WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Season 1 of Katla, now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix’s Katla doesn’t overcomplicate its plot as it focuses on the Katla volcano in the Icelandic town of Vik. Recent activity results in most of the town evacuating, with scientists coming to study the pyroclastic flow. However, it’s soon revealed that the ash is powered by a meteor that landed centuries ago, infecting people and allowing them to conjure the folks they miss most from the ash. Sadly, due to the sprawling cast and weird character motivations, the plot develops many holes as it tries to be too convenient.
Gunhilde’s Real Identity
The series starts with a young Swedish woman, Gunhilde, coming up from the ash, blackened and weak. She’s taken to Vik’s hospital and gives all her info, indicating that she existed decades before when tourism was thriving. She’s been conjured by the old man, Þór, yet the officials never confirm her identity. She provides the details to phone her home in Sweden, and she corroborates the past at the Vik Inn. Plus, pictures there also show this is the Gunhilde from years back, so it’s easy to see who she is.
In addition to photographic evidence, young Gunhilde is pregnant at the same time old Gunhilde got pregnant, so all the proof is there that they’re the same person. The show neglects all this to make her a mystery, yet it gets worse when the older Gunhilde arrives and no one connects the dots, especially the resemblance. The hospital even does DNA testing, so this would have shown the new Gunhilde is not some crazy lookalike. Sadly, the hospital just lets both leave, ignoring the clone conspiracy at hand.
Einar Forgets His True Love
Einar is stunned that another girl, Ása, has come up from the ash. She was presumed dead after going missing a year ago in a storm, but he’s glad as they try to rekindle their old romance. He still loves her, however, he doesn’t bat an eye when a dead body turns up and it’s revealed via DNA testing to be the real Ása.
Einar’s the cop who gets the intel, yet he doesn’t make a ruckus about two versions of Ása existing as he offers her sister, Gríma, the results. One would think right after a fling with the Ása clone, this body and the verification would have him asking questions about doubles coming to life. Einar doesn’t even seek out the clone Ása, who disappears after fulfilling her purpose. It’s so weird as he forgets the woman he said he wanted a future with.
Einar Ignoring the Psychopathic Son
Einar transports a scientist, Darri, later on and his son, Mikael, to the inn. However, Einar has no logging info for a boy, so Darri spills the beans about how the real Mikael died, only to reappear by the volcano site. It’s odd that a cop doesn’t follow up on this because it’s a breach of protocol for a child to be here, and also, he’s literally told that a clone conspiracy is happening.
Einar doesn’t even connect it to Ása’s reappearance. He lets all this intel go, even after hearing about killings and an accident outside Vik. Darri told him that he thinks Mikael was a murderous psycho, yet Einar never investigates this, totally putting the family out of sight and out of mind. With these details, it’s strange that he never attempts to reconnect with Darri over Ása’s return.
Mikael Getting Back to Vik
Mik’s mom came for him but abandoned him in the wilderness as she realized he was an abomination. Yet, Mik’s spotted on the tray of a truck, sneaking off to get back to the Vik Inn hours later. This makes no sense because where he was is low-lying land and a clear road that vehicles speed on. There’s no way a truck would stop there.
Also, it’s impossible for Mik to sneak on without getting caught in that flat landscape. He’s too small as well to sneak onto the truck, and even if he climbs, the driver would see and hear it. It seems like he teleports on, all to get him back from where he was marooned to the town to cause havoc with Darri and his soon-to-be divorced wife. This allows them the emotive arc of killing the boy for being an anomaly.
Gríma’s Deaf and Blind Husband
Gríma’s clone stays at her home for a bit, with her husband, Kjartan, who doesn’t notice the difference and even sleeps with her. The finale gets way too ridiculous with this, though, as he moves from room to room, not realizing there are two women. They’re wearing different clothes and have different hairstyles, so it’s quite visible. We get Katla wants to paint him as inattentive, but this is silly.
Additionally, when they play Russian Roulette later to decide who gets to live, the clone blows her brains out in the living room. Yet, Kjartan, who’s next door in the barn never hears the loud gunshot or comes rushing over. Gríma is later seen playing piano as she wants to be happier for him, but the blood splatter is gone from the wall. It’s super clean, so one has to wonder how she’d clean the scene up and get rid of the double with the hubby nearby.
Gísli’s Ultimate Plan
Gísli, the police chief and father of Kjartan and Einar, conjures a younger, sexier version of his wife, Magnea, who’s dying from cancer. However, he locks her in his basement as she’s horrified to learn he’s helping kill the older her so he can be with the younger one. This plan makes no sense because firstly, how would he explain to the town and boys he’s got his healthy, de-aged wife back? It’d also mean no one could ever visit him again as the basement’s exposed to the small house so people would hear the prisoner’s screams.
Additionally, he craved sex, so by locking Magnea away and not talking it out, he defeats the purpose of his wishful thinking. There’s simply no way the prisoner would be with him, at home or in public, so Gísli’s actions are forced just to add tension, suspense and make him a dramatic, misogynistic overlord.
Season 1 of the ultra-weird Katla is now streaming on Netflix.
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