Erkku, Joonas, and Pirjo film a missing scene from The Bold and the Beautiful
Erkku puzzles over the task brief, wondering if they are supposed to know who the famous person might be. Pirjo questions whether the person is actually Pilvi, and Erkku asks Pilvi if she’s “important to the Taskmaster”.
As the three discuss their scene (having apparently decided on a long lost brother reveal), Joonas reminds them that cliff-hangers are all about sudden occurences, so if their scene begins with a long lost brother reveal – or at least has one early on – then it’s not a cliff-hanger.
The team start to discuss a pregnancy, and Joonas wonders if they could get something to represent a baby for the famous person (who they still assume is Pilvi) to hold. Pirjo points to the furry vase on top of the nearby shelves, and Joonas retrieves it, saying that it could be Rosemary’s Baby (suddenly introducing an element of magical realism to their scene).
Having finished preparing their scene, Joonas calls Pilvi in, and Esko enters with her. He claims that Pilvi had visited Pihlajaktu (‘Rowan Street’, the fictional setting of Salatut Elämät) in search of “the best and most experienced cliff-hanger actor in Finland”, so he has come to help.
After introductions are made, the team explain their scene (which Erkku describes as a regrettable “rush job”, now that Esko is part of their team) to Esko, in footage that does not make the edit. The only part of this that is shown is Esko telling Pirjo that he does not understand the scene, and Pirjo replying that everything she has just explained will be in English. In response to Esko’s surprise, Erkku confirms that they’re parodying Kauniit ja rohkeat (the Finnish title for The Bold and the Beautiful), and because it’s an American soap opera, theirs will also be performed entirely in English.
In their scene, a blind Pirjo (represented by the fact that she is wearing a pair of sunglasses) feels her way around the room until she finds a chair that she can sit in. Nearby, Esko silently stands against the wall, holding a tray (technically a plate) with two filled glasses, and a towel draped over his arm, indicating that he is Pirjo’s butler.
Joonas (playing Pirjo’s son) enters the room, asking whether everything is okay. Pirjo responds that she just misses her son – Joonas’ brother. Joonas nods, saying that he misses his brother, too. He picks up one of the glasses and greets Esko – named Charles in their scene, as they are all meant to be American – and joins Pirjo, asking if she also wants a glass of cognac. Pirjo replies that she’s “drink enough”, and Joonas agrees.
Suddenly, Erkku bursts into the room, declaring that he has been searching “for twenty long years” for his family, and his search has finally come to an end. In utter shock, Joonas says “My god, it’s my identical brother!”. Pirjo, overjoyed at the return of her son, hugs him and feels his face. Erkku senses that Pirjo’s touch is familiar, and questions whether she is the woman he had spent the previous evening with, confessing that he’s in love with her.
Before that revelation can be dealt with, Erkku notices something else: not only is Pirjo pregnant (“Already?” Joonas questions in disbelief, seemingly unphased that his mother and brother have slept together), but she is in active labour. As Pirjo starts to push, Joonas reassures everyone present that he is “a medical doctor”, and coaches Pirjo through her labour, delivering a wrapped bundle of cloth (which is not the furry vase from before, as it is present on the shelving next to Esko in the scene).
Pirjo lovingly gazes upon her child, before swiftly handing it over to Joonas, declaring that it is not her baby. Joonas hands the baby to Erkku, who looks at it child before returning it to Joonas, also denying parentage of the baby. Joonas says that he hopes it isn’t his baby – and as he does, Charles the butler finally speaks, barking at everyone to shut up, before darkly declaring that the baby is actually his. All three family members stare at Charles the butler in shock and disbelief – including Pirjo, whose blindness seems to have magically been cured.
In the studio, when Jaakko asks about the inspiration for the scene, Joonas replies (seemingly in the kind of way that one would use corporate buzzwords to sound smart while not actually saying anything) that the team had used “those kind of difficult family relations” as the starting point of their scene, and built outwards, incorporating surprises from both inside and outside of the family.
Jaakko jokes that the team had such an excellent set up – a successful family, English language, drama – that if the script and actors had been different, the soap opera might actually be good.
Jaakko awards both teams 5 points. He also awards Erkku, Joonas, and Pirjo a bonus point for making Esko the star of their cliff-hanger.
(Written by Jenny R and proofread by Karl Craven)
(Illustrations collected by Jenny R and adjusted by Karl Craven)
