TV Recap: Fargo - "Who Shaves the Barber?"

Left to right: Allison Tolman and Colin Hanks

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 7

"Who Shaves the Barber?"

"This one calls the ambulance. This once calls the hearse.

... Now who do I talk to in Fargo?"

-Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton)

Upon discovering that Gordo Nygaard (Spencer Drever) brought the murder weapon to school, Chaz Nygaard's (Joshua Close) house is investigated where more incriminating evidence gets him arrested. Bill Oswalt (Bob Odenkirk) tells Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman), who is shocked about the presumed affair that his dead wife was having. Meanwhile, Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) wakes in the hospital and discovers that Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard), whom she shot, is in the same wing. She talks to him only to discover that he is being arrested and that his partner is indeed dead. Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks) talks about the case with her and reveals that Lester isn't innocent just yet. Even with his brother heading to county jail, he met Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), which raises some suspicion. Meanwhile, Lorne heads to Las Vegas to find out who sent the hit men to try and kill him. When he does, he heads back to Fargo and raids the building with endless gunfire and one act of defenestration. When Molly is finally free to leave, she does so, but has a new sense of fear instilled in her. Lester, feeling too confident, decides to have sex with Gina Hess (Kate Walsh) to commemorate the thrill of getting away with the crime. We also are introduced to two F.B.I. agents (Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key), who are in charge of solving the recent manslaughter case.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Left to right: Russell Harvard and Tolman

Most Blatant Homage

There's a few name checks if you know where to look on the buildings. However, for a more direct reference to Fargo the movie, one simply needs to analyze the scene between Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard) and Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman). Theoretically, it is the same set-up: the villain's partner was killed and the cop is now asking sincere questions. Similar wording can be seen here between the show and film where she asks "Why did you do it?" Where that moment came at the tail end of the film, this comes midway through the episode. Since Mr. Wrench is a deaf mute, we don't get any answers, but we do know that his future looks bleak. Maybe he'll meet up with Chaz Nygaard (Joshua Close)?

Death Count

It is a tough week because majority of the deaths happened "off screen." Basically, when Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) raided the building, it was behind windows and the carnage wasn't seen all that well. With exception to an act of defenstration, it was the sound of gun shots. Much like last week's episode, I hold the right to give an official count until it is confirmed, as Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) did not die. However, based on the use of sound, there were three particular shots that had a deeper sound and I assume were more fatal.

Three innocent bystanders - Shot to death by Lorne Malvo

The boss - Thrown out of the window only to be splattered on the pavement.

EPISODE COUNT (HUMAN): 4

EPISODE COUNT (ANIMAL): 0

TOTAL (HUMAN): 13

TOTAL (ANIMAL): 103

Martin Freeman

MVP:

Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman)

He has been a slimy jerk ever since he killed his wife. However, he does appear to be getting just as diabolical as Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton). He certainly lacks the empathy towards his brother's arrest and cannot understand why a cleaning company won't do the job just because the floor is bloody.He is secretive and plays the nice guy card rather effectively if he knows that it'll keep him out of harm's way. In the process, he essentially became worse than Lorne by betraying his own brother, even if they weren't on the best of terms with each other. He may not kill a lot of people, but there's a good chance that when he gets caught, he will have taken a lot of innocent lives and ruined them. He already jeopardized the Nygaards greatly.

Best Scene

It is actually a series of moments that preceded the opening credits. From the moment that we find out about the gun being attached to Chaz's Nygaard (Joshua Close) son, we slowly see the de-evolution of his reputation. By the end, an entirely innocent character is now the main culprit and what's more tragic is that Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) does not care at all. It is the moment where Lester's last ounce of sympathy is removed and he has become an untrustworthy villain. Again, the magic is set up in the previous episode and its phenomenal third act only to be revealed in the most brilliantly haphazard way imaginable. Also, it makes us care for Chaz way more than we'd ever expect.

Billy Bob Thornton

Overall Thoughts

The truth is that "Buridan's Ass" is a phenomenal moment in 2014 TV and helped to solidify it as a personal favorite. With that said, this episode feels slower and serves more as the hangover after an amazing rave. We're still trying to figure out what the blizzard did to everyone and it definitely came with some surprises. Most of all, it is nice to see Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) evolve from secondary to a full on agent of dishonesty in this episode. For the longest time, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) was the show's biggest success. Now, we're beginning to branch out into interesting territory. If anything, there are some questions that are raised more than answered, which may play to the episode's pacing being a little weird. For starters, what is to happen with Chaz Nygaard (Joshua Close) and are Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) and Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks) going to interfere in time to save the day? We only have three episodes to go and things need to wind down. It is in these upcoming moments where things will suggest whether Fargo and its infinite weirdness was a worthwhile investment, or a misfire with engaging characters. Either way, even the down time episodes are compelling.

Left to right: Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key

Predictions

For starters, the F.B.I. agents will have to be integral to anything going forward. Since they were too bumbling to notice gunfire mere yards from their car, it is likely that they will not be the most successful characters. As it stands, Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) is going to be the most interesting character in that she'll either save the day or succumb to fear. The only question is how selfless does she want to be? Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) is probably going to continue getting too cocky and sloppy with his crimes and may even end up receiving blame for Lorne Malvo's (Billy Bob Thornton) barrage of attacks. Lorne is that crafty after all. Also, I got the feeling that Chaz Nygaard (Joshua Close) and Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard) are going to meet up in some way, if just accidentally. Both are in prison and now have to face the fact that Lester screwed them over.