S02.E08: Loplop

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Hanzee searches for Peggy and Ed. Dodd ends up in unfamiliar territory.

[Eyes High]

Promo summary:

 

1. Hank being carried by paramedics on a stretcher, saying "This is just embarrassing."

2. Peggy talking to Ed in the car on the road: "It's like when you're a kid, and you need permission to go to the washroom, you DON'T ask! You just GO!"

3. Hanzee interviewing the clerk of a gas station grocery store: "Fella comes in here, two or three times, and uses the phone outside." Hanzee asks, "Redhead?" The man answers "Yeah."

4. Ed on the phone with Mike in the phone booth: "I've killed people before. Maybe you've heard of me, the Butcher of Laverne?"

5. Mike, to Ed on the phone, in a continuation of last week's conversation: "I have heard of you and may I say, brother, I like your style."

 

Remember that last episode, someone kept calling the Gerhardts claiming to have information about Dodd, and Bear didn't want to hear it. I'm guessing that Ed called the Gerhardts several times offering information about Dodd and when they blew him off went to Mike instead. I'm sure that will end very well for everyone involved.

[cpcathy]

There's a scene with Hanzee and a gas station shop clerk that is reminiscent of the one in No Country for Old Men, the original being truly frightening.

[Eyes High]

2x08 promo pictures are out (I'll place the descriptions beneath a spoiler cut, because one reveals Dodd's fate):

 

1. Hank with blood on his forehead, standing on a porch looking inside the door.

2. Lou looking inside the same door as Hank (Hank's out of frame).

3. Peggy and Ed standing in front of their car, looking down at something or someone out of the shot. The trunk of the car is popped. Peggy appears to be holding something black in her hands. Maybe the cattle prod?

4. A very alive and very pissed Dodd is tied up and tied to a post inside a tiny little shack. Peggy and Ed are in the background looking at him.

 

Aaand that's it. I'm guessing the show's going to backtrack to show what happened to Ed and Peggy and will show Hank and Lou showing up at Ed and Peggy's house to discover that they and Dodd are gone. The bit from the promo with Hank strapped to a stretcher being transported by paramedics suggests to me that they were treating his head injury, since two days later he seems fine.

[AimingforYoko]

Noah Hawley, you are a complete bastard for making us wait a whole segment to find out what happened to Peggy. 

Plemons did a fine job, but Oh. My. God. The byplay between Kirsten Dunst and Jeffrey Donovan just about killed me. The annoyed look on Dodd's face at Peggy butchering the "Shoe on the other foot" metaphor is when I started seeing spots before my eyes from lack of oxygen. This is the hardest I've laughed at a show this year.

Hank was wrong about one thing: Peggy's not a "little touched", she's gonzo.

Speaking of gonzo, I would make an "Off the reservation" joke about Hanzee, but it's racist, hacky and he might shoot me.

RIP Dodd. (On the other hand, Don't, asshole) Dodd was worthless, but Donovan was highly entertaining.

[Primetimer]

Counting down the big movers of 'Loplop' from least effective to most.

Read the story

[Chaos Theory]

Peggy isn't gonzo...she's actualized.

It's been a day.

[Rhetorica]

Great episode. I liked how the hangman game became less and less obscure. Dodd was acting like a child, or as he would say, a girl, when he was tied up. He even whined when Ed put the pillowcase over his head. I guess Hanzee got tired of being called names. Peggy's a badass now that she's actualized!

[annzeepark914]

Good riddance, Dodd.  I was so happy when Hanzee shot him.  Dodd was pure T evil.  Geez...last week and this week were really tense (but really good!)

[bentley]

Dodd trying to silently signal Ed with his eyes that crazy Peggy just stabbed him TWICE was comedy gold. Those scenes in the cabin were all pretty funny. Although I do find it hard to believe that once Dodd was free he wouldn't have beaten the ever-loving crap out of Peggy, if not outright killed her. He doesn't like women on the best of days, and here's Peggy who has already perpetrated three cattle proddings, two stabbings, one bowl of  beans and several self-help ramblings against him.

 

Hanzee is not nearly as menacing, but the scene in the store had the same kind of vibe as No Country for Old Men.

 

Just as I was thinking Peggy's employer was a dropped plotline, here she is back in the storyline. She was almost a little too eager to get the information for Hanzee, if you know what I mean. Some friend.

Edited December 1, 2015 by bentley

[Eyes High]

Ed and Peggy are adorable together. Yeah, I said it.

Poor Hanzee. Dodd really picked the wrong time to let the racist epithets fly.

 

Why was Peggy still alive when Ed got back? A humiliated misogynist like Dodd would have beaten Peggy to death in a heartbeat as punishment for emasculating him...unless he was still a little scared of her, on account of the stabbing and all.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Eyes High

[lyric]

I liked the hangman too.  I also loved the pillowcase...goddammit.  This season has not failed to impress and entertain, every single week.  The only thing I didn't like tonight was "...only one more episode before the finale".  Too soon. Too soon!!

[Mrs Shibbles]

I really wanted to see that professional haircut!

That was a huge stack of TP in Peggy's basement. Nice touch.

[AimingforYoko]

One of the posters on AV Club pointed this out: Did anybody notice what condition Hanzee left the barflies in?

[rhys]

Is Constance alive? How did Lou& Hank find the cabin?

[Ellaria]

Great episode. I love how this show blends dark humor with violence. (And I'm not sure what that statement says about me.)

The last few minutes were exceptional: Peggy with the scissors, Ed and Hanzee glancing out the window, the figures outside the cabin slowly coming into view. This show does so many things well - it's the best thing on TV right now.

Emmys for everyone, ideally. Zahn McClarnon was terrific. There is something sympathetic in his performance. Jesse Plemons is always good. Jeffrey Donovan was hilarious. And Kirsten Dunst is actually terrifying as crazy Peggy.

[bentley]

Heh. Wounded knees. Clever.

 

I assume Lou and Hank were alerted when the store clerk called in the Hanzee encounter.

[AimingforYoko]

Is Constance alive? How did Lou& Hank find the cabin?

They're familiar with the Blomquists, so they probably knew about the cabin.

[Eyes High]

Is Constance alive?

 

I doubt it, although I suppose there's a chance (Hanzee let the friendly shopkeep live, after all). Poor Constance. All she wanted was to seduce Peggy, and for her trouble, she ends up dead.

 

Peggy vs. Dodd, Round 2 was awesome. Dodd met his match, and it was a woman! Peggy got the best of Dodd not once, but twice!

 

I love that Dodd died because he was a racist asshole. The quick death he got from Hanzee was too good for him.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Eyes High

[AimingforYoko]

Peggy vs. Dodd, Round 2 was awesome. Dodd met his match, and it was a woman! Peggy got the best of Dodd not once, but twice!

How awesome was Peggy snapping off the hilt after stabbing Dodd in the foot?

[Eyes High]

How awesome was Peggy snapping off the hilt after stabbing Dodd in the foot?

 

Pretty awesome.

 

Someone in the AV Club episode comment section said that the Blomquists have this weird mix of ineptitude and competent resourcefulness. Tara Ariano mentioned something similar in the recap. How can Peggy be so stupid (getting so engrossed in the movie that she lets Dodd get free, blabbing details to Constance about their super secret hideout, damaging the hostage by stabbing him) and so smart (snapping off the hilt, getting Ed down when he's suffocating)? How can Ed be so stupid (blabbing details about his location to the shopkeep, using the same phone, leaving Peggy with Dodd) and so smart (using Dodd's car, using a public pay phone, going to Mike when the Gerhardts aren't receptive)? It boggles the imagination.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Eyes High

[numbnut]

Fantastic ep. The Fargo film callbacks really stood out. I'll miss Donovan's funny moments but he so deserved to die. I agree that Dodd would have killed Peggy without a second thought.

[AuntiePam]

If I had a nickel for every time I jumped tonight, I'd have at least a dollar.  I expected Dodd would fall back on that knife blade sticking out of the floor, or sit on it, or something.  But no, Hanzee takes care of him. 

 

Glad Peggy didn't manage to kill Hanzee with the scissors -- was she wavering?  Toward the end, it seemed like she understood where Hanzee was coming from, what he hoped to achieve with a new haircut.  She could relate.

 

I hope Constance survived.  Hanzee could have tied her up, put a Do Not Disturb on the door.  Can't fault her for trying to save her own life. 

 

I'll be able to laugh at all the funny stuff on re-watch -- but first viewing, it was just so tense.

 

ETA: I think Dodd didn't kill Peggy because he didn't know how much time he had.  He figured Ed was a more dangerous adversary, so he just knocked her out and set about making Ed's trap. 

Edited December 1, 2015 by AuntiePam

[AuntiePam]

What does this mean, from the Big Movers recap?

"We don't really see Lou except in the beginning and at the end of this episode, since during the same time he's keeping Mike and Gale Kitchen from murdering Simone at the Pearl Hotel."

[shapeshifter]

Peggy isn't gonzo...she's actualized.

It's been a day.

Hee! So true!

Is Constance alive?

I was thinking she was scalped, given the way Hanzee was holding her hair when we last saw them. I know scalping was introduced to the Indians by the Europeans, but that wouldn't negate the appropriateness of it considering Hanzee's terrible, horrible, no-good day, thus far.

http://previously.tv/fargo/whos-taking-care-of-business-best-on-fargo/

. I personally feel deprived of the chance to see Peggy unveil Hanzee's new hairstyle for Hank and prove she was right to keep all those hundreds and hundreds of magazines for inspiration.

I know!

How can Peggy be so stupid (getting so engrossed in the movie that she lets Dodd get free, blabbing details to Constance about their super secret hideout, damaging the hostage by stabbing him) and so smart (snapping off the hilt, getting Ed down when he's suffocating)? How can Ed be so stupid (blabbing details about his location to the shopkeep, using the same phone, leaving Peggy with Dodd) and so smart (using Dodd's car, using a public pay phone, going to Mike when the Gerhardts aren't receptive)? It boggles the imagination.

I thought Peggy cutting Ed down was one of her stupid moves because pushing the chair under his feet first would be faster.

Regardless, I can imagine the writers sitting around with the overall episode goal being to demonstrate who was too stupid to live and in what order, and clearly, of the main characters, Dodd won. For minor characters, the racist epithet spewing cops took the prize.

[Haiti D]

Awesome episode. I was so nervous for Peggy.

The comedy in the cabin was great. "I think she punctured a lung" (paraphrased) and Donovan's facial expressions were superb.

But yes Dodd probably would have finished off Peggy, but he instead underestimated her by keeping her alive and not taking the knife away.

I'm also loving the Fargo movie references.

[Soobs]

"You gotta stop stabbing him, hon" was my favorite line of the night. Ed and Peggy are the luckiest people. I would love to have more episodes, but I don't think there would be enough people left standing to fill them!

[Bama]

How did Lou& Hank find the cabin?

 

After Hanzee left the clerk at the store, the clerk saw Hanzee's picture in the newspaper and the headline that he was wanted for murder.  We saw him scramble for the phone.  I'm guessing he called 911 and the reported that the wanted man was in his area asking after a "red head, heavy set fellow in a blue Lincoln".  Once Hank and Lou got that info, it would be easy for them to know where Ed and Peggy are.

 

What does this mean, from the Big Movers recap?

 

"We don't really see Lou except in the beginning and at the end of this episode, since during the same time he's keeping Mike and Gale Kitchen from murdering Simone at the Pearl Hotel."

 

The events in this episode take place at the same time as last week's episode.

[thuganomics85]

Holy crap!  I feel bad for laughing so much at someone else's pain, but that what I was doing pretty much every time Dodd got stabbed, electrocuted, or beat him in some kind of way.  He is such an unlikable asshole, but so damn funny.  I know his accent has been a bit much at times, but I thought Jeffery Donovan was spot-on in this one, and it was good episode for him to end on.  And I liked the twist that his death came in part of his treatment towards Hanzee coming back to bite him in the ass.  It really was a fitting end; the man just seems to burn bridges wherever he goes.  His mouth was bound to be his downfall, sooner rather then later.

 

Peggy and Ed though, I don't know what to think.  They can be so stupid at times, but have moments of brilliance or at least competence.  They don't seem to really think things through, but somehow keep on getting by.  They've done some horrible things, but I kind of love them now.  Peggy especially.  She's just so delusional and far out there (or "touched in the head", as Hank put it), but I just love how insane she is, especially when she does something so horrible, but acts like it was nothing after.  The scene of her stabbing Dodd was perfect.  In general, Kirsten Dunst has been perfect in this role.  I was never that big of a fan before, but I think this is going to be one of my favorite performances this year.

 

Knew Hanzee would somehow find Ed/Peggy and somehow get out of the cabin in one piece.  I do wonder what he did to Constance.  On one hand, he dropped a lot of bodies at the racist bar, but he also seemed to spare the store clerk, so maybe he would have spared her too.  I wonder if we'll ever find out what happened to her.

 

I'm guessing Mike isn't going to be too happy about what happened.  I wonder if he was sincere about working a deal with Ed and Peggy.

 

They weren't in here much, but I did enjoy the brief Lou/Hank scene, especially Hank begging Lou not to tell Betsy, and Lou was like "I'm scared of her more then you, so no, I'm telling her."  I really do love those three.

 

Can't believe there are only two episodes left.  I can only imagine what the show has planned for these next two weeks.

Edited December 1, 2015 by thuganomics85

[VCRTracking]

Wowowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwowwow.

[SlipperyPete]

Dodd's death was grizzly. The broken knife in his foot, the fire poker and finally Hanzee's gunshot. Symone's death, in a weird way was given dignity and grace by not letting us see the shot go off, or even hear it. So yeah, I firmly believe that she's dead. There's still far too much to wrap up without her coming back into the mix. Plus it would completely take away the impact of her final scene.

 

I really like that this episode had a razorsharp dark sense of humour vs. the overall serious and somber tone of last week's episode. Which is why the storylines were divided into seperate episodes for the first time. But I love this show enough that I'd love to see a re-edited fan cut that merges the last two episodes together just for fun.

Edited December 1, 2015 by SlipperyPete

[knaankos]

Did Dodd keep Peggy alive for something more sinister planned? Like killing her in front of Ed? That's the only part I did not like. It was so classic villain mistake. leaving someone alive with a dangerous weapon just happening to be close by

Edited December 1, 2015 by knaankos

[SlipperyPete]

One of the posters on AV Club pointed this out: Did anybody notice what condition Hanzee left the barflies in?

 Wounded knees? That was the first thing that came to mind. But the bartender always gets it worse. ;)

[Andromeda]

The events in this episode take place at the same time as last week's episode.

Yeah, that lightbulb went off for me when I realized the mysterious calls to Dodd's brother, the ones his friend from Buffalo was taking, were the same as the ones that Ed was making. Well done, show.

What a nailbiter episode. Ed and Peggy are so nutty, but I don't want them to die. Peggy and her vision, and her blathering on about being and thinking and actualization were hysterical.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

"You're welcome."  Perfection.  I immediately went to the place of the disgrace of so many Americans who blamed the Vets and hated even the sight of them, for literally trying to keep the world safe for democracy - or at least doing their duty.  I felt this more in this moment than in any other movie/show, and I've seen many depicting this very thing.  Superb.

 

I also savor that Dodd's end came at the hands of a Peggy, whom he severely underestimated.  I'd bet that if you asked Dodd, the knife stabs were orgasmically pleasureful compared to the torture of having to listen to her - while knowing she got the best of him and putting him in this pure hell on earth!!  So rich.  Wonderful.

 

Can I please be on the jury for Hanzee's trial for the shootings in the bar?  

 

The full conversation between Ed and Mike was GOLD.   A treasure to behold, it was.  I'm having a day?  Brilliant.  

 

For me, Constance is arguably the most evil of all the characters.  I was very pleased to see her as a hostage.  I'll be happy to learn that Hanzee killed her in some elaborate/stylistic fashion.  

 

The bad?  Hanzee did not know Dodd was with Ed and Peggy.  All he knew was to go find and kill Ed.  It is very difficult for me to accept his decision to kill Dodd in that moment.  He would never have allowed Ed and Peggy to live once he got his haircut.  Yet and still, what a great character.

 

Special kudos and mention...they actually showed how the basics of being a human, such as eliminating waste, is a big deal.  I love TPTB for insisting on takling that detail and making a tremendous scene out of it.  Most all movies/shows simply force us to gloss over such niceties.  Not this one!

Edited December 1, 2015 by Lonesome Rhodes

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Dodd was such an unlikeable character and in earlier episodes, Jeffrey Donovan (who I liked when I used to watch Burn Notice) was kind of uneven in his portrayal. But he was hilarious in this episode. The way he tried to signal Ed with his eyes after Peggy stabbed him was so funny. I loved that he realized she was crazy and that he had to just play along to avoid getting stabbed repeatedly.

 

As extreme as it was, part of me loved that Peggy was going to stab some good manners into him. He was such a misogynist that seeing him having to meekly obey her order to say, "No, thank you," was awesome. No need to be rude, Dodd! I cracked up when Peggy started spoon feeding him beans after he had already said he didn't want any, which made it even funnier when she realized the same thing and apologized for forcing him to eat beans.

 

I'm surprised Dodd's mouth hadn't gotten him into more trouble sooner (although I suppose that being a Gerhardt is what saved him from other people retaliating). This is a guy who was tied up yet initially kept threatening Ed and Peggy, which was not the brightest move. But it just goes to show what an ass he was that after Hanzee busted in, he couldn't just be thankful. He had to be insulting to someone who had been loyal to him for decades. No wonder Hanzee finally shot his loud annoying ass.

[shapeshifter]

I was expecting Chekhov's teapot of Dodd's urine to come into play--but I guess the day's not over?

So Peggy could totally cop an insanity plea. Maybe Ed's lawyer could say he was forced at knife point--using photos of Dodd's injuries and the knife with Peggy's prints as evidence. Heh.

They sure made me sympathize with Hanzee.

And for a moment I wanted Peggy and Hanzee to team up as the new Bonnie and Clyde.

[Spartan Girl]

Okay, the byplay between Ed, Pegy, and Dodd was gold. I loved how Dodd was getting more and more creeped out by Peggy's growing insanity. I think she's made the transition to batshit crazy.

While it seems like all this crap is bringing them closer together, I still have the gut feeling Peggy is going to screw him over to save herself. Anything can happen in two episodes.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Spartan Girl

[Chaos Theory]

I think Peggy and Ed have managed to stay alive because people have underestimated their resourcefulness. Dodd is a top shelf misogynist so even after everything Peggy told him about Ed being sweet and not really up for all this and more or less confessing to being the one who ran over his brother with a car Dodd would still see Ed as more a threat the Peggy. He would want to have Ed watch him kill "his woman". That is probably why Peggy was still alive. In his mind she wasn't a threat so he didn't need to bother with her until Ed was taken care of.

His mistake.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[ToastnBacon]

I'm wondering if Hanzee killed Dodd and asked for the haircut because he was planning on leaving his life with the Gerhardts.

I think so, but here is the kicker. Was he planning on running away with Constance?

There isn't much to base that on, but I think he was looking at Constance as if he was smitten with her.

He was stroking her hair and gazing at her like he was captivated.

Who knows what she told him in her bid to save her life?

I'm betting Constance and Hanzee run off to actualize themselves.

Oh, I'm pretty sure that was the same cabin from the movie.

At least the exterior shots.

Can anyone confirm?

Edited December 1, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[Inquisitionist]

Moral of the story: when you think Ronald Reagan is coming to the rescue, you're actually about to get screwed.

[GodsBeloved]

Did Dodd keep Peggy alive for something more sinister planned? Like killing her in front of Ed? That's the only part I did not like. It was so classic villain mistake. leaving someone alive with a dangerous weapon just happening to be close by

True but the level of Dodd's arrogance even after everything Peggy did to him is why I think he left her alive. But as Hank said the stupid that is Dodd can fill a dump truck.

 

My question is where did Ed get the number to the Gearhardt compound and how did he get Mike's name and then the number to the hotel.

[GodsBeloved]

I'm wondering if Hanzee killed Dodd and asked for the haircut because he was planning on leaving his life with the Gerhardts.

 

When Peggy started to cut his hair Hanzee said he was tired of this life.

[ToastnBacon]

True but the level of Dodd's arrogance even after everything Peggy did to him is why I think he left her alive. But as Hank said the stupid that is Dodd can fill a dump truck.

 

My question is where did Ed get the number to the Gearhardt compound and how did he get Mike's name and then the number to the hotel.

They had directory assistance back in 1979, just like today, you had to pay extra for an unlisted number.

Plus, they showed Ed reading a newspaper article about a shootout at the Pearl hotel and the KC mob using it as a HQ.

Moral of the story: when you think Ronald Reagan is coming to the rescue, you're actually about to get screwed.

Meh.

This show is so interesting that the last thing I would think of is a cheap shot at Reagan.

[Inquisitionist]

This show is so interesting that the last thing I would think of is a cheap shot at Reagan.

 

There have been no "cheap shots" at Reagan, IMO.  Every reference to him (and there have been many) has been a deliberate commentary on the seductiveness of his ultimately empty rhetoric.  YMMV, of course. 

[RustbeltWriter]

There is a perfect, poetic justice in Dodd dying as he lived which is to say, a racist ass. Hanzee was probably the most competent person in the Gerhart criminal clan, aside from Floyd, and he was constantly put down by everyone. No wonder he was tired of life.

[Eyes High]

I'm wondering if Hanzee killed Dodd and asked for the haircut because he was planning on leaving his life with the Gerhardts.

I think so, but here is the kicker. Was he planning on running away with Constance?

There isn't much to base that on, but I think he was looking at Constance as if he was smitten with her.

He was stroking her hair and gazing at her like he was captivated.

Who knows what she told him in her bid to save her life?

I'm betting Constance and Hanzee run off to actualize themselves.

 

Constance is a lesbian. We have no idea what Hanzee's sexual orientation is.

[Ottis]

Holy crap!  I feel bad for laughing so much at someone else's pain, but that what I was doing pretty much every time Dodd got stabbed, electrocuted, or beat him in some kind of way.  He is such an unlikable asshole, but so damn funny.

 

 

What made it work for me was Dodd's pure incredulousness at his situation, being held captive by a *woman* and what's more, a crazy woman. He seemed so outraged at the pure injustice of it, from his perspective. It made it that much funnier. 

 

Meanwhile, Ed goes back and forth between marveling at what Peggy can do, and wondering/worrying how much further she might go. He doesn't try to stop her or minimize her.

 

All genius, IMO.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Ottis

[ChipBach]

There is a perfect, poetic justice in Dodd dying as he lived which is to say, a racist ass. Hanzee was probably the most competent person in the Gerhart criminal clan, aside from Floyd, and he was constantly put down by everyone. No wonder he was tired of life.

I think Bear also treated him very respectfully.  I guess that Simone and Dodd died at nearly the same time...

[rocketinu]

Yes, Hanzee was stroking Constance's hair, but he did the same thing with the white rabbit before he killed it.