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 9
"A Fox, a Rabbit and a Cabbage"
"How does he get all three of his items across
the river without losing any of them?"
-FBI Agent Pepper (Keegan-Michael Key)
Upon running into Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) in Las Vegas, Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) tries to rat him out in front of his friends: a group of dentists that he has invited out for drinks. When Lorne's identity gets revealed, he shoots the three people and blames Lester, who decides to pack his bags, grab his wife Linda (Susan Park) and head back to Minnesota. Meanwhile, FBI Agents Pepper (Keegan-Michael Key) and Budge (Jordan Peele) get a major breakthrough in the case and calls Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) to analyze the information. Over the course of the episode, Lester nervously tries to find a way to shut down his newly owned Nygaard Insurance and move to Acapulco. However, Lorne is on his trail and is chasing him by contacting all of the townsfolk who may know him. Molly interviews Lester about incidents in Las Vegas, to which he is coy about. As he is about to leave town, he stops by Nygaard Insurance to pick up his passports. He decides to have Linda go get them only to have Lorne hidden inside waiting to kill her.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Most Blatant Homage
It is tough that after so long to find a blatant homage. In this episode, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) felt an awful lot like No Country for Old Men's Anton Chigurh in the way that he casually comes in and out of scenes. Even then, that is how things have been played the entire time. This episode is about tension and isn't quite obsessed with symbolism as much. At best, we get Paul Bunyan and Babe his Blue Ox statues returning to remind us of where we are. It may not mean much in the grand scheme of the episode, but the show has evolved past homages.
Death Count
-Burt Canton (Stephen Root): Shot by Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) in an elevator
-Jemma Stalone (Helena Mattsson): Shot by Lorne in an elevator
-Louise Weezy Canton (Jennifer Copping): Shot by Lorne in an elevator
-Linda Park (Susan Park): Shot by Lorne in Nygaard Insurance
EPISODE COUNT (HUMAN): 4
EPISODE COUNT (ANIMAL): 0
TOTAL (HUMAN): 36
TOTAL (ANIMAL): 103
MVP:
Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton)
If there is any discussion of professionalism, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) may be one of the most slick and effective killers. He has a cool to him and while he does often seem illogically cold, he will surprise you. In this episode, he reminds you of why you don't mess with him by popping up in strange places. He manages to pit murder on Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) and then track him down by consulting civilians. He knows how to get the job done and can put on a pretty good ruse in making you believe that he cares about you. In the titular analogy, he is The Fox, capable of killing anything that stands in his path. While it does seem ridiculous at points and not fully understood, Lorne is quite a fascinating character.
Best Scene
Just when Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) thinks that he is getting out alive, he runs into a singular problem. He needs to get the passports from his office. At the last minute, he decides to send Linda (Susan Park) in to get them. This small twist of fate allows for the next episode to actually happen, raising the stakes. Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) strikes his move closest to Lester's heart (depending on if you felt he married Linda out of love or ego). We don't get to see the next move, but it does leave a lot of questions. The most notable is if Lester is still going to escape and leave behind the fact that Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) is so close to capturing him. What is his next move, and how does he overcome The Fox that is looking to destroy his plans?
Overall Thoughts
A nice reminder of Fargo's capability to go really dark. Also, while we have seen Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) play detective before, we haven't seen something this intricate. He becomes personable with every single person in the series practically. As a result, his looming presence creates a mystery of what his next move is going to be. Will he get caught? Is the meandering tale of Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) solving the case actually moving forward? I also feel that while FBI Agents Pepper (Keegan-Michael Key) and Budge (Jordan Peele) have been enjoyable, I do feel like they aren't adding much weight. Maybe they will in the finale. As a whole, this is an episode with a question in its title and the simple answer of "You can't do anything successfully." Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) is bound to get caught or do something foolish in the process. With one more episode to go, will the show actually go out with a bang?
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| Left to Right: Allison Tolman, Key, and Peele |
Predictions
Not too many of my predictions have been right, though I did have the fortunate foresight to predict FBI Agents Pepper (Keegan-Michael Key) and Pepper (Jordan Peele) joining up with Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman). They are likely to finally get their day and prove that the bumbling attention to detail actually lead to something. However, is Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) going to get there first? There are many balls in the air and with the show's revelation that they aren't shy about killing people off, I'd expect some sort of bloodbath that will make for a polarizing ending to the season. Someone beloved will die for the sake of dramatic effect. The only question is who the tragedy will fall upon.
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