Welcome to the new series that will dissect every episode of season two 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 Tuesday to find out more.
Season 2, Episode 6
"Rhinoceros"
“Excuse the obvious death penalty
snafu. I’m slightly inebriated.”
- Karl (Nick Offerman)
Things heat up as one of the Gerhardts is arrested. Ed Blomquist (Jesse Plemons) is brought in for questioning regarding the burning of the deli shop. Meanwhile, Peggy Blomquist (Kirsten Dunst) is questioned about Rye's murder by Hank Larsson (Ted Danson), who is going to run a test for samples in the recently sold car. As Ed calls Karl Weathers (Nick Offerman) to defend him against Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson), Floyd Gerhardt (Jean Smart) sends her sons out to save their brother. They end up holding up the police station, leaving everyone barricaded inside. Karl tries to escape, but finds himself looking at the barrel of a gun. As Lou and Hank escort Ed home, Ed escapes into the woods.
Death Count
*While there are no deaths this week, there are some changes that need to be made regarding the shootout and deli burning from last week. Some people survived. For the sake of continuity, I will subtract the two noticeable survivals from the total.
EPISODE COUNT: -2
TOTAL: 25
MVP:
Karl Weathers (Nick Offerman)
There's plenty that likely questioned why Karl was even on this show. Despite a memorable cameo in the premiere and a few spots here or there, he has been overall useless. In this week, it's fully understood why he's here. In fact, he's a lawyer with some sway - even while drunk. While those familiar with Offerman's deadpan style of comedy, it's nice to see him giving another great performance while intoxicated. He sways and stumbles, but he's able to use the law to his advantage. Even as he deals with a shooter that can easily kill him off, he is a comical and confident figure worthy of remembering. For what it's worth, the show took an otherwise secondary character and made them into one of the best of the season over the course of one episode.
Best Scene
If it's possible, I would love to just say "The last 20 minutes." It's a great mixture of potential danger and dark comedy that the show has done very effectively all season, but does very impressively here. With Karl as the wise guru keeping everything together, it makes sense how he controls the scenes with such ease. However, the moment that likely stands out as being the most memorable is Karl talking to Ed. Karl seems to think that Ed is in more danger than actuality. This results in him running the lawyer spiel with an effective mixture of paranoia and professionalism - all with the noteworthy tics of Offerman's delivery. In an episode packed with nonstop tense and funny moments, it's hard to underestimate the value of which Offerman brings to keeping the tone consistently enjoyable.
Overall Thoughts
I'll admit that this is an odd episode simply because a lot of the quirky vibe that has populated the first five episodes is missing. There's not a lot of great comedy on display outside of Karl's character. With that said, it's an episode packed with great tension and pacing that allows for things to play out slowly. It is a great episode also because it feels like a relaxer after last week's intense and bloody payoff. Even if the ending feels more like a cliffhanger than most weeks, the results of trying to do the best thing and how to best achieve them are getting murkier and more complicated. Still, the cast is strong and the approach to each character is impeccable. I'm so glad that this season has been so strong. Also, Offerman more than justifies his existence in this episode. I just hope that he stick around a little longer to have more to do.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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