and put him
to bed tonight, that would be great.

I won't be home before ten
and Johan is filming.

That's good. And not too much iPad.

I'd rather have them watching TV
or doing something together.

[music playing in headphones]

[woman moaning on laptop]

-Hey, amigo.
-Hey.

-Burning the midnight oil?
-Yeah, I have to drill after hours.

I'll take the stairs, it's fine.

Bye.

[breathes heavily]

[Sofie grunts]

-[moans]
-[chuckles]

[camera clicks]

[moans, panting]

-[woman moaning on laptop]
-[Sofie sniffs]

[upbeat music playing]

Good morning.

Hey.

Good morning.

Fun night?

-What do you mean, fun night?
-Looked like you were having lots of fun.

[laughs] You've lost me.
What are you talking about?

I saw you.

I saw you last night,
getting off in front of your computer.

[laughs] What?

Take a look.

[gasps]

Good morning.

Hi, Ann.

[coffee machine whirrs]

[splutters]

Do you think it's funny?
That picture is f*cking fake! Give me…

-Fake?
-Yes.

So I came in late last night and took
a fake picture of you masturbating?

Yes.

I bet Ronny would like to see
this fake picture.

Don't, g*dd*mn it!

-There are many other ways to solve this.
-Sure.

Intellectuals can be so sensitive.

Exactly, so what do you want
to delete that f*cking picture?

I'll think about it and get back to you.

[fridge opening]

Do you know if anyone bought milk?

Does it look like that's my job?

Ask someone else.

[drilling]

Is this okay or should I ask him to stop?

No, it's fine. No problem at all.

[inhales]

[phone ringing]

Hi, Dad.

Hi. Apparently my dad
was caught shoplifting here.

-Right, he's in the back.
-Okay.

-Here?
-Yeah.

[Dad] I didn't steal any sausage.

Hi, Dad. What's going on?

-What did you do?
-I've been going here for 30 years.

Of course I was going to pay.

But the thing is…

[shouting] it's so f*cking complicated
all of a sudden.

No, Dad.

[woman]
We've been cashless since this weekend,

-and Lars didn't have a card or Swish, so…
-I see.

Is this the sausage in question?
-Yes.

Fine, I'll take care of this.

I gave you an iPhone so you could
get a debit card and a digital ID.

-If it's too much of a hassle, say so.
-It happens to be a matter of principle.

Yes, I can imagine.

I refuse to be a victim
of the digital system.

I refuse to be reduced
to one of their statistics.

[Johan] He was supposed to send you
a photo of his pill dispenser every day,

so you'd know
that he was taking his medication.

He won't even admit that he's sick.

Dispenser or not,
he's not going to take his medication.

So, at least you've done
everything you can to help, right?

Yes, but I'm afraid he will have
another breakdown again.

Hey.

You don't have to be afraid.

That hasn't happened in a while now.

Don't get caught up in his warped reality.
It only plays into his paranoid notions.

I'm not.

[sighs] There's just
so much to do at work.

They have this IT guy,
and he's so f*cking annoying.

Fire him.

There are tons of IT guys out there.

Yes, I'll do that.

-[friend] Beer?
-Mm.

-[chattering]
-[cutlery clinking]

[gentle music playing]

[panting]

[woman moaning]

How much do you want?

-I assume you want money?
-Yeah well, good morning to you too.

How much?

Knock it off.

This is a blackmail scheme, right?

Are you serious?

Just buy me lunch.

-Lunch?
-Buy me lunch and I'll delete the picture.

So, give it some thought
where you want to go for lunch.

[indistinct chatter]

Is it fun to be a consultant?

Yes, thank you.

[clears throat] How about Stockholm?
Do you like it here?

I was born and raised here,
and I never left.

-So I guess I do.
-My first thought was how big it is.

Now I've lived here for four months,
and I still can't find my way around.

Yeah, I guess it is.

[slurping]

So, what else?

What do you mean?

You don't strike me as the type
who masturbates at work, so…

Why do you do it?

Good gracious, Sofie!

Oh my God!

Hi.

How lovely to see you.

[laughs] What are you doing here?

They're taking a field trip
and it slipped my mind,

so I'm getting burgers.

-And you guys are having lunch?
-Exactly.

-This is…
-[friend] How nice.

-Max.
-[Sofie] Right, Max.

I'm Elin, the wife of Johan's best friend.

I'm married
to Sofie's husband's best friend.

-Cool.
-Right. And this is Max, he's the IT…

-IT technician.
-At the publishing house where I work.

He just moved here,

so I'm guiding him to lunch spots
that I reckon he would like.

[both laugh]

-[Sofie] We have to have dinner soon.
-Absolutely.

-Listen, darling, I have to run.
-Yes, you do.

-So lovely to see you. We'll talk more.
-Yes, let's.

-Bye!
-Bye.

Chatting away, huh?

-Yes, I guess I was.
-Nice.

Go ahead and delete it
from "Recently Deleted" too.

So that I can't…

What are you doing?

I'm not sure.

Okay.

You made me sit here,
so now I'm going to make you do something.

Would you stop taking things so seriously?

-Just relax.
-I am relaxed.

-[laughs] The hell you're not.
-Yes, I'm relaxed. Laid back.

-Yes, I am.
-Okay.

I'll give you your phone back
if you do something… f*cked up

at work.

There you go.

-[laughs] Are you out of your mind?
-No, I'm not.

-Seriously, give me my phone back.
-Don't touch me. Help!

Help!

["Dolores" by Vargas and Lagola playing]

[Denise] This is unacceptable,
we should be better than this!

Not to mention the f*cking embarrassment.

Our reputation is going down the drain.

Be that as it may,
our only concern is literature.

What's going on?

Tove-Lee posted Claes' d*ck pic
on Instagram.

[Sofie] What?

[Denise] You two told me
this d*ck pic was nothing to worry about.

Lots of people saw the pic,
I'm afraid.

Apparently, everyone's upset
that we're working with Claes.

I've seen countless young and provocative
female writers come and go over the years.

No one remembers them today.
One fad for each season, as I like to say.

All of your authors are f*cking dead.

I think you guys need to take action,
come up with some sort of response.

Way ahead of you.

I've written a statement
that we can post on the Instagram,

since we have one as well.

"The pyramids were built
using questionable methods--"

Why the hell
are you bringing up the pyramids?

Hold on, hold on.

"Building them claimed victims, but today,
the pyramids are cherished by mankind.

The artistic process
often leads the artist astray,

but by maintaining a higher,
timeless perspective,

we find that the end result
benefits more people in the long run."

Let's post it and people will see
that we rise above the nonsense.

We represent the high ground
in the name of art.

It's not going to fly,
Friedrich, believe me.

[sighs] Young people these days
are so scared.

Back in the '80s, we'd say
whatever the hell we wanted.

You sit there in front of your screens,
concerned with what everyone else thinks.

-I'm posting this.
-No, no, no!

-Let go!
-Give me that!

A clit pic.

-[Sofie] What?
-We just posted a picture of a vag*na.

Who posted a f*cking clit pic
on our Instagram account?

-It wasn't me.
-So delete it.

Tove-Lee will think we're belittling
her experience. What the hell?

It's been deleted by Instagram.

No, wait. That columnist,
Hanna Edengren, she took a screenshot.

She reposted it.

Oh, you'll have to call her
and explain what happened.

-Like how--
-Just make something up!

Who the hell did this?

Hey, Denise.

Max?

-Someone put a clit pic on our Instagram.
-God, are you serious?

How the hell could this happen?
Who has access to our account?

Hacking is widespread nowadays.

It might be !sis,
or a similar enemy of free speech.

It's impossible to know for sure.

You mean… someone hacked our system?

It's possible.

If that's the case,
I will find out who did it.

I'll go over everything in detail.

Russia, perhaps.

Call her and let her know
it might be the Russians who tried to…

An att*ck on free speech. That's serious.

-Extremely serious.
-Yes.

What shall we do?

[Friedrich sighs]

[inhales]

[sighs]

[clears throat]

[sniffs]

[gentle music plays]

[clears throat] Hey.

That's my favorite lipstick,

so tell me what I have to do
to get it back,

because I desperately want it back.

[inhales deeply] Yup.

["Blister in the Sun"
by Violent Femmes plays]

♪ Let me go on ♪

♪ Like I blister in the sun ♪

♪ Let me go on ♪

♪ Big hands
I know you're the one ♪

♪ When I'm out walking
I strut my stuff ♪

♪ And I'm so strung out ♪

♪ I'm high as a kite ♪

♪ I just might
Stop to check you out ♪

♪ When I'm out walking
I strut my stuff ♪

♪ And I'm so strung out ♪

♪ I'm high as a kite ♪

♪ I just might
Stop to check you out ♪

♪ Body and beats
I stain my sheets ♪

♪ I don't even know why ♪

♪ My girlfriend
She's at the end ♪

♪ She is starting to cry ♪

♪ When I'm out walking
I strut my stuff ♪

♪ And I'm so strung out ♪