S03.E04: The Narrow Escape Problem

[knaankos]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

No character, to date, has surpassed Malvo for chilling, bone-rattlin' evil, but Varga comes close.  I'm very nervous when he's in a scene, talking too calmly, showing those disgusting teeth when he grins.  I've never seen David Thewlis play any other characters but this one sure is going to be memorable.  And of course, the sight of him wolfing down his food (and then purging-blech) will also be unforgettable.

He played Remus Lupin in Harry Potter. Who of course was a werewolf. Something about Thewlis screams wolffish 

[Wouldofshouldof]

I'm enjoying the season, and I love Ewan McGregor (he's my hall pass).  I just have one problem with the plot.  Why on earth couldn't Emmit and Sy have gone to the authorities as soon as Vargas showed up and explained what was going on?  At that point there wasn't any wrongdoing on the part of Stussy Lots.  I get it, we just have to overlook that to move the story along, but DUH.

[MisterBluxom]

14 hours ago, Bannon said:

Enjoyed the episode, and I thought it built on last week. I haven't seen the Stussy brothers as being particularly interesting until now, and I think that is starting to change. Loved the scene where Ray tries to explain things to his bosses; the writers understand that if you are going to write a character dumb, it has to be funny.

It isn't season 1, nor, especially, season 2, but it is enjoyable, nonetheless.

I must agree.  I just couldn't see much of their entertainment value until after watching last night's episode more than once.  They are truly wonderful. I like them oh so much. So very entertaining and appealing. Oh yes, they are. I have to applaud the casting choices made. Really I do.

[ghoulina]

16 hours ago, Ottis said:

I'm the only person who didn't like Peter and the Wolf. It felt contrived to me.

I'll admit I found it silly at first, but it grew on me. 

 

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

No character, to date, has surpassed Malvo for chilling, bone-rattlin' evil, but Varga comes close.  I'm very nervous when he's in a scene, talking too calmly, showing those disgusting teeth when he grins.

He makes me nervous too. I literally have no idea what he's really up to. And he's always so smiley and smarmy. He raises the hairs on the back of my neck. 

 

2 hours ago, Kath94 said:

Did anyone find Gloria's house familiar?  When she answered the front door in her bathrobe, I had a flashback to young Molly's house from season 2.

YES! Something about the levels and the placement of the door. I thought the same thing. 

26 minutes ago, Wouldofshouldof said:

I'm enjoying the season, and I love Ewan McGregor (he's my hall pass).  I just have one problem with the plot.  Why on earth couldn't Emmit and Sy have gone to the authorities as soon as Vargas showed up and explained what was going on?  At that point there wasn't any wrongdoing on the part of Stussy Lots.  I get it, we just have to overlook that to move the story along, but DUH.

Is it possible that there's something shady or underhanded about the way they borrowed money in the first place?

[Doyounot]

3 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

Well, if there is one constant about this show, it is that "people who behave well are usually rewarded and people who behave badly are usually punished." Each in an appropriate way and amount.

I suspect the writers of this show work under one primary moral imperative and that is, "Please see to it that over the course of each season, cast members are rewarded for their good deeds (although possibly, a little more that what they deserve) and cast members are punished for their bad deeds (although also, a little more than what they deserve).

In this way, audience members who have a strong sense of morality will be happy when they see good deeds get rewarded and bad deeds get punished. If there is one reason why the audience tends to be happy with this show, I think that just might be it. Would you agree?

I know that both of those premises tend to satisfy my sense of morality. This show just makes me feel good!  If I had to sum it up into a single reason for youngsters (say 13 to 18), it would be that over the course of each season on this show, people tend to get what they deserve - in spades!"

Yes totally agree this show (and the movie) definitely has a kind heart and is a feel good story which is weird for me to say given all of the dark things that occur but like you said they usually occur to the people who did "bad" already so you dont feel too much for them, or you do but then u remember the shit they did to get themselves there in the first place and and then are like : ok then HA! One thing that sticks in my head is the girl from last season (i know im misquoting here) talking about the book but really fargo where she says some people think its dark but i think its beautiful.

This episode like i said i feel for ray but cant forget he is ultimately not one of the "good people" and if things go like they do in fargo he will not make it. The only thing with this show is that a few of the "good ones" get sacrificed along the way to show how dark stuff happens and sure the people that did it will "get theirs" but it still happened. Thats why im worried for emmits wife not gonna lie and now with the intruduction of a next good female cop one doesnt have to make it! Thats why i love this show it doesnt pretend everything is sunshine and rainbows just for doing/being "good" but in the end more people with "good morals" get rewarded like you said than "bad". Alot of quotation marks this post haha

[tennisgurl]

1 hour ago, knaankos said:

Something about Thewlis screams wolffish 

It really does doesn't it? I don't know what it is, exactly, but he looks like someone who might actually be half wolf. Funny that in the role when he actually played a werewolf, he was a good guy. He is just creepy here, I still have no idea what he is going to do at any given time, or even what he actually wants. And he's bulimic? Weird character beat, but that's Fargo for you.

I think this episode was the episode where things really started cooking. I'm finally getting invested in the characters, and we seem to be moving forward in the plot, at last. I love Ewan McGregor, so its good that they are giving him more to do. We did TWO Ewan's for the price of one, I want to get to see him act his little Scottish heart out, even if he's wearing those God awful wigs.

The Peter and the Wolf thing was amazing, it totally worked for me. Maybe its partially because I grew up hearing Peter and the Wolf (mom used to play it while we worked on dinner), but I was filled with glee from the second it started, and I got super excited every time it started again. Sometimes this show can be quirky just for the sake of being quirky, but I thought this quirkiness was just the right amount.

Alright, this has to have something to do with the history of the USSR right? They keep bringing it up all the time, especially with that flashback on the start of the first episode, and I refuse to believe that its not leading anywhere. I'm also wondering if anything supernatural is going to happen this season? In the first season we had some magical realism biblical stuff going in, the second season had aliens and possible psychic powers, what will this season have?

[Portia]

I know this is a wackadoo theory, but could it be that Varga can't keep human food down because he's, I don't know, an alien? This is the world of Fargo, after all.

The throw-up effects to me were easily ten times grosser than the tampon scene.

[shapeshifter]

21 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

I also loved the Peter & the Wolf voiceovers. And the music. Brilliant, just brilliant. I really need to rewatch this episode to pick up all the nuances.

Oh my goodness. Ditto here with the body temp and the faucet/towel sensors. Thank you for this insight!

"The Cat." 
I had to read this synopsis: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_and_the_Wolf
—because all I could think of was "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," and I was hopefully sure that Gloria would not meet that Peter's end.
Now that the story of Peter and the Wolf is clear in my mind:
Emit is The Bird. So he heeds the warning about The Cat and flies to safety?
Poor Ray is The Duck. Will he "escape" from The Cat by swimming to the center of The Pond (which might represent his world after losing his job) only to be swallowed whole by The Wolf? Perhaps The Duck still heard quacking in the Wolf's belly foreshadows them being in prison together after Peter/Gloria prevents The Wolf/Varga from dying by The Hunters' Guns/Varga's henchmen.

Edited May 13, 2017 by shapeshifter

[Armchair Critic]

8 hours ago, Doyounot said:

This episode like i said i feel for ray but cant forget he is ultimately not one of the "good people" and if things go like they do in fargo he will not make it

I can't help rooting for Ray, I hate the way Sy treats him and figured Nikki is using him and doesn't really care for him. But he is in way too deep for redemption, he will end up either dead or in prison.

[AuntiePam]

16 hours ago, luna1122 said:

I'd say she already is his downfall. Whether or not she actually does love him, and that's up for a lot of speculation, she's already involved him in several crimes, including murder, and cost him his job, tho all of that is on him, of course. He went along with all of it only too willingly, with very little-to-no remorse over any of it so far. I know we like to root for the underdog, and Ray is that, but he's not a good man, Nikki or not. I seriously doubt things are going to end well for either of them, but that's as it should be.

But Ray started it.  Nikki didn't know Ray was going to send Maurice to steal the stamp.  When Maurice barges into their bathroom and starts talking about how things went bad in Eden Valley, she asks Ray "What did you do?"  If not for Maurice demanding $5K -- which only happened after Ray got physical with him -- Maurice could still be alive. 

I agree that Nikki will be Ray's downfall -- he's so desperate to keep her and impress her, he'll do anything.  I think she loves him -- now -- but I think she's a bit sociopathic, and she won't have any trouble kicking him to the curb if he becomes more of a liability.

Something I noticed about Gloria -- she seems surprised that electronics aren't working for her.  If this has been going on for awhile, seems like she'd be more blase about it. 

Just rewatched the first episode -- a piece of Maurice's tee shirt rips on a banister as he's leaving Nikki's apartment -- if Gloria notices the tear, and finds the piece of fabric, she'll know that Maurice was inside the building, on an upper floor,  and not just randomly on the street.

Doesn't that tee shirt say "Russia Lovers"?  I couldn't make out the artwork though, whether it's a band, or what.  Anyone know?

[MisterBluxom]

7 hours ago, Portia said:

I know this is a wackadoo theory, but could it be that Varga can't keep human food down because he's, I don't know, an alien? This is the world of Fargo, after all.

The throw-up effects to me were easily ten times grosser than the tampon scene.

Heh. I would buy into that if we saw him at some function that he had to attend and had no choice about eating. But in this episode, he is sitting in a restaurant and it appears to be his choice to order all that food in such a weird display and then eat it all. No one forced him. If he was an alien, would he have done that?

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, MissBluxom said:

Heh. I would buy into that if we saw him at some function that he had to attend and had no choice about eating. But in this episode, he is sitting in a restaurant and it appears to be his choice to order all that food in such a weird display and then eat it all. No one forced him. If he was an alien, would he have done that?

Heh heh. Not likely, but I suppose his alien system could require a large amount of a mineral or protein that is only available in tiny amounts in human food and that is absorbed through his other-worldly eustachian tube, getting a second dose when he regurgitates. (If I ever was allowed on a jury, I would probably be a defense attorney's dream.)
While his bulimia might wind up leaving a clue for Gloria, right now I see it as symbolic of his disgusting character and/or motives, of which Sy and Emmit only have glimpses, just as we previously only saw his very un-Hollywood teeth.
Now I'm recalling the early speculation between Sy and Emmit about whether drug dealing was the real crime (Emit's theory) or child sex slaves (Sy's go-to thought, which horrified Emit, who is The Bird without guile that flies out of harm's way, whereas Sy is The Grandpa, who has seen many dangerous Wolves in his time). 
And this leads me to consider how Emit has been entirely manipulated by Sy for perhaps their entire lives, or at least since Emmit and Ray's father died and left the stamps and the car. Neither Emit nor Ray are too bright, but Sy may have seen in Emit the brother most easily manipulated, and has succeeded in supplanting Ray as the other benefactor of Ray and Emit's father's estate.
Ray, OTOH, is seemingly only manipulated by beautiful women, from whom he has been previously protected by his poverty, plain looks, lack of wit and ambition, etc.

[Milburn Stone]

10 hours ago, Portia said:

The throw-up effects to me were easily ten times grosser than the tampon scene.

The only good thing was that this time, a scene's set-up gave warning that on-screen vomiting was about to take place, so I was able to cover my entire face with my entire forearm before it happened. Following which I asked Mrs. Stone, "Is it over? Is it over?" Because you can never be sure. Memo to all TV and film makers: It is never necessary to show vomit in order to communicate that a character is vomiting. Memo to Congress: You know those required initials at the beginnings of shows, alerting to the presence of nudity, foul language, and violence? How about a "P" for puke?

Edited May 13, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[scrb]

Bulimia is only the after effect of his binge eating, which is suppose to suggest what a voracious monster he is.

Varga and his henchmen come from some alien culture, taking over a small town, an alien invasion.

In all 3 seasons, you have these malevolent forces invading a small town.  On paper, it seems like a huge mismatch between large or successful criminal forces and the small-town one-person law enforcement.  So far Emmet doesn't seem to be much of a match for Varga, unlike the couple in season 2 or Lester in season 1.

Viewers may expect more from Gloria, given how the previous two seasons played out.

[Milburn Stone]

5 hours ago, scrb said:

Bulimia is only the after effect of his binge eating, which is suppose to suggest what a voracious monster he is.

That doesn't quite work with the fact that his dinner at The Stussies seemed to be of sensible portion size. (At least as far as we were shown.) I like the explanation otherwise!

Edited May 13, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[MisterBluxom]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Heh heh. Not likely, but I suppose his alien system could require a large amount of a mineral or protein that is only available in tiny amounts in human food and that is absorbed through his other-worldly eustachian tube, getting a second dose when he regurgitates. (If I ever was allowed on a jury, I would probably be a defense attorney's dream.)
While his bulimia might wind up leaving a clue for Gloria, right now I see it as symbolic of his disgusting character and/or motives, of which Sy and Emmit only have glimpses, just as we previously only saw his very un-Hollywood teeth.
Now I'm recalling the early speculation between Sy and Emmit about whether drug dealing was the real crime (Emit's theory) or child sex slaves (Sy's go-to thought, which horrified Emit, who is The Bird without guile that flies out of harm's way, whereas Sy is The Grandpa, who has seen many dangerous Wolves in his time). 
And this leads me to consider how Emit has been entirely manipulated by Sy for perhaps their entire lives, or at least since Emmit and Ray's father died and left the stamps and the car. Neither Emit nor Ray are too bright, but Sy may have seen in Emit the brother most easily manipulated, and has succeeded in supplanting Ray as the other benefactor of Ray and Emit's father's estate.
Ray, OTOH, is seemingly only manipulated by beautiful women, from whom he has been previously protected by his poverty, plain looks, lack of wit and ambition, etc.

Reading your post got me to wondering if there could be any connection between Varga's inability to stomach that food and Gloria Burgle's inability to handle modern devices (such as auto door openers and auto soap dispensers). I don't mean there is a direct relation between the two. Just that each has something their body just will not tolerate and I have to wonder if the cause of those intolerances may somehow be related? Pretty doubtful. But It still made me ponder. After all, what is the point of repeatedly showing the audience that kind of behavior if it has no point or is  not related to anything else in the show? It would just be a stupid red herring. Wouldn't it?

Edited May 13, 2017 by MissBluxom

[SoothingDave]

They used the phrase "preferred nomenclature."  Dude, the Chinaman is not the issue!

The $10,000 threshold is for reporting to the IRS.  I don't see how that really bothers Ray.  From the conversation about the desecration of the dog's ashed, Sy and Emmitt already understand that Ray stole the money.  You don't need the IRS to tell you that a large withdrawal was made from one of your accounts.

Not that it may still end up being important, just that it doesn't harm Ray any more with his brother than he already is.

[AuntiePam]

15 minutes ago, SoothingDave said:

The $10,000 threshold is for reporting to the IRS.  I don't see how that really bothers Ray.  From the conversation about the desecration of the dog's ashed, Sy and Emmitt already understand that Ray stole the money.  You don't need the IRS to tell you that a large withdrawal was made from one of your accounts.

Not that it may still end up being important, just that it doesn't harm Ray any more with his brother than he already is.

It doesn't harm Ray with his brother, but it could bring the government into the story. 

I thought the point of IRS notification is because the IRS concerns itself with large cash withdrawals.  IRS will want to know why he withdrew the cash.  What was he purchasing that required cash rather than a check or ACH transfer?  Cash = hiding something.  I could be wrong though, not being one of those people who deal with large amounts of cash. 

[SoothingDave]

True.  Yes, it's supposed to allow the gov't to help track drug and other illicit activity.  Of course, if you have a legitimate business that handles a lot of cash, it is a burden.  Because if you have transactions (in or out) of $10,000 or more, you invite scrutiny.  But if you "structure" your transactions to avoid the $10,000 limit, you get accused of trying to avoid the law.  Basically, damned if you do, damned if you don't.  

Now that I'm thinking of it, the cash nature of the parking business is probably perfect model for this to be trouble.  What will the mob think when the IRS comes snooping around?  

[Dowel Jones]

10 hours ago, scrb said:

Varga and his henchmen come from some alien culture, taking over a small town, an alien invasion.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead could handle it, no problem.

[Jordan Baker]

On ‎5‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 1:09 PM, MissBluxom said:

I suppose I have some bad feelings towards his first wife (Angelina Jolie).

I, too, think BBT is a great actor. One minor nit, though. Angelina Jolie was his 5th wife. He's currently married to #6.

This season, the standout for me is Michael Stuhlbarg. I don't recall seeing him in anything before Fargo. In fact, in the first episode, I thought (for the first few minutes) that Sy was played by Joaquin Phoenix.

I foresee a Best Supporting nomination for him.

[MisterBluxom]

2 hours ago, Jordan Baker said:

I, too, think BBT is a great actor. One minor nit, though. Angelina Jolie was his 5th wife. He's currently married to #6.

This season, the standout for me is Michael Stuhlbarg. I don't recall seeing him in anything before Fargo. In fact, in the first episode, I thought (for the first few minutes) that Sy was played by Joaquin Phoenix.

I foresee a Best Supporting nomination for him.

Ewwwps. Thank you.

[annzeepark914]

14 hours ago, Jordan Baker said:

This season, the standout for me is Michael Stuhlbarg. I don't recall seeing him in anything before Fargo. In fact, in the first episode, I thought (for the first few minutes) that Sy was played by Joaquin Phoenix.

I foresee a Best Supporting nomination for him.

I once said that Sy's start & stop babbling complete with that OTT "accent" was driving me nuts.  But, IMO, there's something about this character that stands out (more so than Ewan) so Stuhlbarg should be nominated.  I could feel his fear, in that scene with the police officer, as he kept looking through the glass wall at Varga's henchmen.

[Razzberry]

If Varga is actually bulimic then he's probably taking lots of laxatives as well.  We may get that explosive diarrhea scene yet.  Just sayin'.

[festivus]

Well this episode did get me to get my Peter and the Wolf record out and play it. That was my favorite record when I was a kid. Otherwise besides the new lady cop which I quite liked, meh. I wish I could be more into it but I just don't care about the brothers and their story. I'm only interested when Gloria is trying to find out what happened to her stepdad. I really do want to know why she has trouble with the doors and sinks and stuff. At least the music is still kick-ass. The music was one of my favorite things about season two.

[cpcathy]

Four episodes in and I still do not care about the brothers. It clouds my judgement in not knowing if Ewan is doing a good job or not. Last season at four episodes in we had the shootout in the woods and Joe Bulo's head in a box, right?

[annzeepark914]

14 hours ago, cpcathy said:

Four episodes in and I still do not care about the brothers. It clouds my judgement in not knowing if Ewan is doing a good job or not. Last season at four episodes in we had the shootout in the woods and Joe Bulo's head in a box, right?

Yup!  Things were a-poppin' last season by this time.  This season is just going so slowly, as in the side trip to LA--interesting in a way but again, it slowed down the pace--felt like it was just a filler cause they needed to stretch the story to make a certain number of episodes.  Now, it could be that they wanted this season to be different from the first two (and that would be sad!!!)

[AzureOwl]

On 2017-5-12 at 2:47 PM, Wouldofshouldof said:

I'm enjoying the season, and I love Ewan McGregor (he's my hall pass).  I just have one problem with the plot.  Why on earth couldn't Emmit and Sy have gone to the authorities as soon as Vargas showed up and explained what was going on?  At that point there wasn't any wrongdoing on the part of Stussy Lots.  I get it, we just have to overlook that to move the story along, but DUH.

The way I took it, Emmit and Sy knew from the beginning that something wasn't kosher about that loan. That's why they didn't involve the authorities from the start. 

The problem is that they assumed they were dealing with a loan shark, not with a money launderer. And by the time they figured out what was up, Varga had already been through their computers planting incriminating evidence.  

[SunnyBeBe]

I thought that Vargas had thought he ate poison and was purging to rid himself of the potion.  But, he had a handy breath spray, so, I suppose that knocks that theory. 

[qtpye]

On ‎5‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 4:28 PM, ghoulina said:

Interesting. I have a lower than average body temp as well, and the same problem with those bathroom faucets/paper towel sensors. I never thought about that before. But yea, with Gloria it is ALL electronic devices it seems. She even had trouble with someone hearing her on the phone, right? I hope there's a good payoff here. 

 

On ‎5‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 6:41 PM, MissBluxom said:

If it does, I would guess that it would be somehow related to that box with the hand that emerges and shuts it off. The more I think about it, the more that I like that box and I'd like to buy one.  It is silly. But there is just something deluxe about it. Of course, I don't mean "deluxe" in the usual sense. I really don't know just what word I'm looking for. But out of all the stupid kinds of joke things (like pet rocks, etc.) that box has to be one of the most interesting toys I've ever seen. It's truly very attention-grabbing!  I love it!

I must agree very strongly. It was truly amazing. I loved it.

The box was a fascinating existential toy.  It existed purely to shut itself down.  Maybe we will find out that Gloria is actually Minsky the robot and her stepfather created her to find meaning in life? (I kid).

[Bannon]

On 5/12/2017 at 1:47 PM, Wouldofshouldof said:

I'm enjoying the season, and I love Ewan McGregor (he's my hall pass).  I just have one problem with the plot.  Why on earth couldn't Emmit and Sy have gone to the authorities as soon as Vargas showed up and explained what was going on?  At that point there wasn't any wrongdoing on the part of Stussy Lots.  I get it, we just have to overlook that to move the story along, but DUH.

Well, it is possible, and likely, that the business was already highly leveraged, and the sort of unconventional loan from Vargas would violate existing loan covenants, which are pretty common in commercial lending. If  those bank loans were secured by the real estate, which would be typical in the parking lot business, a violation of the loan covenant, once the bank became aware of it, could trigger the principal being called immediately, followed shortly thereafter by foreclosure.

I though it pretty credible that Emmett and Sy would be reluctant to contact authorities.

[car54]

Gloria's theme song should be "Mr Cellophane" from Chicago---everyone looks right through her and underestimates her--even the technology.   They'll be sorry they did that, I think.    I like that she found a friend in the other cop.   That actress brought a lot of energy to her scenes.

Varga's description of the really rich seems very timely to me in our current political climate.

I think the $10,000 withdrawal will bring the authorities into looking at Emmitt's finances and probably they'll stumble onto his new partner that way.

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

Who Will Make It To The End Of The Road On Fargo?

Totally spoiler-free speculation on which characters will live to see Christmas 2010.

[VCRTracking]

Agree with everyone that Billy Bob Thorton narrating Peter and the Wolf and all the instruments representing the Fargo characters was brilliant.

What really nails the distinction between the two brothers is not just Ewan McGregor's acting and the hair and wardrobe but the different way Sy treats each of them.

Poor Ray. I don't blame him for being over the moon for Nikki but I think she probably is using him.

I've been on Harry Potter message boards and there was always some complaints that Professor Lupin should have been played by Ewan McGregor instead of David Thewlis because the former is younger and better looking so seeing them in seeing them in scenes together is amusing to me.

One Marge Gunderson-clone in one season is fine. Two? Okay I'm interested.

Edited May 17, 2017 by VCRTracking

[Shriekingeel]

On 5/14/2017 at 1:24 AM, MissBluxom said:

This season, the standout for me is Michael Stuhlbarg. I don't recall seeing him in anything before Fargo. In fact, in the first episode, I thought (for the first few minutes) that Sy was played by Joaquin Phoenix.

If you watched Boardwalk Empire, Stuhlbarg (as World Series fixer Arnold Rothstein) stole every scene he was in. 

[beadgirl]

Quote

While his bulimia might wind up leaving a clue for Gloria, right now I see it as symbolic of his disgusting character and/or motives, of which Sy and Emmit only have glimpses, just as we previously only saw his very un-Hollywood teeth.

I don't think it's true bulimia, either, or a compulsion on his part, but a symbol of his greed.  It reminded me of 1) the Romans who supposedly pigged out, threw up, and pigged out again (I don't think they actually did?), and 2) how the Catholic Church uses something like this as an example of a disordered appetite.*  Vargas is evil, and this perversion is another sign of it.

I've had trouble, too, with sensors, and my basal body temperature is lower than normal.  Hmm ... I like that better than being an alien.

Has there been anything yet that connects this iteration with any of the previous Fargo iterations? Like the briefcase between the movie and season 1, and whatshisname (and the henchmen duo) between seasons 1 and 2?

 

*The Church would distinguish this from an actual eating disorder that someone struggles with.

[shapeshifter]

I think the general consensus has been that killing Ennis Stussy by suffocation by gluing his nose and mouth shut was not likely in Maurice's repertoire, so perhaps Varga was behind it (having also made an erroneous Stussy connection) and thereby Varga/The Wolf will be caught by Gloria/Peter.

[MisterBluxom]

It suddenly occurred to me that Varga's two thugs (Yuri the Russian and some Asian man whose name I don't know) are parallel to the two hit men in Season 2. One of them was deaf and I think one of them was named Mr. Wrench. I mean "parallel" only in the sense that they are both doomed and one or both will be the first bad guys to die when the plot finally turns and the good guys vanquish Varga and his bad guys.

I think this will be the result for them beating on MEW in this episode. Surely in the Fargo world, beating on a lady like that could never go unpunished.

[John Potts]

Oh Ray. I get that you really love Nikki, but you've probably ended your noble gesture is probably going to end your relationship. I have no trouble seeing WHY you would do that (she's hot AND smart - though probably not as smart as she thinks she is), but she probably isn't as into you as you are into her. If giving up your job AND failing to reclaim the stamp (or more cash) wasn't enough, he also failed to show up for the meeting with the sponsor. I can't see her showing the same loyalty to him as he showed to her.

On ‎12‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 1:01 AM, MissBluxom said:

Nikki and Ray strike me as a typical pair of criminals who are able to develop a good cheating system but who would never be able to stick to some system that included controlled losses so they didn't appear to be cheating.

Absolutely. As one documentary I saw (re. fraud) said, "The most important thing? Don't get greedy!" I can't see that pair adopting Vargas' policy of deliberately underplaying their wealth, or they wouldn't have appeared on camera drinking champagne. Of course, you have to wonder the point of being wealthy if you can't enjoy the perks of it.

Glad that the forces of good are starting to connect the dots, even if that new lady cop was a little too friendly for my tastes. Is menstruation going to be  running theme?

On ‎11‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 4:08 AM, AimingforYoko said:

Well, whatta ya know, consequences all over the place.

I was particularly pleased that Sy faced consequences for ramming Ray's (and the waitress') car. You'd think if you were going to commit an illegal act, you'd realise it's a bad idea to do it in public and broad daylight!

On ‎11‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 7:29 PM, Eulipian 5k said:

I guess the key to getting away with murder in a post Breaking Bad/ Fargo world is to: keep the cops out of the toilet!

I couldn't help being reminded of Gus Fring's poisoning of the Salamancas, too (though at least Gus' vomiting had more point than Vargas').

On ‎12‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 8:47 PM, Wouldofshouldof said:

Why on earth couldn't Emmit and Sy have gone to the authorities as soon as Vargas showed up and explained what was going on?

For one, they don't KNOW he's anything more than an annoying investor. Secondly, I suspect the fact that they were prepared to go to a dodgy lender implies their business isn't entirely above board, so don't want the cops looking into them (even before Vargas showed up).

On ‎21‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 5:38 PM, MissBluxom said:

It suddenly occurred to me that Varga's two thugs are parallel to the two hit men in Season 2.

Mr Numbers & Mr Wrench.

[cleo]

So that can't be the first time Gloria is in a washroom and can't get the dispensers to work bc they dont register her. I'm pretty sure she would have just started carrying around a little bottle of Purell.

So I'm enjoying the story with parole officer brother more than the other one. Surprised he got caught so soon by his bosses.

The scene with Sy and the cop reminded me of the movie and WHM being questioned.

Yeah like others have said, Gloria's boss just seems like retread.

Peter and the Wolf didn't work for me.

I don't find Thewliss scary, just gross.

Edited January 29, 2019 by cleo

[SoMuchTV]

18 hours ago, cleo said:

So that can't be the first time Gloria is in a washroom and can't get the dispensers to work bc they dont register her. I'm pretty sure she would have just started carrying around a little bottle of Purell.

It's been a while since I watched, but it was set in 2010 (I had to go back and check), and it could be that she just didn't get to places with such high-tech restrooms much.  So that one, I can buy.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 5/10/2017 at 11:08 PM, AimingforYoko said:

This was easily the best episode of the season and that was mostly due to David Thewlis.

It was the best so far for me too. That scene in Emmit's home office at the end was amazing. It was equal parts creepy and hilarious ("it's a lease through the company!). I only know David Thewlis as the Shame Wizard from Big Mouth but he is awesome as a creepy guy in live action stuff too.

On 5/11/2017 at 8:29 AM, ghoulina said:

Shout out to Bemidji, new bank girl! 

And Luverne in the same scene. And speaking of Bemidji, Gloria needs to go there and hang out with Lou. Her sarcastic line delivery when talking to the sheriff (well I'm already home) sounded a lot like 70s Lou.

On 6/29/2017 at 5:55 AM, John Potts said:

For one, they don't KNOW he's anything more than an annoying investor. Secondly, I suspect the fact that they were prepared to go to a dodgy lender implies their business isn't entirely above board, so don't want the cops looking into them (even before Vargas showed up).

They did take out there loan in 2009 so probably not a lot of banks willing to loan a million to a company that was based on owning real estate. So I totally expect they knowingly went somewhere shady. Also Emmit and Sy are both idiots so that also might be why they don't go to the cops. Although if a guy showed up and said he was their partner not the lender they have to pay off, the cops might just say it is a civil matter and for then to take him to court.

Also speaking of Stussy Lots I loved that there were parking lot lines on the entrance to every office.