"Fargo" becomes a minii-series

[shivkala]

Why was Lester in Montana? He should've gone to Mexico. He lived like a dumbass and died like a dumbass.

Noah Hawley answered this:

UPROXX: Speaking of that, why did Lester end up in Montana?

HAWLEY: Some of that was just the location. We shoot in Calgary, and we’re about an hour from the mountains. We’d been shooting away from the mountains the entire time, so it seemed nice to end on this incredible mountain vista with a frozen lake. That’s obviously not Minnesota. But I like the idea that he’s fled, and he knows there’s no way he’s going to explain any of this. And he’s very close to the Canadian border.

It's the last part that I assumed, the fact that he was close to Canada (those were Border Patrol agents going after him). I figure Lester thought if the pressure got too much, he would just hop over to Canada. Again, Lester lived like a dumbass and died as one.

 

[Professor Zoom]

It's easier to get into Canada than into Mexico... I remember shortly after 9/11, I was living in Minneapolis at the time, there was a reporter on the radio who was walking back and forth in the snow (you could hear her feet crunching), and she was saying, "Now I'm in Canada.... Now I'm in the US..." And so forth.

Of course, it would probably be harder to hide out in Canada.

Overall I liked it, I do wish though that Molly had taken either Malvo down or Lester... it was her case, she's the hero... But, I did like that Gus shot Mavlo, very unexpected. And a great scene.

 

[shivkala]

eta:found this gif and had to share it:

There's only word to describe that gif:

Though, I do wonder what would have happened if someone had given this advice to Lester:

 

[Mister Fandango]

While I love that we got a complete story, I am upset that we're losing both Malvo and Lester. They were great characters, mostly because they had great actors.

 

[Velocity]

So - Gus got away with cold blooded murder. It may have been the only way to stop Malvo, but it seems strange that he got away with it. Apart from that, loved the finale, loved the show.

We were discussing this today, how Gus basically waits for Malvo to return, then executes him. Not a self-defense situation at all. Malvo was in pretty bad shape at that point, and Gus could have just called the Bemidji cops and told them where Malvo was hiding.

I'm thinking there was probably a unanimous agreement made at the scene to just turn a blind eye and fudge the reports.

Considering the carnage outside (3 bodies) and the fact that the mail carrier was a former cop, they probably figured that Gus was delivering mail, came upon the carnage as it happened and his cop mentality took over and he waded in and took out the killer. Presto! Hero! And, really, the total brain weight of that community is not too hefty.

 

[Mister Fandango]

What carnage? At the cabin, the only carnage was a little blood that Malvo deposited on his way inside.

The carnage happened at Lester's place, not the cabin.

 

[Velocity]

the slaughter of the 3 men fits the definition of carnage, although admittedly I'm guessing Malvo shot the poor car salesman too.

 

[auntiehill]

That was my assumption as well.

 

[Mister Fandango]

Right, but Gus didn't see that. He was at Malvo's cabin the whole time. If he saw the carnage, he'd have to pursue Malvo all the way back to his cabin, and I'm pretty sure those are two completely different mail routes.

 

[shivkala]

the slaughter of the 3 men fits the definition of carnage, although admittedly I'm guessing Malvo shot the poor car salesman too.

The car salesman was a character from the first episode who Lester failed to sell an insurance policy to. He didn't think he needed the policy for work-related incidents, because he worked in a library at the time. Therefore, it's presumed that he did die, because...irony.

 

[Mojochi]

OK, I'll hide this in case the series makes someone want to see the movie for the first time:

Spoiler: the movie Fargo

In the movie, after the Steve Buscemi character collected the ransom money he found it was almost a million more than they were expecting (because Jerry had been lying to them to get the money for himself). He took out the expected amount and buried the rest in the snow, so he could retrieve it after settling up with his partner. His partner killed him, so he never went back for the money. That was the money found at the beginning of the latest episode.

Also the opening shots and music of the episode were a very close homage to the opening of the movie.

Oliver Platt's magic money! I totally didn't catch on to that. Thanks

I think I enjoyed this series more than I did the movie. I love Coen movies, but Fargo is not in my top 5 favorite. The series just beamed with great performances, whereas the only real standout performance in the movie was Macy.

 

[J.T.B.]

As far as Gus's shooting goes, Malvo had just killed a number of people and had a knife at hand, so self-defense is not a big stretch. It was great to see Gus stand up for himself and his family.

I would have like to have seen Molly put the cuffs on Lester, but it was nice how she was content with how it happened. Her family was safe, and that was what mattered to her.

At first I thought that Bill was just a dumbass, but in the last few episodes I figured out that he was just a decent, soft-hearted guy who had no business being a cop. Odenkirk made that work.

I liked the references to the movie (coming in through the glass door, hiding in the bathroom, "Your deal") and the classic "Blood Simple" bullet holes again.

The only nitpick I had in the whole series was how Lester's frame of his brother went down. The magnum that the kid brought to school shouldn't have been cause for a search warrant for evidence in a murder case.

And one other thing: Molly was an officer in a city police department, so why is she always called "deputy?" "Deputy" what?

I think I enjoyed this series more than I did the movie. I love Coen movies, but Fargo is not in my top 5 favorite. The series just beamed with great performances, whereas the only real standout performance in the movie was Macy.

Wow, I disagree. I thought Buscemi and Stormare were great, and Frances McDormand was terrific. She played the smarts and the sweet perfectly, never making Marge a joke and never looking down on other locals. Superb move, superb series.

 

[Mojochi]

I didn't mean to suggest anyone was bad. They were all good, but it was all a little in the quirky vein, whereas the performances on the show got to be much more deep & powerful, imho

 

[Velocity]

Right, but Gus didn't see that. He was at Malvo's cabin the whole time. If he saw the carnage, he'd have to pursue Malvo all the way back to his cabin, and I'm pretty sure those are two completely different mail routes.

Gus was watching for Malvo's return from the cabin, because who would let Malvo sneak up on them? And he could surely hear the gunfire. But, none of that matters because I was explaining how the Bemidji cops might have come to the conclusions they did. It probably had little basis in reality, because most of them are low watt bulbs except for Molly. And they would have found it easier to believe Gus was an action hero than they could admire (or understand) Molly's police work.

 

[Mister Fandango]

Gus was watching for Malvo's return from the cabin, because who would let Malvo sneak up on them? And he could surely hear the gunfire. But, none of that matters because I was explaining how the Bemidji cops might have come to the conclusions they did. It probably had little basis in reality, because most of them are low watt bulbs except for Molly. And they would have found it easier to believe Gus was an action hero than they could admire (or understand) Molly's police work.

Again, what gunfire? Gus was nowhere near the massacre at Lester's house. And, as a mailman, his mail route would be very well known, so they'd know approximately where he was at the time. Which, again, would be nowhere near Lester's house. The whole "maybe he followed Malvo to his home" thing doesn't pan out, even to a "dim bulb" cop like most of Bemidji's.

The fact that Malvo was a bad guy who did incredibly bad things is why Gus got away with cold-blooded murder. The fact that Molly was into him certainly helped a lot.

The more likely story Gus used was that he simply spotted Malvo as he returned to his cabin, followed him in, confronted him, saw that he was pulling a knife, and shot him. The massacre at Lester's pad wouldn't factor into the story one iota.

 

[shivkala]

The Critic's Choice Awards were good to Fargo! It won"Best Mini-series," Billy Bob Thornton won "Best Actor in a Mini-Series," and Allison Tolman won "Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series." Not sure why Allison Tolman and Colin Hanks (who was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series" but did not win) were "supporting" and not main (while Billy Bob and Martin Freeman were both in the "Main Actor" category). Colin, possibly, but one could argue that Allison was the main female on the show.

Then again, she would have gone up against Jessica Lange (who won "Best Actress in a Mini-Series"). However, Allison did win in a category with Kathy Bates, Ellen Burstyn, and Julia Roberts. Not bad, considering those three are all Oscar Winners for Best Actress!

 

[J.T.B.]

Gus was watching for Malvo's return from the cabin, because who would let Malvo sneak up on them? And he could surely hear the gunfire. But, none of that matters because I was explaining how the Bemidji cops might have come to the conclusions they did. It probably had little basis in reality, because most of them are low watt bulbs except for Molly. And they would have found it easier to believe Gus was an action hero than they could admire (or understand) Molly's police work.

Really, with the shooter married to an officer involved in the case in such a small department, the investigation was probably handled by a different agency, probably the county sheriff's office.

The more likely story Gus used was that he simply spotted Malvo as he returned to his cabin, followed him in, confronted him, saw that he was pulling a knife, and shot him. The massacre at Lester's pad wouldn't factor into the story one iota.

Right. A former cop, he had spoken to his wife and knew the driver of the red BMW was a suspect in a homicide in Bemidji the night before, he spotted the car and went in to the cabin to check it out, picked up the revolver because he knew the guy was dangerous, and so on. Would it be wrong if he lied about the timing or whether Malvo went for the knife (or a gun, he probably had one on him somewhere)? I say no. Malvo was so dangerous, he was so used to killing people, Gus couldn't give him a chance. He knew, and we know, about that level of danger and malice, but it's difficult to convey it to someone who wasn't directly involved. So, if he lied in the investigation, I say it's justified. After seeing all the evidence, investigators were probably more inclined to look the other way about Gus, anyway, even if they had suspicions about his story.

 

[auntiehill]

The Critic's Choice Awards were good to Fargo! It won"Best Mini-series," Billy Bob Thornton won "Best Actor in a Mini-Series," and Allison Tolman won "Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series." Not sure why Allison Tolman and Colin Hanks (who was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series" but did not win) were "supporting" and not main (while Billy Bob and Martin Freeman were both in the "Main Actor" category). Colin, possibly, but one could argue that Allison was the main female on the show.

Then again, she would have gone up against Jessica Lange (who won "Best Actress in a Mini-Series"). However, Allison did win in a category with Kathy Bates, Ellen Burstyn, and Julia Roberts. Not bad, considering those three are all Oscar Winners for Best Actress!

I was very pleased to hear this. Billy Bob Thorton & Allison Tolman deserve all the praise they can get.

 

[shivkala]

^
I'm especially pleased for Tolman. While Billy-Bob should get praised, he was a known-quantity going into this. Tolman has three titles to her credit on her IMDB page before Fargo and she practically stole the show in every scene she had.

 

[auntiehill]

^She most certainly did.