| The House of Jerome | |
|---|---|
| Season 2, Episode 11 | |
| |
| Air date | 9th May 2012 |
| Written by | Ross Hastings, Tim Balme & James Griffin |
| Directed by | Murray Keane |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Magical Fluffy Bunny World |
Next You Call This the Real World? |
The House of Jerome is the eleventh episode of the second season, and is the twenty-first episode of The Almighty Johnsons overall
Synopsis[]
As Axl deals with duelling prophecies, a cold wind sweeps in from the North, leading to a marriage Anders never saw coming. Meanwhile Olaf makes an intriguing discovery at the bottom of a bottle.
Axl and Gaia's escape from the real world takes a turn for the surreal, while Mike discovers his world is not his alone, and Dawn's world comes to an unexpected end of the line.
Plot[]
Outside Mike’s bar, Gaia has been kidnapped. Axl gives chase, but the van gets away from him. He raises the alarm, and after Mike gets enough info to get the scent, another posse sets out on another rescues mission.
The trail leads Axl, Mike, Bryn and Michele to an unremarkable suburban house, where they find that Gaia is far from being in danger or even held against her will. In fact, Gaia is feeling right at home because it transpires that the bad men who kidnapped her – and who go by the names Jerome, George and Leon – are actually Gods, Maori Gods: Maui, Punga and Rongo. In this way the Johnson learn they are not the only deities in town.
What is more, they have their own prophecy regarding Gaia; that she will become their Papatuanuku, their Earth Mother. In this way Gaia’s history of being the offspring of a Norse God and a Maori Goddess is revealed to one and all. What is also revealed is that Bryn not only stole her from her parents, he killed them first. This is news to everyone – especially Gaia. Bryn flees, as the Maori Gods realize who he is.
Meanwhile Anders is having a fun old time with his new Goddess bedmate, Helen. This is Dawn rudely interrupts with a call to come into the office, as a woman by the name of Natalie Mather has shown up at the office. Her calling card announces her as a big-wig at Lindus, a Scandinavian furniture manufacturer. She says she met Anders in Oslo, and has come to offer them a business opportunity. Anders has no memory of the rather cold and righteous Natalie, but he is willing to go with the flow, and dinner is arranged.
Back with the meeting of the two sets of Gods, Axl and Jerome are getting all territorial over Gaia, while the Norse Goddesses, especially Michele, are getting hacked off with the old school sexism of the Maori Gods. Eventually the senior players here, Mike and George, decide it might be best to take time out, to come back tomorrow for more talking – a hui, in fact.
That night, at the business dinner Dawn freaks when Anders turns up with Helen, whom he introduces as his wife, as an attempt to pass off J:PR as a company that lives up to Natalie’s Christian values. And apart from an awkward moment regarding the lack of wedding rings it seems to work, with Natalie being particularly interested in Anders’ family and their history. Once the diner ends, Natalie makes a call to confirm her belief that Anders is a Norse God, and the person on the other end tells her that a council will be called upon to decide what must now happen.
In the fallout from the days Godly events Mike gives Olaf a bollocking for not knowing there were other Gods living in the vicinity, and now competing for their Frigg. Later, as Olaf nurses a bottle to nurse his wounded pride, he sees Kvasir enter the bar and disappear through a hidden door in Mike’s office. When Olaf follows Kvasir down to a hidden room under the bar, Kvasir fells him with a mighty blow.
The next day, as the Norse Gods assemble for the hui, Olaf is nowhere to be seen – but Gaia is there early, and kicks off proceedings with a karanga; not a good omen for the Norse side of the equation. After some formalities, and Axl and Jerome both making speeches claiming possession of Gaia, it is time for Bryn to face the music. And Bryn is dignified in explaining why he did what he did, but there must be utu and (in a deal brokered behind the scenes by Gaia) eventually he is sent back to grow awesome hydroponic weed for Rongo. Bryn departs, now estranged from Gaia, who he has raised as a daughter.
With this out of the way, the hui breaks up. The Goddesses, having left earlier following Jerome's disrespectful behavior towards them, have retreated to Mike’s. This is where Michele brings the other in on the secret of The Stick, and it turns out The Stick gives each of them unique and special powers, including giving Stacey extreme gymnastic-like abilities and clearing up Ingrid's addled mind momentarily so that her Oracle powers become more focused. The three agree to share the Stick between them until they can learn to hold on to these abilities.
Anders returns home to find that Helen has rearranged his furniture and brought wedding rings, claiming they are to be used to fool Natalie should she arrive, and Anders starts becoming worried about what he has gotten himself into. At the flat, Gaia is having huge problems not only being who she is meant to be, but also at being treated like chattel. She just wants to run away from it all – will Axl come with her? Axl agrees, and the two of them slip out of the house and drive off into the night.
Cast[]
- Emmett Skilton - Axl Johnson / Odin
- Tim Balme - Mike Johnson / Ullr
- Dean O'Gorman - Anders Johnson / Bragi
- Jared Turner - Ty Johnson / Höðr
- Ben Barrington - Olaf Johnson / Baldr
- Keisha Castle-Hughes - Gaia
- Hayden Frost - Zeb
- Eve Gordon - Stacey / Fulla
- Michelle Langstone - Michele / Sjöfn
- John Leigh - Bryn
- Rachel Nash - Ingrid / Snotra
- Fern Sutherland - Dawn
- Sarah Wiseman - Helen Larvig / Iðunn
- Matariki Whatarau - Jerome / Maui
- Kirk Torrance - George / Punga
- Tainui Tukiwaho - Leon / Rongo
- Michael Hurst - Kvasir
- Natalie Medlock - Natalie Mather
Crew[]
- Writers - Ross Hastings, Tim Balme & James Griffin
- Director - Murray Keane
- Script Editor - James Griffin
- Storyliners - Tim Balme, Ross Hastings & Tiffany Zenhal
- Producer - Simon Bennett
- Executive Producers - James Griffin, Rachel Lang, Chris Bailey & John Barnett
Music[]
- Oh My - Performed by Gin Wigmore (Theme Music)
- Can't Stand It - Performed by Tahuna Breaks
- Listen - Performed by Tahuna Breaks
- Unsettled - Performed by The Midnights
- Seven Years - Performed by Jocee Tuck