Occupied

 I've been occupied with trying to heal my knee.

Tomorrow, early, I have an MRI.  I am nervous about it.  But that's life.  I am nervous in new situations like that.  

In the meantime, I have been watching the Netflix series "Occupied".  

You get used to the subtitles.  So much so I think I am hearing it in English or understanding the Norwegian.

Occupied seems like a Norwegian House of Cards.  It's been months since I watched the first episodes.  I took it up again these last weeks bored here with my leg up.

The Russians have invaded Norway with a wink and a nod from the EU.  Jesper Berg, the PM of Norway, head of the Green Party, swept into power after a climate change caused hurricane killed hundreds, had tried to shut down oil and gas production in favor of a massive thorium energy project.  The EU didn't like this.  They wanted the oil and gas, and depend on it.  Russia doesn't mind playing the bad guy ever.  Ha!  How true. 

He is taken from power after refusal to cooperate with the Russian takeover of Norway's energy production.  His former assistant becomes PM and begins a long dance with the Russians, who try to pretend the Norwegian parliament is in charge while they run things to their liking.  Some cooperate with the Russians but a Free Norway resistance forms.

Berg goes on the run, always trying to get back to Norway and nursing ever increasing hatred towards the Russians.   The things the politicians stoop to, as they vie for power, for energy, to win elections and purportedly, to keep the peace are atrocious and often criminal.   

Hans Djupvik's character holds together the complex plots.  He is first Jesper Berg's body guard, but later becomes head of the Secret Service.  As the increasing complex tensions of an occupied nation cause greater stress in families Hans Martin Djupvik and his wife, who works for the justice department, split.  Extreme circumstance eventually bring them back together.  He quits his job which she has told him "makes him sick".  And yet by episode 20, as Jesper vies with a corrupt former defense secretary to be elected prime minister, both reverting to extreme and disgusting measures to win, Hans, his wife and child are about to flee to the US.  Until she sees what she thinks is a way to a better Norwegian future. In politics.  It's Hans Martin now warning her, at the end of the last episode I"ve watched, that politics will change and corrupt any politician.  Will she listen?  Don't know yet but I doubt it.

Occupied is fascinating and twisted.  I can't stop watching it.  I think there are four more episodes.

We want to like by episode 18 or so the strong former Russian liason, Sidorova, in charge of Russian occupation in Norway, who was ruthless in her dealings.  But now she has a pregnant woman partner who is used as a pawn by the Russians to secure Sidorova as a spy in Norway.  They have implanted a poison (don't those Russians love their poisons) capsule inside her partner's pregnant belly to keep Sidorova in line.

Well anyhow, see how you like Occupied maybe?  It's keeping me occupied with my bad knee elevated right now and I like it.

How about a few cat photos, to end?   Three of my elderly girls will do.  We are to have a dry windstorm here by this evening that is especially dangerous with the hot weather we've had.  I just got a loud alert about it on my phone.

Buffy, originally from the huge BS colony

Cougie.  She has no teeth.  

Gracie!