Created by Per-Olav Sørensen, “Midsummer Night” (Original title: Midtsommernatt) is a new Norwegian drama series streaming on Netflix. It’s a bittersweet family drama that seems inspired by the works of Ingmar Bergman. Like the auteur’s films, this series feels more theatrical, i.e., like a stage play, where its characters intellectualize their emotions to be content with their lives instead of chasing conventional happiness. However, it eventually becomes the kind of relationship drama we have already seen multiple iterations of.
Spoilers Ahead
Midsummer Night (2024) ‘Netflix’ Limited Series Recap:
What is ‘Midsummer Night’ on Netflix about?
“Midsummer Night” on Netflix is a Norwegian family drama. It follows an extended family getting together for a traditional Swedish midsummer celebration. But their cheerful spirit gets interrupted once they speak about their long-held secrets. This limited series has five episodes that are about 30 minutes long. It stars Pernilla August, Dennis Storhøi, Amalia Holm, Dagny Backer Johnsen, Christopher Wolter, Kadir Talabani, Axel Bøyum, Fanny Klefelt, Kim Falck, Linn Skåber, Spfia Tjelta, Liv Bernhoft Osa, Eirik Hallert, Peiman Azizpour, Maria Agwumaro, and Yngvild Støen Grotmol
What happens in ‘Midsummer Night’ on Netflix?
For those who are not aware, Midsummer is a yearly tradition to celebrate the season of summer near the date of the summer solstice, particularly in Nordic countries. “Midsummer Night” on Netflix revolves around a family that gets together on this special occasion.
Episode 1: Break-ups and Falling in Love
Carina (Pernilla August) and Johannes (Dennis Storhøi) are a middle-aged couple who have been together for over 30 years. On the yearly midsummer tradition, Carina decides to invite all her family members to share an important message with them. A few weeks before, Carina got emotional when she swam after a long, long time. She wanted to experience the same joy in the future. So, she asked Johannes for a divorce. Johannes thought they should wait to break this news till their daughter Hanne’s (Amalia Holm) wedding with Darius (Peiman Azizpour). But Carina thinks otherwise.
Who arrives for the midsummer celebration?
One by one, the guests start arriving for the celebration. It includes Carina & Johannes’ daughters, Hanne & Helena (Sofia Tjelta), and Johannes’ daughter from his first marriage, Petronella (Maria Agwumaro). Darius arrives with his parents, Tabur (Kadir Talabani) & Jannike (Linn Skåber), besides his brother Robert (Eirik Hallert), who was friends with Helena. Then, there’s Johannes’ brother, Håkan (Christopher Wollter), and his much younger girlfriend, Sara (Fanny Klefet), who arrives on a boat.
On top of that, Hanne’s ex-husband, Lysander (Kim Falck), arrives with his mother, Elin (Lov Bernhoft Osa). Carina invited them without asking Hanne first. So, Hanne gets upset. Helena thinks Hanne hasn’t moved on from Lysander. There’s a reason why she feels this way. It is revealed later. On the table, Håkan casually mentions that he doesn’t want to have children ever. Soon after, Sara takes a pregnancy test and realizes that she is pregnant.
Episode 2: Lust
The friends and family have food and drinks together. Hanne still finds it strange that Lysander decided to come. She has a brief dialogue with him about why their relationship didn’t work out. He says he didn’t want to be with just one person for his entire life. Anyhow, they make peace with their situation and return to the table. Lysander reveals that he can officiate a wedding. Hanne recalls a past incident when she went out on a date with a man she met on Tinder despite being in a relationship with Darius. In fact, she proposed to him. Still, she cheats on him.
Robert tries to overcome his awkwardness when speaking with Helena. Carina halts telling the divorce news, which makes Johannes impatient. So, she decides to share it, but it gets interrupted when Jannike gets choked on some food. Jannike goes to the washroom and finds a positive pregnancy test. Then, the family gets together around the maypole. Håkan keeps calling Johannes an ‘old man,’ which irks Johannes. While singing and dancing together, Hanne falls on Lysander. Tabur notices it upsets Darius.
What did Tabur advise Darius about Hanne?
When Hanne went on a date with a stranger, Darius followed her. He learned that she was cheating on him. So, he got emotional and decided to text her to let her know that he knew she cheated. But he stopped and went to his parents’ house for the night. He had an honest conversation with his father about it. Tabur advised Darius not to consider himself to be morally superior just because Hanne cheated on him. He expected Darius to be kind, considerate, and forgiving. Instead of being angry, Tabur advises him to be a better man.
Episode 3: Envy
Håkan worries about Johannes, who was acting particularly grumpy throughout the celebration. Carina tries to put a lid on that discussion. Lysander has a heart-to-heart with Darius about his ideas about life with Hanne. In the kitchen, Helena tells Darius that Hanne is pregnant, assuming the pregnancy test was hers. Sara shows up there and reveals she is pregnant. That’s when Håkan learns about it for the first time. He decides to discuss this matter later. Hanne starts having pre-wedding jitters because of her cheating. Carina calms her down.
What does Lysander learn about his health?
Shortly before midsummer, Lysander met a doctor about his health condition. The doctor shared the diagnosis of meningioma, a brain tumor. He recommended getting an operation done. But there is a 50 percent chance it could be fatal. So, Lysander decided to spend his remaining time with the ones he loved.
Why does Helena get angry at Hanne?
The family gets together to play their traditional games. Suddenly, Helena gets furious at Hanne for cheating. Everyone thinks Helena is overreacting. But there’s a reason for her being that upset. In the past, when Hanne cheated on Darius with another man, Helena saw Hanne from a distance. Despite that, Helena decides not to tell her family about it.
Episode 4: Reconciliation
Johannes gets tired of keeping up the façade of his happy marriage. He wants to get done with telling the truth. While playing games, he falls on the ground. Seeing others joke around, he bursts out with anger. He reveals that he and Carina are getting a divorce. Hanne gets upset at her mother for doing this before her wedding and, thus, ruining it. Elin tries to cheer her up. She thanks Carina for inviting her and Lysander and not revealing the diagnosis. Meanwhile, Petronella tells Johannes that her mother (his ex-wife) is in a psychiatric ward and had been there in the past.
How did Sara and Håkan meet?
Sara and Håkan met in the midsummer just a year before they joined Carina and Johannes at their house. They bonded without much effort. At the time, Håkan revealed that he never wanted to have children. So, in the present, he tells Sara that he told her his views beforehand. Sara learns that Håkan doesn’t want to be a father in his 50s and 60s. She tells him that she definitely wants children. If he’s not okay with it, they should end their relationship.
Why is Helena awkward around Darius?
Helena saw Hanne being unfaithful to Darius, but that’s not the only reason she is awkward around him. Turns out, she met him before Hanne introduced him as her partner. Helena had a crush on him the moment she laid her eyes on him, but she couldn’t take any step in that direction because Hanne was with him.
Episode 5: Forgiveness
Helena tells Darius that Hanne cheated on him. Darius accepts that he knew that but he didn’t speak with Hanne about it. Helena gets upset about why Darius still chooses to be with Hanne. She kisses him and then apologizes. They both let go of this awkward interaction and join others in the garden. Meanwhile, Carina asks Johannes to come to speak with their family members and apologize to them.
Midsummer Night (2024) ‘Netflix’ Limited Series Ending Explained :
Johannes apologizes to his guests and to Carina for his emotional outburst. Together, they get back in their festive spirit. Lysander speaks about the spirit of togetherness in their family. But Petronella feels out of place in this discussion. In the past, she had spoken with a psychologist (Yngvild Støen Grotmol) about the lack of emotional support from her parents and the resulting psychological burden on her. Petronella reveals that she doesn’t want to be perceived as a victim. The psychologist tells her to start a conversation with her father in the right direction despite her qualms.
What happens to Darius & Hanne’s relationship?
On the day of the midsummer celebration, Darius tells Hanne that he saw her cheating on him. He questions why she was unfaithful and why she kept it a secret. Hanne gets emotional and apologizes. She says she was scared he would feel she was not good enough for him. While that happens, Robert tells Helena about his feelings for her. He shows her a text he meant to send her but never did. Then, he sends it. Meanwhile, Darius spends some time on his own. Finally, he decides to take an important step. He recalls Tabur’s advice about the value of forgiveness.
Darius forgives Hanne and asks if she wants to get past what happened. She admits that she wants to get married to him. He proposes that they get married right then. So, by that evening, Darius and Hanne get married and Lysander officiates it. While their relationship takes the next emotionally healthy step toward the future, other couples do the same – be it Helena & Robert or Johannes & Carina. Besides them, Petronella takes her first step to being honest about her emotions. She asks her father if she can stay with him for longer.
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