What did Lester really want/expect from Malvo? "Hey Lester, lookin' great! How've ya been?" He knew he was a cold blooded killer for gosh sakes. Instead of killing Lester, Malvo should just send the cops the recording of Lester calling him for help after murdering his wife. Of course only Molly could make sense of it.
Yeah, I got the impression that if Malvo hadn't said "Walk away!" Lester might have been OK, but he took that as an affront to the "New Lester" persona he was reveling in, and he just had to push back. I have to think the recordings will play some part in the finale.
Any speculation/predictions as to how this season of Fargo will end? Will it be a happy ending, where Molly arrests Malvo and Lester, or a No Country for Old Men style headscratcher, where Malvo gets away and nothing is resolved? Also, how does the subplot of Bill and the adopted refugee kid fit into the overall story?
I don't think it's a sub-plot, just a scene that probably won't come up again. My impression of the scene was it was to show Molly that, no matter what's happened, her case is not over. Things in "the universe" can come together so it comes around again. Which is just what happens with Lester and Malvo. In a way I found the scene similar to the one in the movie between Marge and Mike in the restaurant. It seems a little like filler but it ended up pointing Marge back toward Jerry in the investigation.
I'm preparing for a "worst-case scenario" ending, just in case. There's Molly's father, the baby, Greta, and, of course, Molly and Gus themselves who could all become victims of Malvo. While I'd love to believe they are safe, Gus once again letting Malvo go seems a lot like Peter Parker letting the robber go, only for the robber to end up killing his beloved Uncle. There has to be a price to pay for all of this and I, unfortunately, think it's going to be a personal one. I'm still wondering why Molly felt the need to say, "We're doing good," unless it was to set a baseline for a time when something bad happens. Molly's dad is my first guess, though, Malvo did threaten Greta in the premiere episode when Gus let him go the first time. Budge and/or Pepper are likely targets, unless their sole purpose was to provide validation for Molly (in which case, they did so last week). I can see one dying and the other having to carry on alone. Lester, to me, is pretty much a goner. Whereas Jerry Lundgaard got caught in an increasingly escalating situation, he was never as involved as Lester is. Jerry's wife, similar to Linda, died because of the situation he put her in. However, Jerry had every expectation his wife would be returned alive. Lester seemed to have every expectation Linda would not return alive. Not to mention the fact that he killed his first wife. Then there's destroying his brother's life and causing his nephew to be arrested. I don't think jail is enough for Lester. Malvo, I do see getting away. I'm not sure if Billy Bob Thornton would ever return, but I think Malvo is too good of a character to just outright kill. I can see them leaving the door open for him to possibly return. More realistically, I think Molly, Gus, et. al. will emerge relatively unscathed (with one or more injured, but nothing serious). Budge and Pepper probably won't factor into things much. Lester is a goner. Malvo escapes, possibly with Mr. Wrench on his trail. Best case, nothing at all happens to Molly, Gus, et. al. Lester dies. Lester's brother is exonerated, along with his nephew and his wife takes him back, where he realizes what his brother became and how his anger can lead to a dark place, so he makes a change, ditches the weapons (at least the illegal ones) and vows to be a better husband. Bill runs into trouble for bungling the investigation and arresting Chaz. He is forced to resign and, based on the recommendation of FBI agents Budge and Pepper, Molly becomes the new chief, fulfilling Vern's wish for her.
Liked the wolves. what was it that Malvo kept saying about wolves? I liked the ending, but what a tense hour and a half.
Wondering what became of the bag of cash that Stavros (re)buried in the snow by the side of the road.. Anyway, what a great season, enjoyed it very much and looking forward to the next.
Holy crap, that was awesome. Seeing the happy family on the couch, I almost got a bit choked up there at the end. Terrific ending. What a great show! eta:found this gif and had to share it:
Why was Lester in Montana? He should've gone to Mexico. He lived like a dumbass and died like a dumbass.
I think he was just being cocky again. After chasing away Malvo with the bear-trap trick, he was probably feeling pretty full of himself. And once he heard about Malvo's death (which surely hit the papers), he probably thought he was free and clear . . . One loose end left dangling: what became of the deaf-mute hit man?
What an awesome finale and I had a huge smile on my face during the last scene, hearing the full Fargo theme!
Man, I'm glad I gave this show a chance. That was really great. I especially love that they actually gave us a complete story, not a drawn-out deal with cliffhangers and whatnot. So refreshing, that.
Character-wise, he probably thought since Linda was found with the Acapulco plane tickets, he should go up north. Symbolism-wise, Lester, since he met Malvo was living on thin ice. It finally gave way.
Malvo is hard to figure out. He gave some people the chance to walk away and others he killed outright with no thought. He shouldn't have let Gus walk away, it turns out. Did he leave without the money or did he get it before he left? Is it still there waiting for a thaw?
Considering there was an even bigger loose end left in the original movie, I'm betting that's how they're going to do each season. Leave at least one out there that you may or may not forget about, only to have it fuel the brunt of the next season.
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.
It's good to be married to the Chief-to be. The report probably stated that it might be a drifter, or a gang of them , the mail man just happened to hear some noises while delivering mail, and found the body
That's probably the only explanation that makes sense. Given that Malvo had killed at least two FBI officers and the previous sheriff. not to mention umpteen other people, I'm sure the local authorities were not inclined to throw the book at Gus. "Not a jury on Earth will convict him, so why bother?"