S03.E02: The Principle of Restricted Choice

[Bort]

David Thewlis's teeth are not really that bad.

[Bannon]

15 minutes ago, TimWil said:

I hate Ewan McGregor and David Thewlis in this and have no interest in following this story at all. I love Carrie Coon but that's not enough. I'm out. Oh well. Two out of three great seasons ain't bad.

I'm not nearly as negative as you, but so far I'm not liking anybody's work as much as I did with several characters in season 1 and, especially, season 2, although Mary Elizabeth Winstead's is coming close. It's early yet, so I still have some optimism.

[KaleyFirefly]

5 hours ago, teddysmom said:

I can kind of buy that Gloria isn't techno savvy. It's a small town, probably not a lot of crime, and the way she's done things works fine. I work with people who are only as computer literate as they need to be, if they get stumped, instead of trying to figure something out, they have their kids do it for them at home, or one of their employees, ie me. They think the kids are geniuses because they have skills that about 95% of the population have. My boss would rather cut something out and glue it on a piece of paper than figure out how to use a computer program.

Their theory is "why should I do this" that's what I pay you to do.

Those kind of people drive me nuts. It's 2017 -- learn how to use a computer, dammit!

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, little black cloud said:

Did I miss something? How do we know that he must be Yuri?

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a spoiler but better safe than sorry --

Spoiler

that's how the actor/character is listed in the credits at IMDB

And Vargas introduced him as Yuri.

[KaleyFirefly]

13 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Anyone else puzzled that Emmit didn't question whether the murdered Stussy might have been a distant relative?  I expected some kind of comment about that.  Midwesterners are always looking for familial connections.

I thought that part was very weird. How could he or Sy not notice that the guy had the exact same last name? And it's not a very common last name is it?

I'm curious about what Gloria will dig up about her stepfather. Also I am enjoying the evil creepiness that is Vargas. That actor is so good at playing creepy characters.

[teddysmom]

Quote

Those kind of people drive me nuts. It's 2017 -- learn how to use a computer, dammit!

They have two teenage kids, they don't have to know how to do anything.  Their kids set up their phones and their computers because they are geniuses. Geniuses I tell you!!! 

Edited April 27, 2017 by teddysmom

[Bort]

2 minutes ago, KaleyFirefly said:

How could he or Sy not notice that the guy had the exact same last name? And it's not a very common last name is it?

Stussy was a very popular clothing brand, especially in the '90s. It's still around, though not as notorious. So it could be more common than originally thought.

[teddysmom]

Quote

Shea Wighman is a criminally underused actor, indeed.  

I love when he shows up in something. He was good in True Detective, too. 

[luna1122]

2 hours ago, Lorimac said:

Everyone is analyzing the technology thing, but I think it has something to do with Gloria's failure to be able to trigger an automatic sensor. Also, unless I am mistaken, when she talks on a cell phone, her message does not get through to the other party on the line. (Didn't that happen more then once so far? I know there are Eagle-Eyed Forum Spotters who could tell me this.) And this is why she did not use computers in her police station - it isn't that she isn't tech-savvy; it is that they don't work for her. I'm not saying that she's an alien BUT..........

 

Wow, I love this whole line of thought. I believe you're onto something. 

[MisterBluxom]

2 hours ago, Razzberry said:

Do bridge players actually get sponsorships like race car drivers?

I've spent many years playing at several diff levels and I've never heard of such a thing.

I suppose some of the very top people might get book advances. But there are only about 10 to 20 people at any one time who write books.

They may also earn money by teaching. But most would open their own schools and I've never heard of any sponsorship involved in that.

Bottom line, for me is that I'd guess the writers would not just make up this stuff and they must have something specific in mind. I sure would love to know what that could be. It's a total mystery to me. I'm just sitting here scratching my head.

The tampon is another head scratcher. I've never heard of a woman who would express any negative emotions by leaving a blood soaked product. I just can't imagine that. WTH is going on?

[Milburn Stone]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

David Thewlis's teeth are not really that bad.

Oh thank God!

[Ohwell]

I"m just not buying Ewan McGregor in these roles, I never heard of Carrie Coon and the Tampon Actress before this, but I'm not impressed with them either.  I'll stick with it because there's nothing else I watch in this time slot, but so far this pales in comparison to the previous seasons.

[KaleyFirefly]

22 minutes ago, teddysmom said:

They have two teenage kids, they don't have to know how to do anything.  Their kids set up their phones and their computers because they are geniuses. Geniuses I tell you!!! 

Yeah, I'm sure their kids really love having to do everything because their parents refuse to learn basic technology.

[luna1122]

2 minutes ago, MissBluxom said:

 

The tampon is another head scratcher. I've never heard of a woman who would express any negative emotions by leaving a blood soaked product. I just can't imagine that. WTH is going on?

It's a weird impulse I can't quite fathom, but it did remind me of two other instances: the girls in the locker room pelting poor Carrie with tampons in Stephen king's story (they were unused, however, I believe) and in the memoir 'to sir with love', to express their derision with their new teacher, one of the female students left a used sanitary napkin in a fireplace grate in the classroom. So it's not unprecedented, but it's still a fairly graphic and specific form of insult. 

[Magic]

So far everything is lesser than the other seasons to me.

Varga is not as creepy, all the primary people are slower/dumber including Gloria.  It's hard to see who could save anyone from who we've seen so far.

It is too farfetched that Gloria wouldn't be using computers in 2010 especially with her job, which always seems to include some searches, and since she has a kid old enough to need them and she obviously tries to do everything she can to give him the most good experiences possible including hanging out with her stepfather who was about the crankiest guy to ever show up.

Although it is funny that technology doesn't seem to work for her like the automatic door and her cell phone etc.

I don't see how Maurice could have glued shut the nose and mouth of Ennis unless Ennis was already dead.  I mean, where did he even find the glue and besides he had a gun which would be way easier.  Just doesn't seem like something Maurice would come up with.  Anyway, interesting seeing why that was done and why he was left sitting in a chair.

I thought for sure Ennis was going to be related to Ray/Emmit. Kind of interesting his name is close enough to Emmit as Eden Valley is to Eden Prairie  as to possibly have confused Maurice that he was at the right place.

Interesting too that Nikki is on probation, but gave false ID to the cops she talked to after Maurice was killed, and mentioned she was renting the apartment under even a different name.  She sure seems ready to leave town in a hurry if necessary.  Kind of like Peggy, she has her own dream, becoming a bridge champion, that looks like it is going to end up causing similar issues as Peggy's delusions in Season 2 which means she should save the day to some extent with Varga.

 Kind of funny that Ray, the parole officer can't quite keep up with anything Nikki is up to.  The murder of Maurice and break in to Emmit's house is just the start.

[Evagirl]

21 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I"m just not buying Ewan McGregor in these roles, I never heard of Carrie Coon and the Tampon Actress before this, but I'm not impressed with them either.  I'll stick with it because there's nothing else I watch in this time slot, but so far this pales in comparison to the previous seasons.

I am so glad you expressed this!  I feel the same way.  I loved the first two seasons so much that I purchased them.  I thought to myself last night, "Unless this show picks up some steam, I won't be spending 20 bucks on hot mess."  

The scenes are way too dark and comes off almost like monochrome (remember THOSE computers?!!).  It's difficult for me to see detail when the picture isn't sharp and crisp.  I guess that's the way the director wants it to look, but I'm not loving it.

I'm not loving the storyline either.  It's not grabbing me or making me crazy for the next episode like seasons past.  Good grief, there are only 10 shows in a season. Something needs to start happening and moving this slow train along.  

One more thing and I'm done.  In the past seasons we had a good guy/girl to root for.  I can't even root for the girl cop.  IMO, she not even coming across as likable like Molly and Gus, or Lou and Hank.

Like you, I will stick with it while hoping this train wreck rights its self before we're half way through the season.

[Maire]

19 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Holy shit, be careful who you google!

At least put tape over your camera!

[Blackie]

8 hours ago, Razzberry said:

 Do bridge players actually get sponsorships like race car drivers

I just started learning to play bridge and by looking things up on youtube I learned that some people can make a lot of money getting sponsors for bridge.  Apparently there are people with a lot of money who like to win bridge trophies so they will sponsor you to be on their team so they can win the trophy.  You need to be really good though so I think Niki is a wee bit delusional that bridge is her ticket to riches  lol ETA: For those that are interested there is a Canadian show called W5 that had an episode called "In the Cards" that I watched on youtube that opened my eyes to this {who knew???} but it is no longer on youtube, so if you are not afraid to google now, you might be able to find it somewhere. Also the funny part in that show was the geeky teenager who was a bridge whiz ended up with a big $$ sponsorship and a hot Swedish girlfriend (Swedish woman bridge champ)!!!  I was telling my son he should learn bridge after that.

Edited April 28, 2017 by Blackie

[benteen]

Not as good as last week and it was slow early on but I ended up really enjoying it.  The highlight was Sy's confrontation with Ray, complete with smashing his car.

I can't blame the sheriff for chewing out Gloria over not using the computers.  Not using computers in 2010 for business and especially for law enforcement is inexcusable. 

[kieyra]

6 hours ago, luna1122 said:

It's a weird impulse I can't quite fathom, but it did remind me of two other instances: the girls in the locker room pelting poor Carrie with tampons in Stephen king's story (they were unused, however, I believe) and in the memoir 'to sir with love', to express their derision with their new teacher, one of the female students left a used sanitary napkin in a fireplace grate in the classroom. So it's not unprecedented, but it's still a fairly graphic and specific form of insult. 

Orange Is the New Black went (I think) even grosser in its first season.

I say "I think" because I closed my eyes when I had a feeling what was coming.

I'll just say it involved the prison cafeteria and leave it at that. Other than your typical crime-procedural mortuary scene, I'm way squeamish.

[MisterBluxom]

38 minutes ago, Blackie said:

I just started learning to play bridge and by looking things up on youtube I learned that some people can make a lot of money getting sponsors for bridge.  Apparently there are people with a lot of money who like to win bridge trophies so they will sponsor you to be on their team so they can win the trophy.  You need to be really good though so I think Niki is a wee bit delusional that bridge is her ticket to riches  lol ETA: For those that are interested there is a Canadian show called W5 that had an episode called "In the Cards" that I watched on youtube that opened my eyes to this {who knew???} but it is no longer on youtube, so if you are not afraid to google now, you might be able to find it somewhere. Also the funny part in that show was the geeky teenager who was a bridge whiz ended up with a big $$ sponsorship and a hot Swedish girlfriend (Swedish woman bridge champ)!!!  I was telling my son he should learn bridge after that.

Well. That might explain why someone would take up cheating. In my experience, a bridge team consists of at least four people. Competitions involve two of the pairs playing the NS hands at one table while the other two play the EW hands at another table. Then they compare the results of all four people. Its a fair approach because each pair in the team play the same hands against a pair from another team.

So, if one pair has a cheating system in place, they could appear to be excellent players when they are in fact just excellent cheaters.

Thing is, people are always on the lookout for cheaters. One of the greatest bridge players ever (and many would say he was the absolute best) was a British man named Terrence Reese. He was so good that he was accused of cheating and it really devestated his life. You can Google him and find out more about that. But if you ever read any of his books, you will understand why he was so great. I don't believe he would ever resort to cheating because he could win based on his talent. It remains a huge controversy. But maybe cheating is what Nikki has in mind. It would seem to fit her personality.

[kieyra]

From the random trivia files ...

I recognized the band in the closing credits as Gogol Bordello ...

Whose music was featured heavily in the movie Wristcutters ...

Which is the first place I ever saw Shea Whigham ...

Who was playing a character named Eugene, who was partly based on the actual singer for Gogol Bordello.

And in the interim, somehow I had convinced myself Gogol Bordello was Shea Whigham's side band.

[Thalia]

Chekhov's rule:  if a woman mentions her period in Act I, her used tampon will show up in Act II.  

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I"m just not buying Ewan McGregor in these roles, I never heard of Carrie Coon and the Tampon Actress before this, but I'm not impressed with them either.  I'll stick with it because there's nothing else I watch in this time slot, but so far this pales in comparison to the previous seasons.

The "Tampon Actress" is Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who starred in last summer's wonderful, one-season, before-its-time, prescient, comedic political thriller Braindead. Carrie Coon has been starring in the beautiful and cerebral The Leftovers, now in its 3rd and final season. So I'm gladly here for the duration.

[LittleIggy]

Micterate! Another nod to The Big Lebowski. 

I'm this season so far. I just revel in the absurdity. Love Sy. He did freak out when he clipped that other car. Not intentional. VM's teeth are so disgusting. Reminds me of that SNL faux commercial (Mike Meyers era)about the British toothpaste made of lard and sugar.

[crowsworks]

10 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I"m just not buying Ewan McGregor in these roles, I never heard of Carrie Coon and the Tampon Actress before this, but I'm not impressed with them either.  I'll stick with it because there's nothing else I watch in this time slot, but so far this pales in comparison to the previous seasons.

 

Tampon actress played the enormously tall, saintly civil war nurse in Mercy street and the senator's sister in the alien bugs in politician's heads show that was hilarious. So she can play skanks, saints, and heroines... in the same year.

3 hours ago, Thalia said:

Chekhov's rule:  if a woman mentions her period in Act I, her used tampon will show up in Act II.  

If a Beartrap shows up in the first act......

[kieyra]

Mary Elizabeth Winstead was also in Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

I'm cool with letting her keep her actual name.

[luna1122]

8 minutes ago, kieyra said:

Mary Elizabeth Winstead was also in Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

I'm cool with letting her keep her actual name.

Also Smashed, Swiss Army Man, The Spectacular Now and 10 Cloverfield Lane. She's awesome, I love her. And Carrie Coon. And Ewan. I think this season is a great cast.

[benteen]

I'm not familiar with Winstead although I watched the first season of The Leftovers and Carrie Coon definitely should have gotten an Emmy nomination for it.

[Ohwell]

I had assumed that Coon and Tampon Actress weren't newbies and had done other things.  However, my point was that I had never heard of them.  And I'm still not impressed with them in this show, no matter how good they might have been in other shows. 

[teddysmom]

Carrie Coon was also the sister in Gone Girl. She pretty much stole the movie from Affleck, which TBH isn't that hard to do lately. 

Is Hawley writing this by himself?  We know he was working on Legion as well, I hope he doesn't have too many irons in the fire and is letting Fargo quality slip.  I still think this is a good season so far.  It's Fargo, so we can't compare to real life, hopefully. 

Altho there are times when I'm confronted with people who would make this crowd look like Mensa All Stars. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I had assumed that Coon and Tampon Actress weren't newbies and had done other things.  However, my point was that I had never heard of them.  And I'm still not impressed with them in this show, no matter how good they might have been in other shows. 

Interesting perspective. I wonder if I'd feel the same if I hadn't seen them previously.

[cpcathy]

Overall, the show leaves me cold. I couldn't get through half an hour on Wednesday night, hubby and I watched the rest last night. His take: "Well, it was better than the first episode!"

I don't care about either Stussy brother, or their dealings with Varga. I did enjoy the searching for Varga on the internet scene.

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

 

One Bad Download Leads To Another On Fargo

A computer novice learns the hard way that technology in the Fargo-verse is nobody's friend.

[Mumbles]

I'm close to tapping out on this show. I really liked the first season, but mainly because of Billy Bob and Martin Freeman. Last season was overstuffed and the UFO thing at the end was just exasperating. But this crap with the 40-year-old woman in 2012 expressing nostalgia for a Telex - which were mostly replaced by faxes in the mid-1980s - just might be the last straw. It's a small thing in isolation but it betrays a tendency to confuse superficial quirkiness as cleverness. I also find myself rolling my eyes with the "Based on a true story" stuff at the beginning. This show seems to be pleased as punch with itself but with little reason. I will give it an episode or two but there's too much good stuff available now to waste on something that's twee.

[Shriekingeel]

Can Sy be disbarred for malicious vandalism/leaving the scene of an accident? 

[cardigirl]

On 4/27/2017 at 4:30 AM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

I genuinely enjoyed the no-nonsense and quick method of the demise of the lawyer.  After countless depictions of such scenes where everyone talks and talks and somehow it gets screwed up, this one was no muss, no fuss - with jusssst enough exposition giving us a taste of a clue about the opening scene last week.  

1

There was a scene like that in the original Fargo movie, where the father of the kidnapped woman goes to meet one of the kidnappers, figuring if he was tough enough, he'd be able to defeat the kidnapper.  Before he could get two words out the kidnapper (Steve Busemi) just shoots him.  Shocked the heck out of me at the time, but I'm certain that that's much more realistic then when the conversation goes on and on, a la a villain in a movie telling all of his plans before pulling the trigger.  

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

The "Tampon Actress" is Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who starred in last summer's wonderful, one-season, before-its-time, prescient, comedic political thriller Braindead. Carrie Coon has been starring in the beautiful and cerebral The Leftovers, now in its 3rd and final season. So I'm gladly here for the duration.

 

OMG, I loved Braindead.  So sad it didn't get another season.

[Razzberry]

When I heard Hawley had another show, Legion, I scaled down my expectations for Fargo 3.  These wunderkinds are incredibly talented but get bored easily  and can go off the rails without supervision (thinking John From Cincinnati, True Detective season 2).  Now the latest news from HBO is David Milch joins Nic Pizzalato to pen True Detective season 3   

[cpcathy]

True Detective season two is SUCH garbage, after the greatness that was season one. I'm starting to get the letdown feeling I had with TD season 2, only with Fargo season 3.

[AuntiePam]

2 hours ago, Shriekingeel said:

Can Sy be disbarred for malicious vandalism/leaving the scene of an accident? 

Is he a lawyer?  I thought he was just Emmit's partner/advisor/sidekick/flunkie.

He could probably say it was an accident -- he hit the gas instead of the brake, etc. 

1 hour ago, Razzberry said:

When I heard Hawley had another show, Legion, I scaled down my expectations for Fargo 3.  These wunderkinds are incredibly talented but get bored easily  and can go off the rails without supervision (thinking John From Cincinnati, True Detective season 2).  Now the latest news from HBO is David Milch joins Nic Pizzalato to pen True Detective season 3   

Oh, ugh.  Well, at least that lets us know not to hold our breath waiting for TD3. 

I'm fine with this season, so far.  The bits and pieces haven't come together yet to make a satisfying whole, but I think they will.   And it's early.

[PeggyB]

3 hours ago, Shriekingeel said:

Can Sy be disbarred for malicious vandalism/leaving the scene of an accident? 

I wondered the same! 

2 hours ago, cpcathy said:

True Detective season two is SUCH garbage, after the greatness that was season one. I'm starting to get the letdown feeling I had with TD season 2, only with Fargo season 3.

Yep on both points! I'm hoping we're both wrong about Season 3...

[Macbeth]

I really like Ewan - so this season works for me.  And I really like the thug identifying himself as a Cossack - because the world still really operates on that level.

Writing is good - the music is excellent.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

. . . He [Sy] could probably say it was an accident -- he hit the gas instead of the brake, etc. . . .

Three times? Well, maybe on Fargo, heh.

[JD5166]

On 4/27/2017 at 2:58 PM, luna1122 said:

Wow, I love this whole line of thought. I believe you're onto something. 

My boyfriend who fell asleep during first viewing immediately upon second viewing...." I bet some alien thing happened to her..." He is far smarter than I am, I said hmmmmmm.... others have mentioned that!!! 

[ALenore]

Quote

If this is happening in 2010, why was there an article about drive-through restaurants on the front page of the paper, as if they were something new? 

That article wasn't from a 2010 newspaper, it showed Ennis Stussy winning an award for a science fiction story but he looked to be around 30 years old,  so that had to be about 50 years ago, if he was 82 when he died.   

[VCRTracking]

Me at about the 40 minute mark of the recent episode:

Edited April 29, 2017 by VCRTracking

[Ottis]

I'm enjoying the season, except for the fact that everyone seems pretty dim.

[MisterBluxom]

On 2017-04-28 at 0:38 AM, shapeshifter said:

The "Tampon Actress" is Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who starred in last summer's wonderful, one-season, before-its-time, prescient, comedic political thriller Braindead. Carrie Coon has been starring in the beautiful and cerebral The Leftovers, now in its 3rd and final season. So I'm gladly here for the duration.

I was intrigued by your post and so I watched the first two episodes of Braindead. I think there may be a real danger that viewers will associate Mary Elizabeth with her character who leaves a tampon calling card and get turned off this show or decide they don't want to watch her anymore. That would be most unfortunate because I think most people will be shocked at just how fabulously talented and entertaining she is.

Braindead is one of the most original and most entertaining shows I've seen in ages and MEW's performance is definitely the highlight of the show. She is the star - without a doubt. If anyone here is looking for a terrific new show, I would like to recommend you check it out. The premise is amazing. I just hope they do more on the political situation in  D.C. But as I understand, this board has eliminated all American political discussion (and understandably so since it just seems to lead to insane screaming matches between people who favor one candidate over the other) and so it would probably be best if I don't discuss that any further and instead just focus on MEW.

She is absolutely amazing. I will try to watch everything I can get my hands on in which she appears.

@Shapeshifter, thank you very much for for the info you posted. It has been some of the most valuable I've gleaned so far from this forum.

Edited April 29, 2017 by MissBluxom

[MisterBluxom]

6 hours ago, PeggyB said:

I wondered the same! 

Yep on both points! I'm hoping we're both wrong about Season 3...

I understand your POV but I hope you are wrong about S3. It may well turn out they are building up to a very intricate story and are just showing a bunch of seemingly unrelated events to begin (like the opening of Episode One).  I am hopeful this will be the best season so far. If the casting is any indication, it would seem to be true.

[kieyra]

5 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

I was intrigued by your post and so I watched the first two episodes of Braindead. I think there may be a real danger that viewers will associate Mary Elizabeth with her character who leaves a tampon calling card and get turned off this show or decide they don't want to watch her anymore. That would be most unfortunate because I think most people will be shocked at just how fabulously talented and entertaining she is.

Braindead is one of the most original and most entertaining shows I've seen in ages and MEW's performance is definitely the highlight of the show. She is the star - without a doubt. If anyone here is looking for a terrific new show, I would like to recommend you check it out. The premise is amazing. I just hope they do more on the political situation in  D.C. But as I understand, this board has eliminated all American political discussion (and understandably so since it just seems to lead to insane screaming matches between people who favor one candidate over the other) and so it would probably be best if I don't discuss that any further and instead just focus on MEW.

She is absolutely amazing. I will try to watch everything I can get my hands on in which she appears.

@Shapeshifter, thank you very much for for the info you posted. It has been some of the most valuable I've gleaned so far from this forum.

(Not sure if you know, due to the phrasing you use, but BrainDead was cancelled. The showrunners have moved onto a new show, The Good Fight, which is a spinoff of The Good Wife.)

That said, I agree it would suck if the actress received some sort of stigma for that scene (which seems possible given the nicknames people insist on using in the thread). And unfortunately, it was a pretty dumb scene obviously intended to be "edgy".