Review: The Almighty Johnsons
The Almighty Johnsons wound up this year in their third season, and so the series are now all nicely packaged and tied up for your viewing pleasure. This means you can follow the quest of the Johnson brothers in a few marathons, rather than having to wait an entire week to know if anyone will ever be happy again.
TAJ follows the story of the Johnson brothers, four siblings that also happen to be Norse Gods. Series one kicks off when Axl (Emmet Skilton), the youngest brother, turns 21 and becomes the reincarnation of Odin. The appearance of Odin is A Big Deal, and this spurs the brothers into action. They begin a quest to find Frigg. Frigg is the mythical wife of Odin, and the two meeting will cause the gods to regain their full powers.
Television writing in New Zealand has really come a long way – trust me, I grew up with the NZ TV writing in the early 2000s. (Haven’t heard of Willy Nilly? Be grateful.) Outrageous Fortune is probably the key moment where Things Got Good, and TAJ is from the same creators and shares a few actors. The show is solidly well-written, and pretty damn accurate with its Norse mythology. Oh, and you know that Norse myth where Thor has to wear a dress to get his hammer back? That happens. My goodness, that happens.
While the female characters don’t really get a look in for the first few episodes, they certainly come into their own. While the female characters can be a little bit… pouty for me, they are realistic. Despite not being the “focus” of the series, they get enough screen time to be badass, and the goddesses show up the gods regularly and often. TAJ is very sex-positive, and there is plenty of eye candy for everyone.
I’d probably class TAJ as my junk food TV – there’s swearing, sex, fist-fights, alcohol, drugs, Norse mythology (and plenty of it!), the opportunity for *true love to prevail*, and a few episodes featuring a road trip around New Zealand. It’s the perfect show to watch with a bowl of ice cream while you cross your fingers that this episode, Ty and Dawn might be happy. This episode. ▼
