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

[Nutjob]

I'm betting that Ed got Dodd to sing like a canary.

Ed being able to locate Mike would be very easy once they zapped him with that cattle prod a few more times.

Yep, you're exactly right. Dodd seems like the type who can dish it out, but... you know the rest.

[Rockstar99435]

 And what about Floyd?  Was that a smirk on her face or did she tell them the truth about KC and where guns are stored?

 

I think the smirk was that she played the cops. She pretended to be a weak, scared little old lady who was just doing what she was doing to protect her family because they were backed into a wall, but really she just the cops to take down all of her enemies while getting her whole family immunity for their part in the war. While she was talking overhead, the scene shown was Mike's hotel room. When she started, it was filled with men, but as she outed places, men started disappearing and then when she's done, Mike was alone in the room looking defeated. Earlier, the man on the phone said he had two days and then the Undertaker was coming. I think all the disappearing men were killed/arrested by the cops. The Undertaker showed up two days later as promised, and Mike killed him.

[Ohwell]

I'm betting that Ed got Dodd to sing like a canary.

Ed being able to locate Mike would be very easy once they zapped him with that cattle prod a few more times.

I'm betting Ed has that meat cleaver with him.

[ToastnBacon]

I'm doing a rewatch.

When they recapped the previous episode, instead of "previously on Fargo" it was "erstwhile on Fargo."

Nice touch.

[Fisher King]

When Floyd was burying her husband, she also buried something of Rye's.

 

Thought it was Rye's belt buckle from Ed's fireplace.

[AuntiePam]

I think Simone was the one holding the belt buckle.  No clue about that fabric that Floyd put on top of the casket.

 

Did Simone really cause any damage?  I don't remember her giving Mike any info that he didn't already have. 

[cpcathy]

It looked like Floyd put her wedding dress on Otto's casket.

[welcomerain]

All of Lou's lines about telling Ben that he expects him back and is a shitty cop (and Hank's reaction) was great.

 

 

 

Especially Hank's reaction.  The old wolf's gruff laugh was a solid endorsement of Lou's opinion.  Neither of them was bothering to conceal their opinion of the shit cop, and that may have been the greatest insult.

[meep.meep]

It was white and satiney so wedding dress does sound right.  And Simone put the belt buckle into Rye's grave.

 

Were the people killed by the window washers the KC mob?  There were a lot of non-sequitor scenes like that.

[ToastnBacon]

Bear was the window washer on the left and the Buffalo mob guy was the other window washer.

That was definitely one of the KC mob bosses they took out.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Fargo Teaches Simone A Tough Lesson About Dividing One's Loyalties
And gang war can't even take a day off for a funeral.

[GodsBeloved]

Did Simone really cause any damage?  I don't remember her giving Mike any info that he didn't already have. 

She told Mike that Dodd left the compound or whatever their place is called. She also informed him that he took a crew and it sounded to me like those protecting the compound was only a few which in turn made Mike's job of shooting up the place easier.

[WearyTraveler]

She told Mike that Dodd left the compound or whatever their place is called. She also informed him that he took a crew and it sounded to me like those protecting the compound was only a few which in turn made Mike's job of shooting up the place easier.

 

Yes, she was basically responsible for Mike killing Otto, the head of the family.  No bigger sin than that in mob life, I think.

[Stratego]

I think Simone was the one holding the belt buckle.  No clue about that fabric that Floyd put on top of the casket.

 

Did Simone really cause any damage?  I don't remember her giving Mike any info that he didn't alrea

 

Edited November 24, 2015 by Stratego

[ChipBach]

I'm pretty sure she is dead, but good point about the cast.

The Gerhardts seem pretty arrogant about being able to operate without regard of the law in Fargo. Maybe he just doesn't care.

If he was in Minnesota, I'm thinking that he'd pick the cast up.

 

I guess if Bear was ready to charge the Luverne police station he has little worries of consequences.  

[ToastnBacon]

I guess if Bear was ready to charge the Luverne police station he has little worries of consequences.

Good point.

They have demonstrated that they have little concern with law enforcement, even in Minnesota.

They have the North Dakota authorities in their pocket, but not in Minnesota.

Still, he wasn't concerned about making a bad situation with Charlie much worse until Karl talked some sense into him.

[Nutjob]

I think that's more because he'd do just about anything for Charlie. The only reason he backed down was because Karl convinced him he'd only be making things worse for the kid.

[Inquisitionist]

When Floyd was burying her husband, she also buried something of Rye's. Was it just clothing? What happened to Rye's remains? Even though the butcher shop burned down, that would have been a lot of "Rye-burger" to dispose of.  I've been dreading the shot of customers buying him by the pound. Eeeks!  Or maybe I missed what Ed did with it.

 

Does anyone other than Ed know that Rye's body was ground up?  We never actually saw what he did with the "ground meat", but I assume he was able to throw it out as "spoiled" or something.  As others have noted, the belt buckle that Simone threw into the Rye's burial plot had been found by Hanzee in Ed and Peggy's fireplace a few episodes back. 

 

I think the smirk was that she played the cops. She pretended to be a weak, scared little old lady who was just doing what she was doing to protect her family because they were backed into a wall, but really she just the cops to take down all of her enemies while getting her whole family immunity for their part in the war.

 

I also thought it was a smirk of self-satisfaction, but I wondered if it was because she was sending the cops on a wild goose chase.

[scrb]

Ed and Peggy are no longer that naive lovable couple who talk funny.

 

By running away, they got two cops shot, one killed, another one may die.

 

Previews show Peggy talking like what they did was righteous.

 

Really?

[Nutjob]

 

Ed and Peggy are no longer that naive lovable couple who talk funny.

 

By running away, they got two cops shot, one killed, another one may die.

 

Previews show Peggy talking like what they did was righteous.

 

Really?

They probably have no clue Hanzee is tracking them and killing LEOs and what not, but I think Ed and Peggy passed "naive" sometime around the cover up and the meat grinder.

[Ohwell]

Although I felt bad for Simone being abused by Dodd, I can't say I felt too sorry for her otherwise.   She should have known she was in over her head.  She had that "oh shit" look on her face when Bear noted that she did't ask about Charlie, and she knew she was toast then. 

[Eyes High]

Ed and Peggy are no longer that naive lovable couple who talk funny.

 

By running away, they got two cops shot, one killed, another one may die.

 

Previews show Peggy talking like what they did was righteous.

 

Really?

 

I wouldn't put it past Ed and Peggy to off Hanzee. He's a force of nature, but they've shown themselves surprisingly resourceful when push comes to shove, and between them they've killed or incapacitated four people who outgunned them:

 

1. Ed grabbed a planter to stab Rye, who was armed with a knife.

2. Ed used a meat tenderizer and a cleaver to beat back and kill Virgil.

3. Peggy killed one of Dodd's goons with a sink.

4. Peggy incapacitated Dodd with his own weapon.

 

 

 

Although I felt bad for Simone being abused by Dodd, I can't say I felt too sorry for her otherwise.

 

I do. Abuse victim--and I saw that the NY Times reviewer of this episode agrees with me that she was likely sexually abused--trying to find an even bigger monster that she could use to take down her abuser when her family did nothing to protect her or her mother from him? How can you not feel sorry for her?

 

I don't blame her for not caring about Charlie, her grandfather, or the men sent with Dodd. Those were the same men who turned a blind eye when her father abused her, and she knew it. No one on that compound cared enough about her to lift a finger to protect her; there's no indication that Floyd cared about Dodd's treatment of Simone except when it was happening right in front of her. I'm not surprised that Simone didn't care about any of them. Why should she?

 

Of course she was selfish, thoughtless, and stupid. At that age, aren't we all? Charlie was selfish and stupid too when he threw away Bear's plans for his future for a shot at playing the big man. Of course she was in over her head. It doesn't mean she deserved to die for it. Bear was working out his own issues with Dodd through Simone. Simone was smart enough to realize that's what he was doing and call him on it, even if it was too late to save herself.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Eyes High

[Ohwell]

But I' not talking about the abuse.  When I say she should have known she was in over her head, I'm referring to her dalliance with Mike.

[The Wild Sow]

 

I'm betting that Ed got Dodd to sing like a canary.

Yep.  And Peggy with the cattle prod.  She was zapping him pretty good on the chest (and any kind of electrical shock above the waist -- even for fun*-- is very dangerous and can cause a fatal heart rhythm!)  I'm still not sure if Dodd is alive in the trunk or dead.  Showing him in the flashback with Rye (& Simone) makes me lean toward "dead."

 

Dodd is a bully.  We know he likes to dish out pain.  We don't know how well he can take it.  Quite possibly not very well.

 

* The stuff you learn from Savage Love!  No e-stim on the nipples because it can kill you.

[LittleIggy]

"Big Lebowski" musical reference! :-)

Ted Danson looks hot with the white beard and hair.

I didn't like Simone, but I didn't want that to happen to her.

[Eyes High]

But I' not talking about the abuse.  When I say she should have known she was in over her head, I'm referring to her dalliance with Mike.

 

The two are connected, though. She would never have dallied with Mike if she hadn't seen it as the only way of getting rid of her abuser. That's why when Simone complains about Dodd calling her a whore, Mike comes back with a light "Technically..." That's why she is livid when Mike killed Otto instead of Dodd. He wasn't doing his "job"--offing Dodd--so what was she fucking him for?! They were both very clear as to the transactional nature of their relationship. It was stupid, yes, but she saw an opportunity to be rid of her abuser and took it. Hard to fault her for that.

 

It also compounds the tragedy if you believe as I do that Dodd sexually abused her. To get rid of her own abuser, she prostituted herself. No wonder a disillusioned Simone spits that she's through "lying down for men."

Edited November 25, 2015 by Eyes High

[Ohwell]

I hear ya, but like I said, she should have known that she was in over her head with Mike.  

 

And then the cops burst through the door to save her ass from Mike having her killed, just in the nick of time, and she seems mad at the cops.  Then she disables the cop in the elevator.  Sure, he was dumb, but he was trying to protect her.  

 

So yeah, the abuse was terrible and I felt sorry for her for that, but in the final analysis, poor Simone was just too dumb to live.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Ohwell

[knaankos]

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

Edited November 25, 2015 by knaankos

[bentley]

Betsy didn't get her wish. Lou never remarried. But I guess she did get her wish that he didn't marry what's her face, Ms. Eyes Too Close.

 

There was just a brief moment when Betsy opened up those doors, and like many others, I was expecting Hanzee to be standing there ready to shoot....just a brief moment when I thought it might be more merciful to go out that way. Slow death by cancer is not pretty.

 

I was silently screaming at Mike to stop primping for his imminent death and fight. Ha! I should have known Mike wouldn't go out like a chump. I know he's a bad man, but part of me wants to see him survive this and go back to kick some Kansas City ass.

 

Man, it's so hard to find villains scary with that Minnesota accent. Ed really needs to work on it. Although I'm gonna label this new plot of his "so stupid it just might work".

 

I love that the shit cop is getting a promotion. He'd do well in my workplace.

Edited November 25, 2015 by bentley

[knaankos]

Something big that happened that nobody is mentioning. The Kitchen brother spoke! "The Undertaker is coming up". I am glad the undertaker was killed, because that looks like a very dumb cliche character with his henchmen. 

[knaankos]

I don't doubt it...especially since his boss views him as a second-class employee at best, subhuman at worst, due to his race.

 

One of the reviews of this episode noted that we now know why Mike is so ostentatious with his wit, intelligence and learning; it's a way of demanding to be taken seriously by racist assholes. I actually felt sorry for Mike for the first time this season, when he quietly quotes Martin Luther King Jr.'s bit about judging people not by the colour of their skin but the content of their character, almost as a way of shielding himself against his boss' racial epithets.

 

 

 

 

If you're going to steal, steal from the best.

 

Yes this was the first time all season that any reference to Mike's race was made. I have been noticing this all season and had figured they were just going to not address the fact that he was the only black person in the show (not unusual for this area of the country). But they brought it up for the first time tonight and I am torn about how I feel about it. On one hand I think it's late in the game to be mentioning it if it was not a part of any discussion previously and Mike is not defined by his race s many black tv and movie characters are. It was actually somewhat refreshing to not have a single reference to his race. But I am also glad it was mentioned so as to not continue the stereotype that the north is a racial utopia as opposed to shows and movies always depicting the south as extremely racist. 

Edited November 25, 2015 by knaankos

[Dev F]

So I mentioned in the "Gift of the Magi" episode topic that I thought the UFO imagery was about how the characters are all searching for this bright, shining future, but when they finally catch a glimpse of it, it always seems so alien and unattainable. Well, I think this episode is showing up the flip side of that: the future may seem distant and strange, but in fact it's been there all along, and it's inevitable.

 

Isn't that sort of what the scene in Hank's apartment is about? The aliens aren't just bright lights hovering in the sky, they're also the mysterious hieroglyphics tucked away in an old man's study next to his yellowed photographs and lifetime of collected knickknacks. He's even got a book titled Palaces of the Gods, probably akin to real-life volumes of the era such as Chariots of the Gods?, which postulated that the wonders of the ancient world were created with the help of alien visitors.

 

And that's really what the whole episode is about. You see a work of avant-garde art and ask "Did you do this?" but the artist replies, "No, you did it!" -- he just painted the violence and suffering you'd already visited on the world. A girl begs you not to punish her for her sins, but you have no choice after what she did: "Hush now. It's already done." Like Mike says, revolution is change, but it's also coming right back around to where you've always been.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Dev F

[Eyes High]

So I mentioned in the "Gift of the Magi" episode topic that I thought the UFO imagery was about how the characters are all searching for this bright, shining future, but when they finally catch a glimpse of it, it always seems so alien and unattainable. Well, I think this episode is showing up the flip side of that: the future may seem distant and strange, but in fact it's been there all along, and it's inevitable.

 

That ties into Mike's little story about the wheelbarrow theft: the answer was there all along but they were looking too hard to see it.

[pasdetrois]

This is how you do great television.

 

Everyone has covered the great moments, so here are a couple little things I noticed:

 

When Floyd says she's going to smoke, one cop pushes an ash tray to her. Lou pulls it back, because he knows she's a pipe smoker. Nice little touch that shows he and Floyd have known each other a long time.

 

I liked the moment we saw of Mike sitting alone in his hotel room, with defeat and fatigue on his face.

 

I also liked the quiet phone call between Betsy and Lou. Despite an imminent Mob war, they made sure to connect with each other. He seemed to really need her in that moment.

 

What was The Breakfast King quietly intoning to Molly while they were sitting together and everyone else was bustling and talking over them? My close captioning didn't catch it; it sounded like a quote from something.

 

I love the quiet steady smart strength of Hank and Lou as a small-town team who are not giving in to some pretty formidable forces.

 

Maybe the writers are setting up the next season, with the UFO-ish discovery?

Edited November 25, 2015 by pasdetrois

[AuntiePam]

I wish Ed and Peggy had just left Dodd in the basement.  Yeah, he'd probably keep coming after them, but what the heck do they want to do with him?  I hope they're not going to hold him for ransom. 

 

The comments on this show make me appreciate it even more.  You guys are some good thinkers, you bet'cha! 

[WTEngel]

I am wondering if the person who kept calling the Gerhardt house, claiming to have information about Dodd, was Ed, not Hanzee.

 

The guy from Buffalo who kept telling Bear about the phone call never specified, and it was only at the end when he told Floyd that he said Hanzee was on the phone with information on Dodd. I am not sure how this would play into the plot, other than to show that Ed was trying to deal with the Gerhardt's before he dealt with Kansas City, simply because Bear never picked up the phone.

 

I am also in the camp that Simone is still alive, or at least was not killed in the forest. No body, no gunshot, no confirmation. It is kind of like a Chekov Gun. The writer's are very deliberate in what they do and do not show. I do not know what the utility of leaving her alive in the forest was, or how that will play into the future of the season.

 

Lastly, wasn't Billy Bob Thornton supposed to be making an appearance this season? He may be the person Kansas City sends in to finally deal with this mess once and for all. 

 

As for the UFO stuff, I remember last season that they dabbled a little bit in the "Billy Bob Thornton may actually be the devil" line of thinking...so it isn't surprising for them to push the envelope with the paranormal thread this season. In the end, I think it will be left to he viewer's interpretation again, as it was last season.

[AuntiePam]

 

I am also in the camp that Simone is still alive, or at least was not killed in the forest. No body, no gunshot, no confirmation. It is kind of like a Chekov Gun. The writer's are very deliberate in what they do and do not show. I do not know what the utility of leaving her alive in the forest was, or how that will play into the future of the season.

 

I think some of us are in that camp because we kinda like Bear, because we don't want to see women killed, especially when the victim is 17 years old and a member of the family.  But we saw Bear go back to his truck alone, and he was very upset.  He could have been upset about leaving her in the woods, miles from anywhere, or he could have been upset because of what he felt he had to do to protect the rest of his family.

 

If she's still alive, it's because they kept walking and he left her in a cabin in the woods.  But I don't think so. 

[barbedwire]

I saw a clip on twitter that was shown at the end of the show:  Ed in the booth calling Mike.  Behind Ed written in soap (?) was a word puzzle.  Did anyone catch that or can figure it out?

[Mrs Shibbles]

"Big Lebowski" musical reference! :-)

Ted Danson looks hot with the white beard and hair.

I didn't like Simone, but I didn't want that to happen to her.

I liked Mike using the word "materfamilias", calling back to Ulysses Everett McGill referring to himself as the Paterfamilias in OBWAT.

[WearyTraveler]

I saw a clip on twitter that was shown at the end of the show:  Ed in the booth calling Mike.  Behind Ed written in soap (?) was a word puzzle.  Did anyone catch that or can figure it out?

 I saw it. I think it said Sioux Falls, but I'm not sure.

[barbedwire]

Yes, Sioux Falls would be the first 2 words, but then "get" is after it and another word, it looks like.

[Mrs Shibbles]

I almost forgot a bigger OBWAT reference- the song "O Death".

[annzeepark914]

All I can say is, Thank God you folks are discussing this show and explaining things cause I'm having quite a time following the story (cryptic comments, half sentences, etc).  Last season was a bit easier to follow.  But I sure do love this season.  Something about murder and Minnesota nice that goes together so well.

[LittleIggy]

I almost forgot a bigger OBWAT reference- the song "O Death".

I love the version of that in OBWAT. Very haunting and plaintive. What was the singer's name? Was the last name Stanley?

[Eyes High]

Yes, Sioux Falls would be the first 2 words, but then "get" is after it and another word, it looks like.

 

It's Hangman, with "Sioux Falls" being the solution. You can see the "noose" to the left of the letters. The "third line" is the rejected letters.

[Espy]

Just as an aside, I can't believe it's Angus Sampson playing Bear. Here in Australia I've always thought of him as a comic actor, even though he has a lot of credits in dramas. He used to be a mainstay on our night-time comedy shows. Watching him be so menacing as Bear is doubly disturbing to me. 

[Rhetorica]

I didn't have time to watch til last night. Had a family viewing. Nothing says Thanksgiving like watching Fargo together...

[pasdetrois]

 

What was the singer's name? Was the last name Stanley?

The song is by the great Ralph Stanley, a renowned bluegrass singer and songwriter.

 

I just realized that the Coen brothers have focused on two states where I have deep family roots: Minnesota and Mississippi.

[Eyes High]

I linked it in the media thread, but there's a post-2x07 interview with Rachel Keller (Simone) over at the Hollywood Reporter which appears to clear up her fate. It's a great read.

Just as an aside, I can't believe it's Angus Sampson playing Bear. Here in Australia I've always thought of him as a comic actor, even though he has a lot of credits in dramas. He used to be a mainstay on our night-time comedy shows. Watching him be so menacing as Bear is doubly disturbing to me.

 

I only know him from the quirky Australian TV show Spirited, which was a very different kind of role. To be fair, though, Fargo has cast several people with comedy backgrounds--Adam Goldberg, Ted Danson, Nick Offerman, Martin Freeman, etc.--so Angus Sampson isn't much different; his comedy experience just happens to be in Australia. Even Allison Tolman was doing improv when she was picked for Fargo.

 

Angus Sampson is tearing it up as Bear, though. Respect.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Eyes High

[Lonesome Rhodes]

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?  

 

I wonder if Dodd is dead in the car, just as Rye was in a previous car.  

 

At least we haven't had fish scooped up from frozen lakes by Winter tornadic activity.  Yet.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Lonesome Rhodes