“Succession” has become a definitive drama about the antics of a wealthy businessperson. “Billionaire Island” (Original title: Milliardærøya) on Netflix builds similar conflicts in a Norwegian setting. So, it’s nearly impossible not to compare the two. Even here, you witness power struggles, inter-generational issues, and the battles for the throne. However, unlike most Netflix projects, “Billionaire Island” is easily one of the most concise originals on the platform.
The showrunners, Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin, value precision and leave no unnecessary moment in its six-episode first season. It interweaves stories of family members to offer a surprisingly compelling comedy-drama, even if we have seen these themes play out in another setting.
Spoilers Ahead
Billionaire Island (Season 1) ‘Netflix’ Recap:
What happens in ‘Billionaire Island’ on Netflix?
Set in Norway, “Billionaire Island” on Netflix follows the rivalry between wealthy families to take over a vast business empire. The different generations within these families clash to be in charge of the operations and to heal old emotional wounds.
Billionaire Island (Season 1) Episode 1: Hostile Takeover
“Billionaire Island” follows the rivalry between two families in a small coastal community in Norway operating in the global salmon industry. Julie Lange (Trine Wiggen) is the CEO of Marlax, whereas Gjert Meyer (Svein Roger Karlsen) is the founder and the main shareholder of Marlax’s sworn rival, Meyer-Fjordbruk. The series begins after the death of Ole Richard Lykke, a key shareholder in Meyer-Fjordbruk. Julie realizes that Ole has made no will. So, she meets his sole beneficiary to take over the management of Ole’s shares, which can raise her status in the industry.
Julie’s teenage daughter, Hennie (Nemi Storm), celebrates her birthday on the same day. So, Julie hires K-Joy (Lee Jin-hyuk), a K-pop idol from a boy band Hennie adores. Meanwhile, Julie’s older daughter, Amy (Ragne Grande), realizes Julie’s plan of taking over Meyer-Fjordbruk. Her son, Jens Johans (Vetle Røsten Granås), an aspiring actor/star, returns from LA for Hennie’s birthday with his agent Ivo (Axel Bøyum). Gjert’s family learns about Julie’s hostile takeover plan during a holy ritual. Gjert contacts Sigurd, one of their shareholders. However, Julie calls Sigurd just then, which affects Gjert’s control over Meyer-Fjordbruk.
At the last moment, K-Joy throws a tantrum to assert his status as a celebrity. Still, Julie brings K-Joy to offer a surprise performance at Hennie’s celebration. Later at night, Gjert confronts Julie outside her house. Their heated argument embarrasses Gjert’s grandson, Felix (Benjamin Bakkeid). Regardless, Julie prepares her future strategies with her right-hand man, Rishi (Manish Sharma).
Billionaire Island (Season 1) Episode 2: Desert Salmon
Ole’s old associate from Dubai, Khalid al Manouri, CEO of Desert Salmon, arrives in the Norwegian island town to ensure the future of their partnership. He meets Gjert and proposes a plan to help him object to Julie’s acquisition. At Marlax, Amy and Julie learn about the salmon leaving their facility, which can risk their reputation and brand them as villains in an environmental catastrophe. While dealing with the pressure to protect their brand image, Amy must deal with a personal crisis. She and her husband, Martin (Oddgeir Thune), have trouble conceiving a baby. So, Martin shows up at the doctor to get a result on the condition of his sperm.
Since Amy cannot be present in person, Martin requests her to keep talking over the phone to help him finish his job in the hospital. Julie meets Sigurd for a discussion before Gjert can arrive. Considering the present conflicts for Marlax, Sigurd becomes hard to bargain. So, Julie offers Sigurd the chairman position on the board to make him change his mind. Jens Johans struggles with self-esteem as he waits for his upcoming Hollywood project. He returns home to find his father, Torbjørn (Kåre Conradi), smoking alone, and joins him. As the father and the son reminisce about their past while getting high, Hennie goes out on a boat trip with her friends.
Since the plan goes bad, Hennie repeatedly calls Torbjørn but receives no response. Luckily, Ole’s mother, a fisherwoman, saves them. During an assembly meeting, Gjert uses Desert Salmon’s proposal to fight against Julie’s acquisition. So, she privately meets Khalid to offer a counterproposal. She uses Margido (Bjarne Brøndbo), her board chairman, to convince Khalid otherwise.
Billionaire Island (Season 1) Episode 3: Big Bait For a Big Fish
Martin learns that he cannot get Amy pregnant. Meanwhile, Amy has sex with her young associate. Later, a climate activist protests against K-Joy for his partnership with Marlax, which destroys the balance of the ecosystem with their unjust practices of salmon production. Gjert and his son-in-law, Eigil (Tor Ivar Hagen), the current CEO of Meyer-Fiordbruk, try to protect their control over the company. As this attempt fails, Gjert seeks spiritual guidance. While her parents are away, Hennie tries to buy alcohol with her friend’s fake ID card, but to no avail. Eventually, they get hold of alcohol somehow and have a party.
At the party, Hennie’s friend calls out Hennie’s parents’ unjust business practices. Hennie gets defensive about it. Later, K-Joy drops out from his boy band, backed by Marlax, due to Marlax’s problematic stance. It makes Hennie put things in perspective. Meanwhile, JJ loses his Hollywood role and gets replaced due to his bad performance. Earlier, JJ believed it would be his big break in the industry. So, in the wake of this announcement, he threatens to fire Ivo if he cannot salvage this situation. Julie tells Amy that she cannot be the chairperson of Marlax as promised. Amy gets angry because she had previously returned to Norway from London, hoping to be the same. Viljar, the founder of another company, offers Amy a job at her firm. Although hesitant at first, Amy considers accepting the offer.
Julie gets awarded at a local event. During this ceremony, someone clicks a photograph of Amy and Viljar conversing. Amy’s associates confront Eigil for his sketchy deals with the local fishermen. Gjert has no idea of it. At night, Eigil calls Cato, a local fisherman he previously contacted for his sketchy job. Gjert secretly gets hold of Cato’s contact number.
Billionaire Island (Season 1) Episode 4: Walk of Shame
Hennie’s secret party leaves a mess in Julie’s house. JJ helps her clean it. After her chat with Viljar, Amy shows up at Gjert to discuss a business proposal to sabotage her mother’s plans. Later, Gjert decides to make her the CEO, removing Eigil. Eigil and his wife (Gjert’s daughter), Trine (Hanne Skille Reitan), get furious since they moved to the town and kept taking care of her wheelchair-ridden mother so that they are in charge of Meyer-Fjordbruk. As a result, they plot against Gjert and plan to alert the cops. Gjert’s wife sees it happen but cannot speak or do anything because of her condition.
Viljar keeps hoping for Amy’s positive response, but Amy stays on the fence about her decision. Ivo finds an editor who can make JJ’s performance look better in the movie and calls it a ‘director’s cut.’ The same film is set to be premiered at a local theatre after JJ gets a star carved in his name, like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, even before he begins his career. However, the organizers learn about the mess-up and they tell JJ to take responsibility. Around the same time, Amy learns she is pregnant with her young assistant’s baby.
Julie learns about Amy’s pregnancy. While in the theatre, Amy discovers that a photo of her and Viljar has gone viral. Julie also sees the picture and realizes Amy’s intentions in the acquisition battle. Torbjørn tells Julie that Martin can’t get Amy pregnant. So, after they walk out of the screening, Julie breaks the news of Amy’s pregnancy to Martin before Amy and Martin can even have a chance to talk.
Billionaire Island (Season 1) Episode 5: Happy Halloween
JJ’s old drama teacher works odd gigs to make ends meet. While having drinks with his friends, JJ joins them and offers free drinks. Earlier, while drunk, Ivo accidentally spilled his guts and called JJ a terrible actor. So, Ivo tells the old folks to praise JJ’s acting skills to boost his confidence and self-esteem. However, the teacher reveals the truth: while JJ was studying in his acting class, he praised JJ because Torbjørn paid him to. So, he confronts his father for making him believe he can be a successful actor. As that happens, the cops arrive at Gjert’s house to find evidence to incriminate him.
After Gjert’s arrest, Trine gets happy. She considers it a poetic justice since her parents had insulted her throughout her life. Trine prepares the meal for Halloween with a bright smile. It gets on her mother’s nerves, who suddenly stabs her hand with a knife. So, Trine gets hospitalized. Martin distances himself from Amy after learning about her infidelity. As an act of revenge, he takes Amy’s assistant/the biological father of her child on a helicopter tour. Martin scares the young man but soon feels bad for him. Eventually, Martin comes back to his senses and realizes he has no life beyond what he has built with Amy. Martin also feels bad for the young man, who is not responsible enough to have a child.
Back at the Lange residence, Hennie realizes that Julie got her ethnically Korean boyfriend’s father fired because she does not want Hennie to be in a relationship with him. On the other hand, Julie confronts Amy for betraying her with Viljar’s help. Julie reveals that Viljar leaked photos of him and Amy to lock Amy in a deal with him.
Billionaire Island (Season 1) ‘Netflix’ Ending Explained:
Who becomes the CEO of Meyer-Fjordbruk?
In the final episode of “Billionaire Island” on Netflix titled “Queen of Solitare,” we see the results of careful planning of the second generations working out for the better. Before the Marlax general assembly, Amy learns that Julie got fishermen fired from their jobs. At the time, Hennie is just as upset at Julie as Amy because Julie has forced her boyfriend’s family to relocate. Amy enlists Hennie’s help to find proof against Julie to sway the vote against Julie. During the meeting, the board members learn that Trine has a say in these matters as Gjert’s daughter.
Amy and Viljar rush to bring Trine to the table to help with their proposal. Trine rushes from the hospital to make a surprising counteroffer. In exchange for helping Amy, she wants to be a board member and to make Eigil the chairman. Although initially hesitant, Amy and Viljar offer Trine a board seat and cut a deal with the couple. In the end, Julie loses the acquisition battle as Amy becomes the CEO of Meyer-Fjordbruk. She also gets a positive news in her personal life. Martin admits that he is not as bright as Amy. Plus, he cannot sexually satisfy her. So, he decides not to break their marriage because she had sex with another man.
Instead, Martin proposes that they all lie and claim that Amy’s assistant is her sperm donor. That way, everyone is happy. As this happens, JJ abandons his acting career and decides not to return to LA. Instead, he chooses to work with Julie for their family business. JJ’s teacher bags an acting role and saves Ivo from being unemployed in the wake of JJ’s sudden decision. In prison, Gjert realizes that Trine and Eigil plotted against him to be in charge of the business. So, he calls Julie and proposes waging war together against the children who are betraying them.
![Turning Red [2022] Review: Pixar’s Hopeful Take on Constant Changes of Life is Positively Giddy](https://www.highonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Turning-Red-2-768x432.jpg)
