S04.E06: Camp Elegance

[paigow]

Loy attacks, Gaetano pays the price, Oraetta goes crazy, Josto challenges authority and Rabbi risks his life.

Airdate: Oct 25 /20

[AimingforYoko]

I knew Rabbi would show up in time, it's just kinda sad that he did right after Antoon decided to do the right thing.

I still wanna know Zelmare and Swanee got Gaetano to Loy.

[thuganomics85]

This episode was only a hour and three minutes along, including commercials?!  I was starting to think that wasn't allowed, due to how overlong the other episodes this season have been!

Glad Rabbi turned on the mafia and saved Satchel, even though I did feel a little bad for the other guy, since it looked like he wasn't going to go through with it.  But now Rabbi and Satchel are on the lamb.  I wonder if Josto and company will put the pieces together and figure out Rabbi's betrayal, or if they will assume Loy and his crew pulled it off, leading to more misunderstanding and drama (and shooting and bloodletting!)

Zelmare and Swanee being used to kidnap Gaetano was cool, although I already have a feeling Loy not automatically killing him is going to end up biting him in the ass.

Mayflower knows that someone is out to get her, which makes her, well, very unhappy!

Odis is not having a good time right now, is he?  He is now under the thumb of not one, but two crime syndicates!  Not to mention dealing with that nosy, carrot chomping U.S. Marshal!

[The Wild Sow]

And.....there’s Joe Bulo! Very tall, presumably pretty young if he’ll be middle-aged Brad Garrett in 1979! I’ll have to look through the credits when I have time for the actor’s name.

So, does Satchel grow up to be Mike? He’d be 39-40ish in 1979. Or... is Mike yet to be born?  Bokeem Woodbine was 41 or 42 when he played the role, but Mike the character struck me as a little younger.

Speaking of yet to be born, a child conceived in this timeframe would be the perfect age for Lorne Malvo in 2006. Hmmmm... gotta wonder if any of Josto & Oraetta’s little extracurricular activities have proved... fertile?

Edited October 26, 2020 by The Wild Sow

[paigow]

1 hour ago, AimingforYoko said:

I still wanna know Zelmare and Swanee got Gaetano to Loy.

The same way Belle hoisted an unconscious Beast on to her horse...physics is a bitch...

[Gimmick Genius]

3 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

 

I still wanna know (how) Zelmare and Swanee got Gaetano to Loy.

They killed everybody else in the house; just drag that rug down the stairs. I didn't notice when they arrived - did they have a driver, to help lift him into the car? BTW, ladies had coats on but not much else. Must've been mighty cold, judging by the weather during Deafy's stakeout of Odis' building.

[Eulipian 5k]

For a show that's narrated by a mortician's daughter, we never see anyone really feeling the losses we see. Loy shirks off the killing of three men by Delmare and Swanee, we don't get to see how Doc's murder affected Loy. Oraetta* and Gaetano kill for kicks, and Josto secretly wishes Loy would kill his brother.

*Oraetta has a prime candidate with lamb shanks for lungs, but Dr Harvard is watching out. Head banging time!

[shapeshifter]

So I was right that Gaetano was the Chekhovian Character We Want To Get His, but is he dead? I mean, this isn't the 3rd act just yet.
I suppose Gaetano warrants an even more horrific, peering-through-my-fingers end.
Hmmm. I wonder what Oraetta might think up?

 

Suddenly Satchel is out of the attic and enjoying a loving home life with a Fada minion's family, being treated as one of the minion's own??  Retcon?

23 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Glad Rabbi turned on the mafia and saved Satchel, even though I did feel a little bad for the other guy, since it looked like he wasn't going to go through with it. 

Rabbi's turn was *almost* a retcon, it happened so quick, but I guess that's what Hawley was going for.
Maybe if I ever rewatch this season, Rabbi’s heroic moment will read better as I am vaguely recalling something is about to happen. IDK. Usually that works better with humor than drama, IMO.
As for "the other guy" who was tasked by Josto with killing Satchel:

• "family man Dumini...a relative nobody whose backstory is delivered only moments before he opts to spare Satchel, but is nonetheless shot and killed by Rabbi Milligan" (https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/fargo-recap-season-4-episode-6-camp-elegance-1079859/)

--I doubt Dumini/minion/other guy would have had a much longer life or more pleasant death if Rabbi let him live, and Rabbi knew that, but, more importantly, Rabbi knew he needed to buy time for their getaway.

 

 

 

 

23 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

Speaking of yet to be born, a child conceived in this timeframe would be the perfect age for Lorne Malvo in 2006. Hmmmm... gotta wonder if any of Josto & Oraetta’s little extracurricular activities have proved... fertile?

Malvo being the offspring of the cunning, ruthless Josto and the mentally-ill genius Oraetta would explain a lot, and such a reveal might give this season more viewer eyeballs after such a reveal.

For now I'm enjoying having a limited discussion with the few Fargo completionists, with no rush and no need to read through pages of posts (due to TWoP PTSD).

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by shapeshifter
Punctuation etc.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Not sure who was more gleeful when Gaetano laughed immediately prior to the beating he was about to get: Him, or me.  Of course, after several assurances that he was dead, Gaetano lives.  zzzzzzzzz

The murderous confrontation/shootout being out of sight was a cool callback to when the Dakota gang was wiped out as the camera panned from window to window.  Just as it was a major stretch that the protagonist came out Scot-free, so too, was this one.  How did, or would, Paolo have gone back to Gaetano if the ladies had not been taken care of?  He would have had to go after them else Gaetano kill him for cowardice and/or stupidity.  

I also appreciate the question of Antoon's redemption.  To me, he was redeemed.  

The never-in-a-million years moment was when Josto had Ebal sit to tell him about NY's wishes and he did not clear the room, and he allowed the others to listen AND opine!  This goes quintuple that one of the folks was Calamita!  At least we got some common sense thinking out of Josto as to Calamita's treachery.  

Deafy was senselessly out of the picture entirely.  He had made up his mind in the previous ep to move, forcing the issues if needed.  Well, the hit on Doctor and his driver would have had him going DEFCON 1.  Of course, Hawley (Loy and Josto) had to have maximum room and flexibility as the events played out.  

The reconstruction of Ethelrida's cake merited some kind of international baking award.  

 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by Lonesome Rhodes

[Crashcourse]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

--I doubt Dumini/minion/other guy would have had a much longer life or more pleasant death if Rabbi let him live, and Rabbi knew that, but, more importantly, knew he needed to buy time for their getaway.

I agree, the poor bastard never had a chance of getting out of that mess alive.

[seacliffsal]

I felt like something finally happened in this episode...

It seems to me that in previous seasons, events would start their domino effect and new integral characters would join as the season went on.  Whereas this season it seems like they introduced all of the characters from the beginning rather than allowing the twists and turns to develop as the story grew.

I am glad that Rabbi and Satchel are going on the lam.  I think this will create a lot of confusion for the other characters as the story progresses.

[paigow]

It seemed like Deafy was going to coerce Odis into a scheme with proof of working for Josto, but now has to create Plan B because Odis has to play both sides.

[madmax]

I loved how Josto kept insisting Gaetano was dead, even when Calamita kept saying they just took him.  Hope that Loy was smart and actually killed the jackass, but you know that's not the case.

Felt bad for Dumini, since he wasn't going to kill mini-Mike, but he had to go.  Rabbi needed the time.

Is Orietta now going to find Ethelrida's book in with her trophies?  And is Ethelrida going to realize that she doesn't have the notebook, all these days later?

[tennisgurl]

Well it seems like we are finally getting going, the plot is heating up. I am really glad that Rabbi saved Satchell and is going to try and keep him out of this mess. I am also glad that it seemed like Antoon wasnt going to go through with it, but that makes him being killed by Rabbi quite sad, especially after we just saw him with his family. Shit is finally starting to get real. 

So what is up with this ghost that is lurking around? It is kind of funny thinking about the Fargo universe and how, in this seemingly normal world, there are also (probably) aliens, the devil, immortals, magical bowling alleys, acts of god, and now possibly ghosts all on the periphery. 

Odis just continues to have the worst possible day ever, followed by even worst days. Now he is in the pocket of two competing crime syndicates, while also dealing with Deafy, who both annoys him AND could get him busted. 

Loy grabbing Gaetano was a decently clever idea, but not killing him is really going to bite him in the ass, and even worse, it means he stays on the show longer, being the shows most annoying bad guy.

[LittleIggy]

Antoon’s wife is Josto’s sister, right? The previews didn’t have closed captions so I couldn’t catch exactly what Calamata said when they were standing around his body. I thought he said Rabbi killed the sister. Did he? Doesn’t sound like something Rabbi would do. 
For once I’m with Oraetta — I would have killed the gout guy, too! 😆

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Antoon’s wife is Josto’s sister, right? 

Oh. Probably. I missed that. Now that you mention it, IMDb lists her last name as "Fada."
Putting the next-episode parts of your post in spoilers:

Spoiler

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

The previews didn’t have closed captions so I couldn’t catch exactly what Calamata said when they were standing around his body. I thought he said Rabbi killed the sister. Did he? Doesn’t sound like something Rabbi would do.

 

I didn't think so. Captions aren't always accurate, but, FWIW, the line is 

Spoiler

"better check your sister"

 

[Eulipian 5k]

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I thought he said Rabbi killed the sister. Did he? Doesn’t sound like something Rabbi would do. 

I think they're blaming Rabbi for killing Paolo, whom (scared sh#tless) Gaetano shot thru the door.

[cpcathy]

I realize I don't know most of the Italian mob's names. Who is the guy with the gun burn on his face?

Did anyone notice when Josto introduced someone as Joe Bulo. THE Joe Bulo, or his father?

[meep.meep]

On 10/26/2020 at 8:29 AM, Eulipian 5k said:

For a show that's narrated by a mortician's daughter, we never see anyone really feeling the losses we see. Loy shirks off the killing of three men by Delmare and Swanee, we don't get to see how Doc's murder affected Loy. Oraetta* and Gaetano kill for kicks, and Josto secretly wishes Loy would kill his brother.

 

We see that Loy is now visited by Doc's ghost.  Doesn't that speak to how he was affected?

[Crashcourse]

I don't know all these Italian mob names either.

Honestly, it's almost impossible to keep up with all these weird names other than main characters such as Ethelrida, Oraetta, Loy, Rabbi, Satchel.  Then we've got Antoon, Zelmare, Swanee, Gaetano, Deafy, Dumini, Odis, Dibrell, Omie, Ebal, Opal.  I'm sure there are some I left out.  How in the world did Hawley come up with these names?  

[paigow]

1 hour ago, cpcathy said:

Who is the guy with the gun burn on his face?

Constant Calamita

[shapeshifter]

Although I find these character names easier than made-up names of futuristic or fantasy fiction because the Fargo names tend to sound to me like the characters, there are a lot of them.
IMDb isn’t quite as helpful as usual because the choices for complete lists of characters are by episode or by series —there’s no season option. 
Here is a helpful link: 
   https://fargo.fandom.com/wiki/Season_4
Note that Gaetano is both the first name of the crazy-eyed brother of Josto and the first name of the actor whose character is now identifiable by the burn scar on his face.    

 

[Eulipian 5k]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

We see that Loy is now visited by Doc's ghost.  Doesn't that speak to how he was affected?

Exactly! An unemotional scene that could have been a flashback. We've seen no-one, except Mamma Fadda and a rando at the Smutney mortuary actually express sadness at a death. The only emotions out of anyone on the series has been  anger and whatever causes revenge. No joy, no humor, no love expressed throughout the show by any character so far. Maybe that's why some see no one to root for or care about. The only one with a joie de vivre was shot dead on a street with no one to mourn him.

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Although I find these character names easier than made-up names of futuristic or fantasy fiction because the Fargo names tend to sound to me like the characters, there are a lot of them.
IMDb isn’t quite as helpful as usual because the choices for complete lists of characters are by episode or by series —there’s no season option. 
Here is a helpful link: 
   https://fargo.fandom.com/wiki/Season_4
Note that Gaetano is both the first name of the crazy-eyed brother of Josto and the first name of the actor whose character is now identifiable by the burn scar on his face.    

 

Interesting in reading that link that Amber Midthunder was supposed to be Swanee, not Kelsey Asbille.  I wonder what happened?

[LittleIggy]

I got Miller’s Crossing vibes from the hit on Gaetano’s house by Swannee and Zelmare. The opera music, the gunshots heard downstairs reminded me of the hit on Albert Finney except he came out on top there. Love that movie!

[Cotypubby]

5 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I don't know all these Italian mob names either.

Honestly, it's almost impossible to keep up with all these weird names other than main characters such as Ethelrida, Oraetta, Loy, Rabbi, Satchel.  Then we've got Antoon, Zelmare, Swanee, Gaetano, Deafy, Dumini, Odis, Dibrell, Omie, Ebal, Opal.  I'm sure there are some I left out.  How in the world did Hawley come up with these names?  

Yeah, I'm so not into all the weird names that are weird only for weirdness sake. I did not have any problem keeping fantasy character names straight (GOT, LOTR, etc.) but I can barely remember any of these names. I think it wasn't until episode 4 or 5 that I even realized the main character's names are "Loy" and "Josto."

[paigow]

On 10/27/2020 at 8:21 PM, Cotypubby said:

I did not have any problem keeping fantasy character names straight (GOT, LOTR, etc.)

[Interior: Fadda HQ]

Old Fadda: Time for the exchange...Bilbo! Go over there, be a good boy...

 

[foxfreakinmulder]

The only name I can remember is Rabbi. I don't give a rats ass about any of these gangbangers/mobsters. I don't even know what the story is this season, taking over territory? I don't care who kills the cows in the slaughterhouse I don't find that interesting. I guess the family at the mortuary is supposed to be the ones we root for because they're not mobsters? I don't care what happens to them either, they haven't been on my screen long enough for me to care and I don't like their nosy daughter. And the killer nurse, what is the point of her, other then she might get pregnant from screwing mobster guy. For me, so far this season is a bust but because it's Fargo I'm going to finish it.