Margaux and I talk about last night’s funny, tense Fargo.
Trevor: Sisyphus in Greek mythology was sentenced to an eternity in Hades, where he would push a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll all the way back down at the end of every day. Who do you think is Sisyphus in Fargo? Lou? Floyd Gerhardt? Peggy Blomquist? No one had a very good day in this episode.
Margaux: My gut reaction to your very solid question is Betsey, but that’s such a cop out. I’m not sure if we’ve met Fargo’s Sisyphus yet, or maybe, it’s all three of them, but I think we can safely rule out Skip “typewriters aren’t just for women anymore” Spring. Maybe it’s truly Peggy, she’s trying hard to convince herself and everyone around her that she’s a ’70s housewife-cum-feminist since the first episode. But I had to laugh when Ted Danson wonders aloud, and in front of Peggy, over what kind of person could drive with “a Rye Gerhardt in stuck in their windshield.”
Trevor: That was a fantastic line reading from Danson. He really has a knack for delivering Noah Hawley’s dialogue, and his low-key presence and delivery affords the right balance of dry comic relief and paternal warmth. Which is good when he’s paired with Lou Solverson, who’s a badass in his own quiet way. The way he stared down the entire Gerhardt clan made for thrilling television, and once again Fargo uses silence as well as it uses music. Patrick Wilson’s steely eyes make a hell of an impression, especially while he’s refusing to back down from Dodd.
(Side note: Jeffrey Donovan is having a hell of a time playing a villain. We should get into this more later.)
Margaux: In spite of the Gerhardts being our antagonist, alongside the Kansas mooks who want to buy them out, I find the family strangely relatable. The cold open shows us that Otto may no longer be bed ridden, but he’s still in no shape to make decisions for the family’s business (“he’s not deaf, he’s had a stroke”). And the quiet battle for power between Dodd and his Mother Floyd makes for some interesting subtext, especially when you juxtapose Bear and Dodd, who’ve taken very different approaches to raising their children.
Side note: does Bear exclusively eat Ren Faire style turkey legs?
Trevor: That sounds about right. I hope they did like ten takes of that.
The Gerhardts are remarkably fleshed-out, especially Floyd, who is not without warmth. I was genuinely moved when she said of Otto, “He’s still the same lion inside.” And then she turned on a dime and was almost to the point of threatening Lou, after inquiring about Ben Schmidt’s mother. She’s a great character, and Jean Smart is just killing it in the role. (One wonders how over the top and campy Floyd would be in Ryan Murphy’s hands, not that I wouldn’t enjoy the inevitable casting of Jessica Lange.)
Also a surprisingly warm presence: Ed Blomquist. Jesse Plemons’ quiet, natural take on Ed is the perfect counterpoint to Kirsten Dunst, who is doing great work as Peggy, a much “bigger” character. The way Ed agrees to crash the car – “I got it right the second time” – was weirdly sweet, especially when he told Peggy to get out by reminding her, “You got the one shiner already.” Maybe it’s because I, like you and (I imagine) many other viewers, am most familiar with Plemons from his role as the sociopathic Todd on Breaking Bad – or maybe he’s just turning in a stellar, nuanced performance.
Margaux: The two-shot of Peggy and Ed staring at Rye’s missing person poster in the window of her salon was sort of pretty much perfect, it told a complete story without having to say anything at all, but I couldn’t help but hear in my own head, in a Team America voice, METH DAMON. Anyway, the way the Blomquists’ story unfolded and was told visually, them riding the bus back together after having their semi-wrecked car towed away was told in a charming, yet very removed sort of way and served to show what a distance there is between them. If Peggy ends up accidentally murdering Ed, I won’t be too surprised. I honestly thought she was going to suggest doing something to Betsey since she seems too wise to what happened at the Waffle House on the night in question.
Trevor: There will be bad things afoot at the Blomquist house, of that I have no doubt.
I admire the hell out of “The Myth of Sisyphus” for being such an economical episode. The time frame was much more compressed than it was in the last two episodes, and Lou even pointed out that he had his confrontations with the Gerhardts and Mike Milligan in the span of one day. And for all that, “Sisyphus” never felt rushed or hurried. This fucking show looks effortless – that’s the word I keep coming back to. Going from comedy to drama to thriller and all the way back again would stymie almost anyone, except, apparently, Noah Hawley and the Coen brothers.
And since I don’t have a better place to put this in, I want to nominate Lou for the line of the night, for his response to Mike after Mike asks him for Skip’s whereabouts. “At your mother’s house, I think going in the back door.”
Margaux: That scene was the literal definition of what you just described as effortlessly going from comedy, to drama, to straight up High Noon show down; you know no one is safe (just ask Skip and his goddamn ties that went through a lot in three episodes). It all worked, starting with Lou naming a new prog-rock rock band, “Mike Milligan and the Kitchen Brothers…aaahhhh” all the while everyone (but Mike Milligan) has their guns drawn on each other, to their prolonged exit from the typewriter store, there was a menace to Mike Milligan saying he “likes” Lou, and even name dropping his Father-in-Law, with a snap of Mike Milligan’s fingers, it could go from tensely pleasant quips to bloodbath on a dime and it’d still work, whichever they wanted it to go. I did enjoy Lou telling Hank about this minor showdown in a such a nonchalant, it’s just one of those things way – and an honorable mention for their hilarious walkie talkie exchange from earlier on, “over and out, I guess.” They go a long way to making cops seem charming and actually decent at their jobs.
Trevor: That’s what I love about this season: everyone is charming. Who doesn’t want to hang out with Mike Milligan? I mean, I could probably pass on hanging out with any of the Gerhardt brothers, but they all have a certain magnetism to them that makes them more than just villains.
What do you make of the UFO stuff this season? Not gonna lie, it’s probably the weirdest part of Fargo right now, but as long as we steer clear of actual aliens, I don’t think I’ll mind. Do you think it’s a comment on the overall otherwordliness of everything happening, or just window dressing? I think too highly of Noah Hawley for it to be the latter. But I’m unsure of its purpose, and “Sisyphus” really wanted us to be aware of it. Skip Spring even referred to his typewriters as “spaceships.”
Margaux: Glad you brought up this up because it was about to be my next point. I think Lou’s exchange with the conspiracy theorist at the gas station made me sit up and pay attention because I (at least wanted to) chalk up the lights Rye sees right before getting mowed down by Peggy as a coked-up hallucination that turned out really be her headlights. I know Betty and Barney Hill’s extraterrial encounter predates the era the show is taking place in, but I can’t help feel that, at least for now, it serves as more narrative tone than anything else. I truly hope Fargo doesn’t end up with some alien abduction, and I strongly doubt it, it’s another piece of interesting commentary that ties to the present, right alongside the talk of buy outs and forecasts of when the Gerhardts will likely pass on the Kansas City deal that’s on the table.
Trevor: After typing “UFO Minnesota 1979” into Google, I found an article about a sheriff who was blinded by UFO lights, right on the North Dakota border. I think Noah Hawley is just smarter than us. Which should come as no surprise.
Margaux: Well, we know present-day Lou from season one isn’t blind, so maybe we can rule that exact story out, but I do think this isn’t the last of UFO/alien conspiracy theories.
Trevor: I hope we see more. I think it adds a very interesting dimension to everything. You wanna talk stars? Unless there’s something you wanted to add.
Margaux: Let’s get to the good stuff, the star rating because that’s what the people want to know! JK, we know it’s meaningless in a lot of ways. It’s hard for Fargo to have a bad episode, let alone, a low star rating usually stemming from anger (LOOKING AT YOU AHS). This show’s greatest weakness is having to wait an entire week for a new episode, every week you’re left wanting and needing to know where the hell this thing is going, UFOs and all. Also: I love you Ted Danson. MORE DANSON.
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