S02.E04: Fear And Trembling

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Floyd responds to Kansas City’s proposal, Hanzee takes a road trip, and Lou has a realization.

[AimingforYoko]

I can see why Lou's a state cop. A little too sharp for Luverne, no offense to Hank. Ed and Peggy, on the other hand...

I said last week that Simone probably had a hard time finding a guy who's not scared of her dad. Well, she sure found one. (Also, that was some fine basic cable nudity, excellent use of the Farrah hair.)

Speaking of Dodd, that flashback pretty much told you everything you need to know about the man.

In other news:

Hanzee was a little too good figuring what happened to Rye. I sure hope they weren't playing on an Indian trope.
Peggy's Lifespring seminar is in Sioux Falls. (Dun, dun, dun.)

Lou and Betsy break my heart.

[ToastnBacon]

Excellent episode!

Anyone notice the song as the ending credits rolled?

It was in Rasing Arizona, another Cohen Brothers film.

Hanzee is pretty darn scary, don't cha know!

Pretty good tracker too! You betcha that was some pretty darn serious Indian trope.

But I liked it anyway.

[beadgirl]

 

Hanzee was a little too good figuring what happened to Rye. I sure hope they weren't playing on an Indian trope.

Yeah, I noticed that too; we'll see what they do with him the rest of the show.  It'd help if he weren't the only Native American character.

 

I have a feeling Ed is doomed, but Peggy will skate.  And her boss!  It's remarkable how she can be so right and so wrong at the same time.

 

Jean Smart is just magnificent in this role.  And I could listen to Offerman talk all day. But if I start praising all the actors, this comment will be paragraphs long.

[benteen]

Great episode!

 

Peggy is a real piece of work.  Ed is on a sinking ship with her but Peggy is the one likely to get off.

 

Definitely can see why Dodd is as screwed up as he is.  Clever plan by the old man in the flashback but geez, your own son...

 

I agree that Hanzee was a little too good at figuring out what happened to Rye but after some of Malvo's unrealistic superhuman tactics last season, it doesn't surprise me.

 

So Hanzee experienced lost time because he was abducted by aliens.  The fact that this show has thrown in a UFO subplot amuses me.

 

Surprisingly convincing make-up work on Michael Hogan in the opening flashback.

 

Jean Smart is definitely killing this role as part of an absolutely fantastic cast.

Edited November 3, 2015 by benteen

[Rhetorica]

I so wanted Floyd to cuff Dodd's ear...

Edited November 3, 2015 by Rhetorica

[numbnut]

Is it me or is this season less funny than the first? It's also much more stylized. I'm s-l-o-w-l-y getting invested but thought I would care more about the characters by now. Nick Offerman was great. More of him, please.

 

Hanzee was a little too good figuring what happened to Rye.

 

Yeah, that was too instantaneous for me. He's super creepy too. Where is his family? That rabbit flashback didn't tell us much.

Edited November 3, 2015 by numbnut

[thuganomics85]

I wasn't sure how this season was going to follow up Lester as the "normal person goes really, really bad" category, but the Peggy/Ed pairing is just the perfect way to go.  Both of them are just so stupid in their own ways, but I can kind of see how they are pulling it off for now.  That said, while I do think a downfall of some kind will happen to both of them, I do think Ed will somehow get the worst of it, despite the fact that it was Peggy who actually hit Rye.  But I just got the sense Peggy has what it takes to skate by on some levels, and dumb Ed will not be able too.  Of course, I still think it's Peggy's boss that could inadvertently be the first victim.  Just have a feeling all of her stuff with Peggy, is leading somewhere bad.

 

Glad Lou is getting even closer, and knows damn well that Peggy/Ed are responsible somehow.  It did look like Ed was close to breaking, but Peggy put a stop to it.  I do think that Lou should try and confront Ed without her, but I'm going to guess the show will find some way to avoid that, or have Ed suddenly put more walls up.

 

Nick Offerman is back and scaring off Hanzee for now!  But Hanzee now found Rye's belt-buckle, so things are probably going to get much worse for Peggy and Ed.

 

I wonder if Brad Garrett was being sincere about the deal, or if he was using Dodd beating up his henchmen as an excuse not too.  Either way, Mike and his buddies retaliated, so now we've got a war coming!  Go Floyd!  Jean Smart was fantastic in this episode.

 

I'm sure Mike and Simone hooking up is totally not going to cause any problems at all!

 

After being covered up in the past three episodes, FX decided to unleash the ass-shots tonight, although even I admit they weren't really fare about it.  Female nudity comes from Simone/Rachel Keller and male nudity is.... Jesse Plemons fat ass.  I'm starting to think Jesse really wants everyone to see how much weight he put on for this.

 

Poor Betsy.

[VCRTracking]

I did the math and Floyd Gerhardt probably was 17 and gave birth in 1935 to have a son old enough to fight in Korea.

Edited November 3, 2015 by VCRTracking

[knaankos]

This felt like a set-up for next episode. I fully expect episode 5 to be the explosion episode of the season just like episode 6 was in season 1.

[Spartan Girl]

Ed and Peggy are morons. I have no doubt that Peggy will wind up screwing Ed over in some way to not only save her own ass but also to further her ambitions. She better meet the same kind of end as Lester.

Lou rules. It isn't fair that Betsy has cancer. Her scenes broke my heart. Fuck cancer, seriously.

[Rhetorica]

After being covered up in the past three episodes, FX decided to unleash the ass-shots tonight, although even I admit they weren't really fare about it. Female nudity comes from Simone/Rachel Keller and male nudity is.... Jesse Plemons fat ass. I'm starting to think Jesse really wants everyone to see how much weight he put on for this.

Did you miss Otto's ass shot when he was standing out in the cold in his hospital gown under his coat?

Edited November 4, 2015 by Dougal
Trimmed quote.

[RustbeltWriter]

This show is doing everything right. The characters are interesting and relatable, the plotting is tight and the timing is hitting the mark nicely. Hanzee was probably helped in finding Ed and Peggy by the show's location. Once he found the busted headlight glass I'm guessing he only had to check one or two body shops because Luverne is such a small town. Once he found the Corvair he had Ed's name. If Hank had done his job right he probably would have found them too.

 

I'm glad they're showing how competent Lou is. As soon as he saw Ed's car he knew Betsy's theory was correct and that he had found the car that took out Rye. It's nice to see he realizes how bright she is and incorporates her deductions.

 

Mike Milligan didn't seem to like Simone's surprise but he was cool enough not to make a thing out of it.

 

Oh, and I wonder what if Ed will be able to fix the grinder?

[benteen]

Jesse Plemmons fat ass AND the top of Michael Hogan's ass crack...yikes!

 

 

Speaking of ass-related matter, Hanzee likely was probed by aliens.  It was subtle but they actually wrote in a "lost time" moment Hanzee.  When he went into the dinner, it was a little past seven in the morning.  When he saw the UFO, he checked his watch and it was about ten-thirty.  So we was abducted by aliens and returned.  Apparently there was a famous UFO sighting in Minnesota around this time.

 

You know, when I first watch this season, I thought Patrick Wilson was playing the Dodd character.  Those two guys look a lot alike.

Edited November 3, 2015 by benteen

[cpcathy]

I found this episode a bit draggy but boy, did the scene with Lou and Peggy and Ed sure did pack a punch. Lou really did catch on quick, poor Hank, he probably thought the best of Peggy and Ed.

Amazing performances throughout, including Brad Garrett. He's come a long way from Raymond's brother. And Mike Milligan is not so jovial after all! He gets more menacing each episode.

[Nutjob]

 

Anyone notice the song as the ending credits rolled?

It was in Rasing Arizona, another Cohen Brothers film.

This made me so happy!

 

I just can't see Ed keeping his cool through all of this, especially now that Peggy took the money without telling him and he can't buy the shop. I know he's dumb, but he has to start seeing how selfish she is, and that she really doesn't care about him at all.  Wonder if he'll find those BC pills in the bathroom...

 

That moment with Floyd and Dodd in the car was heartbreaking. She knows she's going to have to get a handle on him, but doesn't know if she can put her mom instincts aside to do it. He's just too much of a loose cannon, even in the coming "war."

[Melissa56789]

 

Hanzee was a little too good figuring what happened to Rye. I sure hope they weren't playing on an Indian trope.

 

In defense of the Fargo writer - in addition to Hanzee happening to be Native American - he was also given the backstory in this episode of a veteran of the Vietnam Conflict....as a tunnel rat (black echo).

 

Here's a wiki link describing the skills required for that assignment:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_rat 

[ToastnBacon]

Jesse Plemmons fat ass AND the top of Michael Hogan's ass crack...yikes!

Speaking of ass-related matter, Hanzee likely was probed by aliens. It was subtle but they actually wrote in a "lost time" moment Hanzee. When he went into the dinner, it was a little past seven in the morning. When he saw the UFO, he checked his watch and it was about ten-thirty. Apparently there was a famous UFO sighting in Minnesota around this time.

You know, when I first watch this season, I thought Patrick Wilson was playing the Dodd character. Those two guys look a lot alike.

Thanks!

You just gave an excuse to watch it again.

I didn't catch the the 7 a.m. clock. I only noticeed the sun shine in the trees and the 1010 a.m. time.

Edited November 3, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[barbedwire]

I can see why Lou's a state cop. A little too sharp for Luverne, no offense to Hank. Ed and Peggy, on the other hand...

I said last week that Simone probably had a hard time finding a guy who's not scared of her dad. Well, she sure found one. (Also, that was some fine basic cable nudity, excellent use of the Farrah hair.)

Speaking of Dodd, that flashback pretty much told you everything you need to know about the man.

In other news:

Hanzee was a little too good figuring what happened to Rye. I sure hope they weren't playing on an Indian trope.

Peggy's Lifespring seminar is in Sioux Falls. (Dun, dun, dun.)

Lou and Betsy break my heart.

I thought the same thing about Hanzee.

 

Going to Sioux Falls - been there once.  Not much to do.

 

Jean Smart is so great in her role!

[meep.meep]

In defense of the Fargo writer - in addition to Hanzee happening to be Native American - he was also given the backstory in this episode of a veteran of the Vietnam Conflict....as a tunnel rat (black echo).

 

Or he  said that he did that in Vietnam......it *is* Fargo after all.  I didn't think that the bodyshop guy was a vet.

 

If Hanzee is a combat vet from Vietnam, that could account for his missing time as well.

[Tara Ariano]

It wasn't enough of a thing to make it into my post, but it bugged me that we were supposed to believe two intelligent adults like Betsy and Lou didn't understand how double-blind medical studies. I don't even buy that they were made to be dumb for exposition purposes since I don't believe the AUDIENCE is that dumb either.

[editorgrrl]

It wasn't enough of a thing to make it into my post, but it bugged me that we were supposed to believe two intelligent adults like Betsy and Lou didn't understand how double-blind medical studies. I don't even buy that they were made to be dumb for exposition purposes since I don't believe the AUDIENCE is that dumb either.

Yeah, it was clunky. But "Xanadu" didn't cure cancer, right? I was more annoyed by how much cocaine was stuck to Mike Milligan's shoulder.

[ToastnBacon]

It wasn't enough of a thing to make it into my post, but it bugged me that we were supposed to believe two intelligent adults like Betsy and Lou didn't understand how double-blind medical studies. I don't even buy that they were made to be dumb for exposition purposes since I don't believe the AUDIENCE is that dumb either.

I took it as they understood, but were being reluctant accept that was their only option.

They were in disbelief from the shock of it, but they really knew what was up.

[Etta Place]

I took it as they understood, but were being reluctant accept that was their only option.

They were in disbelief from the shock of it, but they really knew what was up.

That was my take as well - putting myself into that situation, I can imagine my response would possibly sound like I didn't understand, but it would just be disbelief that my only chance is to take a 50/50 coin flip and hoping to get the new drug.

 

I'm liking this season. Love the female characters and actors a lot this time around.

 

I'm also looking forward to seeing what's up with Otto since there's definitely more of a light on in there than he's been letting on.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Etta Place

[AimingforYoko]

Time and Place little details the show is getting right:

Place: Ed and Hanzee both drive pickup trucks and the truck they drive? A Ford F-150. Dead on for Minnesota and North Dakota.

Time: It really struck me that something was missing from the clinic when they wheeled Otto to the front steps. A ramp.

[atir]

Is there a reason for Mike's removal of Otto's hat?

I floved the down/feathers flying out of the nurse's parka after Mike shot her. Nice touch.

Edited November 3, 2015 by atir

[badlemonnohope]

That speech that Lou gave to Ed and Peggy about the soldier that doesn't know he's already dead, didn't he say something similar last season? I he was talking to Martin Freeman's character but Im not sure.

[BananaRama]

I did think it was kind of laughable that the cops and the Kansas City crew had been looking for Rye for days and Hanzee had figured it out between the time of breakfast and lunch.

Poor Ed. His future looks bleak. I predict a painful death for him in the near future, hopefully a meat grinder will not be involved.

[barbedwire]

Is there a reason for Mike's removal of Otto's hat?

I floved the down/feathers flying out of the nurse's parka after Mike shot her. Nice touch.

I thought for sure Otto would have frozen to death, and the removal of the hat was just to get it started, so to speak.

 

But since that was not the case, like you, I have no idea why.

[editorgrrl]

Is there a reason for Mike's removal of Otto's hat?

I thought it was a message—I was thisclose to him.

[bmoore4026]

Jean Smart is still the very best thing about this series.  If she doesn't get some award nominations, I'll be very unhappy.

[bentley]

I was sure Floyd was going to go all Robert DeNiro as Al Capone and take a baseball bat to her son right there at the sitdown. Then stand back and say "he'll fall in line" or whatever the line was she kept using. 

 

I'm still calling that Floyd's grandson and his one good arm are going to be trouble that no one sees coming. 

 

Loved the scene with Lou, Ed and Peggy and his war story. They just kept repeating their lies, and Lou just kept telling them how much deep shit they were in without even pretending to believe them. I  was expecting Lou to leave with a "Don't say you were never told" but the "Lock your door" was just as effective. Poor dumb Ed.

 

There are so many candidates to kill Dodd's daughter I can't even choose.

[A Boston Gal]

Sorry to nitpick on what otherwise was a great episode, but the opening flashback was filmed in a movie theater way too modern for the 1950s. Those theater seats looked even too modern for the 1979 setting.

The only thing I can think of was that this scene must've been planned in a hurry; everything else about this series has been meticulously faithful to its era. Perhaps the original choice of a theater fell through.

Edited November 4, 2015 by A Boston Gal

[seacliffsal]

Loved this episode. Very telling and chilling that Lou sat in front of his house all night with his shotgun. This also connected to last season when he did the same and referred to the fact that he had done it one time when his daughter was young. Also like his story about Vietnam and how deep in denial Peggy and Ed are.

As to the timing issues at the diner, I thought that the clock was stopped at the time the shootings occurred as the power was shut off after the killings.

Interesting that Peggy's seminar is in Sioux Falls and that's where the massacre occurred in Lou's telling of the incident last season. I wonder if all of the key characters converge there at once.

[bentley]

Will Peggy bite it before or after she becomes the best Peggy she can be?  

[ToastnBacon]

Jean Smart is still the very best thing about this series. If she doesn't get some award nominations, I'll be very unhappy.

She is great in this role, but she has only had a handful of scenes. Hoping we get to see a little more of her.

I'm also looking forward to seeing her on the warpath.

I've got to admit that I was somewhat puzzled by Dodd whimpering in the car. What led to him to do a 180 like that?

Was it because he was scolded?

Edited November 4, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[Stratego]

She is great in this role, but she has only had a handful of scenes. Hoping we get to see a little more of her.

I'm also looking forward to seeing her on the warpath.

I've got to admit that I was somewhat puzzled by Dodd whimpering in the car. What led to him to do a 180 like that?

Was it because he was scolded?

I assumed that Otto was dead.  I saw a grey mark on his forehead above his right eye, when he was in bed.

[seacliffsal]

I, too, thought Otto was dead due to that mark and the way Floyd was all "this is war" afterwards. I think a lot of people will be caught in the crossfire. It will be interesting to see how all the plots come together.

[Ottis]

Is it me or is this season less funny than the first?

 

 

The style has become very Sopranos-like, and not only because we have two crime families at war. The UFO stuff is like Tony's dreams. The flashbacks to sons being indoctrinated into criminal acts. The rebellious younger kid. Even the pauses between actions, like when they took Otto's hat off his head and then left him alive. Not that I mind it. I loved The Sopranos.

 

Hanzee was a little too good figuring what happened to Rye. I sure hope they weren't playing on an Indian trope.

 

 

Can't a bad guy, forced to deal with the prejudices of his day, be good at something because he had to be in order to stay alive (Vietnam)? The biggest trope about Hanzee was that the huge piece of glass would still be sitting in the road at the scene of the crime. Hank, Lou, Betsy at a minimum covered that scene and never saw it?

[benteen]

I agree there's no way they would have missed that huge piece of glass on the road.

[Inquisitionist]

Didn't bother me.  The piece of glass wasn't THAT big; Lou was not looking for remnants of a car accident at the time, while Hanzee was; and the glass would blend into the snow.

 

Loved the Godfather-esque meeting between Brad Garrett's KC emissary and the Gerhardt family.  Agree that Jean Smart is killing this role. And Lou!  High Noon kinda day, indeed.

[GodsBeloved]

and male nudity is.... Jesse Plemons fat ass.  I'm starting to think Jesse really wants everyone to see how much weight he put on for this.

 

I asked myself why I had to see Landry's lilly white ass crack! My eyes! My eyes!

Edited November 4, 2015 by GodsBeloved

[Should Be Working]

I realized that Fargo's second season was far more stylized than the first, but the comparisons with The Sopranos hadn't occurred to me until they were cited above.

 

The manner in which Hanzee solved the case of Rye's murder in a few hours might seem to require a bit too much suspension of disbelief (plenty of modern TV dramas demand it in spades), but he went to the Waffle Hut looking for clues to Rye's troubling disappearance. Lou and Hank were just trying to make sense of the crime scene right after the triple shooting. Perhaps there was more snow on the ground when they checked. Betsy didn't conduct a search of the crime scene; she just responded to Molly's finding the gun and picked it up to give to Lou. Once Hanzee had the headlight remnant, a check of the few body shops in Luvurne was the obvious next step. No need to let a curious employee deter him from his search of the Corvair; just threaten him with a straight razor. Once he had the name and address of the car owner, no need for a search warrant. Once he found Rye's belt buckle in the fireplace, he knew what had happened to him and who did it.  

 

I thought the fourth episode the best yet. Absolutely masterful interweaving of story elements and character interaction. And, as usual, the background music was very effective. That heartbreaking aria (cantata?) that played near the end, as Floyd and company were returning home to prepare for war, was beautiful. If anyone recognizes it, please identify it.

[Ottis]

Didn't bother me.  The piece of glass wasn't THAT big; Lou was not looking for remnants of a car accident at the time, while Hanzee was; and the glass would blend into the snow.

 

 

That was a HUGE piece of glass to be found anywhere other than a glass factory. Step on that baby and you are off to the ER! I'm trying to remember what Lou et al were looking for in the road, but given they were in middle of a road, I would think a big piece of thick, clearly auto glass would be viewed as a meaningful clue. As to whether the glass would blend in, could be. But I think Lou in particular (or Betsy!) would have found it. YMMV. Of course, given that they eventually did decide that a car was involved, I don't know why Lou and Hank weren't at every local collision shop before Hanzee.

 

BTW, "Hanzee" doesn't sound like a Native American name. Does anyone know if it has a meaning in Dutch or German or whatever ethnic group is dominate in N. Dakota/Minnesota? Seems like that would be a hidden clue of some kind.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Ottis

[AncientSand]

I wonder why Jean Smart averted her eyes from Brad Garrett for the entirety of their conversation.

 

That had to be a lot of glue on that wig in the hotel room.  She was moving around a lot.

 

The best part of this episode was Dodd's double take to the kid ordering an old fashioned.

 

Best show on tv this year.

[Wouldofshouldof]

The glass in the road didn't bother me as much as the blood on the table in the diner.  How many days have passed since the shooting?  That blood would be dried and brownish, not wet and red.

[ShannaB]

I am amazed that this is just episode 4.  I could feel the tension and menace last week and I felt like I had a noose tightening around my neck with this episode.  I fear that my head will explode next week from a lack of oxygen from holding my breath.  Awesome!!!  I am pleased with the writing, the directing and the acting.

 

When I saw that Jean Smart was in the cast, I just knew that she would slam her role.  Amazing actress. I just saw BONE TOMAHAWK with Patrick Wilson and now with this Fargo role I am newly impressed with him.  I find all the actors brilliant thus far and I am pleasantly surprised with Zahn McClamon as Hanzee and  Cristin Miloti as Betsy. 

[A Boston Gal]



 

Can't a bad guy, forced to deal with the prejudices of his day, be good at something because he had to be in order to stay alive (Vietnam)? The biggest trope about Hanzee was that the huge piece of glass would still be sitting in the road at the scene of the crime. Hank, Lou, Betsy at a minimum covered that scene and never saw it?

No kidding...I'm amazed Molly didn't find it first.

 

I haven't seen many Patrick Wilson roles, so I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've watched him playing the unquestionable hero of the story. He's doing an unbelieveable job, as is the rest of the cast. And as ShannaB says, this is all just carreening at a controlled hysteria so perfectly that it's hard to believe we're only four episodes in.

 

Wonderful storytelling, in addition to everything else.

[knaankos]

It is indeed hard to believe this only episode 4. We aren't even halfway yet. This leads me to believe that there will be a big twist or plot about-face coming at some point that will send things down a different path entirely.

[bosawks]

Will Peggy bite it before or after she becomes the best Peggy she can be?  

 

Sadly, I think we've already seen the best Peggy that she will ever be..........