The Big Picture: Past Seasons in General

[Lonesome Rhodes]

So, the thing that has most disappointed me is the extreme level of stupidity on display by LE (law enforcement) across the board.  The way they set it up, there is just no reasonable way Malvo got sprung from jail.

 

Unless......

 

Is now Chief Bill in it thick as a thief with Lorne?  Did Lorne promise him he would be Chief if he just played along as needed?  This would certainly add to the confidence (arrogance) and impunity with which Malvo operates.

 

What say y'all? 

Edited May 18, 2014 by Lonesome Rhodes

[mbutterfly]

Interesting idea. There's needs to be a reason for some of this incompetence, and Malvo works be using people to his advantage step-by-step. 

[car54]

These are just real small town people for the most part and the cops are just your small town neighbors and family.   In small towns like this--things really ARE like they were for Gus--you want a nice steady job, you look at Post Office, or Police, or Fire Department--it's considered a really decent living.   Yes you carry a gun, and you do training, but for them most part, they don't deal with real crime like this--and this is way beyond their experience.    You pass the training but would you really be prepared to deal with a Malvo?   Or even really a Lester?   I wouldn't be, and I live in a small town like this, and I grew up in another one.

 

You get a Vern or Molly or Lou every so often who has "it"--the instincts and the leadership but the regular guys are just that--regular guys.

[benteen]

The FBI guy in Operations who actually thought Malvo was on of the FBI agents...that was stupidity and incompetence. 

[becauseIsaidso]

I am re-watching the series, but slowly to try and pick up on things I missed, or did not seem significant, at the time. For example, the last meal Lester has with his wife, apparently at lunch, was grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup - grilled cheese was what he ordered for his 2nd wife, Linda, whom he knew was lying dead at his insurance office.

 

The car salesman guy Malvo 'procured' in the last episode, is the same guy Lester scared out of the  insurance office (which I believe is the same building as the 'Nygaard Insurance' office top salesman Lester had after the year had passed), but at that time he said he worked in a library. I seem to recall - and hope to test my memory in upcoming episodes - that there was some mention made of libraries being shut down, so that may be why the poor schmuck ended up as a used car salesman - but I can't remember if the conversation included Malvo or Lester..

 

I had forgotten that the time when Gus let Malvo drive away from the traffic stop included Malvo being able to overhear Greta on the 2-way..I can see why Gus felt threatened and why redeeming himself in the finale was so important - instead of being one of those who remains silent in both word and deed, Gus did finally come through with the deed.

 

Can't wait to see how many little gems I can pick up in the next episode.

 

One big problem though, when Lester wakes up in the hospital after knocking himself to give credence to his status as a 'victim' along with his dead wife, he looks at his right hand and the injury from the shotgun pellet - which appears totally untreated! It seems to me that in the course of his exam in the ER, they would have at least been some sort of sterile dressing put over the wound..

[Curious5]

I'm just hoping there will be a second season but the fact they tied up so many themes - maybe  there will be no second.  I'm doubting that they will be able to surpass BBT (thought I didn't like him before) as a fantastic character.

[Rhetorica]

I'm just hoping there will be a second season but the fact they tied up so many themes - maybe there will be no second. I'm doubting that they will be able to surpass BBT (thought I didn't like him before) as a fantastic character.

The show bills itself as an anthology. So from what I've read, if there is a season two it would have a different storyline and characters. If it is anything like American Horror Story, many of the same actors come back in different roles.

I'm hoping this is what happens.

[ChipBach]

The car salesman guy Malvo 'procured' in the last episode, is the same guy Lester scared out of the  insurance office (which I believe is the same building as the 'Nygaard Insurance' office top salesman Lester had after the year had passed), but at that time he said he worked in a library. I seem to recall - and hope to test my memory in upcoming episodes - that there was some mention made of libraries being shut down, so that may be why the poor schmuck ended up as a used car salesman - but I can't remember if the conversation included Malvo or Lester..

 

I think the sales car dude ran into Lester at the dinner and was all "Hey man how ya doin'?" and Lester kind of blew him off.  This a year after dude and wife escaped Lester's office.  I thought that was hilarious.  And, it was also interesting that Lester was telling the dude in episode one that he can die in any number of ways/be in wrong place and wrong time and should buy life insurance for the wife and baby.  Sure enough, dude gets (presumably) dead by being in the wrong place at the wrong time...  Brilliant....

[becauseIsaidso]

Second episode today - there was not too much I didn't catch the first time around - EXCEPT, first - all the ducks at Lou's diner! I can't believe I missed it the first time. Wasn't it ducks Marge's Norm designed for a US Postage stamp in the movies? I know he got to have his design on 'one of the little ones' - a 3 cent stamp ( and WTH doesn't this keyboard have a cent sign?) IIRC, and Marge was so quick to remind Norm that it was the little ones people always need when the price of the first class stamp goes up. Nicely done.

 

Second - I had completely forgotten that when Malvo picked up his 'Duluth' package, it contained both the book and a wallet with his ID as a minister Peterson. I had thought that the first mention of the man of the cloth alias was when Malvo either has or is about to be arrested and makes a phone call to request his cover story.

 

ITA with ChipBach about the car salesman & his demise - that was brilliantly woven in to the storyline.

 

Oh - almost forgot - it was the Messers Numbers and Wrench who asked why there was no library. 

 

I think I 'm actually liking this even better this time around. 

 

I love the rating my tv shows for these shows M A L V, which (I think) stands for Mature content, Adult theme, Language and Violence - put them all together with an O at the end and you have MALVO - laughed my ass off the first time that occurred to me.

[becauseIsaidso]

Much delayed thoughts on the re-view of episodes 3 and 4. When Lester returns to work, Linda mentions having sent him some soup - and soup was what she was reheating (having mentioned it earlier) in the finale when Lester came to have to leave immediately. One of the first things Gina Hess says about her boys is that they are wolves! The scene in Chaz's gun room shows the bear trap prominently displayed on the wall. And Stavros offers Malvo some out-building to live in - but I couldn't figure out if it was the cabin he is in for the finale, or some other building closer to Stavros's house. Maybe there will be some clarification in further episodes that I missed the first time around - as it seems I missed a WHOLE lot!

 

I liked seeing Gus arrest Malvo when he/Gus goes to Stavros's house about the dead dog..IMO it's a bit of redemption for his failure the first time he encountered Malvo. Actions speak, so I see Gus's action in the arrest as trying to be the good man who does/says something so that evil will not prevail. I also saw the subsequent questioning & buying into everything Malvo said by the rest of LE as (to my mind) a set up for justifying Gus's actions in the finale. I loved being reminded that it was Molly who gave Gus the answer to Malvo's shades of green question - it sort of gives Molly, in an itty bitty way, a bit of the credit for putting an end to Malvo since Malvo told Gus that when Gus got the answer to Malvo's question he'd know why Malvo kills. Another thing I had missed was Lester picking up the zapper at Chaz's - I don't know if I should consider that as pre-planning, intuition, or just happening upon a nifty gadget that Lester figures might come in handy.

 

Yup, definitely liking this series the second time around.

 

I think I would really like, as someone else suggested, perhaps in another thread, to see the same actors in a second season, even if they were in different parts. But the same roles also have appeal to me - I want to know about Lou and the big deal he was involved in - was it Sioux City? I've probably got that wrong; I want to see Molly function as Chief, I want to see what happened with the remaining half of Wrench and Numbers, I want to see if Chaz looks for restitution & what kind of crap that birings up....there seem to be so many little loose ends that could bloom in to some pretty good and quirky storylines...I just hate to see this show end.

[Valny]

Does anyone know which episodes were nominated for the directing Emmy?

 

The two directors nominated were:

 

Adam Bernstein
Colin Bucksey
 

[bosawks]

C'mon Allison I'm pulling for you!

[delmonte]

Hi,

I started to watch Fargo Tv Series and enjoy it very much. However, I don't understand what means Fargo? Is it the name of a person? Is it the name of a town? I'm not American.

 

Thanks

[j5cochran]

Fargo is a town in the U.S. state of North Dakota, in the north central part of the country.  The movie Fargo had a few scenes at the very beginning that took place in the town.

 

For more information, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fargo,_North_Dakota

[delmonte]

If Fargo is not a town where movie or tv serie events happened, how is it related with the plot ?

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Fargo evokes in most Americans a concept of small town and decidedly not "hip" or "cool" folks.  Prior to the recent economic boom due to the fracking process of getting oil out of the ground in the state of North Dakota, Fargo was noted for being ridiculously cold in Winter, and prone to horrific flooding when the Winter snows melt.  That region attracted many Scandinavian immigrants, which has lent itself to a distinctive dialect, such as the phrase, "You betcha!"   Many Americans, unfortunately, look down on those who speak in this manner.  It's pretty much an accepted conceit.  One of the core themes of the movie, and this TV series, is to not be such a fool as to minimize the intelligence/abilities of the denizens of that region.  

 

If you stay with the show, you will see some significant and specific connections with the city of Fargo.

[delmonte]

Thanks for the explanation. I will watch the show more attentive.

[FoundTime]

Valny asked:

Does anyone know which episodes were nominated for the directing Emmy?
 

The two directors nominated were:
 

Adam Bernstein
Colin Bucksey

 

Adam Bernstein directed the pilot/"The Crocodile's Dilemma" and Colin Bucksey directed the episode with the shootout in the blizzard ("Buridan's Ass). Bucksey won the Emmy.

[Inquisitionist]

Wasn't quite sure where to put this question, so apologies if it belongs somewhere else.  Did Lou ever say what prompted him to move from Luverne to Bemidji?  And when that happened? The latter is about 300 miles north of the former.  I'm not recalling whether Molly primarily grew up in Bemidji. 

[hincandenza]

On 11/11/2015 at 11:11 AM, Inquisitionist said:

Wasn't quite sure where to put this question, so apologies if it belongs somewhere else.  Did Lou ever say what prompted him to move from Luverne to Bemidji?  And when that happened? The latter is about 300 miles north of the former.  I'm not recalling whether Molly primarily grew up in Bemidji. 

You've probably long since looked this up, but I finally got around to checking out this series on Hulu this week, and finished up just a few minutes ago before coming to these forums to read the posts (and I haven't seen the second season, so I don't know if it ended up answering more).  

Anyway, based on what I remember from having just watched it: I think whatever the mysterious Sioux Falls incident was- something similar to Malvo's reign of terror- it's when he got shot in the hip, when his wife died (I think), when he went face-to-face with someone that was basically pure evil, and when he retired with a full pension.  Seems he had his "No Country for Old Men" moment, and decided to move with his 4-year-old daughter to live life in a quiet, safe, small little town where nothing ever happens. :)

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I knew instantly I had to post in the Fargo thread somewhere!

Fish out of the sky!

http://nypost.com/2016/09/12/catfish-falls-from-the-sky-right-onto-this-womans-face/

[EtheltoTillie]

On 11/11/2015 at 2:11 PM, Inquisitionist said:

Wasn't quite sure where to put this question, so apologies if it belongs somewhere else.  Did Lou ever say what prompted him to move from Luverne to Bemidji?  And when that happened? The latter is about 300 miles north of the former.  I'm not recalling whether Molly primarily grew up in Bemidji. 

SPOILER ALERT.  Come back and read this after you have watched Season 2:  I watched season 2 first, so it's interesting to see in different order  That's all I will say.  I'm coming here to read about Season 1, watching it two years later.  (Mods--is this type of comment allowed?) 

[MisterBluxom]

Can anyone tell me the name of the actress who plays Lester's second wife (she appears to be Asian but her country of origin is never specified to the best of my knowledge)?

I'm asking because it seems to me the lady who plays that character is the same lady who plays Danny McBride's wife or live-in girlfriend in the TV Series "Vice Principals" that stars Danny McBride.  She appears to be of Asian origin although her country of origin is never specified to the best of my knowledge in either show. 

I've checked the list of actors on both IMDB pages and I've provided links below.

In Vice Principals, the actor makes an appearance around the 12:30 mark in Season 2 Episode 2. The actor who appears in Fargo appears very often near the end of Season One and she is relatively easy to find. But the actor who appears in Vice Principals only makes a few brief appearances and is not easy to find. Going to the 12:30 mark of Season 2 Episode 2 is the best way to find her so far as I can tell.  I sure do hope that I am not mistaken about that. I wouldn't want to send anyone on a wild goose chase. So maybe you should check the "Vice Principals" show before checking the Fargo show?

Vice Principals - http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0418085/

Fargo - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3599898/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

I picked the two pages from IMDB that listed as many actors as I could find. I couldn't find any matches.

In "Vice Principals", she appears for relatively long period of time in Season 2 Episode 2.

Here are some additional fact(s):

In "Vice Principals", the first name of the character is "Christine". She is called by name around the 15:20 mark of Season 2 Episode 3.

Edited November 29, 2017 by MissBluxom

[shapeshifter]

14 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

Can anyone tell me the name of the actress who plays Lester's second wife (she appears to be Asian but her country of origin is never specified to the best of my knowledge)?

I'm asking because it seems to me the lady who plays that character is the same lady who plays Danny McBride's wife or live-in girlfriend in the TV Series "Vice Principals" that stars Danny McBride.  She appears to be of Asian origin although her country of origin is never specified to the best of my knowledge in either show. 

I've checked the list of actors on both IMDB pages and I've provided links below.

In Vice Principals, the actor makes an appearance around the 12:30 mark in Season 2 Episode 2. The actor who appears in Fargo appears very often near the end of Season One and she is relatively easy to find. But the actor who appears in Vice Principals only makes a few brief appearances and is not easy to find. Going to the 12:30 mark of Season 2 Episode 2 is the best way to find her so far as I can tell.  I sure do hope that I am not mistaken about that. I wouldn't want to send anyone on a wild goose chase. So maybe you should check the "Vice Principals" show before checking the Fargo show?

Vice Principals - http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0418085/

Fargo - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3599898/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

I picked the two pages from IMDB that listed as many actors as I could find. I couldn't find any matches.

In "Vice Principals", she appears for relatively long period of time in Season 2 Episode 2.

Here are some additional fact(s):

In "Vice Principals", the first name of the character is "Christine". She is called by name around the 15:20 mark of Season 2 Episode 3.

Susan Park appears in both:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4457274/?ref_=ttep_ep2

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3599898/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

[MisterBluxom]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Susan Park appears in both:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4457274/?ref_=ttep_ep2

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3599898/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

Thank you very much Shapeshifter. I could have sworn she was in both but just couldn't find her name.

[Babalu]

She also appears occasionally (maybe once or twice a season) as Jessica’s sister Connie on Fresh off the Boat and has been in at least a few episodes of The Good Place. I think she’s Korean-American.

[Inquisitionist]

I liked S1, loved S2, and pretend that S3 didn't happen.  Hope S4 is a return to earlier form!

[cpcathy]

100% agree with you on your assessment. Season 2 was brilliant, acting, writing, cinematography, music, all of it. It also made me think how mean-spirited season 1 seems in comparison (yes, of course, Joe Bulo gets his head cut off, but you get what I mean). Season 3 lost its way, not just a little bit, but A LOT. Random characters, boring time period. I'm looking forward to seeing if season 4 knows what it's doing. Can young Hank show up, please?

[Razzberry]

On 1/21/2019 at 4:45 AM, Inquisitionist said:

I liked S1, loved S2, and pretend that S3 didn't happen.  Hope S4 is a return to earlier form!

Uh oh...  I've got a theory that came to me while slogging through the interminable "Lucy in the Sky" that may explain what's happening here, but will put it in another thread.

[DMK]

This looks like a good place to rank the seasons. 

2 and 5 - These are a tie for me at the top, they’re both solidly written all the way through

1 - This one is mostly well-written but the one black mark I have against it is the pointless blackmail plot with the grocery store king that was a vehicle to give Malvo something to do until he could be brought back into the narrative at the end

3 - I liked it but didn’t love it.

4 - Waaaaaay at the bottom, I did not like this one. 

[roughing it]

I've already forgotten seasons 1-3.  I briefly remember Billy Bob Thornton in season 1 but don't remember the story; Jean Smart was in one of the others, again, don't remember the story; I remember not-Claire-Danes who played Peggy, but don't remember the story. I remember 4 because that was not that long ago, and of course 5 which we just finished.

Would someone be willing to do a quick summary of all seasons?

[Tatum]

I'll let someone else take 1 and 4.

 

Season 2 was my absolute favorite. The most simple synopsis was a crime family in North Dakota was being squeezed by the KC mob, and when Kirsten Dunst's (Not Claire Danes) character hit one of the sons with her car and then covered the crime up (assuming he was dead, which he was not, right away),  one of the older brothers in the family jumped at the opportunity to link it to the KC mob (knowing full well the two were not related) to convince his mom (Jean Smart) to go to war with KC. The ND crime family was well outnumbered, but still managed to hold their own, while law enforcement in both ND and MN (Ted Danson and Patrick Wilson) were investigating the crime as Peggy continued to insist nothing was amiss. Just an excellent convergence of great actors and great story telling.

 

Season 3 involved two twin brothers (both played by Ewan McGregor) who were estranged because the poor one felt like the rich one screwed him on the division of their family inheritance. The rich one was running a company that seemed on the verge of bankruptcy when they accepted a loan from a very sinister source who wouldn't go away even after they were offered their money, plus interest, back. I can't remember now how the poor brother got mixed up in with the sinister company, but I remember the sinister company seriously underestimated the poor brother's girlfriend/partner in crime, which would come back to haunt them pretty spectacularly. The duo from S1 (one of whom is deaf) comes back during the second half of the season. Most people did not care for the season, but I really liked it, although now I can't remember much about it. May have to give it a rewatch.

[pachyderm]

On 5/17/2014 at 11:14 PM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

So, the thing that has most disappointed me is the extreme level of stupidity on display by LE (law enforcement) across the board.  The way they set it up, there is just no reasonable way Malvo got sprung from jail.

 

Unless......

 

Is now Chief Bill in it thick as a thief with Lorne?  Did Lorne promise him he would be Chief if he just played along as needed?  This would certainly add to the confidence (arrogance) and impunity with which Malvo operates.

 

What say y'all? 

I don't think he got sprung though... 

 

After rewatching it again this past week I think he went to jail. 

It seems, for the most part anyway, all the characters get what they deserve in the end.

Season 4 is the least in this batch IMHO. But it isn't horrible by any stretch. 

 

Edited February 18 by pachyderm

[annzeepark914]

I loved S1 and like someone else here posted, wish subsequent seasons had picked up on the remaining (& still alive!) characters. Need to rewatch it as all I can now recall are some bizarre scenes (e.g., shoot-out in a bldg while FBi agents are sitting in a car outside arguing; l think that was Key & Peele 😄). To this day, I feel uncomfortable whenever I see a wood chipper.