S02E05 - Helsinki

No: 13  |   Season: 2   Episode:  |   Air Date: 12-May-13  

I believe in Finland bag man is kassi.

Summary

Ben and Kent argue over new intelligence, while Mike employs the services of Jonah to help him on a special White House project. Selina travels to Helsinki to lock in a trade deal, and while trying to teach Dan how to charm the media, has awkward encounters with the Finnish Prime Minister (Sally Phillips) and her sleazy husband Osmo (Dave Foley).

Director and Writers

Director: Becky Martin
Story by: Ian Martin & Armando Iannucci
Teleplay by: Ian Martin

Quotes

Mike: (into his iPhone) Call Dickhead.
(Jonah's phone rings)

Kent: We're all on the same team here.
Furlong: Right, team F**k Up. Yeah, I've got my membership card here, somewhere, I can't find it.
Kent: You need to look at the bigger picture!
Doyle: Oh, I've seen the bigger picture! It show's POTUS lying to the American people! I'm telling you, this is not just a crisis, this is at least ten years of Oliver Stone movies!
Furlong: Yeah, and no the good ones. Not Platoon.
Doyle: I mean, what the f**k is wrong with you, Kent?! Seriously, when you pull the pin out, you're supposed to throw the grenade away. You don't stick it up your own fricking ass!
Ben: That I'd like to see.

Kent: Are you familiar with the Eye of Sauron? The fire-rimmed all-seeing eye from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings?
Mike: I think I caught it on a plane once.
Kent: The Eye of Sauron is the near-perfect analogue for the modern media. If we can draw the eye to Helsinki, then it won't be looking at what's going on here.
Mike: And what is exactly going on here?
Kent: I cannot tell you that, Mike.
Mike: Is Selina Gollum?

Gary: I'm the VP's bag-man. Which I believe in Finland you say kassi?
Mina Houkenen: Excuse me?
Gary: I'm a kassi.
(People around the table start tittering)
Mina Houkenen: Where did you get this translation from?
Gary: I have a Finnish friend in D.C. who works in the embassy and she gave me a lesson before I came.
Osmo Houkenen: You see, "kassi" is "bag", but it's not, uh, "bag-man". It's a-- a man-bag you know? (makes a cupping gesture with his hand)
Mina Houkenen: It is a container. It is a testicle container.

Dan: More apologizing, really? I apologized less after banging my brother's fianc

Notes and Trivia

None

Goofs

When Dan comes down to the hotel lobby to speak to the journalists, he is wearing a white dress shirt with a red tie. After the scene cuts to the reporters and back to him, he is wearing a gray dress shirt with a striped gray tie.

Cast