The Christmas Quest (2024) Movie Script
[gentle music]
[adventurous music]
[epic music]
Stef?
Mom.
Merry Christmas.
Do you like your book?
That was the
first gift I opened.
I'm sorry I missed it.
I tried so hard to
make it back in time.
This is for you.
It's a compass.
I had it engraved.
MOTHER: "To help you
find your way home."
I love it.
Did you pick this out?
OK.
Let's get you to bed.
I'm not tired.
Can you read to me
just a little while?
Where did you leave off?
Can we read yours.
Oh, well, here.
Come get cuddled into me.
[chuckles] This is a very
special Christmas story,
the story of the
Yule Lads of Iceland,
and it begins in the lava
fields of Dimmuborgir.
It's here that the
Jlasveinar live
with their mother, Gryla, an
ogress and giant black cat,
Jlakotturinn.
As the winter solstice
approaches and the snowy fjords
of Iceland are
plunged into darkness,
the 13 Lads come down from
their mountain hideout, one
by one, to cause Christmas
mischief, leaving
treats in the shoes of
well-behaved children
and rotten potatoes
for the naughty.
And you thought a lump
of coal was a lousy gift.
[laughter]
The Lads appear all
over Icelandic folklore,
dating as far back
as the 17th century.
Now, many of these stories were
collected by wealthy patron
of the arts Magnus Olafsson.
Behind me is a manuscript
from Olafsson's library.
This was discovered
over three decades ago
by archeologist Joan Hamilton.
According to legend, the
Lads spent centuries amassing
a trove of priceless treasures.
Notice the inscriptions
along the edges of the page.
Hamilton believed
these symbols were
secret messages
that, when decrypted,
could lead to the
hidden treasure.
And she spent most of
her life trying to--
trying to locate it.
But without the
key to decrypt it,
the true meaning
of the inscription?
Well, it remains a
Christmas mystery.
[laughter]
[festive music]
Thank you.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
[festive music]
Oh.
Dr. Baxter, I was worried
I may have missed you.
Victor Grimes.
Mr. Grimes, very
nice to meet you
and, uh, to finally put a face
to the name around campus.
Oh, you donate a few
million to the university,
they feel obligated to name
a lecture hall after you.
And a library.
So I've always been
fascinated by ancient relics.
You know, I believe we have
a duty to unearth the past
and learn from it, be
the stewards of history.
Which brings me to why I'm here.
What are you doing
Christmas break?
Well, let's see.
Christmas break,
I mean, I'm gonna
be caroling and
trimming the tree,
and these cookies are
gonna play a big part.
I'm putting together
an expedition.
I'd like you to lead it, to find
the treasure of the Jlasveinar.
Oh.
[laughs] That's--
that's very funny.
Do you want a sugar cookie or--
Stolen art, jewels,
centuries of lost relics.
They're waiting to be unearthed.
Your mother believed
it was real.
I've read her work.
She was a brilliant woman.
Yes, she was, but she
gave up on that dream
long before she passed.
Well, perhaps you are meant
to pick up where she left off.
Treasure hunters have been
searching for the Yule Lads
treasure for centuries, but
you need a key to decode
Olafsson's inscription.
A key like the Yule
Horn of Dimmuborgir?
Sure.
Yeah.
What would you say if I
told you I know its location?
[chuckles] What do you mean?
A ship manifest from an
1800s cargo ship that sailed
from Iceland to Scotland.
I think you might find
the contents interesting.
[exhales]
So, once again,
Dr. Baxter, I ask,
what are you doing
Christmas break?
[epic music]
[adventurous music]
[thuds]
[gentle music]
[exhales]
The symbol from the
Olafsson manuscript.
[adventurous music]
Two out, two in.
Three out.
Hmm.
[adventurous music]
[clanking]
[adventurous music]
Whoa.
It's already unlocked.
[lock squeaking]
[dramatic music]
[exhales]
[jet engine roars]
Thanks.
[sighs] The Yule
Horn of Dimmuborgir.
How does it work?
It's a cipher.
Like the Rosetta Stone?
Exactly.
So all we have
to do is compare
the horn to the manuscript
to reveal the true meaning?
Yes, well, the true meaning
in ancient Norse runes.
Do you read
ancient Norse runes?
No, but I know
someone who does.
[jet engine roars]
CHASE: All right, gentlemen.
That's it.
You're all set.
Merry Christmas.
[exhales]
Stefanie?
Chase.
Hi.
CHASE: Hi.
Hi.
How-- how are you?
I'm doing good.
Good.
I'm glad.
That's-- that's great.
So what brings you to Boston?
You.
I actually came here to--
to see you.
[chuckles] All right.
Just give me a second.
We'll-- we'll talk.
So can we count
on his assistance?
[playful music]
[clears throat]
Well, who's this?
Victor Grimes.
I'm underwriting the expedition.
Oh, dear.
Expedition?
[laughs] So this is about work.
This is Chase Baxter.
Baxter?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I didn't realize this
was your husband.
Ex-husband.
Excuse me.
Thanks.
Chase, just give me a second.
Chase, Just wait.
Chase.
Treasure hunt.
You know, I haven't
seen you for two years,
and you show up about
a treasure hunt.
This isn't just
any treasure hunt.
It never is, Stefanie.
Like, for example,
you leave Thanksgiving
with my parents, first one, to
go raid a castle in England.
Or how about when you leave
our honeymoon early to go
do a dig in Cairo?
OK, that was
Luxor, and those were
all very important expeditions.
You know what?
They're all more important than
everything else in your life.
I don't want to fight.
I just wanted--
I just wanted your
help with one thing.
We don't always get
what we want, Stefanie.
It's the treasure
of the Jlasveinar.
[intriguing music]
Dead language expert and
Christmas tree salesman.
Unusual resume.
Yeah, Chase is an archivist
at the Museum of Fine Arts.
He just helps out with his
parents' Christmas tree lot
during the holidays.
Well, I don't know if it's a
perfect translation, but, uh,
I think it says, "To find
what they hold most dear,
begin as the bishop
does on his square."
Now, you're sure
that's what it says?
Well, this is as close
as we're gonna get.
That's amazing.
I can't believe this worked.
Well, look, if we leave now, we
can be in Reykjavik by morning.
Yeah.
How long will it take you
to collect your things?
[laughs] I'm not
going to Iceland.
Chase.
Chase, there's gonna
be more to translate.
I mean, there's 13 Lads,
which means 13 clues,
counting down to Christmas Day.
Well, good luck finding
somebody else who can help.
No, no, no.
The moment word gets out that
the horn has been discovered,
there will be 100
treasure hunters after it.
We do not have the
luxury of time.
I'm sorry.
That's not my problem.
What will it take to get
you on that plane, hmm?
Name your price.
What, a research grant?
Stefanie.
He agreed to help us
with the horn, and he did.
Dr. Baxter--
There will be
other translators.
We're fine.
Thank you.
I mean, I'd say you have no
idea how much this means to me,
but I think you might
be the one person
on Earth who actually does.
You're welcome.
I don't want to take
up any more of your time.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
And listen, if you're ever in
Providence, I owe you a drink.
You don't know me anything.
[gentle music]
According to legend, the clues
are only accessible in the days
leading up to Christmas.
So how long is it gonna
take to find a replacement?
We won't need a replacement.
CHASE: Wait.
Told you.
All right.
Who else you got?
- I'll call Dorsey.
- Nope.
Dorsey is on a three-week
Christmas cruise,
- halfway to the Bahamas.
- Ramirez.
Mm-mm.
She and her fiance are at
a Santa Summit in Duluth.
Are you on some
sort of group text?
- [groans]
- Carlton.
London.
Now, here's the deal.
I promised my parents I'd work
this lot until Christmas Eve.
If you want me to
go with you, you
got to buy out their inventory.
That's the deal.
Are you sure he's the one?
Yeah.
You take personal checks?
[upbeat orchestral music]
Now, I apologize for
the accommodation,
but it was the best I
could do at short notice.
Oh.
[laughs] I think
we'll muddle through.
Now, you need anything, you
can call me on my cell phone.
- Yeah?
- Wait.
You're not staying?
Unfortunately, I have a
charity function in Prague.
But don't worry.
I will be back in time to
help collect the treasure.
So Merry Christmas
and good luck.
CHASE: Merry Christmas.
Wow.
What?
[laughs]
So which room do you want?
I mean, I'll--
I'll let you choose.
OK.
Look at this.
Ah, it's an advent calendar.
That is so cute.
It's-- it's even
on the right day.
I wonder if they
have someone who
comes in and opens up all
the boxes, like, a turndown
service or something.
Hey, are you sure
you're OK with this?
Well, I mean, I'd rather
open the boxes myself.
- It kind of spoils the fun.
- Uh, no.
I mean, you and me working
together like this.
Yeah.
Why?
Do I-- am I-- do--
am I acting weird?
Do I not seem OK?
[stammers]
You know, maybe we
should unpack and then
meet back here in 15 minutes.
Yeah.
OK.
So then, uh, do you
want me to choose?
- Yeah, you can choose.
- Just whatever-- what--
Yeah, I don't care.
It's fine.
[sighs]
"Happy hunting.
Victor."
[gentle music]
It's Jlakotturinn.
It's the Yule Lads' cat.
In Icelandic Christmas
stories, sometimes
he's as tall as a house.
Ha.
How big's his ball of yarn?
Yeah.
[chuckles]
Man, what time is it?
- It's getting dark already.
- I know.
Welcome to Christmas in Iceland.
You get about, mm,
four hours of daylight
Gah.
So what do you remember
about the legend?
I remember that there
are 13 naughty little elves
that hid stolen treasure
in a mountain in Iceland.
They're not elves.
They're Lads.
They're a bedtime
story that parents tell
their kids at Christmastime.
Oftentimes, history and
mythology are intertwined.
[laughs] OK, Dr. Baxter.
What's our next move?
Skalholt Cathedral.
When built, it became the
Episcopal seat of Iceland,
the official seat of--
Of the bishop.
Begin, as the bishop
does, on his square.
OK.
How are we gonna begin now?
Maybe where it's warmer?
Let's go.
So at the end of
the 18th century,
they moved the episcopal
seat to Reykjavik,
so the Dmkirkjan Church.
So the bishop has two seats?
My money's on this one.
[sighs]
What, is that a lock pick kit?
Yeah.
You got a better idea?
[door hinge squeaking]
Oh.
Holiday hours.
Oh, hello.
Yes.
Good evening.
All right.
OK.
OK.
All right.
So there should
be some markings,
you know, signs, little signs
telling us where to look.
What, sort of-- kind of
like an X marks the spot?
Yeah, something like that.
[sighs] I don't know.
Maybe I was wrong.
Maybe the clue was about
the Dmkirkjan Church.
Hold on a second.
Did I hear you correctly?
Did you actually just
admit that you were wrong?
Good point.
Ah.
Wait.
Help me move this.
Come on.
You're gonna hurt yourself.
OK.
Come on.
Hurry.
Someone might come in.
What, this, too?
Yeah, and this one.
1, 2, 3.
Ah.
Right.
Look at this.
Look at this.
It's a chessboard.
Right?
"Begin as the bishop."
So it's got to be
one of these squares.
Just which one?
Well, if you had let me
teach you the game of chess
like I wanted to--
Yeah, I'm more of a
Monopoly girl, really.
- -then you would know that
the bishop starts in one of four
squares, here, here, and--
[thud]
Here.
Hold on.
I can never find
anything in here.
That's because you throw
everything in your bag
haphazardly, just like you
did the Christmas lights.
What do you mean,
Christmas lights?
Every year that you were in
charge of the Christmas lights,
you just threw
them into the box.
And the year, they
were a tangled mess.
Christmas lights tangle.
That's what they do.
Well, no, not if you put
them in the box with care.
You got to roll them up.
It takes some patience.
Well, patience isn't
exactly something
I have much of sometimes.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Proceed.
- You good?
- Mm-hmm.
All right.
Gosh.
Do you have your flashlight?
[gasps] Whoa.
[gentle music]
What's that?
Malt & Appelsin, like
Christmas in a glass.
You'll love it.
Mm.
Yeah, it tastes
like orange soda.
All right.
So this clue is
from Stekkjarstaur.
He's the first Lad to
arrive every Christmas.
OK.
This is how I was
able to translate it.
Um, "A light in the
darkness will show the way."
Now, are all the clues
gonna be this cryptic?
Well, Jlasveinar is hiding
a treasure of untold fortune.
It's meant to be cryptic.
Are you looking for
the Yule Lad treasure?
Why?
Do you know where it is?
Everybody knows it's
hidden up in Dimmuborgir.
Well, I heard it
was a Viking plunder,
and they hid it under the
statue of Leif Erikson.
Why would they bury
it under a statue?
Why would they
hide it in a cave?
It could be full of rats.
It's where they live.
Well, some say it
doesn't exist at all.
Ah.
I mean, the Lads were
known for their tricks.
It exists.
It's as real as Kris
Kringle himself.
Yeah.
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
Uh, should we be talking
about this in the open?
Treasure hunters have been
searching for this for years.
You're gonna hear conversations
like this all over Reykjavik,
but they all know it's
impossible without the Yule
Horn.
Yeah, we got the Yule Horn.
Yeah, that part you might
want to keep to a whisper.
Oh.
Sorry.
[intriguing music]
The key is here.
In Reykjavik.
[intriguing music]
[festive music]
Thank you so much.
Merry Christmas.
Thank you.
Hey, so what are you
getting, cookies for breakfast?
No, not for me.
So I'm pretty sure that
Stekkjarstaur's clue
is leading us to the
Viking ruins of Skardshlid.
Well, that's,
like, 100 miles away.
I know.
I have a friend, Oli Stefansson.
So he's a pilot, and he's flown
me on some expeditions before,
and he'll get us
where we need to go.
Maybe.
Maybe?
What's maybe?
Well, I think have gotten
us into some light peril.
Peril?
Well, uh, light peril.
But it was months ago.
I'm sure it's water
under the bridge by now.
Cosplay Yule Lads.
13 local men dress
up every year,
and they run around Reykjavik.
It's kind of like some
rowdy mall Santas.
[icelandic nickname]
Oli.
Hi.
It is so good to see you.
STEFANIE: You, too.
Merry Christmas.
Hey, Merry Christmas.
Look at that beard.
Thank you.
Oli, this is Chase.
Hello.
Hi.
Chase, this is Oli.
Or should I say Stfur?
I'm, uh, Giljagaur.
Actually, today is his day.
I'm the second one to come
down from Dimmuborgir,
and I lurk in the gullies,
and I steal jugs of milk.
So each of the Lads have
their own unique traits.
So, uh, Spoon
Licker licks spoons.
Pot Scraper scrapes pots.
Candle Stealer--
Steals candles.
I mean, we all have our hobbies.
Yeah, well, it's
nice to meet you.
Likewise.
So, Oli, hey.
Can we have a ride?
No, no, no, no, no.
No, no, no, Oli,
li, Oli, li.
Did she tell you what
happened Eyjafjordur?
She did not.
Oh, come on.
We survived.
And we have a great story right.
And now we can laugh about it.
[laughs nervously] No?
Piparkokur?
[crunch]
Mm.
Oh, um--
Your favorite.
I have to stay for the rest
of the day at the market,
and I don't want to
disappoint the kids,
but you may have my Jeep.
- It's parked up at the church.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm gonna bring it back
with the tank full of gas.
Well, I'm just happy if
you bring it back at all.
Good.
[melodically humming] Hello.
So Eyjafjordur.
What happened?
Later.
[upbeat orchestral music]
All right.
What kind of Christmas music
do you want to listen to?
Traditional Christmas music
or upbeat Christmas music?
[laughs] Neither.
What?
It's a 2.5-hour drive.
Yeah, exactly.
All right, fine.
You know what?
Rock, paper, scissors.
OK.
[grumbles]
Ah.
Upbeat.
Good choice.
Yeah.
[engine revs]
[tense music]
[adventurous music]
CHASE: Careful.
There are markings
on this one.
"A light in the darkness
will show the way."
That's good.
So what does-- what
does Giljagaur's clue say?
OK.
Uh, all right.
Uh, "To see the unseen,
you must hide with me."
That's it?
There's also, uh, a
series of unrelated symbols.
So we got tree,
river, life, snow.
Uh, this is a symbol
for well and light.
Ah.
What do you think it means?
I don't know.
You know, we should ask
Oli when we get back.
Maybe he has some ideas.
Oh, Oli.
Are you and Oli-- were you
guys-- have you guys ever--
would you--
No.
What?
No, no.
We're just friends.
We're friends.
I mean, not that
it's my business.
No, it's totally not
your business, but we're--
I'm-- I'm not seeing anyone.
I mean, there's no
time to see anyone.
I'm not dating.
Are you?
Me?
Uh-huh.
No, no.
- No?
- No.
Great.
Look.
Look at these ruins.
I mean, they are just--
like, look at this.
It's incredibly well
preserved, right?
I mean, we're standing
in what would probably
be a Viking's longhouse.
Truly, the hearth could
have been right over here.
Did you know that Vikings
would fell a tree for Yule,
and they would hang up clothing
and-- and food on it, much
like the modern Christmas tree?
Of course, you knew that.
You know, I love seeing
you in your element.
I, um-- I've always imagined
what you would look like when
you're on one of your quests.
It's not a quest.
It's not a quest?
What would you call it?
It's a treasure hunt.
So a treasure hunt's
better than a quest?
Yeah.
We're literally
hunting for treasure.
OK.
OK.
[chuckles]
Is this is everything
you imagined it would be?
No, I, um--
I always imagined you being
chased by a giant boulder.
There's still time.
[laughs]
I have a photograph
of my mother
standing in that very spot.
Now, she had never
had any idea just how
close she was to the treasure.
Why did she give up?
I don't know.
I guess you can only take so
many disappointments, you know,
before you throw in the towel.
She never told you?
Nah.
I was 13.
She just said she was done.
She donated the
Olafsson manuscript
to the Reykjavik Museum, and
she never returned to Iceland.
Well, here's what
I think, Stefanie.
I think that you are gonna
finish what your mother started
and prove to the whole
world that she was right.
Maybe.
You will.
You sound so sure.
I am.
Why?
Because I know you.
[gentle music]
Uh, what next?
Where do we go now?
Have you ever had kaest skata?
[chatter]
I am sorry.
I don't know what this means.
Come on.
Really?
I mean, look at you.
You're-- you are a Giljagaur.
Yeah, for two weeks out
of the year, Stefanie.
It's-- come on.
It's Christmastime.
Let's just-- let's just
forget about this, OK?
Let's just go to my mother's.
I mean, she would
love to see you again.
And we can have, Lakkristoppar.
So you-- you met his mother.
WAITRESS: There you go.
Oh, thank you.
WAITRESS: You're welcome.
Oh, god.
What is that?
STEFANIE: This is
fermented skate.
Oli: Mm.
It's a Christmas delicacy.
The fish is buried in
the sand for six months.
It's a true labor of love.
Wow.
Wow.
When in Reykjavik, right?
Yeah, that's right.
[suspenseful music]
[retches] I'm gonna get
something, all right?
I'll be right back.
[laughter]
Have you told him
that you miss him?
What?
And don't lie to the Yule
Lad, because you will get
a rotten potato in your shoe.
Even if I did--
Which you do--
We were together
for seven years.
We were married
for five of them.
You know, we spent a really long
time trying to make it work,
and it just got too hard.
You know?
Maybe it wasn't meant to last.
Maybe we're too different.
I don't know.
I've seen you jump
out of an airplane,
rappel down the
side of a mountain.
Since when are you
scared of a challenge?
[sighs] Since I
realized he wasn't happy.
And I love him too much to be
the thing that hurt him, so I--
I let him go.
But you know what?
I don't have time to
think about what ifs.
You know the legend.
I have 11 days to
figure this out.
I am finding this treasure,
and then all of the sacrifices
will be worth it.
You can't chase
happiness, Stefanie.
You-- you have to
find it where you are.
And Christmas time with
the ones that you love,
that's the greatest
treasure of all.
That was very insightful.
It's on the chalkboard.
STEFANIE: Oh.
[chuckles]
All right.
What did I miss?
Oh, nothing.
All right.
So are you sure you don't
know what this means?
Guys, the Yule
Lads' treasure, it's
been undisturbed for
centuries, and maybe it
should stay that way.
[suspenseful music]
There's coffee on.
Ah.
Well, good morning.
Morning.
[clears throat]
Coffee, coffee.
Late night?
Eh.
What is this?
Ah.
They were selling it downstairs.
It's to build a snowman.
You bought this?
You want to build a snowman.
I mean, I don't not
want to build a snowman.
I don't know about that.
What about that?
What are you working on?
Right.
The Dimmuborgir.
It is the fabled home
of the Yule Lads.
Ah, home of their mother.
Gryla.
Gryla, the ogress
who gobbles up
naughty little children,
ogres, elves, giant cats.
- Uh, it's not elves.
- Oh, sorry.
- Not elves.
- Sorry.
OK.
So what do you got?
The second line here.
- It's all numbers, right?
- Yeah, but they're also--
I mean, they're on
the Yule Horn key.
OK, but I'm just
wondering, what if--
what if they're not
meant to be translated?
You mean, what if they're
just meant to be numbers?
Yeah.
OK.
I mean, even if
that's true, what
do you think they stand for?
Coordinates.
Coordinates.
OK, so if these
numbers represent
longitude and latitude,
then these are way off.
Yeah, unless Vikings used
additive and subtractive
properties.
OK.
So for the number 14, they
would use the symbols 10 and 4?
Nice.
Yeah.
OK.
All right.
Then if that's true,
it is telling us--
CHASE: Right there.
STEFANIE: --to go here.
Please tell me that this
is one of those hot springs
that this country is famous for.
Now, you might want
to grab your ice pick.
We're going for a hike.
[adventurous music]
If you could be haunted
by any one of the three
Christmas Carol
ghosts, who would
you choose, past,
present, or future.
What?
Yeah, it's just
a fun hypothetical.
I'm just making conversation.
All right.
I guess I would choose the
Ghost of Christmas Past,
because I would ask
him to take me back
to a Christmas of
historical importance,
you know, like,
Washington crossing
the Delaware or the signing
of the Treaty of Ghent.
Nerd.
You're-- you're-- you're
only allowed to see
Christmases from your own past.
Says who?
Uh, Charles Dickens.
I guess if I'd
had to choose, I'd--
I'd go back to that Christmas
we spent in Bangor, Maine.
When the heat
died in the cabin?
Yeah, yeah.
We had to build a fire.
Ah.
You insisted on making that
tea out of, like, pine needles.
OK.
I read somewhere
that it was good.
- Yeah, well, somewhere lied.
- [laughs]
Oh, and we cut down
our own tree that year.
Remember that?
That was such a great tree.
Yeah, and then we
strung popcorn along it
that we made on the fire.
Popcorn that you didn't
manage to eat first.
Rude.
Yeah, I guess I'd
go back to that one.
[waterfall roaring]
The entrance should be
just behind the falls.
[suspenseful music]
It's not a bad day
at the office, huh?
Huh.
I have never seen anything
like this in my life.
Ah, this place is huge.
Hello!
[voice echoing]
Huh.
It's got to be here somewhere.
Yeah.
STEFANIE: So the clue
at Skardshlid said,
"To see the unseen,
you must hide with me."
And the Lad is Giljagaur.
Right, who hides in gullies.
Is it weird that this
is all starting to make
a strange kind of sense to me?
And so if I were gonna
hide, where would I hide?
See, I think the question
is, where could you hide?
It's a pretty barren
tunnel in here.
Little nooks and crannies.
Ah.
- I see something.
- Huh?
Come over here.
It looks like a lever.
CHASE: What?
Look at this.
Huh.
CHASE: Oh.
[laughs] That's amazing.
Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hold on now.
Hold on.
You pull that lever, what
happens if it triggers
a booby trap and
then the ceiling
falls in on us or the
wall cave in or something?
It's never gonna happen.
I mean, fingers crossed.
OK.
[lever squeaks]
[rocks grinding]
Wow.
[laughs]
This'll be Stfur's clue.
Yeah.
Wow.
This is amazing.
All right.
Are you ready?
Yep.
Go for it.
OK.
"Between the valley
and the peak,
take 30 steps to the left, and
you will find the treasure"--
"the treasure that you seek."
Hot dog.
[exhales]
[thud]
[rocks grinding]
What was that?
[thudding]
[rock grinding]
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
[rock grinding]
[dramatic music]
[panting]
Any luck?
No.
It goes on for, like, a mile,
and then it's a dead end.
OK.
Let's think.
Don't worry.
OK?
I-- I've gotten out of every
cave I've ever been trapped in.
[laughs] You know
that's not as comforting
as you think it is.
OK.
We do have an
option out of here.
Yeah?
What is it?
- Up.
- Huh?
[laughs] What are
you talking about?
No, I'm serious.
I just feel like if I could
get to the top of this--
Hold on, Stefanie.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
There's a 40-foot gap
between the tip of that
and the hole in the roof.
Do I have any say in this?
- Well, of course.
- OK.
Well, then that's
a terrible idea.
- We're not doing that.
- Noted.
Now, give me a boost.
I'm not.
[stammers] You know what?
We'll wait.
We're gonna wait for Oli.
Whoa we're going
to wait for Oli.
OK, great, Oli, who has no
idea we're even out here.
OK.
What if were to call for help?
Help!
Help!
That's great.
That's great.
You really should stop,
because the people
that are miles away from
here are not gonna hear that.
Come on, Chase.
This is the only way out.
You were the most stubborn
person that I have ever met.
Stubborn?
I am trying to get
us out of here.
Right, without any
regard to your own safety.
I-I don't care
if it's dangerous.
We have to get out of here.
I care.
I care if it's dangerous.
I care if you get hurt.
But you don't care what I think.
You don't care
about my feelings.
That is not true.
Yeah, it is.
No, that is not true.
WOMAN: Hello?
H-hi.
- WOMAN: Hey.
- Hi.
CHASE: Hi.
Hey, are you
guys OK down there?
No.
[laughs]
STEFANIE: No.
We need your help, please.
Yeah.
You're lucky I was in the area.
Thank you.
We-- we'd really appreciate
it if you could help us out.
You're very welcome.
I'll get you up in a flash.
There's just one thing
I need from you first.
Yeah?
What's that?
Stfur's clue.
Uh, I'm sorry.
What?
Dr. Baxter, ignorance
does not become you.
I mean the clue written
in your journal.
Who are you?
It doesn't matter who I am.
Yeah.
Actually, it does to us.
Well, I'm the person with the
rope, and I'm proposing a trade.
In exchange for my assistance,
you give me what I want.
It seems fair.
We're not
interested in a trade.
Uh, [laughs nervously] could
you hold on just a second?
Just a second.
I am very, very
interested in a trade.
(WHISPERS) She must
be a treasure Hunter.
So?
So?
We give her the journal,
she has all of our clues.
That is my mother's
life work and mine.
Chase, it will be lost.
I understand that, Stefanie.
I really do.
We could die out here.
Hey, can we move it along?
It's really cold up here.
[tense music]
Fine.
I'm so sorry.
Fine.
OK, just toss it up.
And don't even
think about tearing
a page from that journal.
[sighs] Here.
I'm sorry.
[tense music]
Now, I'm gonna
throw this up there.
You promise you're
gonna throw a rope down?
Yeah.
Scout's honor.
All right.
[suspenseful music]
You know, you have
really neat penmanship.
Thank you.
The rope?
CHASE: Ah.
STEFANIE: The rope?
You know, she didn't
look like a Girl Scout.
[rope thuds]
[groans]
Hey, did you know her?
No, I didn't.
Well, she knew you.
I'm sorry about
your mother's journal.
Yeah.
Me, too.
[gentle music]
What are you reading?
Oh, I'm reading the Life
and Adventures of Santa Claus
by L. Frank Baum.
Is that the one your mother
used to read to you every year?
Yeah.
It reminds me of home.
I'm sorry.
If it weren't for
me, you'd be home
with your family
for the holidays
instead of stuck
in this hotel room.
Yeah, well, it is
a lovely hotel room.
Yeah, for a Bond villain.
Yeah.
[both chuckle]
It's, uh-- it's ostentatious.
You know, the little
soaps in my bathroom
have my name on them?
Yeah.
Mine, too.
Your little, tiny soaps
have your name on them?
No, I have soaps
with your name on them.
Oh.
[laughs]
So what are you gonna do?
I don't know.
Mm?
I don't-- I don't know.
I mean, there's probably
a dozen treasure hunters
out there by now, on the trail.
We know there's at least one.
Mm-hmm.
I still remember
Gully-Gawk's clue.
Yeah.
She's probably gonna figure
that out in about two seconds.
And then everything else
she needs is in the journal.
Right.
But in the meantime, that means
that we're on equal footing.
- Maybe you're right.
- Hold on.
What'd you say?
I said, "Maybe you're right."
Because you never
say that I'm right,
which means, to me,
that you really are just
feeling like things are bleak.
You know those drinks are,
like, three times the price?
Good thing they're on Victor.
[glasses clattering]
Stefanie, you did not come all
this way to give up, did you?
[gentle music]
[laughs]
I used to hate Iceland,
because for the longest time,
I felt like I shared my
mother with this place.
I mean, she would
miss Christmases
and birthdays and recitals.
And when she told me she was
finally ending her search,
I was--
I was so happy.
- That was pretty selfish, right?
- No.
- You missed her.
- Yeah.
I had this feeling that she
was just always choosing
the next adventure over me.
And, well, then I
turned around and did
the very same thing to you.
Here's the deal.
I had this expectation
of what our life
together was gonna be like.
And when that didn't
happen, I was upset.
But I knew exactly who you
were when I married you.
You were rash and
stubborn and impatient--
OK.
I'm pretty sure those
mean the same thing.
- -bold and brave
and brilliant.
You were all of these
things, and that's
why I fell in love with you.
I shouldn't have asked you
to give up your adventures.
I should have asked you to
find a place for me in them.
I used to shake
the box of lights
on the way down from the attic.
What?
I would tangle the
lights on purpose.
Why?
Why would you do that?
Because you're right.
I was always so busy
and I don't know.
When the lights were
tangled, I liked
decorating the tree together.
It lasted longer.
[sighs] Do I like fruitcake?
Yeah.
Is it good to me?
Yeah, you definitely do.
You-- you had it at my Christmas
faculty party that one year.
Yeah.
Did I?
Yeah.
You had, like, two slices.
If you don't-- try it.
[sighs]
STEFANIE: Oh, come on.
Are you serious?
You will follow me
into a lava cave,
but you won't trust me on this.
It's a cake.
It's fruitcake.
Reminder.
We got trapped in a lava cave.
- Just eat the cake.
- [laughs]
- Eat the cake.
- Here.
Let me see.
[crunch]
Hmm.
I like it.
It's good.
[gentle music]
All right.
[clears throat] I have an idea.
Do you want to hear it?
Sure.
I wonder if we could
forgive each other
and forget about all the
mistakes of our past and just--
just get back to being friends.
I'd really like that.
CHASE: Yeah.
OK.
Skal.
Skal.
[glasses clink]
[gentle music]
So 11 Lads left means
11 clues to track down,
and then we find the greatest
Christmas treasure of all time.
[laughs]
[laughs] Stubby, Spoon Licker,
Pot Scraper, Bowl Licker,
Door Slammer, Skyr
Gobbler, Sausage Swiper,
Window Peeper, Doorway Sniffer,
Meat Hook, and Candle Begger.
Oh, then we
better get started.
Who's next?
Stfur.
[gentle music] It starts
snowing all around us
Magic feeling in you and me
Rediscover how our love is
In the air this Christmas Eve
[singing in icelandic]
Every day is an untold story
In our own winter wonderland
Finding love in all its glory
We're together, hand in hand
[upbeat music]
(SINGING) Through
the quiet of December
In each mile and in each tear
Let us pause and truly remember
Christmas lives in
all we hold dear
Candle lights are
growing brighter
The spirit of Christmas is near
We ignite a kindle and fire
And lay all your love on me
The love around us is glowing
I'm right where I want to be
This Christmas, just you and me
CHASE: "Where the
poet lays his head,
you will find the next step.
Two brothers left.
Then our treasure is yours."
Two Lads away.
So what are you gonna
do if you find it?
Uh, when I find it?
Right.
When you find it.
I don't know.
I mean, for starters, the
first round of eggnog is on me.
I'm talking about
after, when you're not
having a scale down
icy walls at Christmas
or weather snowy fjords.
What's next for the
amazing Stefanie Baxter?
I don't know.
I mean, I guess I'll just have
to find a new dream to chase.
[cat meows]
CHASE: Aw.
Aw, look at you.
Where'd you come from?
Well, let's check his collar.
You're a very
long way from home.
I can relate.
CHASE: Let's go find your home.
- CHASE: Here we are.
- There we go.
CHASE: This is the right place.
Is this your home?
[knocking on door]
STEFANIE: Oh.
Oh, here she comes.
[speaking icelandic]
Jlakotturinn.
We found him on
the Rainbow Road.
Oh, you're Americans.
Hey, I'm Stefanie,
and this is Chase.
- Hey.
- Ah.
Hi.
Oh, he must have snuck
out when my husband
went to get the Christmas tree.
My name is Birgitta.
Hi.
My husband used to work
at the Icelandic Embassy
in DC for, what, five years.
- Oh, that's interesting.
- Yeah
Oh.
CHASE: Whoa.
- BIRGITTE: Yeah.
- Wow.
Won't you come in?
Oh, no, no.
We're gonna-- th-thank you.
That's--
We-- we wouldn't
want to impose.
No, come on.
I insist.
Please.
Come on in.
You can just put your
coats on the chairs here.
I was just making leaf bread.
If you have some
time to spare, I
could send you off with a
fresh batch as a thank you.
It smells delicious.
BIRGITTE: Mm.
Have you ever made leaf bread?
CHASE: Mm-mm.
Come, come, come,
come, come, come.
It's a flat bread
that you decorate
with any pattern you like.
It's my favorite
Christmas tradition.
I used to make it with my
daughter when she was young,
but now she's grown up
with kids of her own.
- You want to try?
- Me?
Yeah.
Oh, boy.
Um, I mean, I'm not very
artistic, so I don't think--
Well, it's not a
question about style.
It's the experience that's
important, not the end result.
- Well, OK.
- Let's see.
- Go for it.
- Let's see what I got, ladies.
OK.
You got this.
All right.
You ready?
- Yep.
- Uh-huh.
How's that?
- Oh.
- All right.
Very good.
Very good.
And there we go.
- Wow.
- What do you think?
Look at that.
that-- you know what?
That is-- it's a
pretty nice snowman.
It's not a snowman.
It's a tree.
Oh, oh.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
No.
I-I-I totally-- I see that.
That's good.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a-- it's
a-- it's a fine--
- You see it?
- --tree?
It's a very round tree.
OK, wise guy.
- Let's see what you got.
- Give me that roller.
Yeah.
The most important thing
about making leaf bread
is that it is a
tradition to be shared.
MAN: [groans] The weather
out there is a [icelandic].
Hi.
Hi.
Hi Uh, I'm Chase.
This is Stefanie.
Your wife--
- Hi, there.
- --let us in.
Hi, I'm Jn.
Jlakotturinn got out
again, and these two were
kind enough to bring him home.
The little rascal.
He causes as much
mischief as his namesake.
So, please, will you
be staying for dinner?
We're having kaest skata.
Skata.
Why does it always
got to be skata?
[upbeat music]
We'd love to.
[festive music]
But she didn't tell
us where she put them.
So the next time
there was a power cut,
because of a snowstorm,
we were, like,
fumbling around in the dark.
Where are the candles?
[laughs] Where are the candles?
What about your traditions?
Uh, do you go caroling, or--
Well, I kind of have a
terrible voice, so not really.
No, I don't believe that.
But you go ice skating, maybe?
Jolabokaflod.
Oh, the Christmas book flood.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yes.
My mom actually spent a
lot of time in Iceland,
and she loved the tradition of
a new book every Christmas Eve.
Stef loves books so
much, one year, I gave her
a book for Christmas, she
read the whole thing before I
got to chapter 1 in my book.
So from that Christmas
on, she gets two books.
It's true.
OK.
[laughs] And is that what
brings you to Iceland,
then, family, or--
- CHASE: No.
- Not exactly.
Nah.
No.
In fact, we are on a quest.
It's not a quest.
Uh, yeah.
It is a Christmas quest.
What?
Have you ever heard of
the treasure of Jlasveinar?
Yeah.
Of course.
You have?
I mean, it's a
well-known legend.
I-I heard it, like, a billion
times when I was growing up.
All right.
Question for you.
Do you think it's real?
I do.
Have you ever
tried to find it?
Ha.
No.
You know, my life
is full of riches.
So why would I go and
look for them elsewhere?
[gentle music]
You know what?
This has been so lovely.
CHASE: Yeah.
I think we should
probably head out.
It's been lovely.
Thank you.
Oh, in that case, you'll have
to take some of the laufabraud
- with you.
- Oh.
I mean, you helped make it.
But I couldn't
eat another bite.
I don't--
Beautiful snowman.
Yeah, that's-- that's
a-- that's a tree.
Thank you for
dinner, and thank you
for letting two
total strangers help
decorate your Christmas tree.
There are no strangers
at Christmastime.
Merry Christmas.
Gledileg Jl
[gentle music]
Oh, look.
It's the Saint Thorlak's
Day Walk for Peace.
Oh.
Well, we should join.
Well, what about
Gattapefur's clue?
I mean, we've lost
so much time already.
What's another hour?
This is right here, right now.
You don't want to miss this.
Come on.
The church is stunning.
Yeah, it's
beautiful, isn't it?
- Hi.
- Hi, there.
Good evening.
Oh, thank you.
Gledileg Jl.
Thank you.
STEFANIE: OK.
I'm sorry.
How did you get roped into
a gingerbread house contest?
CHASE: I got ambushed.
My mom calls me up.
She wants a ride
to her book club.
Next thing I know, I got
an icing bag in my hand.
OK.
So how'd you do?
- You know, I got disqualified.
- For what?
Apparently, to
meet the criteria,
your house has to have
four walls, upright.
[laughs] I wish I
could have seen this.
No, not a chance.
Ah, you know what?
I'm gonna text your mom.
You know what?
As much as she would
love to hear from you,
I made her delete the evidence.
I would give anything to have
just one more day with my mom.
I just wish you had known her.
You know, I feel
like I do a little bit.
You've always spoken
so fondly of her.
I feel like I just see
her all over this place.
I really do,
because she spent so
many Christmases
here, in Iceland,
before she retired
to teach full time.
And then we had 10 Christmases
together before she passed,
10 really great Christmases.
You know, if you think
about it, being here,
in Iceland, it's kind of like
you get one more with her.
Yeah, yeah.
It is.
You never answered the question.
What question?
Ghost of Christmas
Past, Present, or Future?
Ah, Future.
Really?
Yeah.
I mean, who wouldn't want
to see their future mistakes
and have a second chance
to make better choices?
Yeah, seriously.
It probably could have
spared us the heartache.
Us?
Yeah.
Look, I made a
lot of mistakes,
and I have a lot of
regrets, Stefanie,
but you were not one of them.
How can you say that, though,
I mean, after everything?
Because that time with you was
the happiest time of my life.
Yeah, but--
[chuckles] even though
we ended up here?
Even knowing how it ended,
I would do it all again.
[gentle music]
Come on.
[dramatic music]
Hello, Gattapefur.
[dramatic music]
CHASE: "On a threshold of oak,
guarded by a trusted friend,
once in hand, the
search nears its end."
- A door, you think?
- Yeah.
Most likely.
Yeah.
Yeah?
[chuckles] How many doors
do you think are in Iceland?
"Guarded by a trusted friend."
Did the Yule Lads
have any friends?
One.
So this is the door from
Magnus Olafsson's library.
Jlakotturinn.
Yeah.
- The Yule Lads' cat.
- Exactly.
The clue has got
to be in that door.
Well, where's the door now?
Looking.
[keyboard clacking]
- Oh, no.
- What?
What's wrong?
How long do you think it
would take you to find a tux?
On Christmas Eve?
[gentle music]
Ready or not.
[gentle music]
Wow.
You look beautiful.
Thank you.
You look very, very handsome.
Can I--
CHASE: Yeah.
Thank you.
Got you something.
What's this?
Well, it's Christmas Eve.
Oh.
Merry Jolabokaflod.
Thank you.
Really, thank you.
[gentle music]
There is not a day
that's gone by that I
haven't thought of you.
What if we made a mistake?
[gentle music]
[knocking on door]
[gentle music]
[playful music]
Wow.
Don't I suddenly
feel underdressed?
STEFANIE: So we can
find the final clue
in the Door of Jlakotturinn.
Used to be owned
by Magnus Olafsson
and now hangs in the
Natural History Museum.
Yeah.
The prime minister is hosting
a Christmas gala fundraiser.
Black tie.
- Invite only.
- Yeah.
So if we can get inside,
it'll be in the West Gallery.
Right.
Which will be, no doubt,
cordoned off from guests.
Right.
And there's gonna be an
increased security presence.
So just let me
get this straight.
To find the final clue,
you have to attend
a party you're not
invited to, search a room
- you're not permitted to enter--
- Mm.
Mm-hmm.
- -and avoid security
assigned to protect
- members of Parliament?
- Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, I think that about--
that about sums it up.
Yeah.
I trust you have a
very clever plan to get
in through the front doors?
We have a plan.
["deck the halls" playing]
Like I said, it is
Stefansson, Oli Stefansson.
I've already
checked it twice, sir.
There's no Oli
Stefansson on the list.
Please check again.
I've already checked
the list twice, sir.
Perhaps it's on the back.
Sir.
Sir.
Sir.
Sir.
Whoa.
You're not on the list.
Well, you may expect a
very strongly worded letter.
Next.
Ah, Mr. Skulason.
Jakob Johannessen.
And Asta Thomasdottir,
they have yet to arrive.
You're the best, Oli.
- Yes, yes.
- OK.
So you're on lookout, especially
for the woman we described.
And I have my phone with me
if anything goes sideways.
What, you mean just
like in Kpavogur?
What happened in Kpavogur?
OK, just keep the car
running just in case we
need to make a quick getaway.
You look very nice, by the way.
- Right back at you.
- Hey, hey, hey.
Enough, you two.
All right.
Are you ready?
As ready as I'll ever
be Mr. Johannessen.
All right, Mrs. Thomasdottir.
And, guys, just
be quick, because I
have the late night shift at
the market for the Yule Lad
cosplays.
Yeah, yeah.
[car doors closing]
Hello.
Jakob Johannessen
Asta Thomasdottir.
Ah, yes.
Of course.
Welcome.
[speaking icelandic]
Oh.
Thank you.
Wow.
This is some shindig, huh?
Think we'll have
time for eggnog?
Oh, I think eggnog
will have to wait.
["WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS"
PLAYING]
[whistling] Let's go.
["WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS"
PLAYING]
[suspenseful music]
Ah.
This isn't the right door.
What do you mean, "This
isn't the right door"?
It's got to be in some
other display room, right?
It's got to be.
Why don't we meet
back here in 15?
- You want to split up?
- Well, yeah.
It'll be faster that way.
Yeah, OK.
OK?
CHASE: Yeah.
Hey, be careful.
You always say that.
Yeah.
You never listen.
[laughs]
[suspenseful music]
The door.
[suspenseful music]
[gasps]
[dramatic music]
[sighs]
Is this the door?
[suspenseful music]
- [dramatic music]
- Oh.
- Sorry.
- Oh.
You almost gave
me a heart attack.
Sorry.
CHASE: Yeah.
- Any luck?
- No.
- You?
- No.
I don't know where
this thing could be.
All right.
In our museum, we rotate
an exhibit off the floor,
we stick it in storage.
So we're gonna want
to find a room--
Yeah, that one.
[elevator bell dings]
It's clear.
Go, go, go.
[gentle music]
Fornmunageymsla.
The coast is clear.
Hey, I don't
think your lock pick
is gonna work on this bad boy.
It doesn't really go
with this dress anyway.
[chuckles]
[gentle music]
Sorry.
It's OK.
All right.
What is your game plan?
I think it's time we
mingle with the guests.
[chatter, dramatic music]
["ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH"
PLAYING]
Ah.
Thank you.
["ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH"
PLAYING]
All right, you.
Go get 'em.
[sharp exhale] (IMITATES
ICELANDIC ACCENT) Mm.
Try the fruitcake.
It's delicious.
MAN: Ah.
Henrik Petters?
Yes.
Forgive me.
I--
Asta Thomasdottir.
Ah, of course.
Miss Thomasdottir.
Hmm.
Well, are you
enjoying the party?
(IMITATES ICELANDIC
ACCENT) Ah, it's wonderful.
- You know--
- Yes?
- -my brother works
for your company.
Your brother?
Lars Petters.
Oh.
Remarkable coincidence.
He speaks so highly of you.
Oh.
Well, Lars is a-- is a-- is a
valuable asset to the company.
So have you made
your decision yet?
Uh, the-- the-- the decision?
About the merger.
Oh, that.
That decis-- [screams]
(IMITATES ICELANDIC ACCENT)
Oh, oh, I am so sorry.
- You should be so sorry.
- I'm--
- Mr. Petters--
- --sorry.
- -are you're OK?
Oh, don't.
You blot.
Yeah.
You blot.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm OK.
There's only a little--
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Sir, let's get
this jacket off.
I'm quite all right.
I'm gonna take care
of this myself.
This was terrible.
Terrible.
I'm so sorry.
Did you get it?
I got it.
[laughs]
Let's go.
Good girl.
Hoo.
Ooh, on your left.
["carol of the bells" playing]
You know, we should have guessed
that she'd had the same idea.
Why didn't Oli warn us?
["GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN
(ROCK VERSION)" PLAYING]
["noel" playing]
I sure missed this.
["noel" playing]
She's leaving.
Hey, you know what?
I bet we can beat
her to the storage.
[chatter]
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
OK.
- Coast is clear.
- Look who's here.
Stefanie.
Chase.
- Oh, oh, oh.
- Hi.
Our American friends.
Hi.
[elevator bell dings]
Ah.
Hi.
JON: Yeah.
[icelandic]
JON: [icelandic] [laughs]
American?
This is Aster Thomasdottir?
What?
Is-- is it not?
Um, maybe we were mistaken.
Yeah, yeah.
These eyes are not
what they used to be.
[chuckles]
[tense music]
[whistling]
[beeping]
Thank you, Henrik.
[suspenseful music]
OK.
Uh, that looks like a door.
CHASE: Yeah.
It's a door but not the door.
CHASE: Not it.
What's this?
[suspenseful music]
CHASE: Uh-uh.
No, that's not it.
[suspenseful music]
Look at it.
Wow.
There it is.
Look at that.
Jlakotturinn.
Yeah.
Oh, what's this?
[thud]
[dramatic music]
[orchestral music]
It's the last clue.
[orchestral music]
[exhales]
Well, here.
You need to open it.
WOMAN: Hello?
You didn't lock the door?
No, no, no.
You didn't-- you
didn't lock the door?
No, I didn't.
[stammers]
- Aren't you gonna do that?
- OK.
[speaking icelandic]
Alfred Hitchcock, Notorious.
Have you seen it?
What?
I mean, I think
I've seen The Birds.
[exhales] Do you trust me?
[gasps] [icelandic]
[orchestral music]
Huh.
I got to see that movie.
Whoa.
I'm so sorry,
Ms. Thomasdottir.
Yes, I-I know.
This-- this is a
terrible mistake.
["WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS"
PLAYING]
Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey!
There they are.
There they are.
Uh-oh.
Time to go.
[dramatic music]
Go, go, go, go,
go, go, go, go, go.
Well, did you get it?
Yes.
CHASE: Go, go, go, go, go, go.
STEFANIE: Christmas
treasure, here we come.
[dramatic music]
Hey, Stef.
About the kiss, um--
I mean, what
choice do we have?
It was just a cover.
I-I-I know it didn't
mean anything.
Right.
Is that it, the final clue?
In your hand, you
hold the location
of the Yule Lad treasure.
Well, what's happened to it?
It looks like, uh, well, like
someone's put a flame to it.
Well, it's Candle
Stealer's clue.
Oh.
How do you light a candle?
- Well, with a flame.
- Mm-hmm.
Do you have a lighter?
Does anybody have a lighter?
Yeah.
Cool.
All right.
Watch your fingers.
[fire crackles]
Look at that.
"Descend below to find
the answers above.
The end of their story
is the beginning."
[lighter clicks]
The beginning of their
story is Dimmuborgir.
Dimmuborgir.
Of course.
What better hiding spot than
the Yule Lads' own home?
And these?
I think they're--
they're the answer to
some sort of combination.
Right.
Well, uh, grab your gear.
We'll take my jet and
meet the buyer there.
Buyer?
What buyer?
A-any treasure we find belongs
to the Reykjavik Museum.
I didn't agree to that.
Are you kidding me?
What happened to the-- the--
the-- the-- stewards of history?
Its untold fortune.
No one would give that up.
I would.
We are talking about the
kind of wealth that would fund
your research 20 times over.
Don't be a fool.
[scoffs]
Very well.
Have it your way.
I have everything I need.
Uh, can you help the
Baxters collect their things
and see them out?
I believe they have a
flight home to catch.
Uh, wait, wait.
What if, when you get
there, you find another clue
and you need a translator?
Well, Dr. Baxter
has made it very clear
that she wishes to
end our partnership.
Yeah, but I didn't.
I'll stay on for a cut.
But you would choose
treasure over your wife?
My ex-wife.
Well, I, uh--
I guess this is
where we say goodbye.
[tense music]
I was so close.
I almost had it.
Hey.
- Stefanie.
- You know what?
Whatever you have to say,
I don't want to hear it.
What is this, some
sort of payback?
What, for all the times you
thought I went on a treasure
- hunt instead of being with you?
- No.
Then how could you do that?
Because, if we're gonna
beat him to the treasure,
we are gonna need this.
Oh.
I had to let him
think that I chose him
to get close enough to take it.
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to
hurt your feelings.
Oh, no.
I forgive you.
[laughs] I totally forgive you.
I mean, the ex-wife
part was a little much.
- It was a little rough.
- Yeah.
Sorry about that.
It was.
OK, so now what?
[dramatic music]
Run.
[dramatic music]
Oli, a little help?
[dramatic music]
Boys, let's get 'em.
[all shouting, dramatic music]
[brakes squeal]
Get in.
[dramatic music]
CHASE: And go!
[tires squealing]
I want Kertasnkr's clue.
We don't have it.
I don't believe you.
I saw you at the
Minister's Gala.
We lost it.
Yeah, she's telling
you the truth, lady.
Then where is it now?
Hey.
Who-- why should we--
who are you, anyway?
I'm a descendant
of Magnus Olafsson.
Our family has long protected
the Yule Lads' treasure
from those who would
seek to exploit it
for their own personal gains.
So do you know
where it's hidden?
No, and my only objective
is to keep it that way.
Each generation is
tasked with protecting
the location of the treasure.
You're my first test.
Why leave a trail of
clues for a treasure
you don't want someone to find?
Not just someone,
someone worthy.
Hey, she's worthy.
[gentle orchestral music]
I have worked
so hard for this.
I won't take it for granted.
[gentle orchestral music]
You can call me Karlotta.
[gentle orchestral music]
[speaking icelandic]
Did you really think that
I would choose the promise
of a little treasure over you?
Mm.
It's a lot of treasure.
Stefanie.
Chase, you don't
owe me anything.
You don't.
If this treasure
exists, it shouldn't
belong to any one person.
If any one person should
find it, it should be you.
OK.
OK, guys.
My friend can get
to Dimmuborgir.
We'll have to meet him at the
airstrip, but we have to go now.
All right, let's finish this.
Come on.
Wait.
What?
Stefanie.
Just wait.
Yo, lovebirds,
we have to hurry.
It's not in Dimmuborgir.
Wh-wh-where is it?
The clue says, "The beginning
of the story is the end,"
but maybe it's not
the Lads' story.
Maybe it's our story, the
beginning of our adventure.
It's leading us to--
Skalholt Cathedral.
OK.
Are you sure?
You know, if you're
wrong, the treasure
will end up in the hands
of a greedy opportunist.
Sorry.
- Is that your friend?
- No, no.
They're not close.
You're good.
The clue is telling us to go
to Skalholt. I'm sure of it.
Let's go.
Let's go.
[gentle orchestral music]
[sighs]
[sighs] You must go below.
Hold on.
You're telling me that we were
standing above the treasure
on our first day?
The Yule Lads are
known for their tricks.
Here.
You'll need this.
Thank you.
Trust your instincts.
Stay true to your heart.
It's the only way to find
what you're looking for.
All things.
Thanks.
[gentle orchestral music]
Coming?
Into a dark tunnel?
No.
You're a treasure hunter, and
you're afraid of a dark tunnel?
I'm an accountant.
Oh.
Good luck.
[orchestral music]
STEFANIE: Look out for spiders.
I'll take spiders
over skata any day.
[chuckles]
[tense music]
CHASE: Now what?
They look like switches
or dials or something.
There must be a pattern.
You must descend below
to find the answers above.
This looks like a star map.
Right?
If this were a star map, than
the moon would be right there.
OK.
And if that's the
moon, then this tree
represents the Earth
below, which must
make these the stars above.
Right.
This would be the night
sky that the Yule Lads
could see from their homes.
OK.
You know, I had to singe that
parchment, right, in order
for the clue to be revealed.
So how do we reveal the stars?
What if--
STEFANIE: 1.
[both chuckle]
Yeah.
2, 3, 4, 5.
Get this one.
CHASE: 6.
Yeah, get that one.
11, 12.
Last one, number 13, but
there's no-- there's no switch.
It's just a hole.
Could it really
be that simple?
[chuckles]
[adventurous music]
[clicking]
[stone grinding]
[triumphant music]
Aren't you coming in?
Everything I've
been looking for
is on the other side
of that threshold.
My mother's legacy.
It's all lead to this.
Come on.
[triumphant music]
CHASE: Cake.
The heck are these guys?
STEFANIE: This is
a bunch of junk.
This is just junk.
My mother spent her whole
life searching for this?
No, this-- this has
got to be a trick.
There's got to be, like, a-a
hidden chamber somewhere else.
There is no chamber.
This is it.
There is no other chamber.
This is it.
We went on a scavenger hunt
for-- for-- for-- for what?
Candlesticks and some potatoes?
These are the things that
the Jlasveinar valued.
These are their
prized possessions.
I don't understand.
I just don't understand.
I mean, what-- what-- what--
what was all this for?
[wind whistling]
No way.
What?
There's no way.
[chiming]
CHASE: What?
[gasps] I gave this to
my mother for Christmas.
She carried it with her
everywhere she went.
She was here.
H-how is that even possible?
When I got to the Yule Horn,
the crate was already opened.
[thudding]
(STAMMERING) When I
got the box, I mean,
it was-- it was unlocked, and
we found Candle Stealer's clue.
It was already singed.
It's like there's-- there
was a hidden message.
When my mom gave
up her search, she
didn't miss one spelling bee.
She never missed a Christmas
recital or anything.
She didn't give up searching for
the treasure of the Yule Lads.
She just-- she realized
what it really was.
Yeah, just a reminder
to appreciate the things
that are right in front of us.
Yeah.
[gentle music]
Stefanie.
[gentle music]
"Stefanie."
[gentle music]
MOTHER (VOICEOVER): Stefanie,
if your spirit of adventure
has led you here, I always
saw so much of myself in you.
Please know that you were the
greatest treasure of my life.
Merry Christmas.
Love you, Mom.
[gentle orchestral music]
You OK?
Let me see this.
[gentle orchestral music]
What next?
This.
[gentle music]
[gentle orchestral music]
[disembodied laughter]
[door slams]
[both chuckle]
[church bell tolling]
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
[gentle orchestral music]
[chuckles]
[gentle orchestral music]
What?
Just appreciating
what's in front of me.
[gentle orchestral music]
[festive music]
[dramatic music]
[goat bleats]
What are you looking at?
[shouts]
[gentle music]
You know what I want to hear?
[speaking icelandic]
OK.
OK.
- I think I have--
- Yeah.
- -coins.
I have coins.
- Yeah?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
OK.
[coin clattering]
Uh.
TOGETHER: G7.
[upbeat music]
Yow.
I don't get the question.
It's just a hypothetical,
just, you know,
a follow-up conversation piece.
OK.
Um, I would choose the
Ghost of Christmas Present.
OK.
Why?
Because then I could see
all the holiday parties
I wasn't invited to, and
I could hold a grudge.
[laughs] Wow.
All right. 'Tis the season.
[glasses clink]
Gledileg jol!
[upbeat music]
Nothing but Christmas
Hello.
I am--
About to get me another drink?
[laughs] Oh.
Uh, two.
[laughs]
Uh, Oli.
Hi.
Karlotta.
Oh.
Enchant.
Wow.
Merry Christmas, you guys.
Eggnog, your favorite.
Hey, let's gather around,
guys, for a Christmas toast.
Stefanie, will
you do the honors?
All right.
Uh, to friends and family
and the time we get together.
And no matter where
our journeys may lead,
may we always find our way back.
[glasses clink]
Skal.
ALL: Skal.
[laughs]
[glasses clinking]
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
[upbeat music]
(SINGING) Nothing but Christmas
You and I
[adventurous music]
[adventurous music]
[epic music]
Stef?
Mom.
Merry Christmas.
Do you like your book?
That was the
first gift I opened.
I'm sorry I missed it.
I tried so hard to
make it back in time.
This is for you.
It's a compass.
I had it engraved.
MOTHER: "To help you
find your way home."
I love it.
Did you pick this out?
OK.
Let's get you to bed.
I'm not tired.
Can you read to me
just a little while?
Where did you leave off?
Can we read yours.
Oh, well, here.
Come get cuddled into me.
[chuckles] This is a very
special Christmas story,
the story of the
Yule Lads of Iceland,
and it begins in the lava
fields of Dimmuborgir.
It's here that the
Jlasveinar live
with their mother, Gryla, an
ogress and giant black cat,
Jlakotturinn.
As the winter solstice
approaches and the snowy fjords
of Iceland are
plunged into darkness,
the 13 Lads come down from
their mountain hideout, one
by one, to cause Christmas
mischief, leaving
treats in the shoes of
well-behaved children
and rotten potatoes
for the naughty.
And you thought a lump
of coal was a lousy gift.
[laughter]
The Lads appear all
over Icelandic folklore,
dating as far back
as the 17th century.
Now, many of these stories were
collected by wealthy patron
of the arts Magnus Olafsson.
Behind me is a manuscript
from Olafsson's library.
This was discovered
over three decades ago
by archeologist Joan Hamilton.
According to legend, the
Lads spent centuries amassing
a trove of priceless treasures.
Notice the inscriptions
along the edges of the page.
Hamilton believed
these symbols were
secret messages
that, when decrypted,
could lead to the
hidden treasure.
And she spent most of
her life trying to--
trying to locate it.
But without the
key to decrypt it,
the true meaning
of the inscription?
Well, it remains a
Christmas mystery.
[laughter]
[festive music]
Thank you.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
[festive music]
Oh.
Dr. Baxter, I was worried
I may have missed you.
Victor Grimes.
Mr. Grimes, very
nice to meet you
and, uh, to finally put a face
to the name around campus.
Oh, you donate a few
million to the university,
they feel obligated to name
a lecture hall after you.
And a library.
So I've always been
fascinated by ancient relics.
You know, I believe we have
a duty to unearth the past
and learn from it, be
the stewards of history.
Which brings me to why I'm here.
What are you doing
Christmas break?
Well, let's see.
Christmas break,
I mean, I'm gonna
be caroling and
trimming the tree,
and these cookies are
gonna play a big part.
I'm putting together
an expedition.
I'd like you to lead it, to find
the treasure of the Jlasveinar.
Oh.
[laughs] That's--
that's very funny.
Do you want a sugar cookie or--
Stolen art, jewels,
centuries of lost relics.
They're waiting to be unearthed.
Your mother believed
it was real.
I've read her work.
She was a brilliant woman.
Yes, she was, but she
gave up on that dream
long before she passed.
Well, perhaps you are meant
to pick up where she left off.
Treasure hunters have been
searching for the Yule Lads
treasure for centuries, but
you need a key to decode
Olafsson's inscription.
A key like the Yule
Horn of Dimmuborgir?
Sure.
Yeah.
What would you say if I
told you I know its location?
[chuckles] What do you mean?
A ship manifest from an
1800s cargo ship that sailed
from Iceland to Scotland.
I think you might find
the contents interesting.
[exhales]
So, once again,
Dr. Baxter, I ask,
what are you doing
Christmas break?
[epic music]
[adventurous music]
[thuds]
[gentle music]
[exhales]
The symbol from the
Olafsson manuscript.
[adventurous music]
Two out, two in.
Three out.
Hmm.
[adventurous music]
[clanking]
[adventurous music]
Whoa.
It's already unlocked.
[lock squeaking]
[dramatic music]
[exhales]
[jet engine roars]
Thanks.
[sighs] The Yule
Horn of Dimmuborgir.
How does it work?
It's a cipher.
Like the Rosetta Stone?
Exactly.
So all we have
to do is compare
the horn to the manuscript
to reveal the true meaning?
Yes, well, the true meaning
in ancient Norse runes.
Do you read
ancient Norse runes?
No, but I know
someone who does.
[jet engine roars]
CHASE: All right, gentlemen.
That's it.
You're all set.
Merry Christmas.
[exhales]
Stefanie?
Chase.
Hi.
CHASE: Hi.
Hi.
How-- how are you?
I'm doing good.
Good.
I'm glad.
That's-- that's great.
So what brings you to Boston?
You.
I actually came here to--
to see you.
[chuckles] All right.
Just give me a second.
We'll-- we'll talk.
So can we count
on his assistance?
[playful music]
[clears throat]
Well, who's this?
Victor Grimes.
I'm underwriting the expedition.
Oh, dear.
Expedition?
[laughs] So this is about work.
This is Chase Baxter.
Baxter?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I didn't realize this
was your husband.
Ex-husband.
Excuse me.
Thanks.
Chase, just give me a second.
Chase, Just wait.
Chase.
Treasure hunt.
You know, I haven't
seen you for two years,
and you show up about
a treasure hunt.
This isn't just
any treasure hunt.
It never is, Stefanie.
Like, for example,
you leave Thanksgiving
with my parents, first one, to
go raid a castle in England.
Or how about when you leave
our honeymoon early to go
do a dig in Cairo?
OK, that was
Luxor, and those were
all very important expeditions.
You know what?
They're all more important than
everything else in your life.
I don't want to fight.
I just wanted--
I just wanted your
help with one thing.
We don't always get
what we want, Stefanie.
It's the treasure
of the Jlasveinar.
[intriguing music]
Dead language expert and
Christmas tree salesman.
Unusual resume.
Yeah, Chase is an archivist
at the Museum of Fine Arts.
He just helps out with his
parents' Christmas tree lot
during the holidays.
Well, I don't know if it's a
perfect translation, but, uh,
I think it says, "To find
what they hold most dear,
begin as the bishop
does on his square."
Now, you're sure
that's what it says?
Well, this is as close
as we're gonna get.
That's amazing.
I can't believe this worked.
Well, look, if we leave now, we
can be in Reykjavik by morning.
Yeah.
How long will it take you
to collect your things?
[laughs] I'm not
going to Iceland.
Chase.
Chase, there's gonna
be more to translate.
I mean, there's 13 Lads,
which means 13 clues,
counting down to Christmas Day.
Well, good luck finding
somebody else who can help.
No, no, no.
The moment word gets out that
the horn has been discovered,
there will be 100
treasure hunters after it.
We do not have the
luxury of time.
I'm sorry.
That's not my problem.
What will it take to get
you on that plane, hmm?
Name your price.
What, a research grant?
Stefanie.
He agreed to help us
with the horn, and he did.
Dr. Baxter--
There will be
other translators.
We're fine.
Thank you.
I mean, I'd say you have no
idea how much this means to me,
but I think you might
be the one person
on Earth who actually does.
You're welcome.
I don't want to take
up any more of your time.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
And listen, if you're ever in
Providence, I owe you a drink.
You don't know me anything.
[gentle music]
According to legend, the clues
are only accessible in the days
leading up to Christmas.
So how long is it gonna
take to find a replacement?
We won't need a replacement.
CHASE: Wait.
Told you.
All right.
Who else you got?
- I'll call Dorsey.
- Nope.
Dorsey is on a three-week
Christmas cruise,
- halfway to the Bahamas.
- Ramirez.
Mm-mm.
She and her fiance are at
a Santa Summit in Duluth.
Are you on some
sort of group text?
- [groans]
- Carlton.
London.
Now, here's the deal.
I promised my parents I'd work
this lot until Christmas Eve.
If you want me to
go with you, you
got to buy out their inventory.
That's the deal.
Are you sure he's the one?
Yeah.
You take personal checks?
[upbeat orchestral music]
Now, I apologize for
the accommodation,
but it was the best I
could do at short notice.
Oh.
[laughs] I think
we'll muddle through.
Now, you need anything, you
can call me on my cell phone.
- Yeah?
- Wait.
You're not staying?
Unfortunately, I have a
charity function in Prague.
But don't worry.
I will be back in time to
help collect the treasure.
So Merry Christmas
and good luck.
CHASE: Merry Christmas.
Wow.
What?
[laughs]
So which room do you want?
I mean, I'll--
I'll let you choose.
OK.
Look at this.
Ah, it's an advent calendar.
That is so cute.
It's-- it's even
on the right day.
I wonder if they
have someone who
comes in and opens up all
the boxes, like, a turndown
service or something.
Hey, are you sure
you're OK with this?
Well, I mean, I'd rather
open the boxes myself.
- It kind of spoils the fun.
- Uh, no.
I mean, you and me working
together like this.
Yeah.
Why?
Do I-- am I-- do--
am I acting weird?
Do I not seem OK?
[stammers]
You know, maybe we
should unpack and then
meet back here in 15 minutes.
Yeah.
OK.
So then, uh, do you
want me to choose?
- Yeah, you can choose.
- Just whatever-- what--
Yeah, I don't care.
It's fine.
[sighs]
"Happy hunting.
Victor."
[gentle music]
It's Jlakotturinn.
It's the Yule Lads' cat.
In Icelandic Christmas
stories, sometimes
he's as tall as a house.
Ha.
How big's his ball of yarn?
Yeah.
[chuckles]
Man, what time is it?
- It's getting dark already.
- I know.
Welcome to Christmas in Iceland.
You get about, mm,
four hours of daylight
Gah.
So what do you remember
about the legend?
I remember that there
are 13 naughty little elves
that hid stolen treasure
in a mountain in Iceland.
They're not elves.
They're Lads.
They're a bedtime
story that parents tell
their kids at Christmastime.
Oftentimes, history and
mythology are intertwined.
[laughs] OK, Dr. Baxter.
What's our next move?
Skalholt Cathedral.
When built, it became the
Episcopal seat of Iceland,
the official seat of--
Of the bishop.
Begin, as the bishop
does, on his square.
OK.
How are we gonna begin now?
Maybe where it's warmer?
Let's go.
So at the end of
the 18th century,
they moved the episcopal
seat to Reykjavik,
so the Dmkirkjan Church.
So the bishop has two seats?
My money's on this one.
[sighs]
What, is that a lock pick kit?
Yeah.
You got a better idea?
[door hinge squeaking]
Oh.
Holiday hours.
Oh, hello.
Yes.
Good evening.
All right.
OK.
OK.
All right.
So there should
be some markings,
you know, signs, little signs
telling us where to look.
What, sort of-- kind of
like an X marks the spot?
Yeah, something like that.
[sighs] I don't know.
Maybe I was wrong.
Maybe the clue was about
the Dmkirkjan Church.
Hold on a second.
Did I hear you correctly?
Did you actually just
admit that you were wrong?
Good point.
Ah.
Wait.
Help me move this.
Come on.
You're gonna hurt yourself.
OK.
Come on.
Hurry.
Someone might come in.
What, this, too?
Yeah, and this one.
1, 2, 3.
Ah.
Right.
Look at this.
Look at this.
It's a chessboard.
Right?
"Begin as the bishop."
So it's got to be
one of these squares.
Just which one?
Well, if you had let me
teach you the game of chess
like I wanted to--
Yeah, I'm more of a
Monopoly girl, really.
- -then you would know that
the bishop starts in one of four
squares, here, here, and--
[thud]
Here.
Hold on.
I can never find
anything in here.
That's because you throw
everything in your bag
haphazardly, just like you
did the Christmas lights.
What do you mean,
Christmas lights?
Every year that you were in
charge of the Christmas lights,
you just threw
them into the box.
And the year, they
were a tangled mess.
Christmas lights tangle.
That's what they do.
Well, no, not if you put
them in the box with care.
You got to roll them up.
It takes some patience.
Well, patience isn't
exactly something
I have much of sometimes.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Proceed.
- You good?
- Mm-hmm.
All right.
Gosh.
Do you have your flashlight?
[gasps] Whoa.
[gentle music]
What's that?
Malt & Appelsin, like
Christmas in a glass.
You'll love it.
Mm.
Yeah, it tastes
like orange soda.
All right.
So this clue is
from Stekkjarstaur.
He's the first Lad to
arrive every Christmas.
OK.
This is how I was
able to translate it.
Um, "A light in the
darkness will show the way."
Now, are all the clues
gonna be this cryptic?
Well, Jlasveinar is hiding
a treasure of untold fortune.
It's meant to be cryptic.
Are you looking for
the Yule Lad treasure?
Why?
Do you know where it is?
Everybody knows it's
hidden up in Dimmuborgir.
Well, I heard it
was a Viking plunder,
and they hid it under the
statue of Leif Erikson.
Why would they bury
it under a statue?
Why would they
hide it in a cave?
It could be full of rats.
It's where they live.
Well, some say it
doesn't exist at all.
Ah.
I mean, the Lads were
known for their tricks.
It exists.
It's as real as Kris
Kringle himself.
Yeah.
Ha, ha, ha, ha.
Uh, should we be talking
about this in the open?
Treasure hunters have been
searching for this for years.
You're gonna hear conversations
like this all over Reykjavik,
but they all know it's
impossible without the Yule
Horn.
Yeah, we got the Yule Horn.
Yeah, that part you might
want to keep to a whisper.
Oh.
Sorry.
[intriguing music]
The key is here.
In Reykjavik.
[intriguing music]
[festive music]
Thank you so much.
Merry Christmas.
Thank you.
Hey, so what are you
getting, cookies for breakfast?
No, not for me.
So I'm pretty sure that
Stekkjarstaur's clue
is leading us to the
Viking ruins of Skardshlid.
Well, that's,
like, 100 miles away.
I know.
I have a friend, Oli Stefansson.
So he's a pilot, and he's flown
me on some expeditions before,
and he'll get us
where we need to go.
Maybe.
Maybe?
What's maybe?
Well, I think have gotten
us into some light peril.
Peril?
Well, uh, light peril.
But it was months ago.
I'm sure it's water
under the bridge by now.
Cosplay Yule Lads.
13 local men dress
up every year,
and they run around Reykjavik.
It's kind of like some
rowdy mall Santas.
[icelandic nickname]
Oli.
Hi.
It is so good to see you.
STEFANIE: You, too.
Merry Christmas.
Hey, Merry Christmas.
Look at that beard.
Thank you.
Oli, this is Chase.
Hello.
Hi.
Chase, this is Oli.
Or should I say Stfur?
I'm, uh, Giljagaur.
Actually, today is his day.
I'm the second one to come
down from Dimmuborgir,
and I lurk in the gullies,
and I steal jugs of milk.
So each of the Lads have
their own unique traits.
So, uh, Spoon
Licker licks spoons.
Pot Scraper scrapes pots.
Candle Stealer--
Steals candles.
I mean, we all have our hobbies.
Yeah, well, it's
nice to meet you.
Likewise.
So, Oli, hey.
Can we have a ride?
No, no, no, no, no.
No, no, no, Oli,
li, Oli, li.
Did she tell you what
happened Eyjafjordur?
She did not.
Oh, come on.
We survived.
And we have a great story right.
And now we can laugh about it.
[laughs nervously] No?
Piparkokur?
[crunch]
Mm.
Oh, um--
Your favorite.
I have to stay for the rest
of the day at the market,
and I don't want to
disappoint the kids,
but you may have my Jeep.
- It's parked up at the church.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm gonna bring it back
with the tank full of gas.
Well, I'm just happy if
you bring it back at all.
Good.
[melodically humming] Hello.
So Eyjafjordur.
What happened?
Later.
[upbeat orchestral music]
All right.
What kind of Christmas music
do you want to listen to?
Traditional Christmas music
or upbeat Christmas music?
[laughs] Neither.
What?
It's a 2.5-hour drive.
Yeah, exactly.
All right, fine.
You know what?
Rock, paper, scissors.
OK.
[grumbles]
Ah.
Upbeat.
Good choice.
Yeah.
[engine revs]
[tense music]
[adventurous music]
CHASE: Careful.
There are markings
on this one.
"A light in the darkness
will show the way."
That's good.
So what does-- what
does Giljagaur's clue say?
OK.
Uh, all right.
Uh, "To see the unseen,
you must hide with me."
That's it?
There's also, uh, a
series of unrelated symbols.
So we got tree,
river, life, snow.
Uh, this is a symbol
for well and light.
Ah.
What do you think it means?
I don't know.
You know, we should ask
Oli when we get back.
Maybe he has some ideas.
Oh, Oli.
Are you and Oli-- were you
guys-- have you guys ever--
would you--
No.
What?
No, no.
We're just friends.
We're friends.
I mean, not that
it's my business.
No, it's totally not
your business, but we're--
I'm-- I'm not seeing anyone.
I mean, there's no
time to see anyone.
I'm not dating.
Are you?
Me?
Uh-huh.
No, no.
- No?
- No.
Great.
Look.
Look at these ruins.
I mean, they are just--
like, look at this.
It's incredibly well
preserved, right?
I mean, we're standing
in what would probably
be a Viking's longhouse.
Truly, the hearth could
have been right over here.
Did you know that Vikings
would fell a tree for Yule,
and they would hang up clothing
and-- and food on it, much
like the modern Christmas tree?
Of course, you knew that.
You know, I love seeing
you in your element.
I, um-- I've always imagined
what you would look like when
you're on one of your quests.
It's not a quest.
It's not a quest?
What would you call it?
It's a treasure hunt.
So a treasure hunt's
better than a quest?
Yeah.
We're literally
hunting for treasure.
OK.
OK.
[chuckles]
Is this is everything
you imagined it would be?
No, I, um--
I always imagined you being
chased by a giant boulder.
There's still time.
[laughs]
I have a photograph
of my mother
standing in that very spot.
Now, she had never
had any idea just how
close she was to the treasure.
Why did she give up?
I don't know.
I guess you can only take so
many disappointments, you know,
before you throw in the towel.
She never told you?
Nah.
I was 13.
She just said she was done.
She donated the
Olafsson manuscript
to the Reykjavik Museum, and
she never returned to Iceland.
Well, here's what
I think, Stefanie.
I think that you are gonna
finish what your mother started
and prove to the whole
world that she was right.
Maybe.
You will.
You sound so sure.
I am.
Why?
Because I know you.
[gentle music]
Uh, what next?
Where do we go now?
Have you ever had kaest skata?
[chatter]
I am sorry.
I don't know what this means.
Come on.
Really?
I mean, look at you.
You're-- you are a Giljagaur.
Yeah, for two weeks out
of the year, Stefanie.
It's-- come on.
It's Christmastime.
Let's just-- let's just
forget about this, OK?
Let's just go to my mother's.
I mean, she would
love to see you again.
And we can have, Lakkristoppar.
So you-- you met his mother.
WAITRESS: There you go.
Oh, thank you.
WAITRESS: You're welcome.
Oh, god.
What is that?
STEFANIE: This is
fermented skate.
Oli: Mm.
It's a Christmas delicacy.
The fish is buried in
the sand for six months.
It's a true labor of love.
Wow.
Wow.
When in Reykjavik, right?
Yeah, that's right.
[suspenseful music]
[retches] I'm gonna get
something, all right?
I'll be right back.
[laughter]
Have you told him
that you miss him?
What?
And don't lie to the Yule
Lad, because you will get
a rotten potato in your shoe.
Even if I did--
Which you do--
We were together
for seven years.
We were married
for five of them.
You know, we spent a really long
time trying to make it work,
and it just got too hard.
You know?
Maybe it wasn't meant to last.
Maybe we're too different.
I don't know.
I've seen you jump
out of an airplane,
rappel down the
side of a mountain.
Since when are you
scared of a challenge?
[sighs] Since I
realized he wasn't happy.
And I love him too much to be
the thing that hurt him, so I--
I let him go.
But you know what?
I don't have time to
think about what ifs.
You know the legend.
I have 11 days to
figure this out.
I am finding this treasure,
and then all of the sacrifices
will be worth it.
You can't chase
happiness, Stefanie.
You-- you have to
find it where you are.
And Christmas time with
the ones that you love,
that's the greatest
treasure of all.
That was very insightful.
It's on the chalkboard.
STEFANIE: Oh.
[chuckles]
All right.
What did I miss?
Oh, nothing.
All right.
So are you sure you don't
know what this means?
Guys, the Yule
Lads' treasure, it's
been undisturbed for
centuries, and maybe it
should stay that way.
[suspenseful music]
There's coffee on.
Ah.
Well, good morning.
Morning.
[clears throat]
Coffee, coffee.
Late night?
Eh.
What is this?
Ah.
They were selling it downstairs.
It's to build a snowman.
You bought this?
You want to build a snowman.
I mean, I don't not
want to build a snowman.
I don't know about that.
What about that?
What are you working on?
Right.
The Dimmuborgir.
It is the fabled home
of the Yule Lads.
Ah, home of their mother.
Gryla.
Gryla, the ogress
who gobbles up
naughty little children,
ogres, elves, giant cats.
- Uh, it's not elves.
- Oh, sorry.
- Not elves.
- Sorry.
OK.
So what do you got?
The second line here.
- It's all numbers, right?
- Yeah, but they're also--
I mean, they're on
the Yule Horn key.
OK, but I'm just
wondering, what if--
what if they're not
meant to be translated?
You mean, what if they're
just meant to be numbers?
Yeah.
OK.
I mean, even if
that's true, what
do you think they stand for?
Coordinates.
Coordinates.
OK, so if these
numbers represent
longitude and latitude,
then these are way off.
Yeah, unless Vikings used
additive and subtractive
properties.
OK.
So for the number 14, they
would use the symbols 10 and 4?
Nice.
Yeah.
OK.
All right.
Then if that's true,
it is telling us--
CHASE: Right there.
STEFANIE: --to go here.
Please tell me that this
is one of those hot springs
that this country is famous for.
Now, you might want
to grab your ice pick.
We're going for a hike.
[adventurous music]
If you could be haunted
by any one of the three
Christmas Carol
ghosts, who would
you choose, past,
present, or future.
What?
Yeah, it's just
a fun hypothetical.
I'm just making conversation.
All right.
I guess I would choose the
Ghost of Christmas Past,
because I would ask
him to take me back
to a Christmas of
historical importance,
you know, like,
Washington crossing
the Delaware or the signing
of the Treaty of Ghent.
Nerd.
You're-- you're-- you're
only allowed to see
Christmases from your own past.
Says who?
Uh, Charles Dickens.
I guess if I'd
had to choose, I'd--
I'd go back to that Christmas
we spent in Bangor, Maine.
When the heat
died in the cabin?
Yeah, yeah.
We had to build a fire.
Ah.
You insisted on making that
tea out of, like, pine needles.
OK.
I read somewhere
that it was good.
- Yeah, well, somewhere lied.
- [laughs]
Oh, and we cut down
our own tree that year.
Remember that?
That was such a great tree.
Yeah, and then we
strung popcorn along it
that we made on the fire.
Popcorn that you didn't
manage to eat first.
Rude.
Yeah, I guess I'd
go back to that one.
[waterfall roaring]
The entrance should be
just behind the falls.
[suspenseful music]
It's not a bad day
at the office, huh?
Huh.
I have never seen anything
like this in my life.
Ah, this place is huge.
Hello!
[voice echoing]
Huh.
It's got to be here somewhere.
Yeah.
STEFANIE: So the clue
at Skardshlid said,
"To see the unseen,
you must hide with me."
And the Lad is Giljagaur.
Right, who hides in gullies.
Is it weird that this
is all starting to make
a strange kind of sense to me?
And so if I were gonna
hide, where would I hide?
See, I think the question
is, where could you hide?
It's a pretty barren
tunnel in here.
Little nooks and crannies.
Ah.
- I see something.
- Huh?
Come over here.
It looks like a lever.
CHASE: What?
Look at this.
Huh.
CHASE: Oh.
[laughs] That's amazing.
Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hold on now.
Hold on.
You pull that lever, what
happens if it triggers
a booby trap and
then the ceiling
falls in on us or the
wall cave in or something?
It's never gonna happen.
I mean, fingers crossed.
OK.
[lever squeaks]
[rocks grinding]
Wow.
[laughs]
This'll be Stfur's clue.
Yeah.
Wow.
This is amazing.
All right.
Are you ready?
Yep.
Go for it.
OK.
"Between the valley
and the peak,
take 30 steps to the left, and
you will find the treasure"--
"the treasure that you seek."
Hot dog.
[exhales]
[thud]
[rocks grinding]
What was that?
[thudding]
[rock grinding]
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
[rock grinding]
[dramatic music]
[panting]
Any luck?
No.
It goes on for, like, a mile,
and then it's a dead end.
OK.
Let's think.
Don't worry.
OK?
I-- I've gotten out of every
cave I've ever been trapped in.
[laughs] You know
that's not as comforting
as you think it is.
OK.
We do have an
option out of here.
Yeah?
What is it?
- Up.
- Huh?
[laughs] What are
you talking about?
No, I'm serious.
I just feel like if I could
get to the top of this--
Hold on, Stefanie.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
There's a 40-foot gap
between the tip of that
and the hole in the roof.
Do I have any say in this?
- Well, of course.
- OK.
Well, then that's
a terrible idea.
- We're not doing that.
- Noted.
Now, give me a boost.
I'm not.
[stammers] You know what?
We'll wait.
We're gonna wait for Oli.
Whoa we're going
to wait for Oli.
OK, great, Oli, who has no
idea we're even out here.
OK.
What if were to call for help?
Help!
Help!
That's great.
That's great.
You really should stop,
because the people
that are miles away from
here are not gonna hear that.
Come on, Chase.
This is the only way out.
You were the most stubborn
person that I have ever met.
Stubborn?
I am trying to get
us out of here.
Right, without any
regard to your own safety.
I-I don't care
if it's dangerous.
We have to get out of here.
I care.
I care if it's dangerous.
I care if you get hurt.
But you don't care what I think.
You don't care
about my feelings.
That is not true.
Yeah, it is.
No, that is not true.
WOMAN: Hello?
H-hi.
- WOMAN: Hey.
- Hi.
CHASE: Hi.
Hey, are you
guys OK down there?
No.
[laughs]
STEFANIE: No.
We need your help, please.
Yeah.
You're lucky I was in the area.
Thank you.
We-- we'd really appreciate
it if you could help us out.
You're very welcome.
I'll get you up in a flash.
There's just one thing
I need from you first.
Yeah?
What's that?
Stfur's clue.
Uh, I'm sorry.
What?
Dr. Baxter, ignorance
does not become you.
I mean the clue written
in your journal.
Who are you?
It doesn't matter who I am.
Yeah.
Actually, it does to us.
Well, I'm the person with the
rope, and I'm proposing a trade.
In exchange for my assistance,
you give me what I want.
It seems fair.
We're not
interested in a trade.
Uh, [laughs nervously] could
you hold on just a second?
Just a second.
I am very, very
interested in a trade.
(WHISPERS) She must
be a treasure Hunter.
So?
So?
We give her the journal,
she has all of our clues.
That is my mother's
life work and mine.
Chase, it will be lost.
I understand that, Stefanie.
I really do.
We could die out here.
Hey, can we move it along?
It's really cold up here.
[tense music]
Fine.
I'm so sorry.
Fine.
OK, just toss it up.
And don't even
think about tearing
a page from that journal.
[sighs] Here.
I'm sorry.
[tense music]
Now, I'm gonna
throw this up there.
You promise you're
gonna throw a rope down?
Yeah.
Scout's honor.
All right.
[suspenseful music]
You know, you have
really neat penmanship.
Thank you.
The rope?
CHASE: Ah.
STEFANIE: The rope?
You know, she didn't
look like a Girl Scout.
[rope thuds]
[groans]
Hey, did you know her?
No, I didn't.
Well, she knew you.
I'm sorry about
your mother's journal.
Yeah.
Me, too.
[gentle music]
What are you reading?
Oh, I'm reading the Life
and Adventures of Santa Claus
by L. Frank Baum.
Is that the one your mother
used to read to you every year?
Yeah.
It reminds me of home.
I'm sorry.
If it weren't for
me, you'd be home
with your family
for the holidays
instead of stuck
in this hotel room.
Yeah, well, it is
a lovely hotel room.
Yeah, for a Bond villain.
Yeah.
[both chuckle]
It's, uh-- it's ostentatious.
You know, the little
soaps in my bathroom
have my name on them?
Yeah.
Mine, too.
Your little, tiny soaps
have your name on them?
No, I have soaps
with your name on them.
Oh.
[laughs]
So what are you gonna do?
I don't know.
Mm?
I don't-- I don't know.
I mean, there's probably
a dozen treasure hunters
out there by now, on the trail.
We know there's at least one.
Mm-hmm.
I still remember
Gully-Gawk's clue.
Yeah.
She's probably gonna figure
that out in about two seconds.
And then everything else
she needs is in the journal.
Right.
But in the meantime, that means
that we're on equal footing.
- Maybe you're right.
- Hold on.
What'd you say?
I said, "Maybe you're right."
Because you never
say that I'm right,
which means, to me,
that you really are just
feeling like things are bleak.
You know those drinks are,
like, three times the price?
Good thing they're on Victor.
[glasses clattering]
Stefanie, you did not come all
this way to give up, did you?
[gentle music]
[laughs]
I used to hate Iceland,
because for the longest time,
I felt like I shared my
mother with this place.
I mean, she would
miss Christmases
and birthdays and recitals.
And when she told me she was
finally ending her search,
I was--
I was so happy.
- That was pretty selfish, right?
- No.
- You missed her.
- Yeah.
I had this feeling that she
was just always choosing
the next adventure over me.
And, well, then I
turned around and did
the very same thing to you.
Here's the deal.
I had this expectation
of what our life
together was gonna be like.
And when that didn't
happen, I was upset.
But I knew exactly who you
were when I married you.
You were rash and
stubborn and impatient--
OK.
I'm pretty sure those
mean the same thing.
- -bold and brave
and brilliant.
You were all of these
things, and that's
why I fell in love with you.
I shouldn't have asked you
to give up your adventures.
I should have asked you to
find a place for me in them.
I used to shake
the box of lights
on the way down from the attic.
What?
I would tangle the
lights on purpose.
Why?
Why would you do that?
Because you're right.
I was always so busy
and I don't know.
When the lights were
tangled, I liked
decorating the tree together.
It lasted longer.
[sighs] Do I like fruitcake?
Yeah.
Is it good to me?
Yeah, you definitely do.
You-- you had it at my Christmas
faculty party that one year.
Yeah.
Did I?
Yeah.
You had, like, two slices.
If you don't-- try it.
[sighs]
STEFANIE: Oh, come on.
Are you serious?
You will follow me
into a lava cave,
but you won't trust me on this.
It's a cake.
It's fruitcake.
Reminder.
We got trapped in a lava cave.
- Just eat the cake.
- [laughs]
- Eat the cake.
- Here.
Let me see.
[crunch]
Hmm.
I like it.
It's good.
[gentle music]
All right.
[clears throat] I have an idea.
Do you want to hear it?
Sure.
I wonder if we could
forgive each other
and forget about all the
mistakes of our past and just--
just get back to being friends.
I'd really like that.
CHASE: Yeah.
OK.
Skal.
Skal.
[glasses clink]
[gentle music]
So 11 Lads left means
11 clues to track down,
and then we find the greatest
Christmas treasure of all time.
[laughs]
[laughs] Stubby, Spoon Licker,
Pot Scraper, Bowl Licker,
Door Slammer, Skyr
Gobbler, Sausage Swiper,
Window Peeper, Doorway Sniffer,
Meat Hook, and Candle Begger.
Oh, then we
better get started.
Who's next?
Stfur.
[gentle music] It starts
snowing all around us
Magic feeling in you and me
Rediscover how our love is
In the air this Christmas Eve
[singing in icelandic]
Every day is an untold story
In our own winter wonderland
Finding love in all its glory
We're together, hand in hand
[upbeat music]
(SINGING) Through
the quiet of December
In each mile and in each tear
Let us pause and truly remember
Christmas lives in
all we hold dear
Candle lights are
growing brighter
The spirit of Christmas is near
We ignite a kindle and fire
And lay all your love on me
The love around us is glowing
I'm right where I want to be
This Christmas, just you and me
CHASE: "Where the
poet lays his head,
you will find the next step.
Two brothers left.
Then our treasure is yours."
Two Lads away.
So what are you gonna
do if you find it?
Uh, when I find it?
Right.
When you find it.
I don't know.
I mean, for starters, the
first round of eggnog is on me.
I'm talking about
after, when you're not
having a scale down
icy walls at Christmas
or weather snowy fjords.
What's next for the
amazing Stefanie Baxter?
I don't know.
I mean, I guess I'll just have
to find a new dream to chase.
[cat meows]
CHASE: Aw.
Aw, look at you.
Where'd you come from?
Well, let's check his collar.
You're a very
long way from home.
I can relate.
CHASE: Let's go find your home.
- CHASE: Here we are.
- There we go.
CHASE: This is the right place.
Is this your home?
[knocking on door]
STEFANIE: Oh.
Oh, here she comes.
[speaking icelandic]
Jlakotturinn.
We found him on
the Rainbow Road.
Oh, you're Americans.
Hey, I'm Stefanie,
and this is Chase.
- Hey.
- Ah.
Hi.
Oh, he must have snuck
out when my husband
went to get the Christmas tree.
My name is Birgitta.
Hi.
My husband used to work
at the Icelandic Embassy
in DC for, what, five years.
- Oh, that's interesting.
- Yeah
Oh.
CHASE: Whoa.
- BIRGITTE: Yeah.
- Wow.
Won't you come in?
Oh, no, no.
We're gonna-- th-thank you.
That's--
We-- we wouldn't
want to impose.
No, come on.
I insist.
Please.
Come on in.
You can just put your
coats on the chairs here.
I was just making leaf bread.
If you have some
time to spare, I
could send you off with a
fresh batch as a thank you.
It smells delicious.
BIRGITTE: Mm.
Have you ever made leaf bread?
CHASE: Mm-mm.
Come, come, come,
come, come, come.
It's a flat bread
that you decorate
with any pattern you like.
It's my favorite
Christmas tradition.
I used to make it with my
daughter when she was young,
but now she's grown up
with kids of her own.
- You want to try?
- Me?
Yeah.
Oh, boy.
Um, I mean, I'm not very
artistic, so I don't think--
Well, it's not a
question about style.
It's the experience that's
important, not the end result.
- Well, OK.
- Let's see.
- Go for it.
- Let's see what I got, ladies.
OK.
You got this.
All right.
You ready?
- Yep.
- Uh-huh.
How's that?
- Oh.
- All right.
Very good.
Very good.
And there we go.
- Wow.
- What do you think?
Look at that.
that-- you know what?
That is-- it's a
pretty nice snowman.
It's not a snowman.
It's a tree.
Oh, oh.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
No.
I-I-I totally-- I see that.
That's good.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a-- it's
a-- it's a fine--
- You see it?
- --tree?
It's a very round tree.
OK, wise guy.
- Let's see what you got.
- Give me that roller.
Yeah.
The most important thing
about making leaf bread
is that it is a
tradition to be shared.
MAN: [groans] The weather
out there is a [icelandic].
Hi.
Hi.
Hi Uh, I'm Chase.
This is Stefanie.
Your wife--
- Hi, there.
- --let us in.
Hi, I'm Jn.
Jlakotturinn got out
again, and these two were
kind enough to bring him home.
The little rascal.
He causes as much
mischief as his namesake.
So, please, will you
be staying for dinner?
We're having kaest skata.
Skata.
Why does it always
got to be skata?
[upbeat music]
We'd love to.
[festive music]
But she didn't tell
us where she put them.
So the next time
there was a power cut,
because of a snowstorm,
we were, like,
fumbling around in the dark.
Where are the candles?
[laughs] Where are the candles?
What about your traditions?
Uh, do you go caroling, or--
Well, I kind of have a
terrible voice, so not really.
No, I don't believe that.
But you go ice skating, maybe?
Jolabokaflod.
Oh, the Christmas book flood.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yes.
My mom actually spent a
lot of time in Iceland,
and she loved the tradition of
a new book every Christmas Eve.
Stef loves books so
much, one year, I gave her
a book for Christmas, she
read the whole thing before I
got to chapter 1 in my book.
So from that Christmas
on, she gets two books.
It's true.
OK.
[laughs] And is that what
brings you to Iceland,
then, family, or--
- CHASE: No.
- Not exactly.
Nah.
No.
In fact, we are on a quest.
It's not a quest.
Uh, yeah.
It is a Christmas quest.
What?
Have you ever heard of
the treasure of Jlasveinar?
Yeah.
Of course.
You have?
I mean, it's a
well-known legend.
I-I heard it, like, a billion
times when I was growing up.
All right.
Question for you.
Do you think it's real?
I do.
Have you ever
tried to find it?
Ha.
No.
You know, my life
is full of riches.
So why would I go and
look for them elsewhere?
[gentle music]
You know what?
This has been so lovely.
CHASE: Yeah.
I think we should
probably head out.
It's been lovely.
Thank you.
Oh, in that case, you'll have
to take some of the laufabraud
- with you.
- Oh.
I mean, you helped make it.
But I couldn't
eat another bite.
I don't--
Beautiful snowman.
Yeah, that's-- that's
a-- that's a tree.
Thank you for
dinner, and thank you
for letting two
total strangers help
decorate your Christmas tree.
There are no strangers
at Christmastime.
Merry Christmas.
Gledileg Jl
[gentle music]
Oh, look.
It's the Saint Thorlak's
Day Walk for Peace.
Oh.
Well, we should join.
Well, what about
Gattapefur's clue?
I mean, we've lost
so much time already.
What's another hour?
This is right here, right now.
You don't want to miss this.
Come on.
The church is stunning.
Yeah, it's
beautiful, isn't it?
- Hi.
- Hi, there.
Good evening.
Oh, thank you.
Gledileg Jl.
Thank you.
STEFANIE: OK.
I'm sorry.
How did you get roped into
a gingerbread house contest?
CHASE: I got ambushed.
My mom calls me up.
She wants a ride
to her book club.
Next thing I know, I got
an icing bag in my hand.
OK.
So how'd you do?
- You know, I got disqualified.
- For what?
Apparently, to
meet the criteria,
your house has to have
four walls, upright.
[laughs] I wish I
could have seen this.
No, not a chance.
Ah, you know what?
I'm gonna text your mom.
You know what?
As much as she would
love to hear from you,
I made her delete the evidence.
I would give anything to have
just one more day with my mom.
I just wish you had known her.
You know, I feel
like I do a little bit.
You've always spoken
so fondly of her.
I feel like I just see
her all over this place.
I really do,
because she spent so
many Christmases
here, in Iceland,
before she retired
to teach full time.
And then we had 10 Christmases
together before she passed,
10 really great Christmases.
You know, if you think
about it, being here,
in Iceland, it's kind of like
you get one more with her.
Yeah, yeah.
It is.
You never answered the question.
What question?
Ghost of Christmas
Past, Present, or Future?
Ah, Future.
Really?
Yeah.
I mean, who wouldn't want
to see their future mistakes
and have a second chance
to make better choices?
Yeah, seriously.
It probably could have
spared us the heartache.
Us?
Yeah.
Look, I made a
lot of mistakes,
and I have a lot of
regrets, Stefanie,
but you were not one of them.
How can you say that, though,
I mean, after everything?
Because that time with you was
the happiest time of my life.
Yeah, but--
[chuckles] even though
we ended up here?
Even knowing how it ended,
I would do it all again.
[gentle music]
Come on.
[dramatic music]
Hello, Gattapefur.
[dramatic music]
CHASE: "On a threshold of oak,
guarded by a trusted friend,
once in hand, the
search nears its end."
- A door, you think?
- Yeah.
Most likely.
Yeah.
Yeah?
[chuckles] How many doors
do you think are in Iceland?
"Guarded by a trusted friend."
Did the Yule Lads
have any friends?
One.
So this is the door from
Magnus Olafsson's library.
Jlakotturinn.
Yeah.
- The Yule Lads' cat.
- Exactly.
The clue has got
to be in that door.
Well, where's the door now?
Looking.
[keyboard clacking]
- Oh, no.
- What?
What's wrong?
How long do you think it
would take you to find a tux?
On Christmas Eve?
[gentle music]
Ready or not.
[gentle music]
Wow.
You look beautiful.
Thank you.
You look very, very handsome.
Can I--
CHASE: Yeah.
Thank you.
Got you something.
What's this?
Well, it's Christmas Eve.
Oh.
Merry Jolabokaflod.
Thank you.
Really, thank you.
[gentle music]
There is not a day
that's gone by that I
haven't thought of you.
What if we made a mistake?
[gentle music]
[knocking on door]
[gentle music]
[playful music]
Wow.
Don't I suddenly
feel underdressed?
STEFANIE: So we can
find the final clue
in the Door of Jlakotturinn.
Used to be owned
by Magnus Olafsson
and now hangs in the
Natural History Museum.
Yeah.
The prime minister is hosting
a Christmas gala fundraiser.
Black tie.
- Invite only.
- Yeah.
So if we can get inside,
it'll be in the West Gallery.
Right.
Which will be, no doubt,
cordoned off from guests.
Right.
And there's gonna be an
increased security presence.
So just let me
get this straight.
To find the final clue,
you have to attend
a party you're not
invited to, search a room
- you're not permitted to enter--
- Mm.
Mm-hmm.
- -and avoid security
assigned to protect
- members of Parliament?
- Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, I think that about--
that about sums it up.
Yeah.
I trust you have a
very clever plan to get
in through the front doors?
We have a plan.
["deck the halls" playing]
Like I said, it is
Stefansson, Oli Stefansson.
I've already
checked it twice, sir.
There's no Oli
Stefansson on the list.
Please check again.
I've already checked
the list twice, sir.
Perhaps it's on the back.
Sir.
Sir.
Sir.
Sir.
Whoa.
You're not on the list.
Well, you may expect a
very strongly worded letter.
Next.
Ah, Mr. Skulason.
Jakob Johannessen.
And Asta Thomasdottir,
they have yet to arrive.
You're the best, Oli.
- Yes, yes.
- OK.
So you're on lookout, especially
for the woman we described.
And I have my phone with me
if anything goes sideways.
What, you mean just
like in Kpavogur?
What happened in Kpavogur?
OK, just keep the car
running just in case we
need to make a quick getaway.
You look very nice, by the way.
- Right back at you.
- Hey, hey, hey.
Enough, you two.
All right.
Are you ready?
As ready as I'll ever
be Mr. Johannessen.
All right, Mrs. Thomasdottir.
And, guys, just
be quick, because I
have the late night shift at
the market for the Yule Lad
cosplays.
Yeah, yeah.
[car doors closing]
Hello.
Jakob Johannessen
Asta Thomasdottir.
Ah, yes.
Of course.
Welcome.
[speaking icelandic]
Oh.
Thank you.
Wow.
This is some shindig, huh?
Think we'll have
time for eggnog?
Oh, I think eggnog
will have to wait.
["WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS"
PLAYING]
[whistling] Let's go.
["WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS"
PLAYING]
[suspenseful music]
Ah.
This isn't the right door.
What do you mean, "This
isn't the right door"?
It's got to be in some
other display room, right?
It's got to be.
Why don't we meet
back here in 15?
- You want to split up?
- Well, yeah.
It'll be faster that way.
Yeah, OK.
OK?
CHASE: Yeah.
Hey, be careful.
You always say that.
Yeah.
You never listen.
[laughs]
[suspenseful music]
The door.
[suspenseful music]
[gasps]
[dramatic music]
[sighs]
Is this the door?
[suspenseful music]
- [dramatic music]
- Oh.
- Sorry.
- Oh.
You almost gave
me a heart attack.
Sorry.
CHASE: Yeah.
- Any luck?
- No.
- You?
- No.
I don't know where
this thing could be.
All right.
In our museum, we rotate
an exhibit off the floor,
we stick it in storage.
So we're gonna want
to find a room--
Yeah, that one.
[elevator bell dings]
It's clear.
Go, go, go.
[gentle music]
Fornmunageymsla.
The coast is clear.
Hey, I don't
think your lock pick
is gonna work on this bad boy.
It doesn't really go
with this dress anyway.
[chuckles]
[gentle music]
Sorry.
It's OK.
All right.
What is your game plan?
I think it's time we
mingle with the guests.
[chatter, dramatic music]
["ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH"
PLAYING]
Ah.
Thank you.
["ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH"
PLAYING]
All right, you.
Go get 'em.
[sharp exhale] (IMITATES
ICELANDIC ACCENT) Mm.
Try the fruitcake.
It's delicious.
MAN: Ah.
Henrik Petters?
Yes.
Forgive me.
I--
Asta Thomasdottir.
Ah, of course.
Miss Thomasdottir.
Hmm.
Well, are you
enjoying the party?
(IMITATES ICELANDIC
ACCENT) Ah, it's wonderful.
- You know--
- Yes?
- -my brother works
for your company.
Your brother?
Lars Petters.
Oh.
Remarkable coincidence.
He speaks so highly of you.
Oh.
Well, Lars is a-- is a-- is a
valuable asset to the company.
So have you made
your decision yet?
Uh, the-- the-- the decision?
About the merger.
Oh, that.
That decis-- [screams]
(IMITATES ICELANDIC ACCENT)
Oh, oh, I am so sorry.
- You should be so sorry.
- I'm--
- Mr. Petters--
- --sorry.
- -are you're OK?
Oh, don't.
You blot.
Yeah.
You blot.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm OK.
There's only a little--
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Sir, let's get
this jacket off.
I'm quite all right.
I'm gonna take care
of this myself.
This was terrible.
Terrible.
I'm so sorry.
Did you get it?
I got it.
[laughs]
Let's go.
Good girl.
Hoo.
Ooh, on your left.
["carol of the bells" playing]
You know, we should have guessed
that she'd had the same idea.
Why didn't Oli warn us?
["GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN
(ROCK VERSION)" PLAYING]
["noel" playing]
I sure missed this.
["noel" playing]
She's leaving.
Hey, you know what?
I bet we can beat
her to the storage.
[chatter]
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
OK.
- Coast is clear.
- Look who's here.
Stefanie.
Chase.
- Oh, oh, oh.
- Hi.
Our American friends.
Hi.
[elevator bell dings]
Ah.
Hi.
JON: Yeah.
[icelandic]
JON: [icelandic] [laughs]
American?
This is Aster Thomasdottir?
What?
Is-- is it not?
Um, maybe we were mistaken.
Yeah, yeah.
These eyes are not
what they used to be.
[chuckles]
[tense music]
[whistling]
[beeping]
Thank you, Henrik.
[suspenseful music]
OK.
Uh, that looks like a door.
CHASE: Yeah.
It's a door but not the door.
CHASE: Not it.
What's this?
[suspenseful music]
CHASE: Uh-uh.
No, that's not it.
[suspenseful music]
Look at it.
Wow.
There it is.
Look at that.
Jlakotturinn.
Yeah.
Oh, what's this?
[thud]
[dramatic music]
[orchestral music]
It's the last clue.
[orchestral music]
[exhales]
Well, here.
You need to open it.
WOMAN: Hello?
You didn't lock the door?
No, no, no.
You didn't-- you
didn't lock the door?
No, I didn't.
[stammers]
- Aren't you gonna do that?
- OK.
[speaking icelandic]
Alfred Hitchcock, Notorious.
Have you seen it?
What?
I mean, I think
I've seen The Birds.
[exhales] Do you trust me?
[gasps] [icelandic]
[orchestral music]
Huh.
I got to see that movie.
Whoa.
I'm so sorry,
Ms. Thomasdottir.
Yes, I-I know.
This-- this is a
terrible mistake.
["WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS"
PLAYING]
Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hey!
There they are.
There they are.
Uh-oh.
Time to go.
[dramatic music]
Go, go, go, go,
go, go, go, go, go.
Well, did you get it?
Yes.
CHASE: Go, go, go, go, go, go.
STEFANIE: Christmas
treasure, here we come.
[dramatic music]
Hey, Stef.
About the kiss, um--
I mean, what
choice do we have?
It was just a cover.
I-I-I know it didn't
mean anything.
Right.
Is that it, the final clue?
In your hand, you
hold the location
of the Yule Lad treasure.
Well, what's happened to it?
It looks like, uh, well, like
someone's put a flame to it.
Well, it's Candle
Stealer's clue.
Oh.
How do you light a candle?
- Well, with a flame.
- Mm-hmm.
Do you have a lighter?
Does anybody have a lighter?
Yeah.
Cool.
All right.
Watch your fingers.
[fire crackles]
Look at that.
"Descend below to find
the answers above.
The end of their story
is the beginning."
[lighter clicks]
The beginning of their
story is Dimmuborgir.
Dimmuborgir.
Of course.
What better hiding spot than
the Yule Lads' own home?
And these?
I think they're--
they're the answer to
some sort of combination.
Right.
Well, uh, grab your gear.
We'll take my jet and
meet the buyer there.
Buyer?
What buyer?
A-any treasure we find belongs
to the Reykjavik Museum.
I didn't agree to that.
Are you kidding me?
What happened to the-- the--
the-- the-- stewards of history?
Its untold fortune.
No one would give that up.
I would.
We are talking about the
kind of wealth that would fund
your research 20 times over.
Don't be a fool.
[scoffs]
Very well.
Have it your way.
I have everything I need.
Uh, can you help the
Baxters collect their things
and see them out?
I believe they have a
flight home to catch.
Uh, wait, wait.
What if, when you get
there, you find another clue
and you need a translator?
Well, Dr. Baxter
has made it very clear
that she wishes to
end our partnership.
Yeah, but I didn't.
I'll stay on for a cut.
But you would choose
treasure over your wife?
My ex-wife.
Well, I, uh--
I guess this is
where we say goodbye.
[tense music]
I was so close.
I almost had it.
Hey.
- Stefanie.
- You know what?
Whatever you have to say,
I don't want to hear it.
What is this, some
sort of payback?
What, for all the times you
thought I went on a treasure
- hunt instead of being with you?
- No.
Then how could you do that?
Because, if we're gonna
beat him to the treasure,
we are gonna need this.
Oh.
I had to let him
think that I chose him
to get close enough to take it.
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to
hurt your feelings.
Oh, no.
I forgive you.
[laughs] I totally forgive you.
I mean, the ex-wife
part was a little much.
- It was a little rough.
- Yeah.
Sorry about that.
It was.
OK, so now what?
[dramatic music]
Run.
[dramatic music]
Oli, a little help?
[dramatic music]
Boys, let's get 'em.
[all shouting, dramatic music]
[brakes squeal]
Get in.
[dramatic music]
CHASE: And go!
[tires squealing]
I want Kertasnkr's clue.
We don't have it.
I don't believe you.
I saw you at the
Minister's Gala.
We lost it.
Yeah, she's telling
you the truth, lady.
Then where is it now?
Hey.
Who-- why should we--
who are you, anyway?
I'm a descendant
of Magnus Olafsson.
Our family has long protected
the Yule Lads' treasure
from those who would
seek to exploit it
for their own personal gains.
So do you know
where it's hidden?
No, and my only objective
is to keep it that way.
Each generation is
tasked with protecting
the location of the treasure.
You're my first test.
Why leave a trail of
clues for a treasure
you don't want someone to find?
Not just someone,
someone worthy.
Hey, she's worthy.
[gentle orchestral music]
I have worked
so hard for this.
I won't take it for granted.
[gentle orchestral music]
You can call me Karlotta.
[gentle orchestral music]
[speaking icelandic]
Did you really think that
I would choose the promise
of a little treasure over you?
Mm.
It's a lot of treasure.
Stefanie.
Chase, you don't
owe me anything.
You don't.
If this treasure
exists, it shouldn't
belong to any one person.
If any one person should
find it, it should be you.
OK.
OK, guys.
My friend can get
to Dimmuborgir.
We'll have to meet him at the
airstrip, but we have to go now.
All right, let's finish this.
Come on.
Wait.
What?
Stefanie.
Just wait.
Yo, lovebirds,
we have to hurry.
It's not in Dimmuborgir.
Wh-wh-where is it?
The clue says, "The beginning
of the story is the end,"
but maybe it's not
the Lads' story.
Maybe it's our story, the
beginning of our adventure.
It's leading us to--
Skalholt Cathedral.
OK.
Are you sure?
You know, if you're
wrong, the treasure
will end up in the hands
of a greedy opportunist.
Sorry.
- Is that your friend?
- No, no.
They're not close.
You're good.
The clue is telling us to go
to Skalholt. I'm sure of it.
Let's go.
Let's go.
[gentle orchestral music]
[sighs]
[sighs] You must go below.
Hold on.
You're telling me that we were
standing above the treasure
on our first day?
The Yule Lads are
known for their tricks.
Here.
You'll need this.
Thank you.
Trust your instincts.
Stay true to your heart.
It's the only way to find
what you're looking for.
All things.
Thanks.
[gentle orchestral music]
Coming?
Into a dark tunnel?
No.
You're a treasure hunter, and
you're afraid of a dark tunnel?
I'm an accountant.
Oh.
Good luck.
[orchestral music]
STEFANIE: Look out for spiders.
I'll take spiders
over skata any day.
[chuckles]
[tense music]
CHASE: Now what?
They look like switches
or dials or something.
There must be a pattern.
You must descend below
to find the answers above.
This looks like a star map.
Right?
If this were a star map, than
the moon would be right there.
OK.
And if that's the
moon, then this tree
represents the Earth
below, which must
make these the stars above.
Right.
This would be the night
sky that the Yule Lads
could see from their homes.
OK.
You know, I had to singe that
parchment, right, in order
for the clue to be revealed.
So how do we reveal the stars?
What if--
STEFANIE: 1.
[both chuckle]
Yeah.
2, 3, 4, 5.
Get this one.
CHASE: 6.
Yeah, get that one.
11, 12.
Last one, number 13, but
there's no-- there's no switch.
It's just a hole.
Could it really
be that simple?
[chuckles]
[adventurous music]
[clicking]
[stone grinding]
[triumphant music]
Aren't you coming in?
Everything I've
been looking for
is on the other side
of that threshold.
My mother's legacy.
It's all lead to this.
Come on.
[triumphant music]
CHASE: Cake.
The heck are these guys?
STEFANIE: This is
a bunch of junk.
This is just junk.
My mother spent her whole
life searching for this?
No, this-- this has
got to be a trick.
There's got to be, like, a-a
hidden chamber somewhere else.
There is no chamber.
This is it.
There is no other chamber.
This is it.
We went on a scavenger hunt
for-- for-- for-- for what?
Candlesticks and some potatoes?
These are the things that
the Jlasveinar valued.
These are their
prized possessions.
I don't understand.
I just don't understand.
I mean, what-- what-- what--
what was all this for?
[wind whistling]
No way.
What?
There's no way.
[chiming]
CHASE: What?
[gasps] I gave this to
my mother for Christmas.
She carried it with her
everywhere she went.
She was here.
H-how is that even possible?
When I got to the Yule Horn,
the crate was already opened.
[thudding]
(STAMMERING) When I
got the box, I mean,
it was-- it was unlocked, and
we found Candle Stealer's clue.
It was already singed.
It's like there's-- there
was a hidden message.
When my mom gave
up her search, she
didn't miss one spelling bee.
She never missed a Christmas
recital or anything.
She didn't give up searching for
the treasure of the Yule Lads.
She just-- she realized
what it really was.
Yeah, just a reminder
to appreciate the things
that are right in front of us.
Yeah.
[gentle music]
Stefanie.
[gentle music]
"Stefanie."
[gentle music]
MOTHER (VOICEOVER): Stefanie,
if your spirit of adventure
has led you here, I always
saw so much of myself in you.
Please know that you were the
greatest treasure of my life.
Merry Christmas.
Love you, Mom.
[gentle orchestral music]
You OK?
Let me see this.
[gentle orchestral music]
What next?
This.
[gentle music]
[gentle orchestral music]
[disembodied laughter]
[door slams]
[both chuckle]
[church bell tolling]
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
[gentle orchestral music]
[chuckles]
[gentle orchestral music]
What?
Just appreciating
what's in front of me.
[gentle orchestral music]
[festive music]
[dramatic music]
[goat bleats]
What are you looking at?
[shouts]
[gentle music]
You know what I want to hear?
[speaking icelandic]
OK.
OK.
- I think I have--
- Yeah.
- -coins.
I have coins.
- Yeah?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
OK.
[coin clattering]
Uh.
TOGETHER: G7.
[upbeat music]
Yow.
I don't get the question.
It's just a hypothetical,
just, you know,
a follow-up conversation piece.
OK.
Um, I would choose the
Ghost of Christmas Present.
OK.
Why?
Because then I could see
all the holiday parties
I wasn't invited to, and
I could hold a grudge.
[laughs] Wow.
All right. 'Tis the season.
[glasses clink]
Gledileg jol!
[upbeat music]
Nothing but Christmas
Hello.
I am--
About to get me another drink?
[laughs] Oh.
Uh, two.
[laughs]
Uh, Oli.
Hi.
Karlotta.
Oh.
Enchant.
Wow.
Merry Christmas, you guys.
Eggnog, your favorite.
Hey, let's gather around,
guys, for a Christmas toast.
Stefanie, will
you do the honors?
All right.
Uh, to friends and family
and the time we get together.
And no matter where
our journeys may lead,
may we always find our way back.
[glasses clink]
Skal.
ALL: Skal.
[laughs]
[glasses clinking]
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
[upbeat music]
(SINGING) Nothing but Christmas
You and I
[adventurous music]