Siri gets political

Siri reveals to Olli that she had formerly dated a Finnish man for nearly seven years. She also proudly proclaims that she can say “ei saa peittää” (‘do not cover’, a phrase written on every electric heater, in multiple languages). She also says that she has eaten a lot of pirog (which, while present in Finnish cuisine, is not iconically Finnish). She then admits that she isn’t sure whether her former boyfriend actually spoke any Finnish.

Siri greets Kauko with a handshake, and immediately proclaims in Finnish that she’s finished with small talk, and then asks him what he thinks about NATO (at the time of filming, the historically neutral Finland was in the process of joining NATO, due in large part to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022). Kauko holds the opinion that Finland should join NATO as soon as possible. It appears that Siri means to follow up by asking “Kenet pistäisit liittoon?” (‘Who would you put in the alliance?’), but she mispronounces “pistäisit” (‘would you put’) as “pistaasi” (‘pistachio’), immediately derailing the conversation, as Kauko looks at Olli in confusion.

Siri pushes forward with her other pre-written questions, asking “Hän pomo sitten vähän tyyppi?” (‘Is he kind of a boss-type?’) without actually referring to any specific person, as Kauko had not been able to answer her previous question. Kauko also hears Siri’s mispronunciation of “tyyppi” as “tuoppi” (‘mug/beer glass’), and so responds that he would very much enjoy a beer.

Siri also acknowledges the existence of the Finn-created Moomins, but has no actual conversation prepared to expound on the topic. When Kauko asks Siri if she’d read the books as a child, Siri agrees (in English, Spanish, and French).

At the end of Siri’s conversation, Kauko turns to Olli, and expresses his disappointment (in Finnish) that he will not be going out for a drink after all.

In the studio, Atle comments that Siri should have stuck to ‘yes/no’ questions, to avoid getting responses to questions that she does not understand. Siri defends herself by saying that Google had told her that Finns do not like small talk, which was why she’d started her conversation with Kauko by saying that they would not be engaging in any of that.

Kauko, presumably upset by the false promise of beer (but also for complicating the conversation by straying into politics), awards Siri last place.

(Written by Jenny R and proofread by Karl Craven)

(Illustrations collected by Jenny R and adjusted by David Fuller)