Fortitude - General Discussion

[alias1]

I'm not sure i found that scene believable where they all seemed to know exactly what happened because Liam was thrashing about making whacking motions. Of course, we saw what happened, but if we hadn't, would we have put it all together like they did?  Also, Liam walking along in the snow for that length of time, no shirt no shoes, was pretty unbelievable to me.  The kid is a terrible actor, by the way.

 

So I guess touching the mammoth did something to him.  But he got sick pretty quickly.  Why aren't any others sick yet?  Maybe I'm off base on this.

[joelene]

I'm not sure i found that scene believable where they all seemed to know exactly what happened because Liam was thrashing about making whacking motions. Of course, we saw what happened, but if we hadn't, would we have put it all together like they did? Also, Liam walking along in the snow for that length of time, no shirt no shoes, was pretty unbelievable to me. The kid is a terrible actor, by the way.

So I guess touching the mammoth did something to him. But he got sick pretty quickly. Why aren't any others sick yet? Maybe I'm off base on this.

I have no idea what the hell is going on! I need a rewatch binge soon. Who are the man and his daughter who's out camping (I get that they're not just "camping")?

Them figuring out exactly what Liam did made little sense to me too. I mean, an idea, sure, but everything? From what he told them couldn't he just as well happened upon Eccleston after he was attacked (or been in another room) and dug his little hands into him when the attacker left? Him thrashing about seemed to have to do with the pain, not some sort of reenactment. Oh, I don't know. It's Stanley Tucci, after all, of course he knows what goes on.

The teacher buying all that ice cream for, and from, his girlfriend. Brrr. He is so creepy.

I wanna see Sofie Gråbol's acting chops so I hope she get something more to do soon. I never saw Forbrydelsen.

And what is this about the Russian and the mammoth and papers and good god this show is confusing.

Edited February 27, 2015 by joelene

[alias1]

And I did have to rewatch all of the previous episodes to get what was going on with Ronnie and his daughter.  He is the one, along with Jason, who found the mammoth.  They trucked it back to some warehouse where it seems to be thawing out.  Jason attempted to extort money from the scientist, Christopher Eccleston (Charlie) in exchange for giving him the mammoth.  Charlie told him no he wouldn't pay them for the mammoth and Jason sort of attacked him but then walked away.  Ronnie saw all this from the truck he was in.  Later, Ronnie was on the bus (coming home from his job in the mines) when he heard that Charlie had been killed.  He immediately assumed it was Jason who did it and now the law would be looking for him, so he took off with his daughter (to god knows where).  Oh, and he also left his meds at home. 

 

We don't know yet what the Russian has to do with anything, but he stole the Ground Penetrating Radar report from Morton's hotel room.  Morton had taken the report from Charlie's house.  The GPR report must indicate that something is going on underground.  But it seems to be separate from the fact that there is enough melting going on to expose previously frozen mammoth specimens.  Charlie didn't change his report to Hildur about her request to build the glacier hotel until he found out about the mammoth. 

 

It seems to me the mammoth has some kind of disease, but I don't know if that's what affected Liam or it's something else. He and the girl (Carrie, I think) found the mammoth and took the giant tooth.  So both of them have touched the mammoth, along with Jason and Ronnie.  If the mammoth caused Liam's illness I don't know why it hasn't affected anyone else yet.   I also don't know why Ronnie's hand is bleeding and what was the blood on the ice that he saw? 

 

It's probably useless speculating on things we haven't seen because they have chosen to reveal things bit by bit.  I mean, who could have guessed that it was Liam who killed Charlie.  Certainly not me.

[joelene]

Thanks for the clarification! It's all still going over my head a bit but at least I have a small grasp on certain characters now (as opposed to no grasp at all).

I never got that Liam is supposed to be infected with something other than the mumps so that's good to know. If Carrie's infected too (I remember the scene of her walking out of the carcass shed last week but couldn't figure out what that was all about at the time) her creep boyfriend better watch out if it's something that makes the infected go all feral.

Speaking of Carrie, I think her no nonsense doctor mother is my favorite character. Besides Tucci. And Petra.

Edited February 27, 2015 by joelene

[AlliMo]

Despite it's slow pace, I'm still finding this totally absorbing, even though I have NO IDEA what's going on 95 percent of the time.

 

I mean, I get it, it's cold, there's not a lot else to do, but probably the most difficult thing is trying to remember who's banging who.

 

This show seems like a straight up crime procedural and then every now and then you get a whiff of "X Files" which is probably why I keep sticking with it.

[DeeJayKay]

 

even though I have NO IDEA what's going on 95 percent of the time.

Neither do I, yet I keep watching.  Just when I think something makes sense, nothing does.

 

I hadn't though of the mammoth carrying disease, but there was that mention of bodies buried in the ice that carried disease.

 

And the ominous shot of the trickling water from the mammoth melt draining from the shed. (and nothing else seems to be melting).

 

Certainly nothing explains HOW Liam could have walked that far the way he was dressed.  It seems physiologically impossible.  And I wasn't hearing what the boy said as a confession.  I couldn't understand why he brained the later dead guy, but thought he must have seen/heard something later on.

 

But I know nothing.

Edited February 27, 2015 by DeeJayKay

[alias1]

Thanks for the clarification! It's all still going over my head a bit but at least I have a small grasp on certain characters now (as opposed to no grasp at all).

I never got that Liam is supposed to be infected with something other than the mumps so that's good to know. If Carrie's infected too (I remember the scene of her walking out of the carcass shed last week but couldn't figure out what that was all about at the time) her creep boyfriend better watch out if it's something that makes the infected go all feral.

Speaking of Carrie, I think her no nonsense doctor mother is my favorite character. Besides Tucci. And Petra.

Carrie is the 10 year old girl with Ronnie.  Shirley is the one who opened the shed door and saw the carcass, but she left right away.  Shirley's boyfriend is Markus the really creepy teacher who keeps feeding her ice cream.  And yes, her mother is the town doctor.

 

I don't know that Liam was infected with anything, but after he and Carrie found the mammoth tooth, he came home and fainted.  I've never seen mumps affect anyone that way.  And then the doc wasn't sure if he could have polio because Frank had been in Afghanistan?  That didn't make sense to me either, but I don't know what the symptoms of polio are.

 

It seems to me they still need to explain (among a LOT of other things) how Hildur's husband's leg was injured from a bear trap.  And she said she didn't believe him.  And now Morton doesn't believe Dan's story of how Pettigrew was shot either.  I actually thought it did happen the way Dan said.  But now Morton found some floor boards had been replaced in his room, probably because of some stain, like blood, and he thinks Pettigrew was killed in the hotel.

 

The whole thing is very confusing but I am riveted by every episode

[NeelyOh]

Someone suggested in an earlier thread that it might be best to binge watch this show and I'm starting to agree. I forget way too many details from week to week. Like I completely missed the connection of illness to coming in contact with the mammoth.

While watching, it seemed like Liam was in a trance or something while walking in the snow and entering that guy's house and hitting him over the head. He snapped out of it momentarily when he saw the dog but then reverted to his previous demeanor when he looked back at the scientist. Reminded me of the movie where Angela Lansbury controls her son via a playing card (can't remember the name of the movie). I was wondering if the creepy, controlling guy who's fattening up his girlfriend has some part in this. Couldn't figure why else we were being shown that couple until I read your posts and was reminded that she came into contact with the mammoth. However I still don't see how the illness would cause Liam to savagely kill that particular scientist and think there has to someone else involved.

What's with that creepy guy anyway and why is he trying fatten up that woman?

[alias1]

NeelyOh, that is a really great point (about the creepy guy).  He made such a point of stopping Frank (the father) and telling him what a smart kid Liam is and one of his best students (if I remember correctly).  The way he talks, everything sounds creepy.  You could be on to something, because the trance that Liam was in made no sense.

[Netfoot]

I also don't know why Ronnie's hand is bleeding and what was the blood on the ice that he saw?

 

Ronnie's hand is bleeding because he asked that guy (?) to borrow money, and when the guy pulled a hunting knife, Ronnie grabbed it by the blade and took it away.  Presumably cutting his hand to ribbons in the process.  (I don't think Ronnie is the sharpest tool in the shed.)

 

The blood on the ice (speculating) is the blood of the reindeer that was snuffling around the tent in the night.  He said that if there was a reindeer nearby, there wouldn't be polar bears for miles and miles and miles.  But maybe he was wrong about that, and he and his daughter escaped a horrible death by a few  yards and a reindeer.

[alias1]

Netfoot, yes, that makes sense about his hand.  I forgot that Cieran said Ronnie took away the knife by the blade.  I actually thought I might not have heard that correctly because we never saw his bleeding hand until this last episode.  At least I don't remember seeing it until now.  I'm not sure how many days have passed since he first took off, but his hand should be really infected by now. 

 

I thought that might be reindeer blood.  Not a good sign, for sure. Although the previews for next week

show Ronnie and Carrie in town, I think,

because she's trying to make a phone call.

Edited March 1, 2015 by SierraMist

[thegreathoo]

Good point about the rehab chamber scene, it did not deliver.

 

There are a lot mysteries, with seemingly misleading music and clues that keep me confused, but at the core of the investigation Tucci keeps uncovering reasonable explanations.

[Netfoot]

Good point about the rehab chamber scene, it did not deliver.

 

I thought the hyperbaric chamber was poorly portrayed. 

 

I've had ten or a dozen "dives" of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a hard chamber.  The chamber was at 5 atmospheres but not pure oxygen.  The fire risk, don'tcha know.  So the pure oxygen is breathed from a mouthpiece at 4.99999 atmospheres.  The slightly lower pressure prevented oxygen from just venting from the mask into the chamber, and made breathing like sucking the proverbial golfball through a garden hose, and leaving you with very sore chest muscles.  If something happens, you can't just open the door to help the patient, unless you want the sudden decompression to make them explode.  Which is why every time I went in there, a corporal from the medical core was in there with me (usually fast asleep the whole time).  The idea of pressing a plunger on a syringe on the outside and injecting the patient on the inside is ludicrous.  If there is something you want to get in there, like drugs or a glass of water, it takes five minutes to pass it through the airlock (assuming your chamber has an airlock).  If you send someone in then they want to come back out again, it'll take another 30 minutes to lock them back out, to prevent them getting the bends.  Those sessions were some of the most uncomfortable and painful moments of my life, and if your doctor suggests it for you, I strongly recommend you instantly agree.

 

Fortitude's chamber looked far too comfortable and civilized.  

[joelene]

What's with that creepy guy anyway and why is he trying fatten up that woman?

I assume he's a "feeder", someone with a fat fetisch who gets sexual gratification by feeding a partner to help them gain weight. This should be a mutual act between the feeder and the gainer though, whereas here the creepy guy is controlling and menacing and Shirley (thanks for helping me with the name!) seems to do it only to please creepy guy. At first I thought she was faking being ill because she was afraid to say no to the feeding but it appears she's ill for reals. Of course, there could be a whole other reason for him wanting to feed her.

I like that theory about creepy guy's possible connection to Liam and the murder! That actually sounds very plausible.

Edited March 1, 2015 by joelene

[marieYOTZ]

For what it's worth guys, the avclub reviews have been a huge help for me in piecing together what's going on each episode!

[HollyG]

Dang!

[VegetasMom]

Gaaaaahhhh! I couldn't even watch those last few minutes. And I have a real irrational hate for feeder dude. What a creep.

[alias1]

Gaaaaahhhh! I couldn't even watch those last few minutes. And I have a real irrational hate for feeder dude. What a creep.

Gosh.  It isn't irrational at all.  I think we all hate him. 

 

Please, I don't mean to be gross, but when Shirley was throwing up, I expected it to be evaporated milk, not some clear slimy stuff (sorry).   What the heck was that?  Is there really something in the water?

[Cherpumple]

What the hell did I just watch? Like VegetasMom, I could barely watch the final few minutes, so I certainly didn't notice any details. Blech blech blech! I actually just re-read the posts for the previous episode before coming here and had completely forgotten that Shirley had seen the mammoth carcass, so now I agree with the suggestion that it could be the link between her and Liam's freak out murderous rages. But I have to say that I'm quite wary about that because I would really prefer this show to stay within the boundaries of reality, and attribute it to an ancient thawed-out virus or parasite or something, rather than going all "Lost" or "X-Files" into the realm of the supernatural. Also, I was really surprised at how unconcerned Shirley's mother was with her obviously deteriorating health. My first thought was that her creepy husband was poisoning her during the forced feedings, to make her more compliant, but regardless, you'd think her own mother, a physician, would have been more alarmed about how unwell she was.

 

I'm starting to put a few more of the puzzle pieces together, but several things are still unclear, which is fine with me because they are wrapping some things up faster than I'd thought, so it's not like every plot point is still unresolved. For instance, I'm glad that the main love affairs (Liam's dad/Elena, Erik/the dead guy's wife) have been exposed and are being dealt with, and the identity of the scientist's murderer has been revealed (even though there are still many questions). I just don't think I would be able to keep watching if everything remained secretive until the finale.

 

Just have to say it- I know he's a grade-A creep (in SO many ways), but I love the sheriff. Aside from Tucci's character, he's definitely my favorite.

[TVForever]

Wow. This show. I'm all for the quirky, but geez, with each episode I feel like I'm being pulled down a really strange rabbit hole. 

[NeelyOh]

What the hell?! That was disturbing. Too bad creepy guy wasn't there when his girlfriend decided to cut someone open and vomit inside of them. Did it seem to anyone else that the vomiting inside her mother's abdomen was the goal or am I imagining things? And what the heck did she throw up? Seemed like the mother was still alive and if they find her in time to try to save her, will the vomited goo infect someone else or will it be a clue to the doctors that something else is going on?

I originally thought the reason behind the killing of the scientist would definitely be someone like the creepy teacher or a more typical motivation like the planned hotel. But then I visited the show website and saw that it's all about the science and seems like the human complications are secondary.

Read elsewhere a reminder that the Russian took a pair of handcuffs from the police station when he went to retrieve his gun. The photo showed Pettigrew was handcuffed, so could the Russian be the culprit instead of the Sherrif?

Can someone remind me how Tucci's character knew who it was who stole that print out?

[joelene]

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!

I need a cigarette.

Spewing the liquid goo seemed to be the purpose of cutting up the abdomen to me too. Maybe Liam did it to Eccleston as well, we just don't know about it? Too bad it was the awesome doctor mother and not the creepy teacher. Although I gotta say I'm enjoying watching Darren Boyd in the role. I've only seen him in comedies before and I like him a lot.

Edited March 6, 2015 by joelene

[alias1]

I originally thought the reason behind the killing of the scientist would definitely be someone like the creepy teacher or a more typical motivation like the planned hotel. But then I visited the show website and saw that it's all about the science and seems like the human complications are secondary.

Read elsewhere a reminder that the Russian took a pair of handcuffs from the police station when he went to retrieve his gun. The photo showed Pettigrew was handcuffed, so could the Russian be the culprit instead of the Sherrif?

Can someone remind me how Tucci's character knew who it was who stole that print out?

I went to the website, too, and they talk about global warming, how the houses in the arctic are sinking, and stuff like that. They seem to be emphasizing the science on the one hand, but wanted to make the series interesting by having us invested in the characters.  So far, they've succeeded, I'd say.

 

I couldn't figure out how Stanley Tucci knew that the Russian took his GPR report, either (interesting about the handcuffs). And when Ronnie and his daughter were in that town, I thought it was a totally different town and suddenly there was Stanley Tucci.   Yeah, I was confused by that.

 

So far Dan has said he did kill Pettigrew and also that he didn't kill Pettigrew.  Dan is a complex, riveting character.

[mjc570]

Man, I have to give this show a lot of credit - talk about show, not tell! 

[Zaffy]

Just to answer a few questions, Morton knew that Yuri stole the prints because in the empty envelope  Yuri left behind, the name of another man was written, Max. Morton visited Max and he told him about Yuri.

 

Also Morton visited Yuri in another town. 
This show is filmed in Iceland but it is supposed to take place in an island like Svalbard, where more than one countries own land. So in Svalbard there is also a Russian part, smaller than the bigger Norwegian one.
I guess the same happens in Fortitude, there is  Norway's territory   with Lund ermm Hildur as the governor, and the Russian one where Yuri lives.

So the plot thickens!! 
If this is not X-Files or the Thing (or arctic Twin Peaks), there is definitely a virus that make people go psycho. 
It seems the virus affects only certain people and not everyone that comes in touch with the mammoth (the original two thieves seem unaffected and Carrie the little girl as well, who found the dead carcass with Liam). 

My favorite theory though, would be that Marcus-the-creepy-feeder is a kind of magician, hypnotizes ppl and make them kill the ones he doesnt like!!! Oh well, I doubt, but still it would put him in the pantheon of Tv villains :)

I really like this show, but I am sucker for arctic scenery (hey I even liked Arctic Air and it was pretty much a soap!). 

Edited March 7, 2015 by Zaffy

[CrashTextDummie]

Even as recently as last week (which for me was the most tense and captivating hour of television I'd seen since Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias"), I was fooled into thinking I was watching an admittedly weird crime drama. There is no doubt left now that what we're watching is actually full-blown horror. I don't remember the last time I was this blindsided by a TV show. I now have a newfound appreciation for the slow burn nature of the first 3-4 episodes. Not that I didn't like them before, but I now see what their purpose was in the overall narrative.

 

Things of note:

- I think we have confirmation that Elena and the Sheriff were complicit in Pettigrew's death. When she updated him on Morton's "refurbishment" of his hotel room, the only comment the sheriff had was that he'd find "no evidence". Evidence of what we don't know yet, but clearly it's connected to Pettigrew, right? I'm not sure I buy that Eric was involved, though I'd REALLY like to finally find out what actually happened to his leg.

- As graphic as that final scene was, I still didn't find it as upsetting and hard to watch as Shirley's feeding sessions with her saint of a boyfriend. I'm pretty certain they managed to find and incorporate the most disturbing fetish fit for television. Blegh.

- I have a fairly high tolerance for weird and unexplained happenings on this show, but I'm ready for Ronny's storyline to become relevant to the mystery at hand.

- My fondness for the female cops is growing with every episode. I also enjoy the scientists, so I'm crossing fingers for a hookup.

- Speaking of scientists, I think it's significant that all the casualties so far were (broadly) in the scientific field. Surely there's a reason Liam trecked across town to maul the professor, and we've so far not been shown any connection between victim and killer at all.

 

Can't wait for next week. I'm completely hooked.

[Ohwell]

Hello, I'm new to this thread.  I was channel surfing last night and this was my first viewing of this show.  Of course, I didn't know the characters or what was going on, so you can imagine the WTF moment I had when the woman clocked her mother upside the head, split open her abdomen, and then started vomiting into the womb.  What a way to welcome me to this show! 

 

I'll have to find out when the previous episodes 1 thru 6 will re-air because it really piqued my interest.

[MyLisa]

I've already expressed my love for Ingrid and Petra but after seeing Petra doing her best Elaine Bennis on the dance floor, I think I need to move her out of the 'normals' column...  ;-)

[formerlyfreedom]

Panic sweeps through Fortitude as news of the second attack spreads. Dan and Morton must work together while Frank hopes the latest events will exonerate Liam

 

 

[raven]

WHAT.

 

I watch some weird stuff and that was...pretty up there.

 

 

Also, I was really surprised at how unconcerned Shirley's mother was with her obviously deteriorating health.

Worst doctor ever.  She says "oh, I'm glad you ate something" and cut to Shirley, looking almost dead.   Between mom and creepy-condensed-milk-boyfriend, Shirley didn't have a chance.

 

So I started watching this because the clips looked somewhat supernatural, then watching it, it seemed like a murder mystery, now I don't know.  I'm leaning towards a science sort of explanation, in the first episode there was talk of how germs or whatever just remain frozen with dead bodies and can thaw out.  So mammoth is thawing and nearly dripping into the drain, after already contaminating some (but why some?) of the people who come into contact with it.  Or possessing them and causing them to cut people open and vomit into them, thus perpetuating its DNA.  Or something!

 

I'm still not sure Liam killed Stoddard.  We see him clock him but then he pets the growling dog.  The dog doesn't go after him, so who/what was it growling at?  Someone else could have killed Stoddard, planted Liam's nail and covered him in blood.  I guess maybe they didn't want to show a little boy cutting open a grown man, but I'm not sure Liam is strong enough to do that.  Everyone in town just accepts it.  

 

So Pettigrew was handcuffed for the bear to find?  The convo with the sheriff and the hotel lady seemed to indicate something happened to Pettigrew in the hotel room, so maybe he was moved to the ice as bear bait to cover it up, remember the sheriff was there when Dumbledore (sorry, don't remember his show name) stumbled upon the bear eating him.  Wasn't it stated that Morton was already on his way to Fortitude when the call was made?  So he was tipped off about something, maybe Pettigrew or someone he was working with contacted Morton about whatever Pettigrew found.  Oil would seem to be a good thing for the town.  Maybe more prehistoric remains, which might mean more scientists and a hold on the hotel plans.  

 

I hope they tie in the man and his daughter soon.  Their on the run story just seems to go in circles except for possibly contaminating more people with mammoth parts.  Oh, I just remembered the dogs went crazy barking around the mammoth parts, like Stoddard's dog growling at Liam or someone else.

 

 

Petra doing her best Elaine Bennis

This was so funny!  I'm also a fan of Petra and I like Ingrid as well.  

Edited March 8, 2015 by raven

[uoflfan]

I just finished episode 7 and am still saying WHAT THE HELL? I thought this was going to be a serial killer show. It's taken a turn for the bizarre -- think Twin Peaks on ice. I'm in for the duration but I wasn't expecting this.

[Netfoot]

I just can't understand why Casting would choose four principal actresses with short, dark hair.  Every goddam scene I'm like "Wait!  Which one is this?"

 

when Shirley was throwing up, I expected it to be evaporated milk, not some clear slimy stuff (sorry).   What the heck was that?  Is there really something in the water?

 

It was a clear gel with a few dark specks in it.

 

Like frogspawn?

[Justm3x]

Ok ive been watching from the start, the first episode had me confused and i wasnt sure if i was going to like or even get into it. BUT omg im longing for Thursday nights for the next episode. Episode 7 confused me even more, I first thought its the mammoth thats contaminated as it was dripping down the drain, but wouldnt more people be affected. So i decided to watch the first episode gain in case i missed something and the creepy teacher went to the top of my list, I think he is conducting some sort of experiment on various people, his girlfriend and of course he was Liams teacher. I think we have a few stories going on here..... Now im guessing that Elena had something to do with Billy Pettigews murder, she has form and was running away from her past, the onslaught starting in that room and Dan is covering for her as he is infatuated with her.  

 

Strange that after such horrific injuries to Charlie and Dr Allerdyce they remain breathing for a period of time, whats that all about?

 

I still think the key person to all this is the creepy teacher.......  all i know is i cant wait till Thursday night for the next amazing instalment, Im hooked. 

 

 

[Texasmom1970]

Still lost most of the time but intrigued enough to keep on watching!

[uoflfan]

I thought this was going to be a serial killer show and tuned in just for Sofie Grabol and Stanley Tucci but hot damn, this show is weird.  

 

It's like somebody put The Walking Dead, X-Files, Lost, Twin Peaks and Forbrydelsen together in a blender and this popped out.  I hope there is an end game for the series and all of our questions are answered.

Edited March 11, 2015 by uoflfan

[Cherpumple]

So..... I'm confused. They think the doctor just had a heart attack? No one noticed that her guts had been ripped open? Did that actually happen, or did Shirley hallucinate it? Or is it a cover up? What the heck is going on???

 

My initial thought was that Dan was the shadowy figure who knocked out Carrie's dad, so he could keep an eye on Elena while she keeps an eye on Carrie, but who knows.

 

Speaking of Dan, he and Morton make an awesome interrogation team. Even though the clearly don't like or trust each other, they work together really well. More of that please! Not sure what to make of creepy teacher/feeder guy, but I don't think he is the mastermind behind these weird occurrences. He seemed genuinely surprised to hear that Shirley was dead.

[alias1]

Shirley is the one who died of a heart attack.  Her arteries must be pretty clogged thanks to feeder guy.

 

I agree that Dan and Morton's scenes together are dynamite.  I don't think it was Dan who knocked out Ronnie.  It's hard to figure out sometimes when something is happening, but wasn't he at the town meeting when Ronnie was attacked? 

 

I think it might have been his partner Jason that attacked Ronnie.  They found the mammoth together and Jason probably discovered that someone cut off a tusk and is trying to profit from it, and figures it might be Ronnie.  I don't know, just a hunch, that there are separate things going on. 

 

This is getting weirder and weirder.   Frank is as weird as anyone.

Edited March 13, 2015 by SierraMist

[formerlyfreedom]

Frank takes the law into his own hands in a bid to clear Liam's name, while Morton realises Henry may have vital information about Pettigrew's death. A polar bear carcass arrives at the research centre's lab and as Vincent and Natalie analyse the corpse, they develop a theory about the recent events in Fortitude, which they feel compelled to share with Hildur and Dan

 

 

[Cherpumple]

I think it might have been his partner Jason that attacked Ronnie.

That makes more sense than my theory, but to be honest, I've completely lost track of Jason, so I didn't think of him right away. 

 

Shirley is the one who died of a heart attack.

Thanks for clarifying! I was dealing with a soda can explosion during the first few scenes, so I think I missed a few nuances. : ) I guess I just figured she died of exposure or whatever crazy illness she had been suffering from. But did I hear correctly that Dr. Allardyce is still alive? I hope so- I would be very interested in hearing her describe the attack.

[Zaffy]

I guess poor Shirley's death is a result of her illness, walking in the arctic cold wearing just a nighty and her obesity. One of this 3 reasons could be enough to kill her.
 

Really good episode and forkless (thank the TV Gods for this!)

 

I can't believe that the mainland government denied help to Fortitude. I find no logic in this. Especially because Fortitude supposed to be Svalbard and its well known how important islands like this are and mainland always takes care of them. Thats why the Russians still keep a territory in Svalbard (and Fortitude) cause having land in the Arctic is a big deal.  So the mainland's decision just doesn't make any sense.

[alias1]

 

Really good episode and forkless (thank the TV Gods for this!)

 

 

I'm wondering how I can work forkless into my everyday conversation (ha ha). 

[CrashTextDummie]

I expect the worst from this show now, which made the last 15 minutes or so really tense for me. The music (if one can call it that) is really helping in that regard. This was an uneventful episode in a way, mostly dealing with the fallout from last weeks forking, and yet there's an incredible, escalating sense of dread and menace permeating every subplot that's keeping me completely glued to the screen.

 

The jury is still out on whether Ronny's story is relevant to the other weirdness happening across town, but it certainly became relevant in the context of a crime (sci-fi? horror?) show. There's nothing strictly supernatural about what happened to him this week, but one has to wonder how on earth his assailant was prepared for his return from a prolonged camping trip. I thought the home video playing when he came home was profoundly unsettling for this reason, an altogether different kind of horror than the one we've been treated to so far. The final scenes had a distinct slasher vibe (effectively juxtaposed with creepy Markus facing an actual home invasion). It's yet another unexpected and weird turn.

Edited March 14, 2015 by CrashTextDummie

[raven]

Is there anyone in this town who isn't creepy?  LOL. OK, maybe Ingrid & Petra, who should probably have their own show.

 

 Great opening sequence with the blood trail and barefoot Shirley in the snow.  The show pretty much is impressive visually anyhow.  Morton said Shirley had self defense wounds, from what?  Did her mother fight back (I don't remember)?  

 

Morton & Dan interrogating creepy teacher was great (and Stanley Tucci has definitely been hitting a gym), though his "I'm laughing" comments were extra creepy, even for him.

 

Frank is going full on nuts, but at least he seems to care that Liam is being accused of murder; his wife is just so resigned.  Haven't they contacted an attorney or anything?  I know Liam's still in the hospital, but one of them could call the mainland for a professional to help/give advice.

 

Speaking of which, talk about just leaving Fortitude on its own - thanks for nothing, mainland people.  

 

 

I thought the home video playing when he came home was profoundly unsettling for this reason, an altogether different kind of horror than the one we've been treated to so far.

 

That was odd. Ronnie's wife teaching piano?  Ronnie was so happy to see it playing, but he had just stumbled however far in the cold and was kind of out of his mind.  I thought maybe it was his daughter who clocked him, but his body was moved and she couldn't do that earlier in the episode (unless he got up and walked away).

 

The guy shooting himself in the foot at the town meeting was pretty funny.  The Governor handled the meeeting pretty well, even though she lied about help from the mainland.

 

I'm totally hooked on the weirdness but - don't hurt Pierre!!

Edited March 14, 2015 by raven

[Crim]

^ Not strange enough! Or anything special really.

 

I started watching it because I saw it mentioned here in an article, then saw Sofie Gråbøl on the poster. Some reviewer compared it to Twin Peaks, but I ain't seein' it yet. I don't see anything interesting at all except that it teases with that frozen mammoth and the animals going aggressive, almost like it wants to be a horror show instead of a (mediocre) crime drama. Worth continuing? I just find it boring.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Crim

[AuntiePam]

It's difficult to know where to focus my attention, so I'm closely watching everything and everyone.  The gorgeous cinematography is almost distracting.  Man, that's a beautiful place. 

 

I'm liking all the scenic turnouts, if that's what they are -- small parking lots facing onto gorgeous views of mountains and glaciers.

 

Carrie and her dad in the tent -- a noise that sounded like thunder.  Moving glaciers make noise -- spooky and disconcerting.

[Netfoot]

Nobody noticed the doctor's abdominal cavity full of Shirley's frogspawn-puke?

[roomtorome]

Do I understand correctly that now with the doctor in the hospital, this place has no doctors whatsoever, let alone a coroner/medical examiner?  

 

So, the mainland is just truly setting this place this adrift?  I'm baffled.  They have no one to perform an autopsy and that is deemed irrelevant to the "mainland" - man, I would have hit the media about that, wherever "mainland" is - how outrageous.

 

Have to say, as creepy as this is - and, it is one of the creepier things I've watched in a while, it is keeping me guessing, which is refreshing.  

 

I'm not surprised the place if chock full of oddballs - first, who would stay there after the age of consent for even one more second and second, who would go there in the first place if not born there?  

[TVForever]

This show is now officially the weirdest, creepiest, most confusing series I have ever watched in my entire life. And yet, I can't wait for the next episode.

[TVForever]

Hello, I'm new to this thread.  I was channel surfing last night and this was my first viewing of this show.  Of course, I didn't know the characters or what was going on, so you can imagine the WTF moment I had when the woman clocked her mother upside the head, split open her abdomen, and then started vomiting into the womb.  What a way to welcome me to this show! 

 

I'll have to find out when the previous episodes 1 thru 6 will re-air because it really piqued my interest.

       If you have OnDemand, you'll find the episodes there. It's quite a show, enjoy the ride!

Edited March 17, 2015 by TVForever

[Ohwell]

Thanks!