S01.E04: Eating the Blame

[ElectricBoogaloo]

When Gus tries to right a wrong, Malvo embraces his alter ego. Lester finds himself in a surprising situation, and Molly uncovers a promising lead.

[whyjen8]

So, the money hidden in the snow was the ransom money from the movie?

[Tara Ariano]

Yes.

 

Here's what I wrote about the episode (though mostly about Molly since the pilot).

[thuganomics85]

I don't know; still good, but I have to admit this might be my least favorite episode so far.  I think my main issue is that I knew Lorne wasn't going to go down this quickly, so there was no suspense, and it was just waiting to watch him go free.  I enjoyed Lorne's "meek minster" cover and Billy Bob was having a blast as always, but, in the end, just didn't grab me like in the past.  I also just wanted to shake my head over all of Gus' fuck-ups and how easily he got played.  Not sure why, but I just don't sympathize with him as much as I do with Molly.

 

On the other hand, I did love almost all the stuff involving Lester and the hitmen.  As bad as he was, I have to respect how Lester keeps dodging whatever is getting thrown at him, even if it's barely by the skin of his teeth.  But the hitmen's idea of getting themselves locked-up along with him, was certainly a creative idea.  Not sure how Lester will get out of this one.

 

The scene with the Supermarket King and the locusts was something.  Pretty big move by Lorne, because not only is he freaking him out, but I have to think the business might take a hit, once people find about it.  Looks like Lorne is continuing to go take a biblical approach to this con.

Edited May 7, 2014 by thuganomics85

[Curious5]

I feel guilty at how funny I thought this episode was - just a sick person, I am!

I did not guess the plumber was in on it. A bit surprised but is he the original blackmailer? He'll be gone soon enough once Malvo gets his blackmail money.

I'm not sure how Malvo checked out as a minister. Must not have checked very deeply.

I agree the supermarket scene was A plus - those weren't locust were they? Grasshoppers would make too much noise.

I'm hoping the money found on the road was just a nod to the movie. Doesn't make sense - the snows would have come and gone many times and if you can see a ice scraper, you sure would have see a case in the summer in the grass.

[lyric]

I'm hoping the money found on the road was just a nod to the movie. Doesn't make sense - the snows would have come and gone many times and if you can see a ice scraper, you sure would have see a case in the summer in the grass.

Yes, but this scene was several years prior, as the legend said "1987" - this is when the original movie took place (released in 1996, but the story took place in 1987).  So, King could've spotted this within, say, a day or a week after it was buried.  I loved it and thought it was a fun way to wink at the audience.

 

I'm starting to get annoyed with the bumbling sheriff as a plot device to impede the investigation with Lorne / Lester.  It's been amusing up to a point, but I hope they move past that now - there are other ways to slow down the pace of the plot line without the Barney Fife silliness.  It'll drag the show down into sitcom territory if he continues to be the obstacle, but I'm thinking (hoping) the writers are better than this.  Of course, I kept hope alive thru the cold, bitter end of Dexter and, after slogging thru 4 shitty seasons topped off with the lumberjack, I'm a skeptic.

 

Lester needs some serious antibiotics, stat - that hand is gross.

[bentley]

I think they're going for something symbolic with the hand. The putrid hand hidden behind the bandage =  Dorian Gray's portrait in the attic. I don't expect it to resolve until Lester is caught or dead.

 

I'd like to see a sitcom spinoff with just Lorne and the bronzing would-be blackmailer. Those two are comedy gold.

 

The locust invasion would seem an easy crime to solve, seeing as how all the local pet shops were bought out. Although Lorne once again has deniability since he got someone else to do his dirty work. Is there some reason the supermarket king wouldn't report the crime? Maybe that's why Lorne went all biblical on him, but how would he know that would be so effective?

Edited May 7, 2014 by bentley

[Slacker]

I loved this episode. Really I can't believe how good this series is all together. I agree with thuganomics85 that the arrest/release of Malvo was pretty low stress, but I assume it was done to show us a little more about why Malvo seems to think he's invincible. Answer: It's because he pretty much is, at least for now. 

 

Poor Lester continues to  shoot himself in the foot. First he didn't report his car stolen when that would have obviously been a much better story than what he came up with. And second he didn't concoct a way to explain the gunshot wound in his hand. One of the main characters being a bad liar is a nice call-back to the movie. 

 

Speaking of which, I loved the scene with Milos finding the stash from the movie. It's the perfect discovery, as (spoiler from the movie) 

the only person who knows where it's located is in the wood chipper.

That of course explains the Jesus-like picture of the ice scraper hanging in Milos's home/office (I forget where it was specifically): http://i.imgur.com/0j5XY8I.png 

 

I watched 24 last night, and while it was OK, overall it just seemed silly. I think shows like Fargo, Breaking Bad, The Americans, etc have set my expectations so high that a lot of shows that would have been more enjoyable a few years ago just aren't working for me now. This is the first show in a long time that I absolutely have to watch on Tuesday night. I can't wait for next week. I skipped the "next time on" clip to stay fresh. :) 

[halgia]

I really liked this episode. The locusts were great, finding the money was great, Lester was kind of smart with punching the cop to get away but then got outsmarted himself, the crooks were great, Gus being terrified of Lorne was great, Lorne playing little-old-minister completely worked for me (though I agree that we obviously knew he wouldn't be caught-for-real, I was kind of expecting him to call in some outside help; this was way better). I also really liked the interactions between the motel manager and the worker guy who peed in her car.

 

The main problem is definitely Bob Odenkirk being entirely too bumbling. I also hope but am not entirely confident that the writers will get past that soon.

[Domestic Assassin]

The main problem is definitely Bob Odenkirk being entirely too bumbling.

 

 

I can't help thinking there has to be more to him not believing Lester can be guilty than we know.  It seems like he's deliberately protecting him.  I can't figure out why, though.

[halgia]

Hmm, I hadn't thought of that @Moose Andsquirrel – interesting idea. I don't see how he could have actually been involved with any of the plot behind our backs, and though I guess some shared darkness in their pasts (they do definitely know each other) is possible, I don't see it as entirely likely. Can't think of what else there would be.

 

I think maybe he just really doesn't want to believe that somebody he knows could be involved in anything so dark and awful. It's just not something he has any experience with (as evidenced by the throwing up at the crime scene), and he'd rather believe drifters did it than anyone in his own little nice community.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Well, I shoulda known checks would get written and never be cashed.  That was a lot to get to the, "You're making a mistake." moment.  

 

I did enjoy noticing how competent the Chief was and how deferential the asshole Minnesota Lt. was to him throughout the interrogation visit.  

 

So, Gus failed to confiscate the phone dropped by Malvo?  No interest in who was called?  Car wiped clean of prints and my deputy would put his entire career on the line saying he encountered Malvo?  Ignore that.  Ignore the separate pic provided by another deputy that was taken just prior to the murder of a man moments later which is a dead ringer?  Triple homicide, including a Chief with no other clues and you just let this guy loose after a couple of hours?   One simple question never asked:  Why were you in the driveway of the King in the middle of nowhere?  What was your method of transportation? I simply can't suspend disbelief on this one.  DANG IT!

 

Lester in jail for attacking a Bemidji deputy in the middle of nowhere.  Not one deputy/jailer was aware of Lester's connection to the murders?  Ugh.  Too much.  Again.

 

I'm still dying to know who Malvo called asking for a "Frank Peterson" package.  Can't wait to see it.

[halgia]

So, Gus failed to confiscate the phone dropped by Malvo?  No interest in who was called?

Gus did pick up the phone after cuffing Malvo:

 

http://i.imgur.com/E34vYdB.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/78CzTVn.png

 

but yeah, no discussion of looking at what was on it / who he was talking to.

[roughing it]

 

I'm not sure how Malvo checked out as a minister. Must not have checked very deeply.

I'm guessing they checked that there was a Lutheran minister by the name of Frank Peterson and didn't inquire further.  Never mind that the real minister is short and tubby (perhaps?)

[Omega Mu]

When he picked up the package in Duluth, he said something like "so I'm a minister now."  I assume that identity and the alibies were all pre-set for this job.

[LittleIggy]

Those were crickets standing in for locusts. Pet stores sell them to feed chameleons and other reptiles.

Why doesn't Lester go out of town to get his hand looked at if he is afraid of raising suspicions in Bemiji? He'll end up needing amputation at this rate. I've had bad hand infections (due to a medical condition) requiring IV antibiotics, and it hurts like hell.

[halgia]

Why doesn't Lester go out of town to get his hand looked at if he is afraid of raising suspicions in Bemiji?

If you come in with a gunshot wound, aren't hospitals required to report it to the cops? Maybe since it's a shotgun shell he can give a story about a hunting accident or something; dunno how well that'd work.

 

But yeah, he is losing that hand if he doesn't do something about it soon.

[Milburn Stone]

If you come in with a gunshot wound, aren't hospitals required to report it to the cops? 

 

My memory could be wrong, but I thought the only thing Lester was treated for was the concussion or bad bruising around his head from running into the wall on purpose. Apparently he concealed the gunshot wound on his hand from the nurses and physicians completely! Which is even more unbelievable than a failure on their part to report it to the police. I reach this conclusion because the gunshot wound wasn't treated by the hospital in any way, not even by putting a bandaid on it.

[annzeepark914]

Maybe since it's a shotgun shell he can give a story about a hunting accident or something; dunno how well that'd work.

 

Exactly!  Possibly he isn't thinking along these lines because he's in a high stress situation, trying to keep himself glued together (and his web of lies straight in his noggin) because going to a hospital elsewhere with some type of creative excuse would normally be the savvy thing to do.  I still find it hard to believe that the ER folks didn't check him out thoroughly, including removing his shirt, checking his heart,  blood pressure, etc.  IMO it would be very difficult to hide that wound on his hand in real life.

[Galloway Cave]

Lester only has a single buckshot in his hand, not a shell. As a retired game warden, I have been peppered many times during dove season with birdshot and have had to pick it out or let it come to the surface and remove it over the years. He just needs to man up and do it himself. With the amount of infection going on, I'm surprised it hasn't come out with all the gunk he's been messing with. /end of gory talk.

 

And as a retired LE person, the amount of half-assing cop work just about killed me this episode. But I guess they needed to extend things for a while to make it to the end of the series. Otherwise, I'm loving everything else.

[halgia]

My memory could be wrong, but I thought the only thing Lester was treated for was the concussion or bad bruising around his head from running into the wall on purpose.

Yeah, that's my understanding too. We were talking about him going to some other town to get the hand treated (because presumably if he did it in Bemidji it'd be pretty damn suspicious). But yes, it's kind of ridiculous that the doctors treating him just didn't notice he had a gunshot wound in his hand.

[Milburn Stone]

We were talking about him going to some other town to get the hand treated...

 

Oops. I see that now. Sorry.

[Endeavour]

Lester only has a single buckshot in his hand, not a shell. As a retired game warden, I have been peppered many times during dove season with birdshot and have had to pick it out or let it come to the surface and remove it over the years. He just needs to man up and do it himself. With the amount of infection going on, I'm surprised it hasn't come out with all the gunk he's been messing with. /end of gory talk.

I think they have shown Lester trying to do that once or twice but, every time he tries, he's interrupted. I wish he would just get it taken care of as I wince every time they show it.

I thought crickets were bought from the pet stores as well.

Still enjoying the series, but agree that they need to get around the police being so incompetent at this point.

Liked the twist with the hitmen ending up in jail. Did not see that coming.

[Galloway Cave]

I got a message from a another poster asking if Lester would have been checked out at the jail when he was booked. The answer is yes, especially since the bandage on his hand is bloody on top. All injuries are documented for liability purposes and if there is blood exposure, they are treated and covered due to bloodborne pathogen safety standards. He probably would have had a hard time being handcuffed too, since his hand is so swollen from the infection, and the arresting officer should have noticed that. But since we are seeing incompetent law enforcement all around here, never mind. 

[Milburn Stone]

But since we are seeing incompetent law enforcement all around here, never mind. 

 

Are we meant to accept the nearly top-to-bottom incompetence of all institutions because Bemidji is supposedly a "backwater town"? Nothing else explains it, so I guess that's what we are supposed to believe.

[Omega Mu]

I would think, in a high-profile homicide investigation such as this, especially involving the murder of a police chief, that the state police would be called in to direct the investigation.  As a matter of fact, from the  Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension website:

"The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Investigative Division provides round-the-clock investigative assistance to criminal justice agencies statewide. BCA agents and analysts are positioned in two regional offices (St. Paul & Bemidji) and ten field offices (Alexandria, Brainerd, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Mankato, Marshall, Moorhead, Rochester, Roseau & Willmar). Services include investigative, analytical and crime scene responses, as well as long term assistance with complex investigations. These are essential services that many agencies cannot support locally."

[Kromm]

I would think, in a high-profile homicide investigation such as this, especially involving the murder of a police chief, that the state police would be called in to direct the investigation.  As a matter of fact, from the  Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension website:

"The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Investigative Division provides round-the-clock investigative assistance to criminal justice agencies statewide. BCA agents and analysts are positioned in two regional offices (St. Paul & Bemidji) and ten field offices (Alexandria, Brainerd, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Mankato, Marshall, Moorhead, Rochester, Roseau & Willmar). Services include investigative, analytical and crime scene responses, as well as long term assistance with complex investigations. These are essential services that many agencies cannot support locally."

Yeah, I guess very little of the "this is a true story" thing is... well... true.  Not that is has to be.

[Tara Ariano]

The movie also said it was a true story and definitely wasn't.

[possibilities]

When watching a show that aired 10 years ago, it's hard to feel llike anything I might think of is worth saying... but I still kind of want to say it.

How did finding that money get them gas? They still would need to get a ride to wherever, and if nobody stops? 

I'm also annoyed by the repeat of the "wives are useless verbally abusive nags and men are hapless providers who put up with it and are doing the best they can" garbage. First Lester, now Stavros. Is this supposed to explain or justify how badly the guys behave and make all their crimes sympathetic?

Colin Hanks left his fallen drink cup on the ground-- littering! Dude is another "hapless guy" trope, and I guess all litterers are supposed to be forgiven because they had a tough day? 

I thought it was weird that lester called his brother instead of 911 when he was in the trunk. I get that he's scared of the cops but what was his brother going to do? Certainly not rescue him-- bro would call the cops himself if he had taken the call seriously. 

I did admire the taser to the neck on the ice, though. Ha. 

Of course, Lester changed his mind about cops pretty fast after he got away-- but I'd think that once you're in the trunk of the car, you'd already be calculating your odds as better with the cops than the kidnappers. It would also give him plausibility for pretty much any story he concocts, that he's a victim and not a guilty party, in the various investigations. Oh well.

I also was annoyed by Molly being stupid enough to tell her boss what she was doing. She should have known by now that he was not going to let her do the follow up interview. 

So... some funny moments, some of the usual genius, but a lot of annoying things this episode, and I'm grouchy.

I don't think Malvo would sign his real name, so do we actually know his real name? I doubt it. But I did enjoy the motel worker testimony scene.

[peeayebee]

My memory is so bad, I can't answer your questions. I will say that I loved this season. I think I liked all of them except for S3.

I remember when the show was announced, I was skeptical. The movie was great. A TV show? Pfft. Well, it's one of my favorites.