S03.E01: The Law of Vacant Places

[Tara Ariano]

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

How Far Into Fargo-ism Does Fargo's Third Season Go?

Here we Fargo again!

[knaankos]

I have high hopes for Thewlis's character. Seems like he could be a pretty interesting villain. 

 

I have to say the song that was played when the female officer (don't know names yet) was searching the house with her rifle and light was absolutely dreadful. Very unpleasant on the ears and completely distracted from the scene. I turned my volume down as low as it could go without being mute during that whole scene. 

[MisterBluxom]

Does anyone know what the sheriff found in that box? What was she looking at? It looked like two magazines.

Do you think Maurice opened those floorboards? I ask because when the sheriff was downstairs, she looked up at the ceiling in the general direction (up) of the floorboards.

[VCRTracking]

God I love Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

[kieyra]

7 hours ago, knaankos said:

I have high hopes for Thewlis's character. Seems like he could be a pretty interesting villain. 

 

I have to say the song that was played when the female officer (don't know names yet) was searching the house with her rifle and light was absolutely dreadful. Very unpleasant on the ears and completely distracted from the scene. I turned my volume down as low as it could go without being mute during that whole scene. 

Hah! I know exactly what you're talking about because I muted it as fast as I could hit the button on the remote. Some of these 'auteur' TV showrunners go a bit nuts with that stuff. (Looking at you, True Detective S2.) 

[benteen]

I thought it was great.  Really well-acted by the entire cast and funny as hell, particularly Maurice.  Him wondering if they have to shut down a JC Penny when the President needs clothes and him describing the botched robbery were legitimately funny.  Kind of sorry he got killed already but that was a memorable exit. 

Edited April 22, 2017 by benteen

[Terrafamilia]

"Crazy for You"? That pretty much explains Ray towards Nikki.

Is it just me, or did it seem like Nikki had already thought about how her air conditioner might be used in a pinch?

"ACE HOLE"

[dampfire]

19 hours ago, preeya said:

IMO, Carrie & Mary Elizabeth could pass for sisters.

More than with you on this.  Fact is, at first I was wondering if Mary Elizabeth Winstead was, like Ewan McGregor, playing dual roles in this.  I knew MEW had been cast in the show, but I was totally unaware that Carrie Coon had been.  Can't deny that I (a diehard Clone Clubber) would have loved to have seen MEW playing two parts.  But I'm absolutely thrilled that CC's in the cast.  Much love, respect and admiration for both actresses.

[scrb]

MEW's ass was one of the highlights of the ep.

She knows how to use her looks and conjured up a plan to kill the guy who was going to blackmail them.

But she is with a guy who takes urine samples from parolees.  And she seemed earnest about winning some big payday from the bridge tourney.

Is she on some grift, with a guy who's not in her league, either in looks or in brains?  What was she in prison for?

Is this going to be her only crime -- other than covering it up?

[Irlandesa]

I don't remember the premieres for the other two seasons so this stacked up just fine.  It looks like this might have fewer characters this season and that's just fine with me. 

I think I appreciated a lot of the little things that reminded me from when I was a kid including the Red Owl, cake with strawberries, and serious bridge games. 

[LittleIggy]

21 hours ago, knaankos said:

I have high hopes for Thewlis's character. Seems like he could be a pretty interesting villain. 

 

I have to say the song that was played when the female officer (don't know names yet) was searching the house with her rifle and light was absolutely dreadful. Very unpleasant on the ears and completely distracted from the scene. I turned my volume down as low as it could go without being mute during that whole scene. 

That was "throat singing." I have an album of throat singing by Tibetan monks. I think it's awesome.

[Macbeth]

On 4/20/2017 at 4:58 PM, AuntiePam said:

Ehrmantrout -- could that be a shout-out to Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul (the character of Mike)?  Ehrmantrout is an unusual name.

Ehrmantrout is Mike's last name on Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul - I think this could be the producer's way of saying Emmit is completely screwed.  Not that I am expecting a cameo, I think Vargas has everything under control.

[AuntiePam]

12 minutes ago, Macbeth said:

Ehrmantrout is Mike's last name on Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul - I think this could be the producer's way of saying Emmit is completely screwed.  Not that I am expecting a cameo, I think Vargas has everything under control.

Yeah, I wouldn't expect a cameo either.  It's just interesting that these writers would use the name.  I looked at the credits for all the producers and there were no connections to BB or BCS. 

Vargas will be fun to watch.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 4/20/2017 at 8:02 AM, Lorimac said:

Finally, the one thing that rang false to me was Ray choosing Maurice to do the dirty work. It seemed amazingly clear that Maurice was stupid - even stupider after pot and booze. Ray may not be a genius, but picking Maurice out of all the petty criminals that Ray must know seemed really bone-headed. Plotwise as soon as you met Maurice, you knew this guy was going to mistakenly kill someone - so that was telegraphed.

 

On 4/20/2017 at 8:08 AM, AzureOwl said:

I don't know, considering the task at hand was a simple burglary, Ray probably chose the petty criminal that he thought less likely to blackmail him or ask for a cut of the loot. And that means getting the guy who would be too stupid or stoned to realice that he now has leverage on Ray.

Two other reasons that he chose Maurice: (1) "Your last stretch was six and a half [years] for breaking into rich folks' digs and stealing their flat screens." He didn't pick just any guy on parole. He picked one who had experience doing exactly what he wanted done. (2) I think he also initially narrowed the field by going through his parolees to see who failed their urine tests.

On 4/20/2017 at 1:58 PM, AuntiePam said:

And is it relevant that the hapless German man was wearing his house shoes?   Emmit was also in house shoes before he went to meet with the mysterious "investor".

Normally, I would say no, because wearing slippers in the house isn't a totally rare thing. But considering that Emmit and Ennis have the same last night (which is why poor Inis was murdered) AND their first names are very similar AND we're watching Fargo, I'm more inclined to say no, nothing is a coincidence!

Ray's stationery looks like what a 12 year old would choose.

Poor Ennis. He kept referring to what he made as "just a stupid carving I made" and then said it reminded him of the time they went camping, and he was clearly begging someone to ask him to talk about it some more but neither of them did.

Funniest background moment: as Ray was explaining to Nikki why he got Maurice to break into his brother's house, Maurice pulled on the end of the toilet paper (without ripping it off), blew his nose, and then dropped the toilet paper still attached to the roll).

Nikki obviously knows that Ray is a moron because she treats him like a child. She keeps saying things like "FOCUS!" and "Look at me! Tell me what you did!" I can't wait to find out about her criminal record. She's smart (or OCD) since she knew how long it would take Maurice to get down each flight of stairs and cross the lobby. The contrast between Nikki and Ray was really obvious after the air conditioner dropped and she had to tell him to get dressed, get out of her apartment, and take the back stairs. If she hadn't told him those three things, he still would have been wandering around the living room in that animal print bathrobe when the police arrived.

Edited April 23, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[PeggyB]

So I had to re-watch it again and I had an ah-ha moment about the opening scene with the Germans. Follow me here because I haven't got a precise memory for detail, mostly names. The interrogator has the names of the man's girlfriend/wife wrong, but you know/assume the guy is going to die anyway. (Pissing in his pants he knows he's a goner, so we know he's a goner.) Not the whole name but half of it, first name right, last name wrong...just like when Maurice got half of the name wrong when looking for the road Stussy lived on. So Ennis was killed because of the arrogance/stupidity of someone who at that moment had supreme power over another persons life. 

[Macbeth]

That Christmas tree air-freshener in Maurice's car - I believe was a callback to another Coen movie.  It wasn't"The Big Lebowski,"  There were so many shots of that thing.  Does anyone know?

[PeggyB]

The song "Crazy on You came out in 1976 and after Googling Ray's corvette I see that it's a 1976 corvette. Not sure if there's any other tie in with the song but an excuse to use a great song. lol

[spaceghostess]

2 hours ago, PeggyB said:

The song "Crazy on You came out in 1976 and after Googling Ray's corvette I see that it's a 1976 corvette. Not sure if there's any other tie in with the song but an excuse to use a great song. lol

I immediately associated the Corvette and the song with Ray's age/frame of mind when he "inherited" the car. He was young and probably thought the car would be a great chick magnet (/70s). It's possible he's pushing 50 in 2010. If he is, that would've made him 16 - 18 years old around the time "Crazy on You" was a hit and he got the car*. Take another look at Nikki; then look at mid-to-late 70s photos of Ann Wilson. There's more than a passing resemblance physically and Nikki's styling is pretty on point.

The Corvette, the song, and Nikki tell us everything about where we find Ray in 2010. The car: once hot--the way Ray felt when he first drove it--now a wheezing relic. The song: most definitely played on the car's radio during good-old-days sexy times. The woman: probably resembles his teen ideal; definitely Ray's last, desperate grab at youth.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I thought that scene was brilliant. His teen dream could well have been a woman like Nikki right there next to him in his sweet ride. Now that she's finally here, he--and the ride--are broke(en) and over the hill.

ETA: I've loved "Crazy on You" since forever! I was only five when it came out, but my sister and brother were 15 and 13, respectively, so it was on the radio all. the. time.

*I realize I'm making a major assumption about when Ray got the Corvette. The exchange with his brother gave a strong impression (to me, at least) that Ray's age made it easy for Emmit to manipulate him into taking the car instead of the stamps. Have their ages at that time been mentioned? Apologies in advance if my speculations don't pan out. 

Edited April 23, 2017 by spaceghostess
Heart love

[PeggyB]

44 minutes ago, spaceghostess said:

I immediately associated the Corvette and the song with Ray's age/frame of mind when he "inherited" the car. He was young and probably thought the car would be a great chick magnet (/70s). It's possible he's pushing 50 in 2010. If he is, that would've made him 16 - 18 years old around the time "Crazy on You" was a hit and he got the car. Take another look at Nikki; then look at mid-to-late 70s photos of Ann Wilson. There's more than a passing resemblance physically and Nikki's styling is pretty on point.

The Corvette, the song, and Nikki tell us everything about where we find Ray in 2010. The car: once hot--the way Ray felt when he first drove it--now a wheezing relic. The song: most definitely played on the car's radio during good-old-days sexy times. The woman: probably resembles his teen ideal; definitely Ray's last, desperate grab at youth.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I thought that scene was brilliant. His teen dream could well have been a woman like Nikki right there next to him in his sweet ride. Now that she's finally here, he--and the ride--are broke(en) and over the hill.

ETA: I've loved "Crazy on You" since forever! I was only five when it came out, but my sister and brother were 15 and 13, respectively, so it was on the radio all. the. time.

Yes! Nikki is very reminiscent of Ann Wilson! Great point! All of your comments regarding the song and the car and Ray are spot on!!  

[spaceghostess]

7 minutes ago, PeggyB said:

Yes! Nikki is very reminiscent of Ann Wilson! Great point! All of your comments regarding the song and the car and Ray are spot on!!  

Thank you for posting that car and song were released the same year! I realized they were the same vintage when I was watching the ep, but I hadn't gotten my lazy ass in gear to check the specifics and comment about my immediate reaction to the scene. Your timely post spurred me on. :)

Edited April 23, 2017 by spaceghostess

[shapeshifter]

Nikki and Ray are not very different from Plemmons' and Dunst's characters last season.

[SunnyBeBe]

Well, I caught up by watching the first episode and I am quite impressed.  It's off to good start, imo.  I didn't realize the same actor played the Stussy brothers either, until I read it here! Oh my, but, I did read on a summary, that Emit's character was older than Ray....Not sure if that's correct.

I liked a lot of the music, especially Heart.  Does anyone know what the name of the song is that played when Ray and his girlfriend were playing cards?  

I am curious about the box of items found in the hole in the floor.  Does anyone think that the Sheriff hid those items before backup arrived?  Just a feeling I got.  Maybe, she's intrigued and doesn't want their existence known just yet.  

It seemed to me that the old man would have shot a stranger trying to come into his house.  

[WearyTraveler]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Emit's character was older than Ray....Not sure if that's correct.

He is.  Ray mentions it when they are talking at Emmit's party.  He says something to the effect of an older brother taking advantage of a younger one.  It's obviously intentional that Emmit looks younger, though, another thing for Ray to feel bad about.

I'm thinking the German story will come to play later on.  One of those two guys could be:

1. Emmit and Ray's father, who stole something of great value (maybe some of the stamps?) before the Wall fell and when it did fall, he escaped to the US, changed his identity and started to make his fortune, but he died before he could become really rich, and Emmit took over. 
2. Ennis, who was hiding more than his love of sci-fi
3. The founders of the group that gave Emmit the loan

Another possibility is that the guy being interrogated was the younger brother of the guy the police was looking for (that's how he ended up living in the guy's apartment), and that both of them escaped to the US and adopted the name Stussy.  Maybe older brother escaped to Minnesota first, while younger brother was imprisoned in Germany and had to suffer there until the Wall fell.  Then he was freed and went searching for older brother in Minnesota, perhaps he even killed his older brother and went to live in another town.  Or perhaps, as we have read in real life stories of war survivors, they had both chosen the same name, where living in the same state and in similarly named towns, but where not aware of the other brother being so close.

[Bort]

12 minutes ago, WearyTraveler said:

Another possibility is that the guy being interrogated was the younger brother of the guy the police was looking for (that's how he ended up living in the guy's apartment),

The guy they were looking for was supposed to be 20, as the poor hapless guy being questioned pointed out that he hadn't been 20 for a long time. They didn't even have the same name. The only thing they had in common (besides having lived in the same apartment) was that the guy's very-alive wife had the same first name as the dead girl.

[WearyTraveler]

3 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

The guy they were looking for was supposed to be 20, as the poor hapless guy being questioned pointed out that he hadn't been 20 for a long time.

Ooops! you're right! Just change older for younger and vice versa in my post.  It actually makes sense.  Younger brother is more idealist, he is fighting for freedom, so, he gets a name to cover his identity because he knows he'll be in trouble with the police.

It's interesting (or it could totally be a red-herring) that we have age being mentioned at the interrogation and age being mentioned between Emmit and Ray

Edited April 23, 2017 by WearyTraveler

[SunnyBeBe]

What I noticed the most about the German scene was that sweater the civilian had on.  It struck me as odd.  What era was that from? Also, even though, they have the wrong guy, the murder victim was on a muddy hill, right? Then they showed the civilian's boots, which were also muddy. 

Edited April 23, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[Milburn Stone]

I thought the connection to the East German scene was this: In E. Berlin, the wrong man was arrested because he had the misfortune to live in the "right" house. In Eden Valley, the wrong man was killed because he had the misfortune to live in the "wrong" house. Kind of mirror images.

There may turn out to be more connection than that, but that was enough for me for now.

[FoundTime]

On ‎4‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 9:27 PM, kieyra said:

Is the repetition of the name Ehrmantraut a shout-out to the Breaking Bad universe?

Someone else also asked this above, and it is a rather uncommon name in the TV-verse (and of course, we BrBa fans would love to think it's a shout-out). But I grew up across the street from a family of Ermentrauts (slightly different spelling, I know). It's not an uncommon German name IRL.

[MisterBluxom]

14 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Well, I caught up by watching the first episode and I am quite impressed.  It's off to good start, imo.  I didn't realize the same actor played the Stussy brothers either, until I read it here! Oh my, but, I did read on a summary, that Emit's character was older than Ray....Not sure if that's correct.

I liked a lot of the music, especially Heart.  Does anyone know what the name of the song is that played when Ray and his girlfriend were playing cards?  

I am curious about the box of items found in the hole in the floor.  Does anyone think that the Sheriff hid those items before backup arrived?  Just a feeling I got.  Maybe, she's intrigued and doesn't want their existence known just yet.  

It seemed to me that the old man would have shot a stranger trying to come into his house.  

I'm also curious about that. Someone earlier in this thread said they were pulp magazines. But she had a very strong reaction to seeing them. Much stronger than if she was expecting a bunch of cash. So, I would suspect there is some history going on with the old man and the magazines. But if so, it will likely only be revealed in some future episode.

I wouldn't get my hopes up though. This show seems to have red herrings that are never explained. Like the spaceships in Season 2.

[Razzberry]

16 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I liked a lot of the music, especially Heart.  Does anyone know what the name of the song is that played when Ray and his girlfriend were playing cards?  

That and the Heart/Corvette connection is all in the music thread. 

[Inquisitionist]

On 4/22/2017 at 3:02 PM, Terrafamilia said:

"Crazy for You"? That pretty much explains Ray towards Nikki.

As noted in other posts, it's actually Crazy ON You, ("Let me go crazy, crazy on you") which fits even better.  ;-)

[rur]

I went back to the German scene again because I was wondering if the German officer could also be the representative from Narwhal that showed up in the Stussy office 30 years later. (There's a resemblance, but I don't think so, FWIW.)

I did however get a better look at the stamp in question while I was rewinding and fast forwarding. It appears to be Sisyphus pushing the rock uphill. 

[teddysmom]

How is Gloria's stepfather related to the Stussy brothers? Or is it coincidence he has same last name, and similar first name to Emmit? 

I get the feeling this season is starting a little slow, similar to Better Call Saul, and the shit will start hitting the fan, hard and fast. 

Not that a dimwit ex con killing the wrong guy who happens to be related to the chief of police, and then getting offed by a window a/c unit isn't pretty awesome. 

[WearyTraveler]

1 hour ago, teddysmom said:

How is Gloria's stepfather related to the Stussy brothers?

This is why I think the German intro is important.  I get the feeling the last name Stussy is a modified German name that they took when they first landed in the US.  I don't think it's a very common American name.

[rose711]

I have only the most general idea as to what happened. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by rose711

[cmfran]

It seemed clear that Ennis was dead, but what did Maurice do to him? The shot of him sitting with his eyes open in front of the fridge was creepy, but I couldn't figure out what happened.

[Shriekingeel]

On 4/23/2017 at 2:27 PM, PeggyB said:

I immediately associated the Corvette and the song with Ray's age/frame of mind when he "inherited" the car. He was young and probably thought the car would be a great chick magnet (/70s). It's possible he's pushing 50 in 2010. If he is, that would've made him 16 - 18 years old around the time "Crazy on You" was a hit and he got the car. Take another look at Nikki; then look at mid-to-late 70s photos of Ann Wilson. There's more than a passing resemblance physically and Nikki's styling is pretty on point.

"Ace Hole, Midget Detective" was an underground comic book by Art Spiegelman of Maus fame. It appeared in 1974, right around that time. 

[AuntiePam]

43 minutes ago, cmfran said:

It seemed clear that Ennis was dead, but what did Maurice do to him? The shot of him sitting with his eyes open in front of the fridge was creepy, but I couldn't figure out what happened.

It's alluded to in the previews for the next episode.  We know what was done to Ennis, but we don't know why it was done. 

Spoiler

Ennis's nose and mouth were glued shut.

[Milburn Stone]

@AuntiePam, thank you for hiding that! I know the rules say that stuff in the previews doesn't have to be hidden, but those of us who don't like plot points given away sure appreciate the consideration.

[knaankos]

Question I forgot to ask. What the hell card game was that that they were playing? 

[Bort]

2 minutes ago, knaankos said:

Question I forgot to ask. What the hell card game was that that they were playing? 

Bridge. Which is typically popular with senior citizen community, I was side-eyeing Nikki playing it. I wonder if she was in prison for gambling-related fraud, like card counting or something. 

[AzureOwl]

On 23/4/2017 at 5:47 PM, kariyaki said:

The guy they were looking for was supposed to be 20, as the poor hapless guy being questioned pointed out that he hadn't been 20 for a long time. They didn't even have the same name. The only thing they had in common (besides having lived in the same apartment) was that the guy's very-alive wife had the same first name as the dead girl.

Even more than that, the guy they were looking for was a Ukrainian!

9 hours ago, teddysmom said:

How is Gloria's stepfather related to the Stussy brothers? Or is it coincidence he has same last name, and similar first name to Emmit? 

I think it's meant to be a coincidence. Both the scene in East Germany and Emmit's story about his first date with his wife both hammered in the point of one's fate hinging on unlikely coincidences. 

[AzureOwl]

8 hours ago, WearyTraveler said:

This is why I think the German intro is important.  I get the feeling the last name Stussy is a modified German name that they took when they first landed in the US.  I don't think it's a very common American name.

The timeline works against that. He East Germany scene takes place in 1988. That's only 22 years before the 2010 setting. Both brothers would have been grown men in 1988, to the point that Emmit's daughter would have probably already been born by then. The guy in the prologue didn't look old enough already have sons in their 20s or early 30s. To say nothing that the Stussy brothers would have markedly different accents if they had emigrated to the US as adults. Also, if they were immigrants, I'm pretty sure someone like Emmit's would be not so subtly shoving his "Immigrant Success Story" down everyone's throat.

If anyone is connected to the prologue, from the characters we've already seen the likeliest candidate is Varga. If he is a little younger than David Thewlis, he would probably be a nice fit for the Ukrainian who strangled his girlfriend. That might even account for the word accent, if he is trying to cover his real one. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by AzureOwl

[shapeshifter]

On April 24, 2017 at 10:35 AM, teddysmom said:

. . . Not that a dimwit ex con killing the wrong guy who happens to be related to the chief of police, and then getting offed by a window a/c unit isn't pretty awesome. 

Huh. That did happen, didn't it? So not only did Carrie Coon appear in episosdes of 2 shows this week in which technology failed to respond to her when it should have, but in both the chief of police is menaced and/or killed and related by marriage to Carrie Coon's character or is her character.

[annzeepark914]

I think someone took care of Ennis and it wasn't Maurice (remember the noise upstairs?).  Why would Maurice do something as evil as gluing someone's mouth shut?  But the sequence of events that took place in that house that night...I have no idea because Maurice never said anything about the old man (or did he and I missed it what with all the accents?)

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

I think someone took care of Ennis and it wasn't Maurice (remember the noise upstairs?).  Why would Maurice do something as evil as gluing someone's mouth shut?  But the sequence of events that took place in that house that night...I have no idea because Maurice never said anything about the old man (or did he and I missed it what with all the accents?)

Maurice did mention Ennis to Ray -- it was a comment about the age difference, something like "You're brothers?" 

[Dowel Jones]

On 4/23/2017 at 8:47 AM, Macbeth said:

That Christmas tree air-freshener in Maurice's car

It's like a bronze at the Olympics! 

On 4/23/2017 at 8:47 AM, Macbeth said:

That Christmas tree air-freshener in Maurice's car

I thought of Oceans Eleven (the remake) because it was the same angle inside the vehicle. 

If Ray and Nikki had actually thought about it after Maurice left (not their strong point, I know), Maurice doesn't have any real proof that Ray asked him to go rob his brother's house.  He goes to the wrong town, repeats the Stussey name to a clerk, and burglarizes a house belonging to a Stussey.  No matter what he says, Ray just shrugs his shoulders and says "I don't know nothin' about it; You can't prove nothin'"  Yet, anyway.

[MisterBluxom]

I loved the way Maurice said, "I think I covered my tracks pretty good."

Heh. Heh. He ripped a page out of the phone book and it was the page that contained the name and address of the murder victim. How's that for covering your tracks? It's probably a real good thing that he died. The universe is probably a better place without someone that dim. Don't 'cha think?

[ghoulina]

On 4/22/2017 at 3:02 PM, Terrafamilia said:

"Crazy for You"? That pretty much explains Ray towards Nikki.

Is it just me, or did it seem like Nikki had already thought about how her air conditioner might be used in a pinch?

"ACE HOLE"

Late watching, as I was out of the country when the first 2 episodes aired. I got caught up last night. I really enjoyed the opener, even if I wasn't entirely sure what was going on every second. 

 

The AC scene was my absolute favorite, but yea - I sat and thought for WAY too long about why Nikki knew exactly how many steps from her apartment to the street under the unit. Just WHO was she planning to use that on????

[J-Man]

Doesn't "third runner-up" mean they came in FOURTH? In which case, no bronze medal, right?

Also, I used to play bridge many decades ago, but I don't understand exactly what they were doing in that scene. It seemed like there was a bunch of preliminary stuff before they actually started to play. I seem to remember that in competitive contract bridge, there are pre-dealt hands and you are scored against how well you played them. But there seemed to be some other unfamiliar equipment and things going on. Any more knowledgeable bridge players here?