S02.E03: The Myth Of Sisyphus

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The Gerhardts' search for Rye intensifies. Lou takes a trip to Fargo. Peggy overhears a new theory about the Waffle Hut shooter.

[AimingforYoko]

"Musta got lost on the way to the lake." I love Lou. Cannot wait for Lou and Dodd's "dance". They took all the whimsy right out of that scene.

Man, Simone. She's a pistol. I can imagine with her dad, she doesn't get laid a whole lot.

Damn, were never gonna get those new Selectrics now.

[Rhetorica]

What was the name of the "massacre" mentioned last year?

[ToastnBacon]

No complaints from me on this season so far, I'm digging it.

[Primetimer]

Also, he has a name. It's Skip Sprang. You probably won't wear it out.

Read the story

[AimingforYoko]

What was the name of the "massacre" mentioned last year?

The "Sioux Falls" massacre, I believe. It's a city in South Dakota.

[tennisgurl]

Another great episode.

 

Damn, Skippy. Nasty way to go. You should have just started running. I would think a bullet would be less painful.

 

I about to make a joke about how Mike Mulligan and the Kitchen brothers sounds like some kind of band, and then low and behold, Mike made the joke for me! I love watching him on my screen. So calming and funny, and yet very very menacing.

 

Love how observant Betsy is. I guess Molly didn't get it all from her dad.

 

The cold open was great.

[ToastnBacon]

Loved that tribal song In the first scene, sounded like Deep Forest.

[Rhetorica]

The "Sioux Falls" massacre, I believe. It's a city in South Dakota.

Thanks, now I won't tense up in every encounter. Another great episode. Perfect mix of humor and macabre. The Myth of Sisyphus is that the struggle itself is enough. So who, or what group, is Sisyphus?

Edited October 27, 2015 by Rhetorica

[Lorimac]

My son just pointed out that really in all the Fargos the women characters are basically the brains, and the male characters are clueless or just violent. When I mentioned Peggy as a flaw in the theory, he simply asked me to compare her to Ed. Hmmmmm......

[Fisher King]

One of my favorite scenes was Peggy and Ed having the conversation on the bus without saying a single word.

 

I truly love this show.

Mike Milligan is awesome. I reserve the right to change my mind though when he breaks bad, And he will.

[thuganomics85]

I've enjoyed Patrick Wilson in the past two episodes enough, but Lou was surprisingly one of the MVPs in this episode, at least when it came to some of the humor.  I can't believe he actually got me to laugh at what was basically a "your mom" insult to Mike.  And his bafflement over the entire situation with the Gerhardts and their interaction with the local cop was great ("Am I the only one here who's clear on the concept of law enforcement?")  And while he hasn't put the pieces together yet, I like that he is pretty much on the right track with the basics, like with the Gerhardts, Skip, and so forth.  I think they've just done a good job at making him not a super cop, but still a decent one.

 

Not sure if my favorite confrontation was Lou/Mike or Lou/Dodd.  Both were great in their own ways, and both Mike and Dodd are fun antagonists.  With Dodd, he's the hot-head baddie, whose temper, attitude, and ego gives him an unpredictability.  I know he will likely burn out soon, but I can see him doing major damage, before he flames out.  Mike though, is the one that really scares me.  He is someone I think plans long-term and will wait for the right moments to strike.  And I can't wait till it happens.  Bokeem Woodbine is owning this role.

 

Not as much of Peggy and Ed in this one, but these two still crack me up.  The way Peggy really thinks they are going to fool everyone, combined with Ed just doing what she says, just cracks me up.  And I love how these two knuckleheads are the reason everyone is scrambling and trying to figure out what the hell is going on.  It's always the ones you never expect!

 

Continue to enjoy the brief bonding moments with Lou and Hank.

 

Betsy's pretty much got Rye's fate nailed down.  Loved Peggy totally being all "But who would just run someone over like that and keep going?!" about it.  Oh, Peggy.

[VCRTracking]

Tense standoff scenes tonight. If I didn't know Lou made into old age I would have died of anxiety.

[bentley]

"Had a High Noon kind of day". I loved that no further explanation was required. 

 

I wonder if the kid who wants to join the family gang but his dad won't let him is going to end up being one of the most dangerous ones of all. He appears to have some intelligence, which already puts him ahead of his dad and uncles. 

 

Loved the North Dakotan version of a sit-down with the "heads of the families". They seem way out of their league, but I'm not underestimating Mama Gerhart. I'm also kinda looking forward to Mama breaking bad on Dodd. Don't contradict your mama, boy.

 

Mike reminds me of something Shaun Cassidy once said when he was writing a series. Something about the villains in TV shows and movies never being allowed to display a sense of humor. I love that Mike has a sense of humor, yet you just know that he could turn on a dime and slit your throat without ever losing his cool. 

[Ohwell]

I thought I saw Skip's tie poking out of the ground. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm sad and disappointed that Skip just got into that hole without even trying to escape. Come on, dude! If they're making you get into a hole, they are going to kill you so at least make a run for it!

 

I liked that Mike is so cool and calm and funny while still remaining menacing. Even though he keeps making jokes, it's obvious that he would not hesitate to become violent in the blink of an eye. We just haven't seen him need to yet.

[ae2]

Clearly Skip has not watched his share of crime movies. 

 

The real joker this season is going to be the lady that runs the salon. She's the only one who has all the information to piece everything together about Peggy. And she seemingly has this infatuation with her.

[Rockstar99435]

Damn, Skippy. Nasty way to go. You should have just started running. I would think a bullet would be less painful.

 

 

Yeah, you never get in the hole. At least make them work for your murder.

[ToastnBacon]

 

The real joker this season is going to be the lady that runs the salon. She's the only one who has all the information to piece everything together about Peggy. And she seemingly has this infatuation with her.

And this really makes me wonder how the trip to the Lifespring seminar will go.

Blackmailing her for sex seems obvious, but how will Peggy respond?

Peggy doesn't seem very passive to me, and I would not be surprised if the meat grinder is once again used to dispose of a body.

On the other hand, the writers could drag out the tension between these two for a long time and have some remarkable twists planned for us.

I'm looking forward to next week.

[pelicanlover]

I thought I saw Skip's tie poking out of the ground. 

Yep.  Looked like the asphalt filled in underneath him and pushed him to the top of the pile.  Will he get out?  Will Lou find it and put the pieces together?  Only time will tell.

 

I didn't think this show could get any better than the first season, but golly gee, it has outdone itself.  You betcha.  :-)

[annzeepark914]

I didn't think this show could get any better than the first season, but golly gee, it has outdone itself.  You betcha.  :-)

Yea and nay.  They're two different stories with a few similar characters.  I still think Season One was outstanding but I'm liking Season Two (but it's a different kind of like if you know what I mean).  

[ToastnBacon]

Yep.  Looked like the asphalt filled in underneath him and pushed him to the top of the pile.  Will he get out?  Will Lou find it and put the pieces together?  Only time will tell.

 

I didn't think this show could get any better than the first season, but golly gee, it has outdone itself.  You betcha.  :-)

There was a steam roller parked beside the dump truck, so if he is going to get out he'd better be quick about it.

[teddysmom]

Betsy's pretty much got Rye's fate nailed down.  Loved Peggy totally being all "But who would just run someone over like that and keep going?!" about it.  Oh, Peggy.

 

 

And then Hank saying, "yeah it's not like someone would hit somebody with their car and then just drive home and fix dinner".  Unless you're Peggy. 

 

I think Simone & Floyd might be Dodd's undoing.    He's pissing off his mother, and his daughter.   Not a good idea. Especially when their last name is Gerhardt. 

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

And then Hank saying, "yeah it's not like someone would hit somebody with their car and then just drive home and fix dinner".  Unless you're Peggy.

It occurred to me last night. . . . what is Peggy's deal? She's a young woman and I would think that when I was a young woman (heck, now as a middle aged woman) I would have freaked out had I hit a person with my car. She wasn't even a cold fish - she was just "okay, let's get rid of it". Not really panicking. What has happened to make her so dead inside? And I'm still really WTH'ed over Ed/Jesse Plemons' physical transformation on this show - besides the weight he just has this resigned appearance - like he's put up with Peggy's sh&t for way too long. 

[Nutjob]

It occurred to me last night. . . . what is Peggy's deal? She's a young woman and I would think that when I was a young woman (heck, now as a middle aged woman) I would have freaked out had I hit a person with my car. She wasn't even a cold fish - she was just "okay, let's get rid of it". Not really panicking. What has happened to make her so dead inside? And I'm still really WTH'ed over Ed/Jesse Plemons' physical transformation on this show - besides the weight he just has this resigned appearance - like he's put up with Peggy's sh&t for way too long. 

I think Ed is going to snap. Just a hunch.

 

I loved everything about this episode... except Jeffrey Donovan's accent. Things like that don't usually bother me, but it's really, noticeably bad. Methinks he needed a lot more time with the dialect coach.

 

Something I really do like is how I can always know that Lou is safe. We know he survives whatever happens, so his confidence in both standoffs last night made him look totally justified, because we know he lives.

[ToastnBacon]

It occurred to me last night. . . . what is Peggy's deal? She's a young woman and I would think that when I was a young woman (heck, now as a middle aged woman) I would have freaked out had I hit a person with my car. She wasn't even a cold fish - she was just "okay, let's get rid of it". Not really panicking. What has happened to make her so dead inside? And I'm still really WTH'ed over Ed/Jesse Plemons' physical transformation on this show - besides the weight he just has this resigned appearance - like he's put up with Peggy's sh&t for way too long.

I'm not understanding what makes Peggy tick either. Maybe she is dead inside?

I was thinking she might have hatched a plan after she hit Rye, to set Ed up to take the blame.

Something he might even volunteer to do if she plays her cards right, but I'm not sure.

I get the impression she was looking for a way out of the land of Waffel Huts and Pancake Houses, long before she hit Rye with her car.

[SteveAC10]

I'm still trying to sort out one puzzling issue. Luverne had a public transit system in 1979? I'm not buying it. Even now they have only some kind of reserve a ride system geared toward seniors that runs during the day - and I'm sure a town of that size (under 5000) did not have scheduled bus routes in 1979.

 

Donovan's accent is subpar - but the "Minnesota Accent" much like other regional ones is not very consistent across the population. It's heavier and more sing-songy in rural areas, but also tends toward the more exaggerated in certain ethnic groups (like Scandinavian and Northern German descendants).

[meep.meep]

Donovan's supposed to be good at accents, that's why this one seems so bad.

 

I loved the scene in the beauty parlor.   Especially when they laid out the entire sequence the way it actually happened.

 

In the meeting in the Gerhardt's house, what were the men saying about buttering bread?  I still can't figure out how the Gerhardts make money.

[beadgirl]

 

Damn, Skippy. Nasty way to go. You should have just started running. I would think a bullet would be less painful.

No kidding.  Given the choice between climbing into my own grave or rushing someone for suicide by, uh, gangster, I'm going for the latter.  I might even get lucky and escape!

 

I get the impression she was looking for a way out of the land of Waffel Huts and Pancake Houses, long before she hit Rye with her car.

I think so, too.  What I have been wondering about is how she feels about everyone else.  I think she does have some affection for Ed, despite the fact that she would not hesitate to use him or ditch him if it were for her own advantage.

[ToastnBacon]

Donovan's supposed to be good at accents, that's why this one seems so bad.

 

I loved the scene in the beauty parlor.   Especially when they laid out the entire sequence the way it actually happened.

 

In the meeting in the Gerhardt's house, what were the men saying about buttering bread?  I still can't figure out how the Gerhardts make money.

"Buttering the bread" means making money in slang.

I get the impression that the Gerhardt's get a piece of any illegal income stream within their little empire. However, Lou and the Fargo detective were saying they are in distribution, as in drugs.

I'm guessing the have their fingers in many pan cakes, waffles, pies, and loaves of buttered monkey bread, don't cha know.

[teddysmom]

It occurred to me last night. . . . what is Peggy's deal? She's a young woman and I would think that when I was a young woman (heck, now as a middle aged woman) I would have freaked out had I hit a person with my car. She wasn't even a cold fish - she was just "okay, let's get rid of it". Not really panicking. What has happened to make her so dead inside? And I'm still really WTH'ed over Ed/Jesse Plemons' physical transformation on this show - besides the weight he just has this resigned appearance - like he's put up with Peggy's sh&t for way too long.

 

 

There's an interview with Jesse on the Vulture web site about his gaining weight for this role.  He looks just how Noah Hawley wants Ed to look.  

 

I think Ed is going to snap. Just a hunch.

 

The Vulture interview hinted at that. 

 

Something I really do like is how I can always know that Lou is safe. We know he survives whatever happens, so his confidence in both standoffs last night made him look totally justified, because we know he lives.

 

I thought the exact thing this morning while watching.  We know Lou will be okay.   And we know where Molly got her spunk and investigative skills.  TBH, glass all over the place and skid marks does kind of sound like there was an accident.  Maybe look for cars that have recently been damaged, Lou & Hank? 

 

Somebody's going to find Skip's body unless they roll out that asphalt.  His tie was sticking out of it in the last scene. 

[Kenz]

If Donovan wasn't wearing his little cap, his accent might not be as noticeably bad. To me he comes across as an Irish guy, ready to dance a jig.

[SteveAC10]

 

I still can't figure out how the Gerhardts make money.

I think the legal cover story is transportation or trucking, but drugs, gambling, prostitution and loan sharking have been mentioned in various conversations. Based on Rye's initial interactions with Skip - they also seem to be into the protection racket, and the Fargo detective's behavior around the Gerhardts seem to support that. They're just a good old fashioned crime family who happened to be headed by a dowdy middle aged woman named Floyd.

[Nutjob]

I also caught a little shout to Marge Gunderson last night when Hank said Rye killed all those people for "a little bit of money." I giggled.

[FoundTime]

There's an interview with Jesse on the Vulture web site about his gaining weight for this role.  He looks just how Noah Hawley wants Ed to look.  

 

The Vulture interview hinted at that. 

 

I thought the exact thing this morning while watching.  We know Lou will be okay.   And we know where Molly got her spunk and investigative skills.  TBH, glass all over the place and skid marks does kind of sound like there was an accident.  Maybe look for cars that have recently been damaged, Lou & Hank? 

 

Somebody's going to find Skip's body unless they roll out that asphalt.  His tie was sticking out of it in the last scene. 

Yep, in fact the scene where Lou is in line to get gas, I actually thought he had pulled up to a bodyshop to see what cars were in for work -- then I remembered about odd-even days for gas (which is kinda embarrassing to have forgotten since I lived through it).

 

I'm hoping they find Skip, based on the final shot being his tie sticking up through the asphalt. Which character commented on it and said he was a patriot? (It had little American flags on it, I think.) I had just been starting to think he really should stop wearing ties, between getting one fed into a typewriter roller last ep and getting yanked around by one this ep like it was a leash, but I guess he won't need to take my advice :-)

[teddysmom]

Which character commented on it and said he was a patriot? (It had little American flags on it, I think.)

 

SImone, when he went to Rye's apartment and she was there. 

[annzeepark914]

If Donovan wasn't wearing his little cap, his accent might not be as noticeably bad. To me he comes across as an Irish guy, ready to dance a jig.

I've noticed that type of accent among some German-Americans (even 2nd generation) in the Frankenmuth-Vassar-Birch Run, Michigan areas where my husband is from.  It's a funny little lilting accent...similar to what Donovan's affecting.

[BananaRama]

Lou Solverson is very brave. He had guns pointed at him twice in one day and then he comes home and hangs out with his family and is all "eh, whatevs". I know that we know that he makes it out of this alive but HE doesn't know that.

[Ohwell]

I feel bad for all those folks who were waiting to buy shiny new Selectrics.  I know I would have been disappointed.  I hope Skip somehow manages to climb outta there.

[meep.meep]

Skip only had the lock on the self-correcting Selectric.  If you want a regular model, you should be A-OK.  Or Okey Dokey.

 

I too had forgotten about gas lines.

 

The thing I kept noticing was Lou's uniform - red pants?  Presumably it's been researched and is authentic, but red pants on a trooper?

[PepperMonkey]

I was skeptical about Fargo 2.0, but oh my soul, I am loving this season just as much as the last one.

 

The look and feel of everything is so 1979, unlike so many shows where they try really hard but there always a bunch of anachronistic little clues that take you out of the era.

 

Lou is a closet bad ass. Seriously, everyone is nailing these roles. Dodd's accent doesn't even bother me; I live in the area and it's close enough to be realistic. Also, I have always loved Jeffrey Donovan ever since he played the little brother on The Pretender.

 

Little Molly looks just like you would imagine her looking from seeing her all grown up on season one.

 

Peggy's crazy; no remorse, no conscience. It's eating Ed alive and she's just plotting the next thing they need to do to continue to cover up her, now their, crime.

 

This is over the top awesome. I'm already dreading when the season comes to an end.

[SteveAC10]

 

The look and feel of everything is so 1979, unlike so many shows where they try really hard but there always a bunch of anachronistic little clues that take you out of the era.

Not only does it feel very authentic, every detail enhances what's going on - Like Floyd appearing outside in that tomato red coat and sweater when the rest of the scene is a mass of muddy browns and dull blues. Not only does she control the conversation - she demands you look at her. TLO have chosen Fargo as their new costume review/recap now that Mad Men has ended. It's a fascinating read.

[cpcathy]

Oh, Skip.

 

This was not the utter perfection that last week was, but was still great. You never quite know what's going to happen.

 

I did see a No Country for Old Men shout out in the scene with Lou and the cop (detective?) at the hotel, the stairs looked exactly like ones in that movie.

[Stratego]

Skip only had the lock on the self-correcting Selectric.  If you want a regular model, you should be A-OK.  Or Okey Dokey.

 

I too had forgotten about gas lines.

 

The thing I kept noticing was Lou's uniform - red pants?  Presumably it's been researched and is authentic, but red pants on a trooper?

Maroon, not red.  Maroon and gold are the colors for the state.

[ToastnBacon]

The oil embargo and restrictions on buying gas was 1973 to 1974.

In 1979 it was back to normal, so I think Lou waiting to get gas was just because it was a small station and not because of rationing.

What bothers me about the gas station scene was the guy at the pumps talking about UFOs.

I really hope the UFO stuff is just 1970s window dressing and not part of the plot in any significant way.

I'll be really pissed and disappointed if Mork from Ork gets involved in this.

There was no other information revealed in that scene, so I'm wondering why it was included.

Edited October 28, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[Dev F]

I haven't seen any mention yet that this episode introduces us to Lou's Fargo contact Ben Schmidt, who was Gus's commanding officer in season 1. I'm amused that after Schmidt berated Gus for his craven and shoddy police work, we now discover that he was at least as cowardly and incompetent back in his day. That might add an interesting dimension to his exclamation that Gus's screw-up meant "it's goddamn Sioux Falls all over again!" -- if what he was afraid of was that some other young cop was screwing things up with his foolishness the same way he himself did.

 

Also, season 1 Schmidt seems remarkably well preserved, if he's supposed to be twenty-seven years older than when we see him in season 2.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Dev F

[Milburn Stone]

The oil embargo and restrictions on buying gas was 1973 to 1974.

In 1979 it was back to normal, so I think Lou waiting to get gas was just because it was a small station and not because of rationing.

 

It's an anachronism. I recall some character, maybe in a previous episode, referring to how the country is going to hell in a hand basket with all the long gas lines and everything, so it's not just because the gas station was small. It's an actual mistake.

 

However, it's the only false step the show has made!

Edited October 28, 2015 by Milburn Stone

[Ursula Parrott]

Simone tossed off a "Whatever" so there's another anachronism. But it seems churlish to note because this season is just so damned good. And seeing Skip's teal Gremlin with the white racing stripes was a jolt from the past. I think that color had gen-u-wine Levis denim seats.

 

I'm still worried about Lou if only because we don't know what happens between this case and him owning the coffee shop. I hope he wasn't forced into early retirement by some terrible resolution to this season's case.

[RustbeltWriter]

In episode full of Lou getting all High Noon in fargo, what made me chuckle was Zhan McClarnon's deadpan "You Betcha". You could watch this show a couple times and catch new things every time. Just a great cast.

[Dev F]

The oil embargo and restrictions on buying gas was 1973 to 1974.

In 1979 it was back to normal, so I think Lou waiting to get gas was just because it was a small station and not because of rationing.

 

No, the other customer definitely mentions that they were doing odd-even rationing. Which was something that did pop up again in 1979, because of the revolution in Iran and related unrest. It wouldn't have been till later in the year, I think, but the show seems to be moving up later events quite a bit, what with the mentions of Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech and Reagan's presidential campaign in the premiere.