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| Billy Bob Thornton |
Welcome to the new series that will dissect every episode of season one of FX's Fargo. From its faithfulness as an adaptation of the Coen Brothers classic to its growing plot, this will be a look at all things involving the show, its mythology, and occasional predictions of things to happen. There will be highlights of special moments in the series and deeper dissection of what may make this anthology series so endearing. What will happen in this freshman series about a homespun murder mystery? You'll have to read the recaps every Thursday to find out more.
Season 1, Episode 3
"A Muddy River"
"Here it is. You're screwed. You made a choice and
this is the consequence. Me, I'm the consequence."
-Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton)
While investigating the murder of Phil (Dave Trimble), Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) discovers camera footage that gets her closer to solving the case. Meanwhile, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) figures out that Don Chumph (Glenn Howerton) wrote the ransom note in order to open a Turkish bathhouse. Lorne decides to take over the ransom from there, choosing to kill Milos Stavros' (Oliver Platt) dog and give him a new ransom note. He then decides to live with him in order to "keep a closer eye on potential break-ins." Molly decides to take initiative with Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) by accidentally showing him a security photo of Lorne dragging Phil's body. Lester also is dealing with the Hess' inheritance from the death, which leads to seduction from Gina (Kate Walsh).When he becomes tense, she begins to suspect that there is something more going on. After running the tags to a car that Lorne was driving, Gus Grimly (Collin Hanks) decides to team up with Molly, as their case overlaps with the same potential person. This doesn't make Bill Olson (Bob Odenkirk) happy, but she goes through with it anyways. In an attempt to regain his manhood, Lester goes out shooting with his brother Chaz (Joshua Close). Lorne leaves Milos by sticking blood into his pipelines as he takes a shower.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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| Allison Tolman |
Most Blatant Homage Moment
While the scenes play out differently, there is a scene in this week's episode that almost mirrors the execution of Fargo. In the film, Marge decides to meet up with an old friend whom she hasn't seen in years over some dinner. In the TV show, a similar event happens in which Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) meets up with an old classmate. Their discussion runs through the typical rants about who they married and what they have been up to. It doesn't necessarily give us new information about the case, but it helps us to better understand Molly as a person. Both moments end almost unceremoniously as they cut to the next scene in their stories.
Death Count
*NOTE: Due to this being the second animal killed, I will be adding the death count for animals as well.
1. King (Milos' Dog) - Died from Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) stabbing him.
EPISODE COUNT (HUMAN): 0
EPISODE COUNT (ANIMAL): 1
TOTAL (HUMAN): 5
TOTAL (ANIMAL): 2
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| Thornton |
MVP:
Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton)
I am trying not to just call Lorne the best character on a week-to-week basis, but consider all that he has done. He remains a looming threat over the entire series. In this episode, he remains just as much of a nuisance as ever and even amps up the stakes to play whatever game he is playing. It is unpredictable and creepy. He may be having his identity discovered the further along he goes, but for the time being, he is a smooth criminal. He calculates effectively and even knows how to do ransom properly. The only question is how long he is likely to remain this imposing threat considering that everyone is starting to catch up to him.
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| Oliver Platt |
Best Scene
For the first time in the series, it feels like there might be some religious undertones mixed in. In fact, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) quotes the bible in voice-over as the ending scene reveals some chaotic action. There is plenty of artistic qualities in it that are strange and ominous. However, the final image of Milos Stavros (Oliver Platt) taking a shower that slowly turns into blood is creepy and strange. While the show has given little reason for me to believe that there are supernatural things going on, this moment felt like a metaphor at first glance. Did Lorne actually kill Milos and Fargo wanted to show it in an artistic fashion? It would seem out of character with everything that has come before, but it does heighten awareness of how strange this universe is. As the reveal comes moments later, it is kind of funny and strange as well as a reason that it is hard for anyone else to be considered an MVP as long as Lorne is around.
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| Left to right: Thornton and Glenn Howerton |
Overall Thoughts
The show continues to get stronger with each episode. While the initial feeling of characters feeling inessential plagued the first two episodes, everyone who currently stands on the show has a defined purpose now. While I feel like Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) was sort of useless this week, it gave us time to explore all of the other characters and how they fit into the puzzle. It was a particularly strong week for the police force, who are moving quickly to figure out what exactly it is that Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) is doing. We even get an origin story for the frozen man who started off the show. I do worry that the show is too rooted in flashbacks from time-to-time, but with the community starting to feel lived in, I hope that we will move on and get into a latter half that is intense with Malvo meeting his demise.
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| Platt |
Predictions
I don't really have any at this moment, as it feels like the show is setting up for a new series of topics. Milos Stavros (Oliver Platt) may still be around, but I feel like his purpose to the show may become inconsequential, or at least fall into the camp who joins up with Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) to take down Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton). After all, he is the king. I am unsure what this means next for Lorne, but I do feel like he is going to keep going in order to avoid being cornered by those who are directly on his tail.
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| Left to right: Thornton and Howerton |
Bonus
For those curious to see how Fargo references other Coen Brothers films, it is slight. In this particular episode, we get a direct nod to True Grit. As seen in the moment where Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) takes Don Chumph (Glenn Howerton) into a closet, there are boxes that are marked. One of them is for LeBoeuf Misc. For those unaware, True Grit is a film in which character Matt Damon played a character named LaBoeuf. Whether that is a type-o or not, it is one of the interesting subtle nods that the show has done. At least its more subtle than the White Russian nod in the first episode.
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