S02.E07: Did You Do This? No, You Did It!

[Eyes High]

Easily the worst ep of the season for me.

 

Hanzee is a preternatural hunter and he let Ed and Peggy escape out of town?  Mike just sat there for the two days KC gave him to fix things?  I can get that he had already decided to just sit in wait for the Undertaker, but given what particular shits the Gerharts were, and we had the anger of racism introduced?  Mike would not have made it a personal point of honor to take them out while he still had a shot at doing do?

 

Worst of all was the Godfather 3 helicopter assassination equivalent.  This time achieved via window washer scaffolding.  How one earth did they know precisely which window and the timing?  

 

The immunity deal given to Floyd?  Seriously?  No States Attorney/Attorney General/prosecutor would insist on being a party to such and those cops would dare make that deal without going through one?  

 

1. We still don't know how Ed and Peggy managed to escape without Hanzee taking them out, but I can buy that Hanzee underestimated Ed and Peggy. Everyone else has. I'm less certain about why Hanzee would bother to call the Gerhardts to let them know where Dodd was rather than just killing Ed and Peggy, retrieving Dodd, and presenting the Gerhardts with a fait accompli. We might find that out in the next episode, though.

2. I thought the suggestion was that thanks to Floyd's information, Mike no longer had any flunkies except for the lone Kitchen brother, without whom he lacks the necessary manpower to mount any kind of attack. Thus that series of dissolves showing Mike's men disappearing. By the time he got the message that he had two days to clean everything up, Floyd was at the police station giving them the information they needed to disrupt the KC mob's undertakings. As for a "personal point of honour," I don't think Mike has any. He has professional pride, sure, but there's not much that he could do to take the fight to them with only one lone Kitchen brother, and the Gerhardts spending most of their time in a heavily fortified compound with henchmen armed to the teeth.

3. I'm no criminal mastermind, but that's easily done: stake out the office to determine the guy's comings and goings, bribe or coerce the window washers into explaining how to operate the equipment, use a spy to send a signal as to when the timing is right, done. (I'm guessing that the "clients" were collateral damage under the "no witnesses" policy as opposed to Bear and co. needing to take them out specifically. In that case, all they needed was to ensure that the guy was in the office.)

4. The cops would have done or said anything to prevent more bodies piling up. That's why when Ben says that there's no point pursuing the Gerhardts since Floyd now has immunity, Lou says "You're a shit cop."

 

With all that said, I think true tragedy comes from decisions characters make that, while ill-advised or even stupid, are the only choices those characters could have made given their level of intelligence, emotions, personality, outlook, background, etc. and thus take on an inevitable character. However, there are a lot of decisions made by characters that are inexplicably dumb and completely avoidable given the characters in question and therefore make it more difficult to stir up any deeper feeling about the horrible tragedy of those decisions and their consequences.

 

Floyd being too overwhelmed with grief over Rye's death to question Hanzee's dumb story about the Butcher of Laverne is tragic. Floyd knowing that Simone has divided loyalties but not calling her on it until it's too late? Less so. Bear, enraged at Dodd jeopardizing Charlie's future, feeling he has no choice but to kill Simone to protect the family and resolve his own anger at Dodd? Tragic. Bear being increasingly resentful of Dodd's poor leadership and knowing that Dodd and Hanzee are full of shit with the Butcher of Laverne story but failing to raise his suspicions with Floyd? Less so. Simone having an incredibly risky affair with her family's most dangerous enemy for a shot at getting rid of her abusive father? Tragic. Simone failing to go to her grandmother and confess everything the moment Mike starts asking her for information? Less so.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Eyes High

[Black Knight]

I just finished watching, and it's very clear to me that Simone is not dead, because there was no gunshot. There's always a gunshot if a sequence like this ends in death. It's a very standard filmmaking trope, actually, to cut the camera away to the greater surroundings, such as the forest here, and then the gunshot rings out, breaking the tension and ending the audience's suspense.

 

No gunshot. Not dead.

 

Bear left her to try to walk out of the woods on her own. When she suggested banishment, I could see in his eyes that he had changed his mind. He raised the gun once more, but he no longer displayed any heart or conviction. I was totally unsurprised when no gunshot came. She has her purse; Bear took it into the woods with her but walked out without it. So he knows she has money she can use to take a bus somewhere far away, should she make it out of the woods.

 

But of course, this being Fargo, she won't actually have left. Or maybe she does, but her first destination is Sioux Falls, not knowing that all hell is about to break loose there. I kind of think Bear's choice to spare her will end up saving his own life somehow. She shoots Mike before he can kill Bear, or she turns up just as Dodd is about to kill Bear for killing her, that kind of thing.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Black Knight

[Lonesome Rhodes]

 

I thought the suggestion was that thanks to Floyd's information, Mike no longer had any flunkies except for the lone Kitchen brother, without whom he lacks the necessary manpower to mount any kind of attack.

He had several helpers on that raid to the compound and killed Otto.  But, you bring up a great point.  There have been a seemingly endless supply of henchmen on both sides.  They've explained away that "Buffalo" has sent help to the G's.  Well, given the carnage of the Buffalo boys, does it make any sense that Buffalo would not have pulled the remainder and/or demanded a direct say in the tactics involved in this fight?  Would they so blithely trust and go along with Floyd as the master?  Dodd?  lol  

 

Mike's failure to burn and pillage the G compound remains ridiculous and not just stupid, but totally out of character.  Mike knew he would not be given more resources from KC and that he had to get the job done.  He had a golden opportunity to destroy the clan's base of operations.  At zero loss of personnel.  And all he did was kill Otto and maybe a guard at the gate?  His butt was in the proverbial sling and a set-up he had been longing for was handed him. And he punts?

 

OK.  I know.  I really need to just accept this more as fable.  I am just disappointed that so much of this is about detail and intricate connection, and then we have to accept so many leaps in logic.  

[shapeshifter]

Mike's failure to burn and pillage the G compound remains ridiculous and not just stupid, but totally out of character.  Mike knew he would not be given more resources from KC and that he had to get the job done.  He had a golden opportunity to destroy the clan's base of operations.  At zero loss of personnel.  And all he did was kill Otto and maybe a guard at the gate?  His butt was in the proverbial sling and a set-up he had been longing for was handed him. And he punts?

 

OK.  I know.  I really need to just accept this more as fable.  I am just disappointed that so much of this is about detail and intricate connection, and then we have to accept so many leaps in logic.

Maybe destroying the Gherhardt buildings would trigger an investigation that not even a "shit cop" could squash? IDK. Fires happen. I too think this is a flaw in the story logic. Unless maybe the calvary came riding up before they had time to go scorched earth on the place?

[candall]

Hello, Jethro Tull!

 

This show is such a gem, I let the commercials play, just to stretch out the showtime and let me consider each segment.  That's a first.

 

Tom & Lorenzo analyzed (first episode) the subtlety of the color variation each character was wearing, which made me realize how much care is being given to the tiniest details.  (Check out how many times the same deep turquoise pops up in this episode.)

 

That infinity mirror in the elevator--pretty girls endlessly seducing ineffectual men? Turning the Undertaker crew into an army?  I don't know, now I just see metaphors everywhere.  : )

 

Bear's splitscreen was a review of the Gerhardt losses.  Fading personnel from the hotel room showed the KC losses.  I'm in awe of using two completely different visuals for the same purpose and both so creative.  No slackers on the Fargo staff.

 

The overhead shot of the trees casting horizontal shadows was gorgeous.

 

Burble burble burble.  I love this show.

 

ETA:  I decided those tree shadows were neither horizontal or vertical, but oblique.  As in, Simone's fate.  What do you think?  Too much?

Edited November 29, 2015 by candall

[AuntiePam]

One way Ed and Peggy could have gotten ahead of Hanzee is if Peggy somehow managed to get Dodd into the car by herself, drove off, and encountered Ed on the road somewhere, picked him up.  Or Dodd woke up and she prodded him to the car.  Or Ed stole a car, went home and helped her with Dodd.

 

It'd be nice if it was explained, but I'm fine if it's not. 

[shapeshifter]

One way Ed and Peggy could have gotten ahead of Hanzee is if Peggy somehow managed to get Dodd into the car by herself, drove off, and encountered Ed on the road somewhere, picked him up..

I'm guessing she would have dragged him onto the hood of the car. She's had practice driving like that. Heh.

But seriously. Where was Ed during the altercation between Peggy and Dodd with and the prod? I'm guessing he came upon Peggy in the basement with Dodd and the prod and trussed him up like a turkey before popping in the the oven trunk.

[AuntiePam]

 

But seriously. Where was Ed during the altercation between Peggy and Dodd with and the prod?

 

At the police station, probably. 

 

The last shot was Hank and Lou leaving in the squad car, and Hanzee following Ed on foot.  We'd already seen Peggy deal with Dodd, but I guess that could have been simultaneous, or even later.  I always trust the sequence as we see it, unless there's a split screen showing us things happening at the same time.

[PepperMonkey]

I. LOVE. THIS. SHOW.

[cpcathy]

I think this may be the best drama show I've ever seen.

[Starchild]

Ed or Peggy killing Hanzee would be very stupid and would ruin the season. 

Why?

[John Potts]

Oh boy, they weren't kidding about stacking the bodies up three deep. OK then.

 

I guess you could see it as progressive that Bear treated Simone's betrayal the same he would any guy. OK, we didn't see the shot, but I'm pretty sure she's dead (and I accept that since we didn't see a shot, she could be alive... but I doubt it).

 

RustbeltWriter "You're a shit cop, you know that?" is my favorite line of this season

 

And he's the one getting promoted! That's the government for you.

 

 

Tara Ariano (recap) You or I might be safe in believing that we've really bonded with a partner once we've snorted cocaine off his shoulder, but that's probably because we never dated anyone from Kansas City.

 

You mean people from Kansas City don't respect the sacred bond between junkies? For shame!

 

 

AimingforYoko So much for the Undertaker.

 

 

Anyone expecting this guy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_XOVh-cDtk. (Not that he'd show up for a 5 second cameo before being blown away like a punk). Though I did think Mike probably felt he had no other choice there.

 

 

Eyes High Hank has a Room of Crazy! The plot thickens!

 

 

I initially wondered if Hank was secretly a serial killer, but it seems unlikely that he'd allow his daughter free access to his lair if that was the case. I thought he was obsessing over a case, though he may just be a UFO nut.

[Macbeth]

I loved that they played 2 versions of a song  that played during one of the Dude's dream sequences in "The Big Lebowski."  I don't know the name of the song but it talks about the condition you are in.

 

The song  played during Simone's drive to the hotel and after Ed's call to Mike.

 

All I could think of was the Cohen Brothers description of the Dude - basically a guy least capable of handling anything.

 

I don 't think this bodes well for  Ed at all given what happened to Simone.

[hincandenza]

Arriving late to this thread since the show just came out on Hulu a few days ago.  Most everything has been hashed over already, but wanted to add a couple of thoughts:

 

For me personally, while sympathetic to Simone's lifelong arc/plight, she was still so profoundly dumb about her dalliance with Mike that I was rooting for her death since the episode when the house was shot up.  She is a parallel to Peggy: both have this sort of foot-stomping "I am a grown woman!" thing but both are making absolutely horrible choices and then behaving like children who can just wish away the consequences when they arrive. Simone was as willfully oblivious to the only fate that awaited her when her betrayal was inevitably discovered, as Peggy was in leaving a dying man in her car's windshield in the garage while she made Hamburger Helper.

Simone had gotten many people killed in a deliberate intentional series of choices she made by herself- yet seemed to think that was something you could just talk your way out of or bat your eyes to fix.  Very similar to Peggy babbling in the kitchen about moving to California while Hank looked on in utter disbelief.  As awful as he was, Dodd was right about one thing she never did understand: being an adult also means being responsible for your decisions, even if it ends in fists, knives, or bullets.  Repeatedly betraying her own family to a person who told her he'd kill her (and yet she kept working for him/visiting him?) and who has continued to kill that family with her ongoing help... well yeah, you're going to get offed.  By one side of the other, since nothing about Mike's blatant contempt for her was veiled, or should have led her to think a post-Gerhardt world was going to result in anything other than her own shallow grave at a construction site.

 

Unrelated, the other thing I thought while watching- which is surely not intentional since the ad itself was from 1984 during his reelection run- is that with the background theme of Reagan running through this season I thought it was kind of funny that the Simone death scene literally involved a "Bear... in the woods".

[Kel Varnsen]

Hank said that his wife used to visit her sister in Brainerd for another shout out to the movie. Maybe Molly gets her investigation skills from her dad, her grandfather and her great aunt Marge.

Also I thought it was hilarious that Betsy thought that there were intruders in her home that wanted to hurt her but at the same time these intruders took their shoes off to keep the snow and mud off her floor.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Kel Varnsen