— The following contains spoilers for season one. If you haven't seen it yet, head to SBS On Demand and watch it now —
Season two of The Man Who Died begins with Jaakko (Jussi Vatanen) waking up a changed man. And not just because he’s not dead.
At the start of season one, Jaakko was a successful businessman in the world of mushroom farming. Maybe a little too successful: a trip to the doctor revealed he’d been fatally poisoned, and it was no accident. Who would want to kill such an easy-going guy? Turns out, it was a surprisingly long list, with his wife at the top of it.
Based on a novel by Finnish author Antti Tuomainen, with scripts by UK writer Brendan Foley (who also created Sherlock & Daughter, now on SBS On Demand), the first season followed Jaakko’s increasingly frantic attempts to find his killer before they succeeded in their crime. Throw in new love interest Sanni (Sara Soulié) and the local mushroom mafia muscling in on his turf, and he had a lot more than just poison on his plate.
The first season wrapped up with a sword-wielding showdown in a forest, Jaakko securing a big deal for his company, and a touching final scene where he finally found peace (and was possibly re-incarnated as a mushroom?). So, when he wakes up at the beginning of season two in a hospital bed with a mysterious scar on his chest, we’re as puzzled as he is.
All the medical team experimenting on him are willing to say is that he’s in Tokyo. Soon he’s heading for a Garden of Memory, dressed like an undertaker (or like he’s about to rob a bank in a Quentin Tarantino movie), and looking for an explanation for his survival. It turns out to be something of a good news, bad news situation.
An experimental transplant saved his life, but no-one can say for how long. “All life is an intermission,” he’s told. “Being dead is normal”. And being revived was not cheap: both Jaakko and his benefactor are now in debt to the man who owns the mushroom business (amongst other things) in Japan. He wants double Jaakko’s next harvest at half the price. If that kills the business, that’s Jaakko’s problem.
He’s sent back home with a cryptic message: “Beware the mole”. With a new nurse (Natsumi Kuroda) handing out the experimental medicine keeping him from rejecting his new heart, and a warning that if he tells anyone about the “mushrooms for life” deal then the experiment keeping him alive is over, he has to re-insert himself back into his life and his business. At least Sanni seems glad to see he’s still alive.
Jaakko (Jussi Vatanen) has an unexpected extension on life, but where will it take him? Credit: Tiia Öhman / ReelMedia
For the old, mellow Jaakko, all this might be too much to handle. But in season two, we’re dealing with a Jaakko who’s handled the worst life – and death – can throw at him. And before the first episode is done, it’s clear that this Jaakko isn’t afraid to throw it back at his enemies. Vatanen’s performance has always been a masterclass in the way the smallest expressions can mean a lot, but when his face turns cold here, it’s chilling.
Jussi Vatanen (right) and Elias Westerberg in season 2 of 'The Man Who Died'. Credit: Tiia Öhman
It might be a series that’s mostly a black comedy (it has a bit in common with the original Fargo, even beyond the frozen landscape), but there’s always been a philosophical side to The Man Who Died. Throughout the first season, Jaakko pulled himself together: he was never more focussed and alive than when he knew he was about to die. The final scene was a genuinely moving moment where a man faced his death calmly and with acceptance. Now that he’s back from the dead, that serenity – you might say his soul – is at risk.
The very first scene of season two has Jaakko trudging through the snow, dragging a boat behind him. In the boat there’s a tied-up man struggling to escape. Jaakko explains to him that his work in the mushroom business has taught him that it’s not mushrooms that are dangerous, it’s people. Then he pushes him off a cliff.
It may be a dream sequence, or a glimpse into the future. Either way, it’s a vision of cold-blooded revenge, a frightening look at the path he’s heading down. If the first season ended with him accepting his fate and going to heaven, will this season end with his lust for revenge sending him to hell?
Both seasons of The Man Who Died are now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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The Man Who Died
