S02.E08: Loplop

[teddysmom]

That was probably one of the best episodes of television since Breaking Bad. Kirsten Dunst is crushing it.

I really hope those two crazy kids make it out of this alive.

Her dealing with Dodd was hilarious.

"Now that's just rude".

[Ohwell]

I want to feel some sympathy for crazy Peggy, but I cannot forgive her for the initial hit and run, even if it was a bad guy.  She didn't know he was a bad guy, and just  left him in the garage to die.  And as bad as Dodd was, I thought the stabbing was unnecessary.  So it wouldn't bother me at all if she died and Ed lived.

[Eyes High]

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

I'm no closer to understanding why Hanzee was so loyal to Dodd in particular to the point of adhering to a dangerous lie, even when Bear offered him an out, especially now that we know that Hanzee deeply resented the way Dodd treated him. Why was he so loyal to Dodd for so long and only now snapped? I'm sure it wasn't the first time Dodd called Hanzee a half-breed or a mongrel. Wouldn't Hanzee have gotten tired of Dodd's bullshit ages ago?

As for Peggy, the law certainly wouldn't absolve her for failing to call for medical assistance for Rye or contacting the police. I do think that she believed that Rye was dead and that's why she "left him to die," although again the law would not absolve her for just assuming that without checking for a pulse. I'm not sure if the premiere bears out this opinion, though.

Thought experiment: what would have happened to Peggy if she had done the right thing and immediately called the hospital and police when she hit Rye? What would the criminal consequences of that be? More importantly, do you think the Gerhardts still would have gone after her if she'd been straightforward from the first?

Edited December 1, 2015 by Eyes High

[Cthulhudrew]

Hanzee and Mike Milligan need to get together and start their own crew.

 

R. E. S. P. E. C. T.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Cthulhudrew

[Ohwell]

As for Peggy, the law certainly wouldn't absolve her for failing to call for medical assistance for Rye or contacting the police. I do think that she believed that Rye was dead and that's why she "left him to die," although again the law would not absolve her for just assuming that without checking for a pulse. I'm not sure if the premiere bears out this opinion, though.

 

Thought experiment: what would have happened to Peggy if she had done the right thing and immediately called the hospital and police when she hit Rye? What would the criminal consequences of that be? More importantly, do you think the Gerhardts still would have gone after her if she'd been straightforward from the first?

 

Even if she "thought" he was dead, she still should have called the police.  But she was only thinking about herself.  

 

It's hard to say what the Gerhardts would have done but I'm inclined to think that maybe Floyd and Bear would have forgiven her, but Dodd would have gone after her.  But in that case, at least she would have had some police protection and maybe she and Ed could have left town for a while until he was killed by the KC gang?  

 

I just don't care about her at all.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Ohwell

[Mindymoo]

I'm no closer to understanding why Hanzee was so loyal to Dodd in particular to the point of adhering to a dangerous lie, even when Bear offered him an out, especially now that we know that Hanzee deeply resented the way Dodd treated him. Why was he so loyal to Dodd for so long and only now snapped? I'm sure it wasn't the first time Dodd called Hanzee a half-breed or a mongrel. Wouldn't Hanzee have gotten tired of Dodd's bullshit ages ago?

I think that after the earlier experiences of the day, where he was being harassed for being a Native American by the bartender spitting in his water, and those guys giving him shit in the parking lot, it was just his breaking point. He could stand it before, but that incident was the straw that broke the camel's back. And then after he finds Dodd and tries to save him, all Dodd does is insult him and throw epithets at him? That's why he killed him.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Mindy McIndy

[barbedwire]

Another good episode!  I shouted "No!" when they said only one more until the finale.

 

"I have heard you and I must say I like your style."  Best line of the night.

 

I too wonder why Dodd didn't finish off Peggy. 

[benteen]

Fargo was hilarious last night and while the entire ensemble has been excellent, I do like when a show does an episode that focuses on only a few.  The interplay between Donovan and Dunst was great and I'm glad that racist asshole Dodd got what he deserved.  Those who refuse to learn...

 

I don't get why Dodd didn't kill Peggy either.

Edited December 1, 2015 by benteen

[scrb]

Body count mounting because Peggy and Ed decided to stonewall.

 

Not really that fun and lovable, oblivious couple.

[Eyes High]

Body count mounting because Peggy and Ed decided to stonewall.

 

Not really that fun and lovable, oblivious couple.

 

I don't think you can lay Hanzee killing a bunch of people because he suddenly decided he's had just about enough racist bullshit at Peggy and Ed's feet. That's on him. 

 

And I still find them fun and lovable. I blame the actors, the writing, and the show in general. If I see them deliberately putting innocent people in harm's way the way Lester did in Season 1--framing his brother, letting his wife die in his place--I might revisit my opinion.

 

Side note: Is "shitbird" a racist slur? The "shitkickers" (and I love that that's how the actors are credited at IMDB) kept calling Hanzee that.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Eyes High

[ToastnBacon]

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

You are right, but she was under duress. Who knows what she said to him.

They probably won't runaway together, but I do hope we get to see what happened.

[Nutjob]

I've always guessed that Hanzee felt some sort of loyalty to Dodd because of his connection with Otto--Dodd insinuated that Otto took Hanzee in at some point, and Dodd was Otto's eldest and was likely being groomed to take over the family until Floyd called the audible to do it herself. Add to that Hanzee's probable PTSD, and I can see why it took the chain of events we saw to snap him out of it and get him to turn on Dodd. I loved hearing Hanzee refer to himself as a veteran, etc., in the face of the bartender's accusations and racism...the "You're welcome" was the icing on the cake. Doesn't make the murder right, but I get why he snapped and, well, he was already a murderer, so...

 

The look on Peggy's face when she decided to stab Dodd was high comedy. You could see the wheels turning... and then she just calmly acted on it to teach him some manners. SO FUNNY. When she force fed him the beans it was like a mom trying to get a toddler to eat something he doesn't like. Heh.

[Eyes High]

I've always guessed that Hanzee felt some sort of loyalty to Dodd because of his connection with Otto--Dodd insinuated that Otto took Hanzee in at some point, and Dodd was Otto's eldest and was likely being groomed to take over the family until Floyd called the audible to do it herself. Add to that Hanzee's probable PTSD, and I can see why it took the chain of events we saw to snap him out of it and get him to turn on Dodd. I loved hearing Hanzee refer to himself as a veteran, etc., in the face of the bartender's accusations and racism...the "You're welcome" was the icing on the cake. Doesn't make the murder right, but I get why he snapped and, well, he was already a murderer, so...

 

I think the incident where Hanzee flashed the knife at Sonny when Sonny was cooperating but getting on his nerves with Vietnam talk implied that Hanzee has killed people just because they pissed him off before. I just doubt he's been this careless about it before (using a loud weapon in broad daylight, leaving witnesses, etc.); compare this with the murder of typewriter guy earlier in the season (done at night, with no witnesses, in a deserted lot).

 

Hanzee does have excellent bone structure, though. And Zahn McClarnon's live tweeting was pretty funny (in sequence):

 

1. Breaking on through to the other side there, Peg?

2. Peg, did you just tenderize Dodd?

3. Positive Peggy has a penchant for punishing?

4. Hanzee has declared last call.

5. [in reference to Dodd's pillowcase] Those dudes back at the bar probably wear white hoods, too! Bye bye 

6. Hanzee is looking for a redhead...Tinder maybe?

7. Walk-ins welcome?

Edited December 1, 2015 by Eyes High

[Juliegirlj]

Loved it!! The foreshadowing of the hangman game in the phone booth, the nod to the movie with the comment" we're goin crazy up there at the lake", and Peggy smacking the TV, while their hostage is tied up right there! Ed asking Dodd if he had to pee or poop and then helping him pee was hysterical. Perhaps, Constance worked her "be your best self" shtick on Hanzee at the hotel-he did request a professional haircut from Peggy and said he was tired of that life. Constance and Hanzee would be good together. From the beginning I have thought it would be so great if simple Ed, The Butcher from Lucerne, somehow got the best of the two fighting mob factions. I LOL'ed when Milligan asked Ed if it would be weird if he kissed him when they met, because, " It's been a day"!!!

When Hank was being put in the ambulance, he asked Lou not to tell Betsy, because he didn't want to worry her, and Lou playfully said he's more afraid of Betsy, so he'd be calling her, but then, he turned very sullen as he got in his car- makes me think it is foreshadowing that Betsy is not long in this world...

[scrb]

I don't think you can lay Hanzee killing a bunch of people because he suddenly decided he's had just about enough racist bullshit at Peggy and Ed's feet. That's on him. 

 

And I still find them fun and lovable. I blame the actors, the writing, and the show in general. If I see them deliberately putting innocent people in harm's way the way Lester did in Season 1--framing his brother, letting his wife die in his place--I might revisit my opinion.

 

Side note: Is "shitbird" a racist slur? The "shitkickers" (and I love that that's how the actors are credited at IMDB) kept calling Hanzee that.

 

But why was Hanzee at that bar?  Because he was on the trail for the Ed and Peggy.

 

Of course Hanzee would have killed a lot of people in the war against KC.

 

But he took time out of that war to pursue the couple.

[Nutjob]

 

Side note: Is "shitbird" a racist slur? The "shitkickers" (and I love that that's how the actors are credited at IMDB) kept calling Hanzee that.

I've never heard it as a racist term... Google tells me it's derogatory in the military and means "waste of space."

 

 

the nod to the movie with the comment" we're goin crazy up there at the lake"

I giggled so hard at this.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Nutjob

[AlwaysWatching]

If Peggy had notified the police when she hit Rye, we wouldn't have had as good a story.  We needed all the misunderstandings about "The Butcher" and all the great play on the personalities of all the characters.  I call it "Let's bumble into a twisty-turny story. Be damned with logic!". The exact kind of story Fargo has been from the original movie.

 

I agree with those who believe Dodd wanted Ed to watch him kill Peggy.  But....it sure did look like he was killing him rather quickly with that rope. So, maybe not. ?

 

Ed and Peggy were absolutely perfect in this one. They've been good all season, but this episode finally portrayed them clicking perfectly together, although not exactly alike.  Love this show!

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

Who's Taking Care Of Business Best On Fargo?
Counting down the big movers of 'Loplop' from least effective to most.

[Rockstar99435]

I think that after the earlier experiences of the day, where he was being harassed for being a Native American by the bartender spitting in his water, and those guys giving him shit in the parking lot, it was just his breaking point. He could stand it before, but that incident was the straw that broke the camel's back. And then after he finds Dodd and tries to save him, all Dodd does is insult him and throw epithets at him? That's why he killed him.

 

Yeah, I think Hanzee reached his lifetime limit on racist white guys and was just done with all of it.

 

I love Peggy and Ed. "You've got to stop stabbing the hostage, hon." I'd feel bad for Dodd, but he was such a terrible guy that I can't. At least he was funny. I love that Peggy was hog-tying him.

[AuntiePam]

 

But why was Hanzee at that bar?  Because he was on the trail for the Ed and Peggy.

 

I think he was there to encounter the racists so that we'd be okay when he snapped and killed Dodd later.  Why look for Ed and Peggy in a shithole bar?  Drive around and look for Dodd's car, or check motels, gas stations, truck stops -- but not a bar. 

 

Maybe he just wanted a drink on his way to Sioux Falls, and asked about them as an afterthought.

 

[Nutjob]

I think Hanzee knew exactly the kind of reception he'd get in the bar--he did, after all, see what the locals did to and in front of the sign outside. He was either spoiling for a fight or genuinely thought he could find some information on Ed in there. Maybe both.

[RustbeltWriter]

But why was Hanzee at that bar?  Because he was on the trail for the Ed and Peggy.

 

 

I think he was thirsty. He ordered a water first and he took the opportunity to ask after Ed and Peggy while he was there.

 

I hope Ed makes it out of this alive. All the poor guy has done is try to protect Peggy and maintain his middle class lifestyle. Now he's up in a cabin with a hostage, making deals with mob bosses and trying to keep Peggy from stabbing people.

[Magic]

I could not relax during the entire episode, comedic parts or not.

 

Ed is protecting Peggy and trying to maintain his lifestyle from a crazy place himself.  Peggy is more obviously crazy but it is clear that Ed is equally as crazy in a different way.

He is trying to maintain his lifestyle in the face of murders, kidnappings etc. and nothing can reach him or divert him from some dream he has of his lifestyle.

It makes for some very funny moments like "you've got to quit stabbing him, hon".

 

My guess is the fact Dodd called Hanzee a half-breed has something to do with why Hanzee was so loyal to the Gerhardts.  Someone in their family is a relative.  Likely Otto, since everyone seems so racist they wouldn't have let Hanzee stay if it wasn't someone powerful involved.

 

There was so much so good from every character shown this episode, even the ones with just a few lines like Mike, Lou, Hank.

[Eyes High]

My guess is the fact Dodd called Hanzee a half-breed has something to do with why Hanzee was so loyal to the Gerhardts.  Someone in their family is a relative.  Likely Otto, since everyone seems so racist they wouldn't have let Hanzee stay if it wasn't someone powerful involved.

 

There was so much so good from every character shown this episode, even the ones with just a few lines like Mike, Lou, Hank.

 

Bear's comments to Hanzee in 2x05 suggest that there is no blood tie between them, that he only views him as part of the family by dint of his service to the family. If there was blood between the main Gerhardts and Hanzee, that would make their treatment of him as a servant even worse in retrospect...although I suppose the Gerhardts' understanding of "treating someone like family" is somewhat less positive than the usual meaning of the phrase, given how awful the Gerhardts seem to be to one another.

 

With that said, I do agree that it's significant that Dodd's insults to Hanzee were both slurs usually reserved for someone of mixed heritage: "half-breed" and "mongrel." (Obama, who has parents of different ethnicities, has notoriously been referred to as a mongrel by some prominent racists.) Given the variety of other racist slurs we've seen the writers have characters use to refer to Hanzee--redman, e.g.--those choices seem very specific. That flashback of young Hanzee with the magician also showed him in a classroom that appeared to have other Native American children (maybe a residential school?). I wonder if we'll ever get to the bottom of it. I don't think the other Gerhardts have ever called Hanzee that, but they have called him "the Indian" or "Dodd's Indian" and "redman."

 

Did anyone catch Dodd complaining that he couldn't feel his legs just before Hanzee killed him? Did Peggy paralyze him when she struck him?

Edited December 1, 2015 by Eyes High

[Nutjob]

 

Did anyone catch Dodd complaining that he couldn't feel his legs just before Hanzee killed him? Did Peggy paralyze him when she struck him?

I thought his legs were probably just numb from being hog-tied, and Dodd's kind of a sissy. ;)

[VCRTracking]

The image of Peggy feeding Dodd beans like a baby was just hilarious and a perfect punishment for him.

[cpcathy]

I laughed so damn hard at Dodd's facial expressions when he was motioning to Ed, so funny. But I have a question that I didn't see mentioned--when Peggy was talking to the Lifespring guru, was that Jeffrey Donovan?

[AuntiePam]

It was Donovan/Dodd in the chair, but Peggy was visualizing someone else.  I don't know how she was able to picture a different person, unless she'd seen photos of the guy in the seminar literature. 

[Andromeda]

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!

Yes! It happens all the time in shows -- someone is tied up, and left there for hours or days, and no talk of bodily functions. Maybe talk of needing food or water, but not the other side of that. I appreciated the touch of reality.

 

But Ed put it in the sink! UGH, he should have put it outside, and trashed the container forever. 

Edited December 1, 2015 by Andromeda

[Ohwell]

If Peggy had notified the police when she hit Rye, we wouldn't have had as good a story.  We needed all the misunderstandings about "The Butcher" and all the great play on the personalities of all the characters.  I call it "Let's bumble into a twisty-turny story. Be damned with logic!". The exact kind of story Fargo has been from the original movie.

 

Oh, I know we wouldn't have had as good a story, but my point was that she isn't a good person, and I wouldn't mind if she got killed.  I don't find her amusing or lovable at all.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Ohwell

[cpcathy]

So no one else thought the Lifespring guy looked like Donovan playing another role?

[WearyTraveler]

Side note: Is "shitbird" a racist slur? The "shitkickers" (and I love that that's how the actors are credited at IMDB) kept calling Hanzee that.

 

 

I've never heard it as a racist term... Google tells me it's derogatory in the military and means "waste of space."

 

The more you know... When I first heard it I thought they were trying to make fun of the way Indians used to name their children (Sitting Bull, Soaring Eagle, and so on), but I guess not.

[PepperMonkey]

I have never cared for Kirsten Dunst, but she is winning me over as an actor in her part on the show. She's crazy as a rabid loon AND I have no sympathy for her whatsoever. I hope Ed makes it out alive but I could not care less if Peggy joins him in the happily ever after. She ran down Rye, drove home, left him in her windshield, cooked dinner, wasn't going to tell Ed, clandestinely takes birth control while letting Ed think they're trying to have children (Instead of having the guts to tell him she's not ready for kids), spends money they don't have for that seminar, which he told her she could not do because he was trying to buy a business, FFS. Yeah, I know, gift of the magi episode, but that was too little, too late for me.

 

Sorry to see Dodd dead only because I was really enjoying him interacting with Ed while in hostage mode. He's an ass, though, racist and several other kinds of asses, as well, so we all knew he would probably die, if for no other reason than everyone was rooting for it. Jeffrey Donovan did a great job in the role, over the top at times accent aside.

 

Not enough Lou and Hank this episode, but I realize they needed to catch us up to where everyone was leading up to the finale. There's not much time left and I'd be happy if this was on every week for the rest of the season, but then it probably wouldn't be nearly as good with more episodes. Can't wait to see what they may do in season three.

Edited December 1, 2015 by PepperMonkey

[cpcathy]

There really wasn't enough Lou and Hank, as well as not enough Mike Milligan.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The image of Peggy feeding Dodd beans like a baby was just hilarious and a perfect punishment for him.

I loved that initially he said no and tried to move his head away, just like a baby, and then he gave in and just ate them. Mr. EB hates beans so this scene made him say, "She's torturing him!"

[shapeshifter]

That was probably one of the best episodes of television since Breaking Bad.

ITA. Same flavor too. Now I want Vince Gilligan to get involved with Fargo season 3.

[Ronin Jackson]

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.

 

It's a bit of a stretch that Lou and Hank would be the first and only cops on the scene because of the description of the man Hanzee was looking for... after all Hanzee himself was wanted for killing two cops... when the report was made that he was spotted law enforcement probably wouldn't care much about who he was searching for. I can give that a pass though.

[Ronin Jackson]

Leaving Constance's fate up in the air seems a motivated narrative choice. Even though Hanzee killed some people in this episode almost everyone we see him kill was being racist (even the cops let out a racial slur in their two seconds of screen time before they were shot), and Hanzee was already more interested in getting a haircut out of Peggy then killing them before Dodd called him a mongrel and got shot. There seems to be a code at work in how Hanzee acts, so I'm hoping they don't do anything obvious in revealing Constance's fate (I certainly hope he didn't scalp her as was theorized ealier! Given all the racial context in the episode it would be awfully hypocritical for the writers to go there!)

[becauseIsaidso]

The only thing I didn't like about this episode is that Peggy and Ed are still alive and kicking in their stupid, narcissistic world...I just can't abide either of them and am sorely disappointed to see they are blithely 'actualizing" (Maslow would have an absolute cow at the very idea) in fantasy land while the real world makes painful decisions and suffers the repercussions of simply having been born in a particular time, place and gene pool...still and all....well done.

[CMH1981]

I'm pretty sure that Lou and Hank knew where the Ed and Peggy were holed up, it is a small town after all and i'm sure they knew, through the grapevine, that there was a cabin they went to usually.  It just so happened they showed up w/ Hanzee was there for his trim.  They probably recognized the truck and that got us to where we were at. 

 

Kristen Dunst is killing it in this role and I hope she gets some award recognition and her career gets back on track, not that television isn't offering better roles than movies these days for women.

[tennisgurl]

Kirsten Dunst really is just doing amazing work this season. Peggy is not exactly a likable character, but I do find her to be pretty compelling, especially now that her and Ed seem to be...kind of on the same page. Kind of. Peggy is way more than a little touched. She is in a full on fantasy world.

 

Every episode this season has been ranging from very good to amazing. The Peggy/Dodd stuff really pushed this one up. Loved it all. Thrilled that Dodds nasty self is gone. But, are we going to get any explanation as to why Hanzee killed him? 

 

Wounded Knee. Heh. I see what you did there, show. 

 

The only problem this week? Not enough Mike Mulligan. Rectify this ASAP.

[Anela]

So no one else thought the Lifespring guy looked like Donovan playing another role?

I did.

 

 I'm going to have to watch part of the episode again - the part with Peggy and Dodd, when she's yammering away. I had my wireless headphones on, and was working in the kitchen for a few minutes, so I thought she was only torturing him with her chatter, LOL. 

 

I also didn't get the part where Hanzee shot the racists in the knees, until I read "wounded knees" here. I can't believe that one didn't click for me.

[AuntiePam]

Regarding Constance, someone at the AV Club noted that Hanzee was petting her head, smoothing her hair, similar to the way he pet the rabbit a few episodes back.  So there's that to consider.  Hanzee kills when he thinks he needs to kill. 

 

Also, Peggy didn't even seem to know about Ed's uncle's cabin, so Lou and Hank most likely got there because of the call from the store clerk.  Whether or not they were looking for Ed and Peggy -- doesn't matter -- because Hanzee was the priority.  He shot cops.

 

Anela, don't feel bad -- "wounded knees" didn't click for me either.

 

And some astute viewers noticed carvings on the wall of the bar similar to the signs in Hank's secret room.

[Jodithgrace]

Did anybody notice Ed in the convenience store looking at the boxes of Hamburger Helper? I'm sure he couldn't help recalling that this whole mess started with Peggy feeding him Hamburger Helper while Rye was stuck in the windshield of her car. 

There has been some awesome, darkly comic television this season, from this show to Jessica Jones (on Netflix). I am really impressed with what a gem this show has been. 

The funny thing is..this whole season has been leading up to the so called "Massacre at Sioux Falls, " but I can't help wondering..who is left to get massacred? We've lost almost all of the Gerhardts excepting Mom and Bear, and all of the opposite crew as well, excepting Mike Milligan and the lone Kitchen Brother. Hanzee has already created a mini-massacre on his own on his way to "rescue" Dodd. What in heaven's name is going to happen to earn that moniker? One thing I'm sure of, is that it won't be quite what we were expecting. 

[Rockstar99435]

I really liked the use of split screen in the car with Peggy and Ed when they are right next to each other. It was such a cool visual to show how they are together, but not on the same page. She's excited because she's becoming actualized and she's thinks that trading Dodd and getting free means free from Laverne, while he's excited because he thinks trading Dodd and getting free means getting to go back to their lives in Laverne.

 

I was wondering about the scene Peggy was watching. In it, the couple is trapped until the man decides to sacrifice himself for the woman, but then they both get free because of a different guy just showing up. I'm sure Peggy is down with Ed sacrificing himself for her, but I wonder if she'll end up sacrificing herself for him believing that it will be like the movie and she'll still get free.

[Hobo.PassingThru]

 

The only thing I didn't like about this episode is that Peggy and Ed are still alive and kicking in their stupid, narcissistic world...I just can't abide either of them and am sorely disappointed to see they are blithely 'actualizing" (Maslow would have an absolute cow at the very idea) in fantasy land while the real world makes painful decisions and suffers the repercussions of simply having been born in a particular time, place and gene pool..

 

I know this is going to sound harsh. The thing about Peggy and Ed is not that they are lucky, exactly. They also may not be idiot savants and are doing all the right things and not knowing how or why those things work.

 

I think they are too dumb to die. I can't help but consider that old saying whenever they survive. As characters go, they may just be too dumb to know how to die.

 

Obviously, the way things work out for them is meant to be, and are, funny, intentionally funny. But, Peggy does come off as kinda loopy and Ed is single-minded (wanting a Normal life) but intent on doing all the wrong things and believing he can reset the clock to Normal. So far, all works out for the two of them, even when it goes horribly wrong, but it really won't work out for them like they believe it will. Obviously.

 

That said, I have no idea how their fates or most of the characters' fates will play out. That's what makes this seasons' new characters more interesting for me.

Edited December 2, 2015 by Hobo.PassingThru

[jnymph]

Wow, loving this show !

Being from the Midwest, I really appreciate the fact that The Blomquists offered Hanzee a "pop."

[AuntiePam]

Being from the Midwest, I really appreciate the fact that The Blomquists offered Hanzee a "pop."

 

Also being from the Midwest, I expected Ed to buy three cokes instead of two. 

 

Or to buy three and then put one back, thinking it might look suspicious. 

 

When that newspaper blew over by Hanzee's truck, I was sure he'd see it, go back inside and shoot the clerk.  These writers have surprised me quite often this season.

 

It bugged me that the milk carton and cereal boxes were obviously empty.  Happens in every show.  Just put some weight in the damn boxes!

[j5cochran]

I just did a rewatch, and noticed a couple of  things that no one else has mentioned:

• When the camera is snaking through the hoards in Ed and Peggy's basement at the beginning, there is a box of the game Labyrinth on one of the stacks.
• In the scene where Peggy is feeding beans to Dodd in the cabin, at the very end of the long two-shot, Jeffrey Donovan appears to barely be holding it together.  It looks like Kirsten Dunst is just cracking him up.

 

Wonderful, wonderful series.  I have no clue where they are going in the next two episodes.

 

 

[ToastnBacon]

I know this is going to sound harsh. The thing about Peggy and Ed is not that they are lucky, exactly. They also may not be idiot savants and are doing all the right things and not knowing how or why those things work.

 

I think they are too dumb to die. I can't help but consider that old saying whenever they survive. As characters go, they may just be too dumb to know how to die.

 

Obviously, the way things work out for them is meant to be, and are, funny, intentionally funny. But, Peggy does come off as kinda loopy and Ed is single-minded (wanting a Normal life) but intent on doing all the wrong things and believing he can reset the clock to Normal. So far, all works out for the two of them, even when it goes horribly wrong, but it really won't work out for them like they believe it will. Obviously.

 

That said, I have no idea how their fates or most of the characters' fates will play out. That's what makes this seasons' new characters more interesting for me.

I get what you are saying about Ed and Peggy. I don't think it is harsh, it is very accurate analysis of the characters.

I love the format of this show too.

With new characters each season, it opens a creative level that most shows don't have. The writers aren't constrained by next season.

They can tell a better story this way.

I think it is a refreshing change from the standard model of a TV series.

I also think the shorter season length gives them more freedom with the budget to draw better talent too.