S03.E05: The House of Special Purpose

[MisterBluxom]

Wow! What a fabulous episode. I couldn't believe it. I kept looking at the clock to see how far along we had progressed in this episode.

I got the feeling this was some kind of double episode because it was taking so long. It seemed to me that it was lasting for two hours or so. There was just so much happening in this episode as compared to previous ones. Don't get me wrong. I liked most all of the previous epis this season. But some of them seemed to have been short on the amount of action. And it seems like so many other of my favorite shows have been lacking action (like The Americans) and people have been very vocal in complaining about too little action (especially in The Americans) and here ...... this epi ...... seemed to be just chock full of action. So many wonderful events and twists and turns. It was fabulous! Oh. How I enjoyed it!  Enjoyed it so much (I'm saying). Heh Heh. That is a little Fargo humor.

Knowing that Nikki got beat up was a real shock - even though it happened  off screen.  I'm glad it happened off screen. I have a very strong feeling of admiration for Nikki and the actress who plays her and I really don't need or want to see anyone beating on her. But so many other of the plot points were just terrific. I wonder if I will start to sound like a parrot if I go through them all. I'm guessing that you all really don't need to hear me talk about how much I enjoyed all these events since you saw them just as clearly as I did. But, some of the highlights for me were:

Seeing the New Boss acting like an imbecile (in comparison to the Old Boss). It was a great comparison to the First Season. The device was used to make the female law officer appear to be all the more competent and clever as compared to her male boss. I really enjoyed it even though it had been done before. I think there was a good reason for that to happen and I was happy to sit through it. The Old Boss and the New Boss. Who? That is another attempt at humor albeit a weak attempt. I wonder if there may be any other connection to The Who or even to the question, "Who?"  Didn't someone ask someone else if they were an owl after hearing them ask the question, "Who?"

The point about the truth being more important than appearances was so true - especially in today's world. Especially in Hollywood. It seems like people in charge are just never going to realize that they are making a terrible mistake when they ignore the truth as it is told to them by employees who they look down upon. What a bunch of fools. But I guess that is just the way of the world. They need to learn the hard way. Freaking *MORONS*.

I think that I will have more to say later. I really enjoy this show so much and I'm so very happy to have it go on while The Americans are just about to end their season. "You go Gloria go!"  Stick it to the man. He is such a dumbass! He deserves to be shown up for the fool he is!

Edited May 18, 2017 by MissBluxom

[iMonrey]

Quote

That area where Sy and the widow Goldfarb met -- the table all by itself with all that open space around.  Did the widow ask for that seating, to keep anyone from overhearing the conversation?  Because it looked like they were on a stage.  Weird.

Not only was that one weird restaurant, but when he walked outside, the sign over the door said "Bears Lounge" or something with "Bears." Which made me wonder if it was supposed to be a gay club.

Quote

A lot of people seem to have gotten that impression. But the rest of their conversation makes it unlikely. There was nobody else listening in but them and they continued to be as antagonistic as ever. 

But was Sy mad at her because she was trying to extort or was he mad at her because she screwed up their plan to extort? They way he just dialed her phone, his response to "Who's this" ("who do you think?") - that he cut right to the point, that the wife saw the tape . . . this all suggested a plan they cooked up together. Now, admittedly, this might not be the case. But if it's not, then the story fell victim to bad writing, directing, or editing, or some combination thereof. Maybe there was a scene missing where he got her number, or a reason she should have known who he was just by "who do you think?" since she had never met him up to that point. Not unless she ran across him at the party in Episode 1, which I don't think we ever saw happen. Still not enough to know who he is just by a sarcastic "Who do you think?" That response would have made more sense if Emmit was calling her.

[MisterBluxom]

I must admit to being in the dark about Ms. Goldfarb. Did I miss some previous event where the audience was informed about her and how and why she got to meet Sy? It came as a total surprise to me.

Also, you say she was trying to extort something from the brothers? I understand the tone of her conversation did seem to sound like an attempt at extortion. But since she never spoke of a price, I don't exactly understand how she was trying to do any extortion. I thought she was just asking if they would sell their business to her. Where did the idea of an extortion come from? Did I miss some event in a prior episode?   If so, please excuse me.

Edited May 18, 2017 by MissBluxom

[MisterBluxom]

19 hours ago, KaleyFirefly said:

The scene with the pee cup was too gross, I couldn't watch it.

I didn't understand. Why did they have to make it so gross? What was the point?

They can easily make their point without showing such gross scenes. Why is that necessary? What purpose does it serve? I just don't get it. Would anyone have any idea as to the reason for it? Take the tampon in the earlier episode (or maybe don't take it. Either way, showing it up close just seemed stupid it to me). Why do that?

Edited May 18, 2017 by MissBluxom

[FormerMod-a1]

I thought Sy called Nikki because her number was on the note.  How else would they get arrangements for the money transfer w/o a way to contact them?

[MisterBluxom]

13 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Ok, I'm just gonna ask: who opens an envelope when it clearly isn't addressed to you?

Mrs. Santa Claus?       j/k

Sorry. I couldn't resist. It's been that kind of day.  Pls excuse.

Edited May 19, 2017 by MissBluxom

[MisterBluxom]

12 hours ago, ghoulina said:

As someone mentioned upthread, I surprised by myself by being really worried that Nikki was dead. TWICE. I expected to see her dead body behind the car, but then she got up and struggled to get home. But at Ray's first glimpse of her in the tub, I thought she was dead again! I didn't realize I cared either. 

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm starting to think she really DOES love Ray. She seemed genuinely thrilled with the proposal. And if she was just using him, I don't think she'd care if she had a hooker wig on or not. But she wanted it to be just right. 

I do have to say, though, she's not as smart as she thinks she is. We know Ray ain't the brains of the duo, but did she really think that the "Your Eyes Only" shit was going to work? (Maybe if they'd done it the jr. high way, with "eyes" drawn on instead?) The IDEA of the sex tape wasn't bad. Twins can certainly get away with a lot more chicanery than most people. But they totally blew it by letting the wife see the tape. 

I felt bad for Emmit there. He clearly really adores his wife. "Stella!!!!" (I wonder how planned that was.)

Sy and "fornicating with our cookwear" - Wow. For some reason, that made me more squeamish than the tampon! I don't know, the way it was done, it was so realistic. I could almost smell the urine. *shudder*

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Sy. Varga is clearly trying to sow the seeds of dissension and put a wedge between Emmit and his right hand man. Sy is trying to foist their problem off on someone else with a quickness. And now the IRS is sniffing around. It's getting quite complicated. 

The only explanation I can offer is very weak. But, IMHO, the actress playing Emmit's wife was a serious drag on the entire show.  I have seen Linda Kash act before. If you ever get the chance to see a movie called, "Hurt Penguins", you probably should pass because (again IMHO), it is seriously dreadful. Sorry, but you'll have to make of that what you will.  I just think that Fargo has got to be better without her.

Edited May 19, 2017 by MissBluxom

[AuntiePam]

30 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

I thought Sy called Nikki because her number was on the note.  How else would they get arrangements for the money transfer w/o a way to contact them?

I rewatched -- there was no phone number on the note. 

In fact, I FF'd all the episodes to see if there was a scene where Sy would have gotten Nikki's number -- nothing.  They may have made eye contact at the Stussy 25th anniversary party, but that's the only contact I saw.   

I still don't think Nikki and Sy are plotting against Emmitt.  Such a development would come out of nowhere, and Fargo doesn't do stuff like that.   It's "what you see is what you get" with Fargo's characters, with occasional background/flashbacks to explain behavior (like young Dodd being used as a hit man by his father).

Maybe we'll see something later.  We still don't know why Maurice glued Ennis's nose and mouth shut, or whether someone was in the house when Gloria discovered his body -- she heard a noise upstairs but found nothing.

[tennisgurl]

So, is Siberia also filled with stupid criminals, criminal plans that start out simply than go completely insane, people who love to go on really long rants about history/philosophy, and folksy law enforcers, with the occasional appearance by a space ship?

For real though, really good episode, it gave me a lot to think about, both plot wise, and thematically. I really thought Nikki was dead for a minute there, I'm amazed she actually made it. I guess they had no real reason to kill her, they were presumably just trying to scare Sy, and they could easily do that by beating the shit out of her, but I was still surprised. I'm also surprised that I actually cared. And I was super impressed that she actually managed to get home after that beating! She's a tough lady, even if she isn't as smart as she thinks she is. I mean, letting Ray just dump off an envelop on their front porch where Emmett's wife could find the blackmail? Come on guys. Come on.

I don't think Varga pissed in the cup, I think it was the water, but he still put his dick in the cup, so still really freaking gross. I don't think he should underestimate Sy. Right now he's out of his element, but I feel like he might be one of those guys who, when backed into a corner, they can bite back hard. And now that Varga seems to be sewing seeds of discord between him and Emmett, I think he could get backed into that corner even faster.

Looks like Gloria and her friend are getting closer, but dumbass new boss is getting in the way. Isn't that just the way?  I do hope he gets to do more than be a dumbass sheriff though, because I know the actor can do more.

It seems like we are going into a theme of Truth is what you make of it. We had the opener with the guy in Easter Berlin being accused of murder because the government wouldn't admit to a mistake, you have the video of Ray pretending to be Emmett leading to his family leaving him, and Ennis and his second life after beating the shit out of a guy in Hollywood, among other things.

Alright, something in this season has to tie back to the USSR. We keep getting references to the USSR and Eastern Europe (just this week we had that super chilling monologue about the atrocities that have happened in Russia perpetuated by various governments, and the name of the episode being the name of the place the Romanovs were killed), starting from the very beginning, this has to be leading somewhere. Maybe Vargas boss is Baba Yaga?

Would that really be so out of place on this show?

[annzeepark914]

Based on what I saw last night, Varga peed into the mug.

[welcomerain]

  5 hours ago, ChipBach said:

I thought the same thing.  It sounded to me like he was more mad that the plan didn't work properly as opposed to the fact that it happened at all.  They had direct contact with each other was new.  I was thrown off a bit by the renegotiation element, upping it to two hundred.  I think he might have hired Nikki to seduce Ray and provoke him into a battle with his brother.  That is the only way that makes sense.  He was pretty upset with the Nikki beat-down, more than just being disgusted by the violence, especially for someone who has been the catalyst of the hard feelings between the brothers.  Plus, I don't take Varga as a person who is a liar.  When he told Emmit that Sy was conspiring with his brother, I think there may have been a slanted truth to it... 

NONE of this occurred to me last nite, but now this all seems to make sense.

 

  6 hours ago, welcomerain said:

Which is very different from the original statement. Nikki had the beating coming more than Sy did, and I'm not interested in the hand wringing over Nikki being female. She's a player. She dealt herself in.

Okay, gotcha. You were objecting the notion that Nikki was some delicate flower because she's female. I agree she got herself into this game and deserves consequences but I'm disinclined to say she deserved to get the shit beat out her. I rarely think anyone deserves that, male or female.

Well, again, the author of the article said Sy deserved it more. I don't think either deserved it, but if I have to pick a more deserving recipient, it's the blackmailer and scammer, not the victim's lawyer.

[welcomerain]

  20 hours ago, KaleyFirefly said:

The scene with the pee cup was too gross, I couldn't watch it.

I didn't understand. Why did they have to make it so gross? What was the point?

They can easily make their point without showing such gross scenes. Why is that necessary? What purpose does it serve? I just don't get it. Would anyone have any idea as to the reason for it? Take the tampon in the earlier episode (or maybe don't take it. Either way, showing it up close just seemed stupid it to me). Why do that?

To bring the viewer into visceral sympathy with people who have just been confronted with things entirely out of their frame of reference, that's why.

Or maybe they give their viewers credit for not being the Church Lady.

[Mumbles]

There is an ugliness in this season that just seems to cross a line. This show has never shied away from showing human nature at its worst, but the stuff that's going on here is gratuitous in its violence and misanthropy - the cup of urine, the vulgarity and the anti-Semitism, beating a woman nearly to death, the tampon from an earlier episode....it just seems to be thrown in there because the writers lack the patience, creativity, or talent to make the same point in less vulgar ways. And no, I'm not a church lady.

Edited May 19, 2017 by Mumbles

[FormerMod-a1]

1 hour ago, AuntiePam said:

I rewatched -- there was no phone number on the note. 

Maybe it wasn't on the note, but she had to leave some way to be contacted to get the money.  That's really all I meant.  I said on the note, since it made sense to me, but if it's not there it had to be somewhere.  How else could Emmit (her intended target) know where to send money or drop off money or whatever?

[henripootel]

12 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

How else could Emmit (her intended target) know where to send money or drop off money or whatever?

I just assumed Emmit would know it was Ray, I mean he'd have to, right?  Emmit knew he didn't make any tape.  But then Emmit did what you'd expect him to do, he called Ray.  Not surprising that he'd know Ray's number but how Sy know Nikki's?  

It crossed my mind that Sy talked to Varga or his guys to get Nikki's number.  Hard to believe Sy'd feel comfortable doing this after he'd been made to drink dick water but a) Nikki seemed surprised that Sy had her number, and genuinely didn't seem to know who was calling, and b) Varga's guys somehow knew that something was up with Sy and Nikki.  Varga seems to know everything so it's not hard to believe he could find out Nikki's cell number, and he had a vested interest in anyone else trying to play his patsy.  Nikki's beatdown also made a nice object lesson for Sy, and anyone who thinks Sy and Nikki are in cahoots will have to explain why Sy left Nikki lying in the snow. 

Quote

 Is my crush on Mary Elizabeth Winstead obvious yet?

Line forms behind me, SlipperyPete.  She even broke up with her spouse a couple of days ago, but alas, I have not.  A luminously beautiful woman and a very good actor, she.  I soldiered my way through Mercy Street mostly for her, and I was hoping she'd get better material to work with.  Glad to see she has.

[MisterBluxom]

1 hour ago, welcomerain said:

To bring the viewer into visceral sympathy with people who have just been confronted with things entirely out of their frame of reference, that's why.

Or maybe they give their viewers credit for not being the Church Lady.

That is a very interesting possibility and is worthy of considerable contemplation. Seriously. I think it's a good answer.

[MisterBluxom]

5 minutes ago, henripootel said:

Line forms behind me, SlipperyPete.  She even broke up with her spouse a couple of days ago, but alas, I have not.  A luminously beautiful woman and a very good actor, she.  I soldiered my way through Mercy Street mostly for her, and I was hoping she'd get better material to work with.  Glad to see she has.

I just want to say that I can most certainly understand your sentiments. They are most understandable. Isn't MEW just wonderful?

[henripootel]

19 minutes ago, MissBluxom said:

Isn't MEW just wonderful?

Amazing - can't believe I've not really been aware of her until recently.  I remember seeing her in that Diehard movie a while back and being impressed, but I had no idea what a fine actor she is.  I may have to dig up some of her earlier work, although my dislike of Tarantino is such that I think I'll skip Death Proof, MEW or not.  Sorry Ms. Winstead, but Tarantino's work always leaves me feeling stupider and slightly soiled for having watched it.

Edited May 19, 2017 by henripootel

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, Mumbles said:

There is an ugliness in this season that just seems to cross a line. This show has never shied away from showing human nature at its worst, but the stuff that's going on here is gratuitous in its violence and misanthropy - the cup of urine, the vulgarity and the anti-Semitism, beating a woman nearly to death, the tampon from an earlier episode....it just seems to be thrown in there because the writers lack the patience, creativity, or talent to make the same point in less vulgar ways. And no, I'm not a church lady.

There's more "ewww, gross" -- almost juvenile stuff -- this season, but the other two seasons weren't short on ugly.  In S1 a totally innocent guy is dumped into a hole in a frozen lake.  In S2, the typewriter salesman -- not quite innocent but not deserving of death -- is buried alive in hot asphalt.  

 

2 hours ago, welcomerain said:

To bring the viewer into visceral sympathy with people who have just been confronted with things entirely out of their frame of reference, that's why.
 

I like this reasoning/explanation. 

It's weird, how we react more negatively to common experiences -- menstruation, vomit, urine -- than we do to seeing a guy with half his head gone.  We're just not used to seeing pee, snot, shit, etc. on TV. 

I like this season.  The flavor is different from the first two but I think the Fargo touch is there.  This might be a season where a binge-watch would help bring it all together, make more sense. 

[LittleIggy]

I didn't get why a $10,000 withdrawal would cause the IRS to come in and inspect the books. Relatively speaking, that isn't a lot of money.

[henripootel]

6 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I didn't get why a $10,000 withdrawal would cause the IRS to come in and inspect the books. Relatively speaking, that isn't a lot of money.

Possibly a post-9/11 change in the finance rules.  That would explain why the bank guy was trying to get Ray (in disguise) to consider any amount slightly less than 10,000.  Less paperwork, but I'm a little surprised the IRS got involved so quickly.  My understanding is that they're way understaffed and under-funded these days. 

[Gobi]

10 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

 

Alright, something in this season has to tie back to the USSR. We keep getting references to the USSR and Eastern Europe (just this week we had that super chilling monologue about the atrocities that have happened in Russia perpetuated by various governments, and the name of the episode being the name of the place the Romanovs were killed), starting from the very beginning, this has to be leading somewhere. Maybe Vargas boss is Baba Yaga?

Would that really be so out of place on this show?

My money is on the real Baba Yaga showing up - John Wick!

19 minutes ago, henripootel said:

Possibly a post-9/11 change in the finance rules.  That would explain why the bank guy was trying to get Ray (in disguise) to consider any amount slightly less than 10,000.  Less paperwork, but I'm a little surprised the IRS got involved so quickly.  My understanding is that they're way understaffed and under-funded these days. 

Every transaction of over $10K has to be reported to the IRS by the bank, although I doubt that they investigate many of them. It's possible there were other factors (such as a $1 million loan that was never repaid) that made the IRS decide to look into it.

Edited May 19, 2017 by Gobi

[luna1122]

9 hours ago, henripootel said:

  Nikki's beatdown also made a nice object lesson for Sy, and anyone who thinks Sy and Nikki are in cahoots will have to explain why Sy left Nikki lying in the snow. 

I'm not sure, still, that they ARE in cahoots, tho some posts here have made me think it makes some sense. Just because they're in cahoots doesn't meant they like each other. They're clearly antagonistic, but that doesn't preclude a partnership of some sort of perceived necessity, tho we don't know what that is yet, if it's a thing. Also, Sy is a douchebag and a coward, so tho he seemed disturbed by Nikki's beating, I'm not surprised he'd just leave here there for dead.

8 hours ago, henripootel said:

Amazing - can't believe I've not really been aware of her until recently.  I remember seeing her in that Diehard movie a while back and being impressed, but I had no idea what a fine actor she is.  I may have to dig up some of her earlier work, although my dislike of Tarantino is such that I think I'll skip Death Proof, MEW or not.  Sorry Ms. Winstead, but Tarantino's work always leaves me feeling stupider and slightly soiled for having watched it.

9 hours ago, henripootel said:

Line forms behind me, SlipperyPete.  She even broke up with her spouse a couple of days ago, but alas, I have not.  A luminously beautiful woman and a very good actor, she.  I soldiered my way through Mercy Street mostly for her, and I was hoping she'd get better material to work with.  Glad to see she has.

I've loved her for years, (and Tarantino is one of my fave directors, so there's that, I adore him. Not sure how anyone could feel stupid after watching "Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, but I won't try to tell you Death Proof will elevate any particular brain cells. But it's a really fun dirty ride). And how nice was her Instagram post announcing her and her hubby's divorce? All splits should be so sweet.

10 hours ago, welcomerain said:

Well, again, the author of the article said Sy deserved it more. I don't think either deserved it, but if I have to pick a more deserving recipient, it's the blackmailer and scammer, not the victim's lawyer.

True enough, but the thugs that beat her to a pulp weren't there for her. They were there for Sy, who got he and Emmit into the whole mess with Vargas and Co in the first place. That she got HIS beating doesn't seem quite equitable, even if she IS a blackmailer/murderer/scammer. She's not a heroine or an admirable person, but the mob guys were there to teach Sy a lesson, not her. She was just collateral damage. Unless there's more to the whole thing than we know.

[henripootel]

1 hour ago, luna1122 said:

Not sure how anyone could feel stupid after watching "Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, but I won't try to tell you Death Proof will elevate any particular brain cells.

I've never seen Reservoir Dogs although I hear it's ... Tarantino.  Hard to say exactly why he irritates me so much but in brief, his films seem to show a fluency in the vocabulary of previous film making that delights many, but makes me feel like I'm reading a novel composed entirely of 'LOL's, 'OMFG's and emojis.  Fine for some purposes but not to my tastes.  Also, I've gleaned enough over the years to get a glimpse of the director behind a movie by what he puts in it, and what I've gleaned about Tarantino makes me want to punch him in the face.  That one is harder to explain, but it's true.  

That said, his films aren't totally unwatchable, which makes me dislike him more for the same reason I eschew too much Chic-fil-a.  It's easy and tastes yummy but I'm just sure it's shortening my life and my palate.  

1 hour ago, luna1122 said:

but the mob guys were there to teach Sy a lesson, not her. She was just collateral damage. Unless there's more to the whole thing than we know.

Oh, I'm sure Sy was the intended target of the display and they don't give a crap about Nikki, but I'm not sure there wasn't a lesson in this for her, even beyond 'don't be mouthy to Russian gangsters'.  I'm still wondering how Sy got Nikki's cell number and considering the idea that Sy told the Russians about her, they gave him the number and then (unexpectedly for Sy) showed up to make an example of Nikki.  

[annzeepark914]

12 hours ago, welcomerain said:

To bring the viewer into visceral sympathy with people who have just been confronted with things entirely out of their frame of reference, that's why.

Or maybe they give their viewers credit for not being the Church Lady.

One doesn't have to be a "church lady" to be disgusted with some of this OTT material (drinking urine, used tampon, to be specific).  FX gave them free range and, IMO, they've taken way too much advantage of that.

So, isn't it way past time for some shoot-outs?  War in the stairwell of Stussy Lots?  Or is snow required for such a scene?

[Blakeston]

13 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Based on what I saw last night, Varga peed into the mug.

There was no urination sound when Vargas put his junk in the mug, but we heard the sound of water being poured into it afterward. And when Sy described the incident, he said something about Vargas putting his "schwanz" in the mug and fornicating with it - but nothing about urine.

I initially thought he'd peed into the mug, but from the evidence, I think the idea was that he made Sy drink water from a mug that his dick had been in.

2 hours ago, rose711 said:

It's the law. Not sure what is hard to understand. It has to be reported and checked because of money laundering. 

It has to be reported, but I've never heard of the IRS doing a spot check, and digging deeply into a company's finances, based on a withdrawal like that.

[Bannon]

12 hours ago, Mumbles said:

There is an ugliness in this season that just seems to cross a line. This show has never shied away from showing human nature at its worst, but the stuff that's going on here is gratuitous in its violence and misanthropy - the cup of urine, the vulgarity and the anti-Semitism, beating a woman nearly to death, the tampon from an earlier episode....it just seems to be thrown in there because the writers lack the patience, creativity, or talent to make the same point in less vulgar ways. And no, I'm not a church lady.

The woman who was beaten is a murderer. In previous seasons we have seen violent criminals, men and women, shot, beheaded, stabbed, etc.. How is the beating of this murderer more excessive? How is the anti-Semitism more vulgar than the racism we have seen in previous seasons? How is a tampon more vulgar than a human head in a box?

[Bannon]

4 hours ago, henripootel said:

Possibly a post-9/11 change in the finance rules.  That would explain why the bank guy was trying to get Ray (in disguise) to consider any amount slightly less than 10,000.  Less paperwork, but I'm a little surprised the IRS got involved so quickly.  My understanding is that they're way understaffed and under-funded these days. 

The 10K rule dates back to the '70s, when 10k was a lot more money. After 9/11, enforcement became a lot more vigorous, and a cash business like parking lots would be a prime target for a spot inspection of the books, with a threat of a full audit looming, to ensure cooperation. 

[Bannon]

An outstanding episode, and I really appreciate that the writers are going against the grain of most t.v. and movie drama, in how they portray various characters. Other than Gloria, Emmitt is increasingly being portrayed as the most sympathetic major character. Yes, he's obnoxiously smug about the small fortune he's built up, and he borrowed money unwisely, probably in violation of the covenants of his more conventional loans. He's loyal to his wife, however, and not really a bad guy, whereas so many shows go out of there way to portray this kind of successful businessman as unmitigated creeps. And he is now stuck in an awful situation. Will he become completely awful in response, or hang on to some shred of decency? I don't know, but I want to find out. Really, really, good writing.

The dark turn Sy's life has taken is a good development as well, because it causes the cartoonish element of the character to be turned down a bit. A lot of Coen Brothers stuff, even that which is not overtly comedic, has that cartoonish element, as has this Coen Brothers-inspired  show. I generally like it, but it takes a light hand, and I've  thought throughout this season, compared to the previous two, has been a bit overboard. That was reeled in a bit in the 2nd half of this show, and that's good.  

Edited May 19, 2017 by Bannon

[TV Anonymous]

Oh man that was brutal as i also thought they killed her! And just hearing it was worse than some of the tv violence ive seen and then no sound was awful but im so happy she is alive! And what strength to pick herself up and drive to rays!

On a lighter note the you betcha was awesome! And nikki and sy's phone conversation and initial meet up was proper the two smart ones negotiating while the two brothers just saying fuck you to each other and yelling threats. (Is it just me or was that the first fuck unsensored in a show not on premium cable or streaming service?)

Alot of freaking out this episode which brought many funny moments from sy and emmit but then I was freaking out and it was not funny at all! I hope ray and nikki dont do something too stupid now, with the cops piecing things together so fast! I should feel for sy hes under attack from all angles but i dont just indifferent whatever happens happens. All in all started out funny but ended up really dark!

I believe The Expanse is quite generous with "fuck" or its derivatives.

[MisterBluxom]

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I didn't get why a $10,000 withdrawal would cause the IRS to come in and inspect the books. Relatively speaking, that isn't a lot of money.

I don't think the amount of money is the key thing. The IRS likely made a list containing the amount of all transfers or withdrawls made together with the number of times that amount of a transaction was made and then and then decided how many agents they could afford to have investigate these things. The line just fell close to $10,000.  It's just my guess. But that is how I would have decided on the amount. Doesn't that make sense?

If they decided they could afford to have 500 agents investigate these transactions and that each agent could investigate about 100 per year, then the key number would be 50,000. So they look and see what amount of transactions heppened close to 50,000 times made and that is how they selected the amount of the transaction they would investigate.

Edited May 19, 2017 by MissBluxom

[iMonrey]

Quote

They can easily make their point without showing such gross scenes.

For me it's the vomiting. We've been "treated" to multiple scenes already showing someone vomiting. No thank you. I can get the drift simply by the sound, I don't need to see the vomit. 

Now, when the purpose is to surprise, like you didn't expect the person to vomit - for example, when Katherine Heigel vomited on air in Knocked Up - I can see the purpose of actually showing it. But if someone is going into a stall and sticking their finger down their throat, I don't need to see that. It isn't adding anything to the scene. 

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

Who's Having The Worst Week On Fargo?

Folks up north can cram a lot of misery into just a few hours of daylight.

[Nutjob]

Honestly, Varga's little dominance display didn't strike me as any grosser than the thug dunking the Dude's head in the toilet while the other peed on his rug in The Big Lebowski. The scene certainly wasn't off-tone for something inspired by the Coen Brothers world, that's for sure. It was a literal and figurative pissing match that Varga intended to win, knowing Sy needed to be reined in. 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Bannon said:

The woman who was beaten is a murderer. In previous seasons we have seen violent criminals, men and women, shot, beheaded, stabbed, etc.. How is the beating of this murderer more excessive? How is the anti-Semitism more vulgar than the racism we have seen in previous seasons? How is a tampon more vulgar than a human head in a box?

Context? I've asked myself the same questions about this episode, and all I know is that something about the context of the violence and "fornicating with the cookware" made me seriously consider dropping the show altogether.

[Bannon]

19 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

 

Knowing that Nikki got beat up was a real shock - even though it happened  off screen.  I'm glad it happened off screen. I have a very strong feeling of admiration for Nikki and the actress who plays her and I really don't need or want to see anyone beating on her. But so many other of the plot points were just terrific. I wonder if I will start to sound like a parrot if I go through them all. I'm guessing that you all really don't need to hear me talk about how much I enjoyed all these events since you saw them just as clearly as I did. But, some of the highlights for me were:

 

Caving somebody's head in with a window AC has to cut the level of admiration for a character a wee bit, doesn't it? 

[Eulipian 5k]

Pulling the wings off a fly is not the same as swatting it. One pisses off PETA and the other makes you Ted Bundy. The fly may not care but some people have a gross out factor.

[Bannon]

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Context? I've asked myself the same questions about this episode, and all I know is that something about the context of the violence and "fornicating with the cookware" made me seriously consider dropping the show altogether.

Well, I'll never try to argue somebody into continuing to watch something that they dont like, but I really can't discern the difference in context in the violence visited on this violent criminal, Nikki, and that of previous seasons. Frankly, the murder, preceded by the (extraordinarily well acted) abject terror, of the unfortunate lesbian hairdresser, at the hands of Hanzee last season, was much, much, more disturbing, to me. It really made me nauseous. When the essentially peaceful are terrorized and subjected to extreme violence, it always disturbs me a lot more than a character, who has no scruples about visiting illegitimate violence on others, getting a taste of what they are willing to do to others. The woman caved somebody's head in with an air conditioner, rather that have her burglary scheme brought to the attention of authorities. Of all the people I feel bad for, for taking a beating, she isn't too close to the top of the list. I'm not happy to see anyone get that treatment, but it isn't especially disturbing to me, in the context of victims of violent crime.

[Bannon]

6 minutes ago, Eulipian 5k said:

Pulling the wings off a fly is not the same as swatting it. One pisses off PETA and the other makes you Ted Bundy. The fly may not care but some people have a gross out factor.

Oh, I agree with that, and if somebody thinks something is gross, then it is gross to them. I thought the sound of an AC caving somebody's head in was more gross than drinking urine or the sight of somebody puking.

[luna1122]

30 minutes ago, Bannon said:

Oh, I agree with that, and if somebody thinks something is gross, then it is gross to them. I thought the sound of an AC caving somebody's head in was more gross than drinking urine or the sight of somebody puking.

The sound of Nikki being beaten or the AC landing on the guy's head were more disturbing TO ME, but watching Vargas purge or defile a cup or somebody drinking piss (if that's what happened; I'm uncertain now) is grosser and activates my own personal   barf-meter. But I just look away when that happens. Wouldn't bail on a show for it, if I liked it, (unless the gross out just became a constant theme). If I didn't, I wouldn't be watching anyway.

 

49 minutes ago, Bannon said:

Caving somebody's head in with a window AC has to cut the level of admiration for a character a wee bit, doesn't it? 

You'd think. Nikki is sexy and cunning and fun to watch, but admirable, no.

Edited May 19, 2017 by luna1122
to clarify that everyone's barf meter and tolerance levels are different.

[Eulipian 5k]

10 minutes ago, Bannon said:

Oh, I agree with that, and if somebody thinks something is gross, then it is gross to them. I thought the sound of an AC caving somebody's head in was more gross than drinking urine or the sight of somebody puking.

FWIW I thought the sight of the caved in head in the morgue was gross, but I think that was the point. This show is relentless with the grossities (new word! copyright) aaannnndddd scatology is a question of "good taste in polite society". You may clutch the pearls now.

[Bannon]

4 minutes ago, luna1122 said:

The sound of Nikki being beaten or the AC landing on the guy's head were more disturbing, but watching Vargas purge or defile a cup or somebody drinking piss (if that's what happened; I'm uncertain now) is grosser and activates my barf-meter. But I just look away when that happens. Wouldn't bail on a show for it, if I liked it. If I didn't, I wouldn't be watching anyway.

 

You'd think. Nikki is sexy and cunning and fun to watch, but admirable, no.

Grossness is in good measure dependent on personal experience, too. I've been in wildnerness desert situations where the water unexpectedly ran out (don't ask) and drinking urine as a last resort had to be considered. It's just water and minerals, and the minerals can make drinking it dangerous, beyond a very short term measure. After that, urine has never grossed me out too much. I've seen real violence, too, and the effect of that has been that violence kind of grosses me out more than anything, but perhaps you are correct that "disturbing" is a better term. 

 

Nikki is a very interesting person engaged in nasty behavior. Good writing.

[Eulipian 5k]

But it was your own personal urine right? Not some pukester with bad teeth.

[Bannon]

1 minute ago, Eulipian 5k said:

But it was your own personal urine right? Not some pukester with bad teeth.

HA!!

[rose711]

  14 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I didn't get why a $10,000 withdrawal would cause the IRS to come in and inspect the books. Relatively speaking, that isn't a lot of money.

I don't think the amount of money is the key thing. The IRS likely made a list containing the amount of all transfers or withdrawls made together with the number of times that amount of a transaction was made and then and then decided how many agents they could afford to have investigate these things. The line just fell close to $10,000.  It's just my guess. But that is how I would have decided on the amount. Doesn't that make sense?

If they decided they could afford to have 500 agents investigate these transactions and that each agent could investigate about 100 per year, then the key number would be 50,000. So they look and see what amount of transactions heppened close to 50,000 times made and that is how they selected the amount of the transaction they would investigate.

The amount is in the trigger of the reporting requirement isn't it? The banker last week tried to warn him about the amount and he told him to shut up basically.

[ghoulina]

It's funny how different we all are. The violent scenes rarely EVER bother me. (not sure I should admit that.) But the image of drinking piss had me shuddering. Now that I know he just rubbed his junk around and they gave him water, I'm kind of "meh". It's like telling your parents you got expelled and then admitting you really just got an F on your test. 

I wasn't really bothered/repulsed WHEN Nikki was being beaten, but in the aftermath I felt worried/sad, because of how tenderly Ray reacted to her, and my newfound belief that just maybe she is as into him as he is into her. 

I like shows that can make me have sympathy for the "bad" guys. 

[luna1122]

5 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

. 

I like shows that can make me have sympathy for the "bad" guys. 

Me too. (Hell, I fell madly in love with a cannibal). This show, and others like Better Call Saul, are excellent at allowing you to disapprove of or even dislike a protagonist but still feel empathy for them. I don't really LIKE anyone on this show, and I'm not rooting for Nikki or Ray or Emmit, but it's still distressing to see them in agony. Well, some of them. I can't wait for someone to throw Vargas off a parking structure, and Sy could go with him.

Edited May 19, 2017 by luna1122

[AzureOwl]

15 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I didn't get why a $10,000 withdrawal would cause the IRS to come in and inspect the books. Relatively speaking, that isn't a lot of money.

8 hours ago, henripootel said:

Possibly a post-9/11 change in the finance rules.  That would explain why the bank guy was trying to get Ray (in disguise) to consider any amount slightly less than 10,000.  Less paperwork, but I'm a little surprised the IRS got involved so quickly.  My understanding is that they're way understaffed and under-funded these days. 

8 hours ago, Gobi said:

Every transaction of over $10K has to be reported to the IRS by the bank, although I doubt that they investigate many of them. It's possible there were other factors (such as a $1 million loan that was never repaid) that made the IRS decide to look into it.

Considering the cavalier way Ray-as-Emmit was throwing his weight around, it's very likely there was paperwork for the withdrawal that he simply refused to fill up. I don't know how these thing work in the US, but here in Peru there are anti-money-laundering laws that mean that any withdrawal or bank transfer above a certain point requires the account's owner to fill up and sign a form. 

Just a couple of months ago I bought a new car. I tried to transfer the payment to the dealership, but the bank's website wouldn't let me because of the amount. That is a feature designed to get me to go physically to the bank and fill up the paperwork.

If the IRS did a routine check on the transaction and the bank couldn't produce any paperwork that may have prompted a closer look.

4 hours ago, Bannon said:

The woman who was beaten is a murderer. In previous seasons we have seen violent criminals, men and women, shot, beheaded, stabbed, etc.. How is the beating of this murderer more excessive? How is the anti-Semitism more vulgar than the racism we have seen in previous seasons? How is a tampon more vulgar than a human head in a box?

Nikki has a characteristic that most of the previous miscreants on the show lacked, and that is an abundance of charisma.

Nikki is so charismatic and driven that she makes you forget she is a cold-blooded killer, which is a characteristic that she shares with some of the most beloved villain protagonists in TV. 

[Evagirl]

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

It's funny how different we all are. The violent scenes rarely EVER bother me. (not sure I should admit that.) But the image of drinking piss had me shuddering. Now that I know he just rubbed his junk around and they gave him water, I'm kind of "meh". It's like telling your parents you got expelled and then admitting you really just got an F on your test. 

I wasn't really bothered/repulsed WHEN Nikki was being beaten, but in the aftermath I felt worried/sad, because of how tenderly Ray reacted to her, and my newfound belief that just maybe she is as into him as he is into her. 

I like shows that can make me have sympathy for the "bad" guys. 

Violent, shoot 'em up, throat cutting scenes don't bother me either.  And even though I knew that wasn't real pee the actor was drinking, his acting was so good that I believed it was pee and that's what made me gag.  Even knowing somebody had fornicated with my mug and then made me drink water out of it would make me gag.  From looking at the guy's teeth, we know he's not the cleanest person in the room.  Even if he didn't pee in it, I bet it stunk to high heavens.  A man whose teeth looks like VM's sure isn't gonna care about cleaning his man parts.  He's just nasty.  I'm gagging now just thinking about it!

[MisterBluxom]

3 hours ago, Bannon said:

Well, I'll never try to argue somebody into continuing to watch something that they dont like, but I really can't discern the difference in context in the violence visited on this violent criminal, Nikki, and that of previous seasons. Frankly, the murder, preceded by the (extraordinarily well acted) abject terror, of the unfortunate lesbian hairdresser, at the hands of Hanzee last season, was much, much, more disturbing, to me. It really made me nauseous. When the essentially peaceful are terrorized and subjected to extreme violence, it always disturbs me a lot more than a character, who has no scruples about visiting illegitimate violence on others, getting a taste of what they are willing to do to others. The woman caved somebody's head in with an air conditioner, rather that have her burglary scheme brought to the attention of authorities. Of all the people I feel bad for, for taking a beating, she isn't too close to the top of the list. I'm not happy to see anyone get that treatment, but it isn't especially disturbing to me, in the context of victims of violent crime.

Speaking of the lesbian hairdresser, I thought I recognized the same actress in a brief cameo in this episode. She was wearing a red wig with long hair. Did anyone else think it was the same actress? I could easily be wrong about this but it really sounded like her and looked like her too.