S01.E09: A Fox, a Rabbit, and a Cabbage

[Catherinewriter]

I can hear Lester now explaining it to the police. "Just wanted to avoid questions about the shooting in Vegas after what I went through when my dear wife had been murdered. Linda (name of second wife?) was just taking me to the airport - even had soup on the stove at home - and she was going to come later that's why she didn't have a coat with her."

I would love to hear Vincent D'Onofrio as L&O CM's Bobby Goren tear apart that alibi.

 

Oh, I'd pay good money to see that!

Edited June 18, 2014 by Dougal
Fixed quote.

[Holmbo]

I  started watching this show this month and have quiet enjoyed it. Don't know if anyone is still reading the old episode thereads but I came here to see if anyone else thought Malvo killed Linda because Lester sent her. Since he didn't kill Lester in Las Vegas I assumed he actually came to the town to talk to him. He thought Linda was him so he announced his pressense in the office and when he saw she wasn't Lester he shot her. To me that would make the most sense. But I've seen people saying he never saw her face. Perhaps this will be explained in the season finale. I think I'll watch that tonight.

Lester turned evil?  Nah!  He was always that way but such a little wimp he didn't find the "strength" to fulfill his evil thoughts.  As far as this character's drawn, Lester was the kid who got picked on as a kid  'cause he did stupid things and tried to be one of the tough guys.    Hess and others probably was on his case for years.  Now he has been able to kill his wife and frame his brother.  He now has the power - in his mind - and gains a false sense of power. 

 

He can confront Malvo now because he has his false sense of machismo.  Once he witnesses Malvo in action again, he once again is on the run.  Just a little man who thinks only about himself.  People can overcome evil but others embrace it.  The only "conscience" Lester has is the fear of being caught.

In one episode Lester confesses to Hess's widow that he've never been to a strip club but always wanted to. I feel that somehow sums up his character very well. It's like his conscience is only other peoples opinion about him and ones he got the taste of being able to do what he wanted without suffering other peoples reactions about it he loves it.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

To me, Malvo was simply eliminating any possible impediments.  It was also fun for him to display his killing prowess and scare the bejesus out of Lester.

[Holmbo]

To me, Malvo was simply eliminating any possible impediments.  It was also fun for him to display his killing prowess and scare the bejesus out of Lester.

Ok so you too think he shot Linda knowing she wasn't Hester? It seems a lot of people saw it as him killing her because he thought it was Hester.

[Desperately Random]

To me, Malvo was simply eliminating any possible impediments.  It was also fun for him to display his killing prowess and scare the bejesus out of Lester.

I didn't see it that way at all. The way they had Lester make sure that he sent Linda into his office and was wearing his very distinctive orange coat (that he knew Malvo had seen him in) and that he had her put the hood up made it very clear that Lester wanted to fool Malvo into thinking it was him. Malvo was hiding and waiting for Lester so there was no way he could have known that was Lester's wife wearing his coat. Malvo never said anything, he just walked over to Linda and shot her. He couldn't see her face because the hood was up.  Also, after he shoots her and sees that it's Linda he gets up and starts looking outside and you can tell he realizes he was tricked,.

To me, that scene was very clear that Lester had pulled one over on Malvo.

[cleo]

I'm just watching this show now. I really want to like it, and I can forgive a lot with shows, but two things are unbelievably stupid- that a man (Malvo) would be caught on camera dragging a guy out of a building who later turns up dead, and no one pays attention to the video. And 2- this is even bigger to me- that there aren't cameras plastered all over Vegas including in the elevators, thus making Malvo again a prime suspect, bc they would have filmed either inside the elevator, or the various people getting off and on. 

It's so dumb that they don't explain this, it's really glaring in a show of this quality.  

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, cleo said:

I'm just watching this show now. I really want to like it, and I can forgive a lot with shows, but two things are unbelievably stupid- that a man (Malvo) would be caught on camera dragging a guy out of a building who later turns up dead, and no one pays attention to the video. And 2- this is even bigger to me- that there aren't cameras plastered all over Vegas including in the elevators, thus making Malvo again a prime suspect, bc they would have filmed either inside the elevator, or the various people getting off and on. 

It's so dumb that they don't explain this, it's really glaring in a show of this quality.  

I don't recall exactly, but wasn't this show set in a time before surveillance cameras were ubiquitious?

[cleo]

I thought the first season said 2006..after 9/11 surveillance grew very rapidly around the world, although it was already increasing. They did end up showing one surveillance shot of Malvo. But overall this show is unreal and more like a comic book or cartoon. You just have to believe Malvo operated like this for years and never got caught or even on anyone's radar for yrs, and everyone around him is dumb or easily manipulated. 

Still an ok show overall. Just watched finale. Martin Freeman was incredible in this.

[Inquisitionist]

On ‎2‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 6:20 PM, cleo said:

But overall this show is unreal and more like a comic book or cartoon.

It certainly operates on a different plane.  ;-)

[Kel Varnsen]

On 6/11/2014 at 11:29 AM, Nutjob said:

Another little Coen Brothers shout out I noticed--Root's character called Malvo "friendo."

Also maybe it was just me but dentist Malvo's weird old time modern decorated house reminded me of pornographer Jackie Treehorn's beach house from The Big Lebowski.

On 6/11/2014 at 7:07 PM, Rhetorica said:

 

 

On 6/12/2014 at 10:41 AM, Etta Place said:

This was the one thing that really got me, too. If they'd been just about anywhere else in the world, I would have been able to accept that there wasn't surveillance inside the actual elevator, but in Vegas, no

Who is to say there wasn't a camera? If it captured the murder but Malvo was there under a fake identity then the next person they would want to find would be Lester. Cops would want to know why he wasn't killed as well.

On 6/14/2014 at 7:04 AM, A Boston Gal said:

In an ideal world, wouldn't Lester want both he and his wife to get away? Why not plan for that by getting two tickets (which I'm not 100% sure he didn't do) just in case Malvo doesn't catch up to them 

If he wants to disappear it would be a lot easier to do it if you are traveling alone. He bought a one way ticket remember.

[possibilities]

This is why you never give out anyone's contact information. If I want to be in touch with you, I give it to you myself! This is actually a very real issue for domestic violence escapees, people who've been stalked, etc. Lou might or might not have clocked Malvo for evil, but he's savvy enough about how stalkers work, just from being a cop. Contrast this with the dad in the scene at Lester;s former home, who didn't seem to think it was strange that sommeone was unaware that someone he supposedly knew well had even moved, let alone where they had moved to or that they had a new business.

I think if Lester had brought his wife with him, he would have had to explain why he never wanted to go home again. She's shown to be not that smart, but it would be a hard sell to just start over like that. EAnd even if sh3e agreed to it, he would always have to worry about her chaning her mind, or talking about something he wanted kept secret. She was a security risk.

WHen she gave the excuse to cover for him with Miolly, she said she wanted to leave early because she was homesick. But then a few seconds later when Molly tells them not to leave town, she acts all disappointed and starts to say they were going to. She's not someone you can count on to be discreet at all, even if she wants to and would theoretically follow you anywhere and do whatever you ask.

I figure that when Molly sees the surveillance footage they are sending her, she will recognize Malvo. We don't know what's on the footage. Maybe they DO have the inside of the elevator, and who got on and off. They told her Lester was a witness. They didn't say he was a suspect. So she may or may not have known he was lying to her, but telling him not to leave town suggests she is at the very least suspicious.