S04.E05: The Birthplace of Civilization

[Bort]

Josto strikes back. Ethelrida does the right thing. Loy finds himself against the ropes. Deafy shakes the tree.

Airdate: 18 October 2020

[Blakeston]

Remember when the villains on Fargo were interesting?

What I wouldn't give to see Malvo again...instead of watching Gaetano's stupid crazy eyes.

[thuganomics85]

Had a feeling that Doctor Senator wasn't going to make it once he entered the diner and while I guess it will help propel Loy into going all in with the gang war, I'm still bummed over it.  Glynn Turman is always a delight and helped make Doctor Senator one of about only three characters I actually care about at this point in the season.

Although, they did at least make Odis a bit more interesting, with the reveal of his backstory.  Man, Jack Huston's characters really don't have good luck with war!

Chris Rock was a little better this episode, but I couldn't take the yelling scene with his wife seriously, because he honestly sounded more like he was going to launch into an impromptu stand-up special, and I kept waiting for him to pull out a microphone.

Josto continues to just be there, while Gaetano continues to pail in comparison to pretty much every other baddie this show has had in past seasons.

Despite maybe two minutes of screen time, I'm still more invested in Rabbi and his loyalty towards Satchel/Loy's son (who is totally going to be Mike) than a lot of other stuff that is going on.

To end things on a more positive note though, I think I could listen to Timothy Olyphant exclaim "Son of a biscuit!" over and over again.

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by thuganomics85

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This episode felt like it went on for longer than an hour, but it felt like nothing really happened (I mean, aside from the character with the best name being killed).

But the one useful thing I learned from this episode was that the next time I have a sundae, I need my own little pitcher full of hot fudge.

[paigow]

41 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

But the one useful thing I learned from this episode was that the next time I have a sundae,..

So milk and sugar in coffee gets you killed, but a good sundae will save your life... hopefully, Nadine made it out alive... 

How does Ethelrida survive to narrate this story??? She is too stupid...surprised that nobody followed her to the hotel. 

Edited October 19, 2020 by paigow

[Eulipian 5k]

I don't understand why Doc didn't have  a back up or at least a loaded (gun in) portfolio. At this stage of the "pretend war", all face to face meetings will be dangerous.

I wonder if Lemuel's (sp?) driver will move into Doc's role as strategizer; Loy wasn't too pleased that he got his son arrested in the club.

[KristenR]

12 minutes ago, Eulipian 5k said:

 

I don't understand why Doc didn't have  a back up or at least a loaded (gun in) portfolio. At this stage of the "pretend war", all face to face meetings will be dangerous.

 

When he did the whole no coffee/coffee thing, I thought it was a signal. I was expecting Zelmare and Swanee to come out, dressed as waitresses, and take those guys out. 

[shapeshifter]

This was the first episode whose dialogue I could appreciate. Whenever I've written anything, I always assume I'm going to throw out the first paragraph. Having never written a dramatic series, I don't know if the first 3 out of 11 episodes is equivalent to the first paragraph of a chapter, but it seems that the first 3 episodes could have been edited into one and placed after this one for additional background and context.  Then I bet the reviews and ratings would likely have been better. But there had to be enough backstory to make the death of Doctor Senator have impact, and I don't know the answer to that. I do wonder if there were producers having a say that distracted Hawley from making it as good as it could have been.

Some of the bits I liked included Ethelrida declaring that she was "one of a kind," the Hummel figures in Odis' apartment (Better Call Saul homage?), and, of course, the light-skinned Italian immigrant telling Chris Rock's character['s crew] the line that went something like "...cause I can take all the money and pussy I want and still run for president" but that a black man in the US could not.

 

Edited October 20, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Crashcourse]

Do the writers think Gaetano is interesting or funny?  Cuz he's not.

Did Deafy tell Ethelrida that her aunt killed a pregnant woman?  I couldn't understand everything he was telling her.  That aunt sure has the crazy eyes so I could believe she did it.

I'm sorry Doc is gone because he, Deafy and Rabbi are the only characters that I find interesting.

It's too bad that Loy's mother-in-law had to sit there and listen to him going off on her daughter.   I know Loy has to survive, at least for a while, but I wanted her to get up and stab him in the eye with her knitting needle.

[AimingforYoko]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

Did Deafy tell Ethelrida that her aunt killed a pregnant woman?

Pistol-whipped a pregnant woman, killed her husband.

Definitely disappointed that Doctor Senator got killed, Glynn Thurman nailed his role. 

[Chaos Theory]

Gaetano has been standing around all season looking mean and crazy.  This was the episode that shows he actually is mean and crazy.   He knows he is starting a war.  He doesn’t give a shit.   That is what makes him interesting in my book.  He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.  The psychopath in the story out to just start chaos because he likes chaos.

I really liked the scene with Loy and his wife. They were both essentially correct.  Loy sold his own son to stop a war and is letting his other son sit in jail for the same reason.    But he was right about how he paid for everything that he gave his family and there was no other way to stop it.

Doctor Senator is the perfect person to get killed.  He is the voice of reason in Loy’s ear.   Without that voice what will he hear?   

[Razzberry]

Poor Ben Whishaw is just being wasted in this.  I don't understand the decisions Hawley makes when off leash.

[shapeshifter]

49 minutes ago, Razzberry said:

Poor Ben Whishaw is just being wasted in this.

Has Ben Whishaw ever had a role that didn't leave us wanting more?
(not a rhetorical question)

Edited October 19, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, AimingforYoko said:

Pistol-whipped a pregnant woman, killed her husband.

Ok, thanks.  I figured she did something horrific.

[tennisgurl]

I am really sad to see Doctor Senator go, he was one of the characters that I was most invested in. Gaetano is just so crazy eyed and evil and is running around killing so many people, even people outside of the criminal world, that it feels like he is just waiting to get killed or thrown in jail. He isn't just evil, he is stupidly evil. Which is on brand for Fargo bad guys, who tend to get further and further into trouble, being a mix of psychos with serious impulse control, people that justify their evil with philosophy, or randos who get way in over their heads and either end up getting killed by bigger fish or commit worse and worse crimes to cover up what at the time seemed like a tiny scheme, but the bad guys this season just lack the spark that made a lot of those previous criminals interesting, even when they did terrible things. 

Also, what the hell was Gaetano talking about when he was going on about "woman Jesus"? Most of the images the US have of Jesus came from the Italian Renaissance, genius. Or was he going on about how Jesus was a pacifist, which is pretty much the whole point?  

I like a lot of aspects of this season, but it just isn't working for me the way previous seasons did. Even last season, the weakest of the Fargo franchise, was engaging me more than this season. An issue I am having is that its hard to find a normal person the whole story revolves around as a protagonist, the island of pleasant sanity in the midst of violent criminals and weirdos. Usually that character is pretty proactive, a cop trying to untangle the madness or something, but this season we just seem to have Ethelrida and her parents, mostly focused on Ethelrida, and while she is fine as a character, but she cant really take that place as the moral center of the show who is trying to bring sense to the madness and justice to the injustice of the situation, being a kid who is hardly even involved in the main plot yet. Now that Doctor Sentator is dead, I suppose the characters I am most interested in are Rabi and tiny Cannon. Ethelridas aunt and her girlfriend are decently entertaining, but I cant really root for them considering their apparent violent crimes, like apparently beating the shit out of (or killing?) a pregnant woman for $9. 

I did like getting some backstory on Otis the cop, and he and Deafy are still a fun double act. I am still interested enough in this season to keep watching, it has a lot of ideas that I like, I just hope it takes more time to develop them. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I like Ethelrida okay, but, regardless of your race, people tend to not like a know it all.  I get that she's young and enthusiastic, but, there's a fine line of becoming a smart asp.  

I'm just not enjoying this season as much as previous seasons. Why did the ladies continue staying in the local hotel when it's likely they would be discovered and captured?  And, why would Ethelrida's father tell her where they were staying, since, he knew she'd go there and possibly get caught up in some trouble?  

Why were finances so tight that the funeral home had to borrow so much money to stay afloat?  

[Suzysite]

We didn't get to see much of Nurse Mayflower other than the initial head banging on the wall.   Not getting to mercy kill is getting to her.

I really hope Chris Rock gets splattered by the end of this.  I can't stand his character, his yell-acting, or him.  Hopefully Rabbi and little future Milligan ride off into the sunset together, but the rest of them, eh.   

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Hawley's disrespect for the viewers is immense.  

We are to believe that Doc and his driver were lying there in the street in full daylight and nobody says or does a thing.  All for the dramatic lighting of the headlights of the car as Loy observed/grieved.

The crazy outlaws had a major conversation with their niece about being outlaws, not criminals.  Loy shows up and they continue in that vein.  No worries to this point.  Deafy is flying up the stairs.  The outlaws are in cars driving away as Deafy gets to the room's window.  And they are physically fine.  That's two super important 180s inside of 30 seconds of viewing.  It's an insult.

I did smile when Doc pointed out the stupidity of Camalita intoning with dead seriousness that the time for talking was over, while continuing to talk.  Doc was speaking for me when it comes to virtually all of the major dialogues in this season.  

One bit of character continuity I did appreciate was when Dibrell begged for mercy from Loy and seemed to finally get it that she had zero leverage and that Loy was not gonna be moved off his wants.  Being too dang strong-willed, she persisted in asking for favor.  Ethelrida was the same way with Deafy.  Each were fortunate that nothing came of it as they ultimately relented to the power.  Good stuff.

I just knew TPTB would not resist showing off Kelsey Asbille's (Swanee) legs.  She is beyond bad in Yellowstone, but she's been a consistent and convincing actor in this role.  She did not deserve this gratuitous scene.  Neither did we.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Suzysite said:

Hopefully Rabbi and little future Milligan ride off into the sunset together, but the rest of them, eh.   

Can Ethelrida join them, please?

[Crashcourse]

1 minute ago, shapeshifter said:

Can Ethelrida join them, please?

I'd throw in her mom, too.  She needs to take her daughter and leave the husband's dumb ass.

[AimingforYoko]

6 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Hopefully Rabbi and little future Milligan ride off into the sunset together, but the rest of them, eh.

There's a good chance of that, it's not the first time we've heard that name in the series.

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I like Ethelrida okay, but, regardless of your race, people tend to not like a know it all.  I get that she's young and enthusiastic, but, there's a fine line of becoming a smart asp.  

I'm just not enjoying this season as much as previous seasons. Why did the ladies continue staying in the local hotel when it's likely they would be discovered and captured?  And, why would Ethelrida's father tell her where they were staying, since, he knew she'd go there and possibly get caught up in some trouble?  

Why were finances so tight that the funeral home had to borrow so much money to stay afloat?  

Can’t add much, except regarding the bolded, I totally thought he knew what he was telling her. This wasn’t the first time he let her know something that her mom wasn’t willing to tell her. I’m still holding out hope that some things will make more sense in hindsight. 
 

ETA. to clarify, I understood it as “don’t you dare go there, wink wink nod nod”

Also  interesting was dad Smutney’s reaction when he referred to the Italian boy as Loy’s son, and Loy said “does he LOOK like my son?!?”  He seemed to be thinking, well, have you seen me and my daughter?  

Edited October 19, 2020 by SoMuchTV

[shapeshifter]

On 10/19/2020 at 5:42 PM, SoMuchTV said:

Can’t add much, except regarding the bolded, I totally thought he knew what he was telling her. This wasn’t the first time he let her know something that her mom wasn’t willing to tell her. I’m still holding out hope that some things will make more sense in hindsight. 
 

ETA. to clarify, I understood it as “don’t you dare go there, wink wink nod nod”

Also  interesting was dad Smutney’s reaction when he referred to the Italian boy as Loy’s son, and Loy said “does he LOOK like my son?!?”  He seemed to be thinking, well, have you seen me and my daughter?  

Agree with all of this ↑

Also, Ziro scarfing down that birthday cake was just like his crazy, self-centered uncle brother* Gaetano. 
Lemuel Satchel Canon is benefiting way more from the tutelage of Rabbi than Ziro is from getting spoiled at the Canons. 
Loved the conversation between Rabbi and Josto in which Josto admits he’s “not good at math” and Rabbi points out that nobody brags about not being good at English, but math [or logic] is what really counts.
 

——————————

*I wonder if the Fadda brothers have different mothers (because of either the deaths of Mrs. Faddas, or even mistresses) or even different fathers (because of dalliances with butchers or brothers-in-law, or even rape).

Edited October 24, 2020 by shapeshifter

[SoMuchTV]

9 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Also, Ziro scarfing down that birthday cake was just like his crazy, self-centered uncle. 

Haha, I thought Ziro was downright restrained compared to his uncle. I would have gone for that icing first!

[Suzysite]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Lemuel Canon is benefiting way more from the tutelage of Rabbi than Ziro is from getting spoiled at the Canons. 

 

Isn't Lemuel the older brother? I think the one with Rabbi is Satchel.

[madmax]

I thought this was one of the better episodes, even though it bounced around quite a bit.

Glad not to see much of Nurse CrazyPants, but wish I saw much less of Crazy-Eyed brother.  I actually cringe when he comes on the screen.

I just hope it moves a little faster now that Loy has lost his second.  Full out war and take out Crazy-Eyed brother first.

 

11 hours ago, Eulipian 5k said:

I don't understand why Doc didn't have  a back up or at least a loaded (gun in) portfolio. At this stage of the "pretend war", all face to face meetings will be dangerous.

I don't know why he didn't pull his gun before he turned around.  It looked like he reached for it in his jacket.  Did he think his portfolio would save him?  

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

the light-skinned Italian immigrant telling Chris Rock's character the line that went something like "...cause I can take all the money and pussy I want and still run for president" but that a black man in the US could not.

My assumption was that was a nod to our current "leader."

4 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

I just knew TPTB would not resist showing off Kelsey Asbille's (Swanee) legs.  She is beyond bad in Yellowstone, but she's been a consistent and convincing actor in this role.  She did not deserve this gratuitous scene.  Neither did we.

I knew she looked familiar!  Hate her in Yellowstone.  

 

19 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

To end things on a more positive note though, I think I could listen to Timothy Olyphant exclaim "Son of a biscuit!" over and over again.

 

I laughed like hell at that.  Might start using that in place of the other.

[paigow]

11 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

the light-skinned Italian immigrant telling Chris Rock's character the line that went something like "...cause I can take all the money and pussy I want and still run for president"

Actually, Chris Rock was not in that scene...It was most of the Cannon crew in a holding cell

[LittleIggy]

Guess I’m the only person enjoying this season. No, it’s not as good as prior seasons, but I love the period setting and the all around weirdness of the franchise. I also love mob stories. And Timothy Olyphant. BTW, I wonder who those white guys are who apparently are allied with Cannon’s gang and who want to kill Eye-ties.

[shapeshifter]

5 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

BTW, I wonder who those white guys are who apparently are allied with Cannon’s gang and who want to kill Eye-ties.

I thought they were the Hebrews?

[AimingforYoko]

Mort Kellerman from Fargo.

Spoiler

A year after this, he shoots Otto Gerhardt's father and a young Dodd will stab him in the hand in a movie theater.

 

[Eulipian 5k]

Did Ziro repeat one of his middle names as "Corleone"? (Which was the name of the town Vito fled in the Godfather). One of Vito C's early clients that we see in Godfather was also an undertaker like  Loy Cannon's first client, the Smutneys.

[Ottis]

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Guess I’m the only person enjoying this season. No, it’s not as good as prior seasons, but I love the period setting and the all around weirdness of the franchise. I also love mob stories.

I agree with you, and also, I'm frustrated by what might have been with just a few small changes. It seems repetitive at the moment. And to kill off one of the best characters, while the nutsy eye guy continues (who I like fine, he just doesn't have any depth), seems like a poor choice.

Like others, I struggle this season because i don't care if any character is killed. Usually there is someone in Fargo who you empathize with, and hope finds a way out. This season, they are all equally annoying in some way, except Doctor Senator, who represented a number of things about being Black in that era, leadership and wisdom. But then they killed him, so ...

And not buying Chris Rock. I liked his speech a few eps back about the bankroll of money and what it does to people who don't have it. I think he works better as being mentally cruel. When he sat at the dinner table, with the kid eating cake, and said he would spray the couple around the house and wait for their daughter to come home, I just kept thinking I don't see a gun, and there are two of them and one of him, and he isn't particularly imposing. He should leave the physical violence to others.

[Eulipian 5k]

3 minutes ago, Ottis said:

I just kept thinking I don't see a gun, and there are two of them and one of him, and he isn't particularly imposing. He should leave the physical violence to others.

Heh, I think Satchel Cannon could take Mr Smutney. Loy was right to seize the Mortuary as collateral for what must surely be a defaulted loan, to a loan shark. Cheeze, he paid Loy back with his own money, right after a robbery he coached his sis-in-law to commit.

So the Smutney crime syndicate now includes, bank robbers for hire, a silent assassin next door, and a way to dispose/bury the evidence.. Aces!

[cpcathy]

Can anyone explain why the coffee/sugar/etc was a signal?

I am still enjoying these episodes, but still....no one to really care about. I am not even devastated that Doctor Senator is dead. Eh. Like someone upthread said, remember when you had anxiety over the idea of a certain character dying? Hank? Betsy? Maybe even Floyd?

I do like everything Jason Schwartzman is doing, he's always good. Go stream Bored to Death if you haven't seen it.

[pezgirl7]

I really wish I was enjoying this show, and actually had something to discuss. Right now, I'm just toughing it out because of Timothy Olyphant and Jack Huston. I am curious on how and why Odis became involved with the mob syndicate. I have a feeling it's not going to end well for him. 😞

[shapeshifter]

59 minutes ago, Ottis said:

to kill off one of the best characters, while the nutsy eye guy continues (who I like fine, he just doesn't have any depth), seems like a poor choice.

It makes sense to me. We all liked Doctor Senator after just a few episodes, so his killing would have the most emotional impact on us.
Meanwhile, we all want Nutsy Brother Just Off The Boat From Italy to die, so the longer he sticks around, the greater the emotional reward for the viewers when he bites it. Or maybe he'll wind up like Tio from Breaking Bad, in a wheel chair only able to ring a bell.

[roughing it]

18 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

I just knew TPTB would not resist showing off Kelsey Asbille's (Swanee) legs.  She is beyond bad in Yellowstone, but she's been a consistent and convincing actor in this role.

I think she's worse here.

1 hour ago, Eulipian 5k said:

So the Smutney crime syndicate now includes, bank robbers for hire, a silent assassin next door, and a way to dispose/bury the evidence.. Aces!

Aha!  So maybe the little engine that could will take down both gangs.  Never thought about that possiblility.  Kind of like getting Capone on tax evasion.  Ethelrida's got the smarts, maybe she drops her goody girl facade and puts everything together to save her family.

[tennisgurl]

13 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Guess I’m the only person enjoying this season. No, it’s not as good as prior seasons, but I love the period setting and the all around weirdness of the franchise. I also love mob stories. And Timothy Olyphant. BTW, I wonder who those white guys are who apparently are allied with Cannon’s gang and who want to kill Eye-ties.

Its not like I dislike the season, I am still enjoying it and there is a lot to like, its just that I hold Fargo to a higher standard based on how great previous seasons have been. I like the setting and some of the stylistic choices and the acting is mostly solid all around, and the idea of exploring various ethnic groups and minorities and their relationships with the mainstream WASP culture and with each other is a very Fargo style idea, I am just hoping that it picks up soon. I wonder if the season will end similar to the way that it started, with two gangs meeting in front of the same store, except now the Cannons have taken the place of the Italians, and the new gang coming in is a Latino or Asian gang? 

18 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

I just knew TPTB would not resist showing off Kelsey Asbille's (Swanee) legs.  She is beyond bad in Yellowstone, but she's been a consistent and convincing actor in this role.  She did not deserve this gratuitous scene.  Neither did we.

I knew I recognized her, I should have known it was freaking Monica back again, still playing a Native American despite apparently not being even close to Native American. Why do they keep casting this non Native American woman to play these Native American roles? I guess at least she is also half Chinese here, and Kelsey Asbille is part Chinese I think, which at least makes this a tad bit better than on Yellowstone. Her acting still sucks though no matter who she gets cast as. 

[shapeshifter]

12 minutes ago, roughing it said:

1 hour ago, Eulipian 5k said:

So the Smutney crime syndicate now includes, bank robbers for hire, a silent assassin next door, and a way to dispose/bury the evidence.. Aces!

Aha!  So maybe the little engine that could will take down both gangs.  Never thought about that possiblility.  Kind of like getting Capone on tax evasion.  Ethelrida's got the smarts, maybe she drops her goody girl facade and puts everything together to save her family.

Can Rabbi Mulligan and Satchel join the Smutneys?

I hope Oraetta Mayflower becomes an angel of death to a deserving victim.

 

[Blakeston]

29 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I wonder if the season will end similar to the way that it started, with two gangs meeting in front of the same store, except now the Cannons have taken the place of the Italians, and the new gang coming in is a Latino or Asian gang? 

Perhaps with Rabbi having joined the Cannons? He always finds a way to join the winning side.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

Perhaps with Rabbi having joined the Cannons? He always finds a way to join the winning side.

Rabbi is already basically running the Fadda operation.  He explained things to Josto, who was rather clueless until that happened.  I can see him standing at the end as a Boss.

[Eulipian 5k]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I hope Oraetta Mayflower becomes an angel of death to a deserving victim.

Yaah, nice to meet cha Mr US Marshall. (A heretic who is putting the squeeze on my Special Project.) Would you like a macaroon?

[Cherpumple]

I'm still in for the season, but the slowness of the episodes is causing my mind to wander. Namely, I hope they explain why the Smutneys are in such dire financial straits. I would think a funeral home does a pretty consistent business, and since they are able to cater to both the white and black communities (as mentioned in the first episode), they should be raking in the dough. It's not a big deal, but I'm confused.

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, Cherpumple said:

I'm still in for the season, but the slowness of the episodes is causing my mind to wander. Namely, I hope they explain why the Smutneys are in such dire financial straits. I would think a funeral home does a pretty consistent business, and since they are able to cater to both the white and black communities (as mentioned in the first episode), they should be raking in the dough. It's not a big deal, but I'm confused.

I'm confused too.  Now I'm beginning to wonder of Mr. Smutney isn't as clueless as I initially thought he was.  Maybe he's a gambler and Mrs. Smutney knows? 

Also, I think Noah Hawley thinks he's so clever with these quirky names like Ethelrida, Oreatta, Loy, etc.    

Edited October 20, 2020 by Crashcourse

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

2 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

I hope they explain why the Smutneys are in such dire financial straits. I would think a funeral home does a pretty consistent business, and since they are able to cater to both the white and black communities (as mentioned in the first episode), they should be raking in the dough. It's not a big deal, but I'm confused.

I'm confused too.  Now I'm beginning to wonder of Mr. Smutney isn't as clueless as I initially thought he was.  Maybe he's a gambler and Mrs. Smutney knows? 

Unless I'm forgetting/slept through something, my best guess would be that the Smutneys went into debt paying for a lawyer for Mrs. Smutney's sister and/or they're paying tuition for Ethelrida. 

[Starchild]

5 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Perhaps with Rabbi having joined the Cannons? He always finds a way to join the winning side.

I refreshed my memory on Season 2's mafia, and they appear to be neither Italian nor African-American. In fact, Brad Garrett's boss was reluctant to let a black man (Mike) run an operation. Going strictly by character names (admittedly a weak indicator, Milligan being a case in point), it may not even be Jewish at this point.

So it looks like a whole other faction by the 70s maybe?

[paigow]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

still playing a Native American despite apparently not being even close to Native American.

Her IMDB profile says that her mother has some indigenous blood

[thuganomics85]

While I'm indifferent to Kelsey Asbille's performance as Swanee Capps, I did remember reading rumors somewhere that initially Amber Midthunder was cast in the role (who notably played Kerry on Noah Hawley's Legion), and I do feel like the role would have fit within her wheelhouse.  If true, I wonder why she dropped out?  And it's possible that Kelsey didn't have enough time to really prep for the role, which could help explain if her performance isn't as good as most everyone else's (unless she simply just isn't a good actress.  Haven't seen Yellowstone, so I have no real way to make that judgement.)

Then again, the casting seems to be pretty solid across the board, but the only ones that really have had an impact on me have been Ben Whishaw, Glynn Turman, and Timothy Olyphant.  Maybe Jessie Buckley, but I haven't found Mayflower intriguing or fun as the show clearly wants me to.  Just disappointing when I compared it to the likes of say, season two, where not only was the main cast killing it across the board, but even recurring ones left a huge mark like Bokeem Woodbine, Rachel Keller, Jeffery Donovan, and especially Zahn McClarnon.  Again, this season clearly has the talent for it to happen again, but as of now, I don't think the material is there for them.

[Eulipian 5k]

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

17 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

18 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

I hope they explain why the Smutneys are in such dire financial straits. I would think a funeral home does a pretty consistent business, and since they are able to cater to both the white and black communities (as mentioned in the first episode), they should be raking in the dough. It's not a big deal, but I'm confused.

I'm confused too.  Now I'm beginning to wonder of Mr. Smutney isn't as clueless as I initially thought he was.  Maybe he's a gambler and Mrs. Smutney knows? 

Unless I'm forgetting/slept through something, my best guess would be that the Smutneys went into debt paying for a lawyer for Mrs. Smutney's sister and/or they're paying tuition for Ethelrida. 

Don't most businesses buy their supplies (embalming fluid, empty coffins, etc) on credit ahead of time, wait for the customers to purchase, and then pay back the loan; the interest being the cost of doing business. Loan sharks, Russian oligarchs, Sugar daddies, dying Uncles with wills, and bank robbing sister-in-laws, get used to cover a shortfall period. This all seems common in the business world. Maybe they're expanding the mortuary.

[Eulipian 5k]

On 10/19/2020 at 5:31 PM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

I just knew TPTB would not resist showing off Kelsey Asbille's (Swanee) legs.  She is beyond bad in Yellowstone, but she's been a consistent and convincing actor in this role.  She did not deserve this gratuitous scene.  Neither did we.

What's gratuitous about showing two thrill seeking, adult women lounging in their hotel after a successful robbery? America rejected Puritanism over 400 years ago. Should they have kept all feet on the floor to fit the Hays Code?