The Reykjavik Ice Sculpture Festival Is Lovely This Time of Year

"**The Reykjavik Ice Sculpture Festival Is Lovely This Time of Year**" is the third episode of the second season of HBO Max's *The Flight Attendant*. It released on April 28, 2022 on HBO Max alongside the fourth episode, "Blue Sincerely Reunion."

## Synopsis

A cryptic text leads Cassie to search for Megan in Reykjavík, where Shane grows increasingly suspicious of his friend's erratic travels. Back in L.A., Annie and Max face unexpected turbulence.

## Plot

### We're going to Iceland

The couple continues to sit tied up in the apartment of Esteban and Gabrielle Diaz as someone else's conversation that they are monitoring is played over a laptop. Esteban tends to Gabrielle's hair as the dog Mr. Waffles barks manically. Meanwhile, Marco walks with Cassie, saying that he hopes he didn't throw her with the whole moving-in thing. He tells her that he knows it's a really big thing. Cassie replies that they should have the conversation right now, that Annie is upset about her interview and she feels she should be with her tonight. Marco agrees that they can pick it up tomorrow. "Breakfast?" he asks and she agrees, heading in to her apartment.

Inside, Annie asks Cassie if she is okay. Annie says that she is, but then heads to the bathroom to try to decipher Megan's strange Snapchat message. Cassie wonders what it means and finds herself inside the mind palace, with sparkly Cassie analyzing the message with her. Depressing Cassie walks over, asking them "Decoding an emoji chain instead of dealing with our actual issues? Great." Cassie asks what she is doing, saying that Megan must be in trouble to send her a message through her son Eli. She asks to focus. Depressing Cassie calls them annoying and sparkly Cassie says that she is tired of waking up, flying, coming back and having boring sex with Marco. "Let's live!" she shouts and Cassie says her life isn't boring. Cassie continues to interpret the emojis, which leads her to think of the puffin keychain that Megan sent her. She looks at the stamp on the envelope it came from, and realizes it comes from Reykjavik, Iceland. "Oh, for fuck's sake, we're going to Iceland?" asks depressing Cassie, asking if she recalls Dot grounding them.

In the dead of night, Cassie prepares to sneak out. She heads to her kitchen table and writes a note. Annie appears and Cassie startles, apologizing, saying she didn't know she was up. Cassie says that something came up with the airline, so she has to go. Annie stops her, saying she told them about her extracurricular activities, so she doesn't have to lie. Cassie agrees she is glad she knows and hugs her. She asks Annie to keep working on the Viewmaster. Annie quips that she doesn't have time, that she has to wash her hair. They giggle slightly at this and Cassie heads out. On the way to her flight, Cassie ends up meeting up with Grace St. James. "Early flight?" asks Grace and Cassie claims that she is filling in for someone. Grace begs Cassie to tell her she is going to Berlin again, saying she doesn't want to get stuck there again with nobody fun. Just then, they end up at the desk for Icelandic flights and Grace realizes, saying that she is not allowed in Iceland. "Not my route," Cassie claims, saying she was going to get a coffee. Grace says they should hang out again, telling her to have a safe flight.

Once Grace is gone, Cassie runs up to the counter, asking for a jump seat on the flight, showing her ID. The clerk tells her that there is someone ahead of her. "Another flight attendant wants to go to Iceland today?" asks Cassie. "It's fucking Carol," the clerk tells her. Cassie stares as the woman, Carol, gives a little wave. "Oh God," Cassie moans, walking over to Carol, who claims to be going to be going to Iceland to visit a chocolate factory. Cassie comments that it must be nice to have seniority over the jump seat, saying it is her eighth time trying to grab it. Cassie says her grandmother lives in Iceland and she wouldd like to see her before she dies. Cassie begs Carol for her seat, saying she will buy her chocolate, but Carol just takes her ticket and gets up. Sparkly Cassie appears next to Carol, asking Cassie if she is really going to let "Black Market Carol" walk all over her. Carol tells Cassie to tell her grandmother good luck and says something to her in Icelandic.

### Black market Carol

Sparkly Cassie tells Cassie that Carol needs to wipe the smug smile off her face and to use the dirt she has against her. Cassie gets up, saying she didn't want to have to do it, but that she knows that Carol sells "buddy passes" for profit, that people call her "black market Carol." Cassie continues that they make t-shirts as Carol clearly has the look of someone who knows she's beat. Cassie tells her that she can keep her jump seat, but that it won't do her much good when she goes to the management. Cassie takes the ticket, saying that she's sorry about the blackmail, that it's not her. Cassie boards the flight, texting "Help me!" to someone, when Shane Evans comes up next to her. "Carol Atkinson?" he asks, and she giggles nervously at seeing him, saying that she thought he was on the Transpacific route. He tells her he's doing a last minute cover, asking about her jump-seating a flight to Iceland on a false identity. She says she just wanted to get away. "And you landed on Iceland?" he asks. Looking at travel brochure, she claims she's dying to attend an ice festival. He asks if he's calling her Carol from now on and Cassie claims that Carol gave her her seat. "Black market Carol gave you her ticket?" he asks and Cassie tells him he shouldn't call her that, that she's a very sweet lady.

Cassie returns to her mind palace. She tells the other Cassies that she knows Shane doesn't believe any of that, but Megan needs her. "You keep repeating that like you need to believe it yourself," comments a new version of Cassie, sitting at the bar and wearing a blue blouse. Cassie asks where the others are and who she is. "Well, I'm you, silly, if you made better choices," replies this new Cassie. She asks the bartender for two sodas with a twist of lime and two appear out of nowhere. She tells Cassie that maybe there are other choices, that she could relay Megan's message to someone more qualified, such as Shane. Cassie says that this must be why Shane is on the flight, that he knows Megan is in Reykjavik. She says that she has to get to Megan before he does, but better choices Cassie says they could let him do his job, go back home and talk to Marco about living together. Cassie observes a ring on her finger and she says she could be next if she went back to Marco and made better choices. Cassie exits the mind palace and compiles a list of places she's been in Iceland with Megan on her smartphone.

Back at Cassie's, Annie comments that everything they've tried so far is a bust and all they have left is the Viewmaster slides. Max tells her he already digitized the slides, calling her away, saying he's got something better. He shows her the software he's using to find pattern matches, suggesting that they leave around noon for the meeting with his parents. She mutters to herself and he asks if she forgot it was happening, but she tells him she didn't. He asks if she's nervous and she replies that she isn't, that parents love her. He says she's cute for being nervous. Just then, Marco arrives with a bouquet of roses. He tells Annie that he knows she didn't want to talk about her interview, but that people fall off the mountain all the time and just have to keep climbing. She thanks him and he asks about Cassie, if she's ready. Annie and Max are, of course, confused.

Meanwhile, Cassie's flight lands in Iceland. She rides a company van with Shane. As Shane gets off, she gets a call. It's Annie, telling her that Marco just showed up with roses to take her to breakfast. Cassie asks her to tell him that she's covering for a friend on a flight, but Annie asks if she's never going to tell him about her secret job with the CIA. Cassies says she doesn't have to tell him, and Annie replies that she may not be serious about him, but he's clearly very serious about her. Cassie says that she is serious, and Annie says "If you live together..." but Cassie cuts her off, not wanting to hear it. "Did he ask you to move in?" questions Annie, asking if Cassie is dodging Marco. Cassie feigns that the wireless service is bad and hangs up, pleading with Annie to just tell Marco.

### Alcoholics Anonymous is anonymous

Sparkly Cassie appears, dressed for the weather, saying that Cassie just lied to both Annie and Shane, but old habits die hard. Cassie tells her to lay off, asking who the new one is. Sparkly Cassie agrees that she's annoying, but says that she's actually on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She asks if all the running around and lying feels good. Cassie says that it doesn't, that she has to find Megan and get out. The bus driver enters, telling Cassie she can't sleep there. "At least you don't have to worry about your blonde double!" comments sparkly Cassie as Cassie emerges onto Iceland's streets to be greeted by a sea of people with blonde hair.

Cassie begins her search, going everywhere she can think of that she's been with Megan and recalling past times with her. She searches from place to place, well into the night, finally crossing the last place off her list. She spots Shane and tries to make a beeline away, only to end up crashing into a food cart and falling over. Back in Los Angeles, Annie and Max arrive at Max's parents, Max telling stories of his childhood. "What about your work?" she asks. He asks what she means and she asks about what his parents think he does for a living. He tells her that they know he's a hacker and they're okay with it, that everything is okay. However, before they enter, she slips the ring off her finger. The door opens and Max's mother greets him as her "long lost son." "She's real, she exists!" she shouts. Some distance away, Esteban and Gabrielle Diaz sit together in a van. "She took off her engagement ring" comments Esteban. Gabrielle says that if they have to sit there much longer, someone else will beat them to the payoff. He tells her to be patient, asking just what she wants. "Let's turn things up," she whispers to him. He grins.

Max's mother comments that Annie looks good. Annie asks if she really thought she was fake. She replies that Annie is the first girl Max has ever brought home. "Don't let it go to your head," Max tells her. Annie compliments a painting made by Max's mother, but she says it's shit, just something to keep her hands busy. She takes them into the kitchen, where Max's father is busy preparing lunch. Max's mother offers Annie tea, a choice of chamomile or ginseng. Annie goes for ginseng and Max's mother replies that she drinks a ton of it, that it's how they got Max. "It does wonders for fertility," she comments and Annie says she'll switch to chamomile.

Back in Iceland, Cassie tries another idea, but strikes out once again. She gets a call, which turns out to be from Davey. He tells her that he had lunch with Jenny, who told him about her podcast, about normal people finding themselves in the middle of tragedies. He tells her that it's not exploitative though, that it's very tasteful. He says that she thinks the Alex Sokolov thing could be good for it, that she's known as the drunk woman who woke up next to a dead guy and she could set the record straight. Cassie replies that Jenny needs to learn the definition of Alcoholics Anonymous. "It's anonymous." She continues that the whole thing was only a blip in the news anyway, that nobody knows her. He says he gets it and starts to continue, but just then, Shane approaches Cassie. She tells him she has to call him back.

### Everything you need to hide a body

Shane asks if he shouldn't be searching for ice sculptures. She tells him that she's going tomorrow, that she just doesn't want to miss the night crowds. She says the place they're standing in front of has the best sheep's head in the land. "You should try some," he suggests coyly. "Right now?" she asks. He takes her inside and they order. The waiter offers some brandy on the house, which Shane sets aside. He comments that he's never known her to be an adventurous eater. She claims that she loves trying new things. Just then, she gets another call. It's her handler, Benjamin Berry. She ignores the call. Shane asks if everything's okay. She says that it is and starts eating. He says that most people who sample fermented shark get sick, saying it's a total coincidence that she was on his flight, that he doesn't believe in them, but there they are. The waiter brings over some more exotic food and Cassie gags. She hands the diner her card. Shane asks if she's going somewhere. She tells him she's going to scarf it all down and then go see the sights.

Shane calls her an "adventurer," saying that if he's being totally honest, he's starting to worry about her impulsive behavior. He tells her there are things they're both not saying and he'd hate for them to come between them as friends. The waiter comes back, telling her that her card was declined. She asks him to try it again, saying she just used it, but Shane offers his card. Cassie looks at her phone and sees a bank fraud alert - somebody has had a shopping spree at a hardware store using her account. Back in Los Angeles, her double loads tape and ropes into the trunk of a car, along with a knife.

Back at Max's, Max's father shows off his car. His father asks what his future daughter-in-law thinks. "You told your parents?" asks Annie, panicked. His father says he can tell in the way he talks about her. Max tells him to chill. Annie snaps a picture of the license plate on the car, seemingly matching something to one of the Viewmaster pictures. She asks to meet them both back inside the house while they search for a photo album. Annie then calls up Cassie, saying she thinks she got a lead on another Viewmaster slide. Cassie tells her that she thinks someone is using her credit card. Annie replies that it isn't surprising, giving her lack of password security, but Cassie tells her that she isn't listening. She explains about the nature of the items they purchased. "That's everything you would need to hide a body," comments Annie. "What?!" shouts Cassie and Annie tells her that it's her experience from her old clients, that she doesn't want to know, she just does. Cassie replies that it isn't helpful and Annie tells her to chill. Cassie replies that there is a psychopath who is impersonating her and that she decided to travel to Iceland. Annie tells her that she needs to pull out of her tailspin. Cassie says she's trying to hold it together, and Annie agrees she'll stay on the Viewmaster. She tells her to get back as soon as she can.

An alarm sounds at Cassie's hotel. It triggers her tinnitus and she hangs up, going back into the mind palace. She finds herself surrounded by pink roses and the better choices Cassie, who tells her that she did leave some loose ends back home. She tells her that she's shirking her responsibilities, but Cassie says she's just trying to help her friend. Better choices Cassie tells her she tried, but now her choices are to cut her losses and go home, or continue to ignore her and see what her life becomes. "It's not a pretty future," she tells her, but depressing Cassie says that there's no point, she won't listen. The alarm stops. "False alarm, I guess," comments sparkly Cassie from the bar. In the real world, Cassie stares at the complimentary drinks her hotel room. In the mind palace, she goes up to the bar, where sparkly Cassie pours a drink. She tells her that she has a had long day, that she has every right to feel anxious, and a little drink would take the edge off. Cassie curses. "You can trust me," comments sparkly Cassie, saying that she's kept her secret so far. "Haven't I?" she asks. Cassie stares at her, then the drink. Back in the real world, she recalls past times with Megan, as well as recent events. She drops the floor, muttering that she doesn't need a drink. She then tells herself to get up and go to a meeting. She races out the door.

### Fixating on the asset

In the lobby of hotel, Cassie finds Shane. She asks if he's following her around, if it's his new job. He tells her she's not the only person staying on the hotel. She asks who reads a newspaper in a hotel lobby. He asks if she really wants to do this and she agrees that she does. He offers a hypothetical: that she's there to aid a fugitive and, if so, that it would be very unwise. She asks if he'd really turn her in for enjoying Iceland, starting to walk away, and he continues that he's there to close a case. He tells her that she's been hunting Megan for a day, but he has for a year. She tells him he's crazy and he says that Megan did commit treason, but that he doesn't think Megan should end up murdered, showing her a smartphone photo of a bloody body. She says she doesn't need to see it, but he says that subtle hasn't worked on her. He tells her that Hak Oh-Seong is searching for Megan and she doesn't want to cross him. He says he cannot let her wander down this aimlessly, that she's in actual danger. She starts again to tell him that she's there for the ice sculpture festival, but he says not to tell him that. She asks why it's so hard to believe. He says he knows her. She tells him she doesn't know anything, that she almost just did something bad, but she didn't. She tells him she's trying to be a better person. She shouts that she doesn't know where Megan is, that she couldn't find her even if she wanted to. She walks off, shouting that she doesn't care and to fuck off.

Back at Max's parents, the group has dinner. They discuss Annie's potential job, but she says that she's not going to get it. Max claims she's just nervous, but Annie says she tanked the interview. Max's mother says they're rooting for her. They talk about kids, but Annie says it's not a thing. Max says that she means not right away, but Annie says that she doesn't want kids and never has. She says that she doesn't know if she's really all the things they said about her, and she's done talking about it.

At the headquarters of the CIA, the milky-eyed agent hands Benjamin a photo. There's a knock at the door and his boss, Dot Karlson, enters. She takes a drink from his refrigerator and sits down at his desk. "Please, make yourself comfortable," he comments. She replies that he said he wanted a sit-down. He tells her that Bowden owes him a debrief, but he's been calling and her voicemail is full. She quips that she's mistaken him for Verizon Wireless. He says that Bowden talked to the mark and her intel is crucial. Dot replies that Cassie doesn't know this and that's good for them, that she thinks it's a gas explosion and she grounded her for her safety. She asks if he wants her to throw Cassie into an active volcano. Benjamin replies that Cassie misses her contact window and doesn't follow orders, that something is off. He says they need to keep her on a tighter leash. She says that he misses being in the field and that's why he wants her job, but the secret is that it's just a bigger desk. She is then called out for a phone call and tells Benjamin to stop fixating on an asset. She says that someone in HR might mistake it as a crush on Cassie Bowden and it's messy.

### Confused

In Iceland, Cassie finds herself an AA meeting. She talks with the group, saying that she came to Iceland because she wanted to help her best friend as an act of service. Instead, she only pissed off her boyfriend and boss, that she hasn't had a drink since New York and almost ruined it, but she didn't. She wraps and sits down. A man named Jimmy gets up and starts telling his story. He says the hardest part is being alone, that he met someone who reminded him of home, someone with a Long Island accent. Cassie interrupts, asking about the woman he's talking about. The meeting manager shuts her up and the man says that's all. She goes over to him, saying it may be the most insane coincidence. She asks where he met the woman from Long Island.

Back in L.A., Annie and Max are returning to Cassie's. Annie tells Max that she really liked his parents. Max is silent and she asks if he isn't going to make a comment. She says he's upset about the kid thing. She says they've talked about a million times. "I disagree," he replies, saying that they joked about it. Annie says that his mother was making fertility tea. He shoots back that his parents are nice people who didn't deserve the special episode of her that showed up. She stares. She pulls out her phone and there's a message from somebody named Samantha, saying that it's a German license plate. He asks if this is who she's been texting all day. He asks if she wants to move to L.A., if she really wants the new job and to marry him. She asks if he's high. He tells her he's angry, that he was excited for his parents to meet her, but she took off the ring. She replies that they're still in discussions. "Drop into lawyer mode," he comments. She continues that she told him the morning that she wasn't in a good head-space, so she was distracted, that crazy stuff is going down with Cassie that he doesn't even know. He replies that he would if she told him. She says that she doesn't even know if she wants the job even if they were to make the offer. She says they probably won't because she's a mess of a human being. "Why do you think that is, Annie?" he asks. She says she doesn't now, but he's probably about to tell her. He turns around and heads inside. She curses.

In Iceland, Cassie stares in wonder at the Northern Lights. She reaches a shop selling puffin keychains and finds hers to be a perfect match. She gets a text from Annie telling her that the first slide is a German car. She calls Annie, but Annie just lets it go to voicemail and heads inside Cassie's place. Cassie wonders what is up with that, given that she just texted her. She leaves a voicemail telling Annie that the car is the one that blew up in Berlin. As Cassie continues, wondering it all fits into the puzzle, Annie calls for Max, saying that they need to talk. As Cassie wraps up her message, telling Annie that she owes her, Annie finds Max laid out on the floor. She curses and starts forward, but is then grabbed from behind by Esteban Diaz. He knocks her out and lays her on the floor next to Max, Gabrielle staring at the both of them. Cassie reaches a bar called the Blue Sincerely. She enters, and sees Megan behind the counter. She rushes forward, telling Megan that she can't believe it, that she cracked her emoji message. Megan takes her to a back room. "What the fuck are you doing here?" she asks her. It's clearly not the warm welcome that she was hoping for. She tells her that she flew across the world to find and help her. Megan replies that she doesn't need her help. "We're closed!" she shouts at someone, telling Cassie that her being there is going to get them both killed. Cassie's jaw drops. "I'm confused," she tells Megan.

## Cast

### Starring

* Kaley Cuoco as Cassandra "Cassie" Bowden

* Zosia Mamet as Annie Mouradian
* Deniz Akdeniz as Max Park
* Mo McRae as Benjamin Berry
* Callie Hernandez as Gabrielle Diaz
* Griffin Matthews as Shane Evans
* J.J. Soria as Esteban Diaz

with

* Cheryl Hines as Dot Karlson

and

* Rosie Perez as Megan Briscoe

### Guest starring

* T.R. Knight as Davey Bowden
* Mae Martin as Grace St. James
* Alanna Ubach as Carol Atkinson
* Santiago Cabrera as Marco
* Victoria Kelleher as Sara Park
* Joseph Kamal as Demir Park
* Erik Passoja as Jim Jones

### Co-starring

Special thanks to Monette Moio, Kaley Cuoco's stunt double, body double and acting double.

* Erica Ibsen as Cassie Double #2
* Kate Cochran as Cassie Double #3
* Melissa Prather as Cassie Double #4
* Mary Ann Welshans as Vicky
* Salma Khan as Gate Agent
* Solmundur Holm Solmundarson as Microbrewery Bartender
* Puridur Elin Sigurdardottir as Viking Hostess
* Hallvarder Jes Gislason as Viking Waiter
* George Leite as AA Meeting Leader
* David Por Katrinarson as Jimmy

## Trivia

* According to "Inside S2 E3," the exotic food at the restaurant that Cassie and Shane visited in the episode was real. Shane's actor, Griffin Matthews, actually ate the food, but Kaley Cuoco, who is not an adventurous eater, did not. Cuoco was impressed with Matthews for not spitting out the food between takes.

## Quotes

"And you're jump seating a flight to Reykjavik under a false identity, so that's also really fuckin' fun."

"Oh my God! N-no. I-I just wanted - I wanted to get away."

"And you landed on Iceland?"

- Shane Evans and Cassie Bowden
"Uhhhh... who are you?"

"I'm you, silly, if you make better choices."

- Cassie and another version of herself in the mind palace
"I used to be a complete nightmare. But with a lot of hard work, I really got my life together and I think you can too. I mean, Annie has a ring. I think you're next, honey."

- Better choices Cassie to Cassie