- "What could I do? I pulled the man's finger."
- — Just going by Shawn's reaction, the off-screen anecdote wasn't very funny.
Ova Asblorn is the Norwegian former owner of the Viking's Den Ice Bar. Shawn and Gus visit the bar with the intention of asking Ova about the mysterious death of frequent customer Devon Tileback, but their conversation with bartender Alina indicates that they better not. When Ova joins the group, he tells them that he only opened the bar last year and that he considers it his second chapter after his first business back in Norway. Shawn then notices a fellow patron eyeing them threateningly and Ova explains that this is his son Per, who is not pleased with his father's career choices.
Juliet and Karen later discover that one of the guns used in Lassiter's shooting was Norwegian-made and registered to Ova. Juliet tells Shawn and Gus that Ova ran a major crime syndicate back in Norway, his involvement in gunrunning, drug dealing and extortion earning him the nickname "Butcher of Bodø". She explains that he only gave this up once he almost died, which combined with the similarity of Ova's scar to Wilkerson's leads Shawn to conclude that Ova also suffered a stroke and was also treated at the Herschel House. The gang now believe Ova to be Herschel's outside man, but those suspicions are dispelled when Morrissey draws their attention to the freezer and they discover Ova's corpse inside. They find out only moments later that he was placed there by Per, who is Herschel's real outside man and felt the need to silence his father forever.
Trivia[]
- He's originally from Flekkefjord, a city in the south of Norway.
- When Ova asks Shawn and Gus whether they've ever been to Norway, Shawn tells him "Just once, with my brother-in-law." This is a reference to the ending of Psych: The Movie, where Ewan explains he's on his way to Oslo for a secret mission right before having to escape a SWAT team together with the duo.
- Ova is played by Christopher Heyerdahl, who had earlier played Long Hair in the pilot.
- Ova's Norwegian ancestry and distinctive Norwegian accent are a clear reference to Heyerdahl's character Thor Gundersen from Hell on Wheels. Shawn's question "Aren't you Swedish or something?" is another reference to that character, who (despite being Norwegian) is nicknamed "The Swede".
- When Ova serves Shawn and Gus alcohol he sings part of "Skål kamerater", a Norwegian student drinking song.