S01.E05: Six Ungraspables

[ElectricBoogaloo]

When Lester has a close call, Molly makes an unorthodox decision. Gus weighs some neighborly advice, and Malvo gets what he wants.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGm3Frn0dg8

[Tara Ariano]

I wrote about the possible foreshadowing in this midpoint episode!

[thuganomics85]

Unlike last week's episode, this one might actually be my favorite.  I think it did a great job at moving up almost all the stories tonight, and taking this show to some crazy and, hopefully, awesome places.

 

First, big movement on Molly's case against Lester.  They now know that he had a shotgun shrapnel lodge into his hand, so his original story has inaccuracies in it.  She was also close to finding the hammer he used to kill his wife, but it looked like he must have moved it from the original hiding spot.  And, it looks like even Bill has finally started to suspect something is up.  I don't think he's all there yet, but I don't think he's automatically going to assume Lester is telling the truth.  Getting really interesting and intense now.  I wonder what Lester's next play will be.

 

Second, the Supermarket King has now had enough and is agreeing to pay the ransom.  Interestingly, it sounded like his son might have caught onto the cricket scheme, but he was cut-off before he could explain it.  I wonder what Lorne's next play will be.  And if or when Don will get out of the pantry.

 

Meanwhile, Gus is slowly becoming more brave and open about trying to track Lorne down.  I don't think he'll back down, as easily as he did last time.  But now Lorne followed him to his apartment, and it sounds like he's going to use his newly purchased walkie-talkie, to spy on Greta.  Oh, shit!

 

Finally, after some sock-torturing on Lester, the hitmen now know it was Lorne who killed Hess, so I'm sure those three will be crossing paths in the future.  That might get ugly.

 

Favorite parts was the history of how Lester got his shotgun, the story Gus' neighbor told him and how it was shot, and Lorne's reaction to being asked if he wanted a pink police scanner.  Billy Bob Thornton continues to bring it.

Edited May 14, 2014 by thuganomics85

[Fisher King]

Terrific points to ponder there then, Tara.

 

Since Chief Ozwalt is finally seeing Molly's Lester & Malvo connection, it feels like he will die - most likely in the upcoming storm. That leaves the door open for Molly to then be the new chief.

 

I LOVED neighbor Ari's midnight visit with Gus and his parable. It felt like a true nod to the "warthog from hell" introduction in Raising Arizona and almost identical to the Coen's style in the same.

 

Malvo's definitely got his eye on Gus's daughter but she's too loveable to be killed off. Very smart way for Malvo to monitor the goings on in the Grimly household.

 

I like the idea of Lester losing his hand to the sepsis. That may be the only thing left of Lester when all is said & done.

 

I wasn't ready for Molly to find Lester's bloody, Chekov's hammer, but it will turn up by season's end, I think. Lester must have moved it.

 

From the moment that Malvo came to bronzer Don's house, I knew Don was unwittingly helping & leading himself into Malvo's trap.

 

I recognized this episode's director's name, Colin Bucksey, from some Breaking Bad eps he did. I'm guessing it was maybe a reunion of sorts for him and Bob Odenkirk.

 

This show is only getting better.

_________________________

Edited May 14, 2014 by Fisher King

[Lonesome Rhodes]

"Se' irim."  

 

This is pretty much how I've seen Malvo all along.  A genuine satanic demon.  There was no way for him to get out of that basement after he killed the chief.  But, he did.

 

I love the relish with which BBT tells his stories and lays out scenarios.  Nothing better in any medium.

 

I hope the denouement of Malvo is at least close to as elegant as his schemes have been laid out.

 

I loved the web page.  But, was this the Peterson package he requested? 

 

As angry as fringe mute dude got with his partner, why was there absolutely no hint of a reaction when Lester revealed Lorne did it?  Yes, he would have been careful, but not even a fierce look?  That was a huge deal between them and he was fully vindicated and validated when he demanded Lester not be killed pell mell.

 

I amaze myself with how I just completely accept this show's version of Bond's Q.    

[Nutjob]

I consider Malvo to be a Coen-inspired, low-key version of Nolan's Joker. An agent of chaos without a conscience, albeit one who wants to keep the money.

 

The rich man parable reminded me of the beginning of A Serious Man, with the dybbuk.

[fauxphysician]

Molly making a beeline to the washing machine and removing its back panel seemed improbable -- in fact, the first misstep for me in the series to date. So many other nooks and crannies she'd explore first (IMO).

[Fisher King]

Molly making a beeline to the washing machine and removing its back panel seemed improbable -- in fact, the first misstep for me in the series to date. So many other nooks and crannies she'd explore first (IMO).

 

I thought so, too. Lester did mention the thumping washing machine to her in the ambulance, but that still didn't seem enough for her to go directly to it and take the back off.

[Galloway Cave]

The washing machine was pulled away from the wall and at an angle, so I'm thinking that is what drew her attention to it. The biggest problem was the fact that she went into the house without a warrant and started snooping around. At that point Lester has become a possible suspect, due to her conversation with the police chief. If she had found the hammer hidden in the washer (not in plain sight) there would be no way it would be admitted it into evidence in a trial.

 

I'm a little squicked out by the puddle of blood still on the floor. The house has to REEK from the smell.

 

The sock-torture was something. Squeezing his hand had to have released all kinds of ick into Lester's system, which is why he crashed so quickly.

 

Wonder if Parable Ari knows that his wife is flirting with Gus through the windows?

[Ohwell]

I just don't like Molly, mainly because of her tactics.  No way should she have just gone into Lester's house without getting a search warrant.  At this point, I'm hoping Lester gets away with it, even though I don't think he will

[Accidental Martyr]

Molly also didn't turn the water off before disconnecting the hoses on the back of the washer. ;)

[Charlie Baker]

I just don't like Molly, mainly because of her tactics.  No way should she have just gone into Lester's house without getting a search warrant.  At this point, I'm hoping Lester gets away with it, even though I don't think he will

 

Well, Marge wouldn't have done it.   But that does make Molly not quite a perfect, scrupulous cop.  And also brings to the surface how driven she is.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Charlie Baker

[Ohwell]

I agree she's driven, but to the point of being stupid at times.  Doesn't matter that he was stupid for leaving the key under the doormat (do people even still do that?) she was made a mistake going in there without a warrant.  I'm sure his lawyer will make that case if it ever gets to that point.     

[Milburn Stone]

The washing machine was pulled away from the wall and at an angle, so I'm thinking that is what drew her attention to it.

 

Thank you. Like others, I was like, "What in God's name would cause her to suspect the washing machine as a hiding place for anything?" This provides an answer.

 

But also like others, I really thought she'd be smarter than to wreck her case with an illegal search.

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

I imagine that if she did find anything, she'd reverse-engineer some plausible legal way to use it. If she knows the weapon is in the house, say, and some further questioning of Lester gets her to probable cause, then she gets a search warrant and voila! she "finds" the evidence.

[Ohwell]

Yeah but do you think she's wily enough to figure that out? 

 

A poster from TWoP mentioned her standing there while the chief was on the phone, and not waiting until he finished his call.  She just kept interrupting him.  (I probably would have fired her right then.)  I had forgotten about that, but to me it's just another example of her being driven, but too dense to realize the consequences of her actions, or how she comes off.  

[DB in CMH]

So this is where everybody is. I was wondering why the thread on TWoP was a dead a Lester's wife. 

 

I just don't like Molly, mainly because of her tactics.  No way should she have just gone into Lester's house without getting a search warrant.  At this point, I'm hoping Lester gets away with it, even though I don't think he will

 

She's actually the only character the I DO like, given that she's the only one who seems to be able to put two and two together. All of the other characters on the show seem as dumb as a box of hair, which is why Malvo is able to run roughshod all over them. I know that he'll get his comeuppance at the end (how else could the show end?), but the combined lack of braincells is really trying my patience. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I like Molly, too, but she needs to learn some subtlety and patience, and to follow proper procedure.

[Joystickenvy]

I like Molly, but I also thought her heading right for the washer was highly improbable and not very smart given the lack of warrant.

However, the show is fun, so I'm willing to let stuff like that go.

[Rapunzel]

I like Molly, too, but she needs to learn some subtlety and patience, and to follow proper procedure.

Yes, exactly. Molly is torpedoing herself as well as any possible case against Lester. Even if she finds evidence in Lester's house it will be argued that the search was illegal and that she could have planted something in there. Molly does not strike me as the type of person who can lie well nor as the type that would lie under oath anyway.

 

I was also irritated by the questioning she was doing in the ambulance. Lester was clearly not all with it. I assume they gave him some meds as he would have been in terrible pain but even if they didn't drug him the pain and sepsis itself would be enough for any decent attorney to get anything he said thrown out since he wasn't completely alert and didn't know what he was saying. It would also, of course, make Molly look bad and further compromise anything she testified to or any evidence she uncovered.

 

Also, since the doctor told her that the shotgun pellet stuck in his hand had fabric on it so likely passed through something (or as Molly stated "someone") else before it hit Lester she should be able to deduce that Lester did not shoot the chief. Yes, we all know he killed his wife and Molly is aware of that as well but she needs to do a much better job of making her case if she wants to see him held accountable for it.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Rapunzel

[LittleIggy]

I wondered why Molly didn't ask for the pellet. At least dumbass Don got locked in a room with food in it.

[Slacker]

Also, since the doctor told her that the shotgun pellet stuck in his hand had fabric on it so likely passed through something (or as Molly stated "someone") else before it hit Lester she should be able to deduce that Lester did not shoot the chief. Yes, we all know he killed his wife and Molly is aware of that as well but she needs to do a much better job of making her case if she wants to see him held accountable for it.

 

Is she aware of that, though? If I recall her current theory is that Lester hired Malvo to kill Hess, then something went wrong when Malvo came for his payment (which was interrupted by the Chief. 

 

I wondered why Molly didn't ask for the pellet. At least dumbass Don got locked in a room with food in it.

 

I'm pretty sure it's coming her way. I can't imagine the hospital extracts pellets like that out of someone's hand a week after they were shot. Any explanation for that injury that wouldn't arouse suspicion would have him in the hospital immediately after it happened. 

 

I like Molly, but I also thought her heading right for the washer was highly improbable and not very smart given the lack of warrant.

 

She's a good cop. :) As others have said, the washer being pulled out aroused her suspicion. And looking at the back - it just looks like a great hiding spot. Agreed that she shouldn't be there without a warrant, though. Nor should she be questioning a non-mirandized Lester, especially in front of someone else. I think we're seeing her frustration with this case (and maybe her career in general) build up to the point where she's making some poor decisions now. 

[John Potts]

I was wondering what led Molly to the washing machine, too. Illegal searches I can buy (since just about every Crime Procedural has our heroic prosecutors violating them at some point), although it seemed odd since she'd been portrayed as a pretty "By the Book" type and her theory was finally getting through her boss' thick skull (OK, she's not completely right, but she's pretty close). Though I agree, trying to convince her boss of anything while he's on the phone is probably a bad idea - some people can track two conversations at once, he doesn't strike me as one of them (unless her idea was to get him to agree without realising he'd done so, but that seems unlikely).

 

Was that the Neighbourhood Watch guy's body she discovered at the end? Because I had no idea what room that was supposed to be.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The other thing that has been bugging the stew out of me the last couple of days:  Why or How did Lorne know he needed a walkie-talkie?  Was it to track Gus on the job and he lucked into the use for the daughter?  Why would he have expected Gus to use it at his home at that ungodly hour and performed the frequency seek?

 

Someone please tell me I missed the exposition which explained this!   

Edited May 21, 2014 by Lonesome Rhodes

[A Boston Gal]

The other thing that has been bugging the stew out of me the last couple of days:  Why or How did Lorne know he needed a walkie-talkie?  Was it to track Gus on the job and he lucked into the use for the daughter?  Why would he have expected Gus to use it at his home at that ungodly hour and performed the frequency seek?

 

Someone please tell me I missed the exposition which explained this!   

When Gus first encountered Lorne, Lorne overheard Greta talking to Gus on his walkie talkie, which was on his passenger's seat, and thus asked him a question, like "so your daughter is watching the game?" or some such thing. It was a stretch, to be sure, since I couldn't even tell if the voice belonged to a boy or a girl, but there you have it.

[cailinoBAC]

Is it only me that heard Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince in the parable?

http://www.online-literature.com/wilde/177/

 

It seemed obvious but nobody else seems to have mentioned it?

[possibilities]

On 5/15/2014 at 6:59 PM, DB in CMH said:

She's actually the only character the I DO like, given that she's the only one who seems to be able to put two and two together. All of the other characters on the show seem as dumb as a box of hair, which is why Malvo is able to run roughshod all over them. I know that he'll get his comeuppance at the end (how else could the show end?), but the combined lack of braincells is really trying my patience. 

I'm used to dealing with people who seem just about  this dim and/or unmotivated, so I can buy that they are everywhere. But I did find Molly interrupting during that phone call, and searching without a warrant, and thinking to check the inside of the washing machine, annoying.

Though, if she actually fixed whatever was making the machine clank, I'll forgive that one, because it would be exactly my kind of funny.

I still like her, though.

Also, male cops on tv violate procedure all the time. They usually get coded as bad ass heroes. I find it annoying when they do it, too. But I think that Molly is getting judged by a double standard if she's unlikable for her drivenness or her rogue tendencies.

I don't think Grimly is as dim and unmotivated as the rest of them. And I like his kid a lot. 

I also like that the "dumb kid" of Stavros is actually not that dim-- he is compassionate, and guileless, and he did the obvious thing to look into the crickets. And he is not getting a chance to say anything meaningful because his father keeps cutting him off. I wanted to hear what he was going to say about his mother, too. Sometimes being conniving is considered smart and being straightforward is considered stupid, and that's a cultural mistake.

I really did not know what to expect when the neighbor came over to drink milk with Grimly. I thought he might be very angry about his wife undressing while G. watched. But apparently he either doesn't know or doesn't care. Probably the former.

I want to meet the aunt of the contrraband guy-- the one who he thought would like a police scanner in pink. She sounds like someone I'd enjoy. I like a person who mixes and matches.

Edited September 21 by possibilities