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Every week I sort of keep hoping that Fargo will slip up a bit, have an off-week, give me a reason to not care that we’re only getting one season of these hilariously dark and wickedly affecting characters. Well, this week certainly isn’t it. Instead Noah Hawley’s adaptation of the film continues its trend of getting better with age. I have a feeling that if this series weren’t an anthology, many of the events of tonight's episode might have been held for a season finale. In any case, props to Hawley for constantly keeping us on our feet. This is one series that I can truthfully say never makes it easy to guess what's next - and when I round each corner, I’m never disappointed.
Tonight's stories range from comically and karmically amusing to decidedly dark and deadly. The range that these actors get to play must be heaven for a thespian, and tonight Hawley’s script has our characters all over the place. Lester’s story starts as one of necessity - he needs to figure out a way to get the attention off of himself in the murder investigation, and that’s a hard thing to do with a cop keeping watch outside of your hospital room. A visit from his brother - and an awesomely convenient roommate - give Lester the spark he needs. I cheered out loud when I figured out what his plan was; it’s not only entertaining but also awesomely cathartic (I love that I’m rooting for all of the murderers here).
Elsewhere, we tread much darker territory as Lorne Malvo gets ready to carry out his master plan. This is a preview I’ll keep shorter than normal, because to spoil the final 20 minutes or so of this episode would be a crime. Glenn Howerton’s Don Chumph is one to watch, as he transitions from dim-wittedly entertaining to a tragic pawn in Malvo’s game. Howerton - best known for his comedic chops and writing on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - does fantastic with material that is way out of his norm. His scenes of banter with Malvo have been among my favorite of the past few episodes, and that remains true tonight.
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Another heads up - I’ll be talking to Allison Tolman (Molly Solverson) tomorrow, and once you see how she fits into tonight's cliffhanger I’m positive you’re going to have questions for her. Leave them in the comments or hit me up on Twitter, where you’ll also get more updates on Fargo and all my SpoilerTV work.
Fargo airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX. “Buridan’s Ass” premieres tonight.
Great preview Max, this was an awesome episode. I also loved the last 20 mins.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your call with Allison Tolman
I plan on catching up to this and Resurrection in the summer, but nice preview
ReplyDeleteThanks for the preview, I can't wait for tonight.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great show and I really hope it's renewed.
SPOILERS -- SPOILERS -- SPOILERS: GO BACK NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN EPISODE 6: BURIDAN'S ASS. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!!
ReplyDeleteMolly is definitely NOT dead, she's still in FX's official plot synopses for episodes 7 thru 10. However, I believe Mr Wrench IS dead. We hear Molly's voice telling someone to stop, followed by two shots. Wrench, who cannot hear (and possibly couldn't see either in the snowstorm), failed to comply and was killed. The only real mystery is - where did the fish come from?
Malvo, along with all his other misdeeds, is also a dogkiller. Therefore no punishment is too good for him and I hope he fries. Malvo has apparently gone rogue and his "boss," seen briefly in the pilot as the dispatcher at the "realty" office (actually a front for a murder-for-hire operation) will be featured in a future episode, according to coming attractions already aired on FX. I agree that there is no redemption for Lester after tonight's episode. His brutal murder of his wife was perhaps a crime of passion, (I'm being charitable here). But framing his own brother was a calculated, premeditated act. He has crossed the line of no return and can no longer be considered a remotely sympathetic character.
By my count there were 5 important characters killed in this episode: Don, Wally, Dmitri, Numbers and (probably) Wrench. At least 2 new characters will be introduced in the next episode, according to FX: FBI agents played by the comedy team of Key & Peele. I'll be glad when the show goes back to dark comedy. I found the excessive gore in this episode (a slo-mo machine gun death and a throat slit in graphic close-up) to be very un-Coenlike.
Hey thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts! I quite loved last weeks episode, but I also agree it was quite obviously Solverson would be alive. Just another big bump in the road for Gus I presume.. of course he'd shoot another cop. Poor guy.
ReplyDeleteAs for Lester, I know he's totally unsympathetic but I also can't help but root for him. His brother was an ass, everyone in his life put him down and he just took it, and here he is reclaiming his life. Yes, it's an awful way to do it, but as entertainment it's awesome and quite the twisted revenge story. And I think they've still kept a Coen air to the show, of course it has to venture off a bit at times because Hawley is his own writer and has his own vision, but I think the balance has been great.