Fargo Season 3

[hewantstolurkatad]

Jesus, that animated stuff... The aesthetic was such an extreme rip off of Don Hertzfeldt (specifically The World of Tomorrow and the final part of It's Such a Beautiful Day) that I spent the whole thing wondering whether it was just a really half assed effort from him but apparently not. Even for Noah Hawley[nb]who seems to make a habit of stealing shit from other places with no clear reason beyond "that looks cool"[nb]which has its upsides, to be fair[/nb][/nb], that was a pretty odd and on-the-nose one.

[NoSleep]

The animation did mean we got to read his story without some huge budget being run up but I suppose it could have been done any number of ways. It wasn't particularly distracting, which it could have been, so that was a bonus.

[Dropshadow]

I had meant to save all the episodes and binge them, but I gave in and I'm watching them one by one. I'm quite enjoying this series; I'll see how it develops. Was struck by a couple of "Barton Fink" references in episode 3 - The non-stop chiming of the desk-bell in the hotel and the bit where Gloria is sitting on the beach looking out to sea. And, of course, the author who gets told to write film scripts.

[BritishHobo]

Aye, I'm sorry to hear a lot of you aren't getting on hugely well with this, 'cos I'm loving it. Maybe it's because I'm also watching the GLACIAL Better Call Saul, but the pace of this feels perfect to me, really satisfied. I see what people mean; it's a tough sell and it takes a good fucking show to pull of a standalone puzzle like that three episodes in, and it must be a killer if it doesn't​ work for you. But again, I loved that. Daft experimental stuff like the cartoon adaptation of the book really make me grin, and stuff like the missing cast doing the voices.

I have faith that it'll fit in in some way, significant or otherwise.

[Van Dammage]

[selectivememory]

I thought the latest one was great. Varga yet again completely stealing the episode with his scene near the end.

[3D]

A great fourth episode, and yes, once more, Thewlis steals the whole thing.

[up_the_hampipe]

Varga is so fucking creepy. I love it. This is starting to pick up, and it looks like the investigation part might be wrapped up quickly so the story can move into a better direction.

[NoSleep]

He doesn't really steal it for me; for all his overwrought (and over-British) wordiness (getting away with murder). I noticed everyone going for the wordy character last season whilst I wasn't entirely happy with his performance either. Nice to see Varga unravelling a bit, though; likewise the Stussy's; meanwhile "Peter" closes in for the kill.

[up_the_hampipe]

I don't like the wordiness so much either, but there's a captivating enigma element that's appealing. The speeches get a bit Russell Brand at times.

[NoSleep]

That scene around Emmett's worked because of the double act of Emmett and his wife reacting contrarily to one another regarding Varga. McGregor not really getting his props around here just because his Midwestern accent is more Wisconsin than North Dakota (sounds like he researched the accent by watching Pickles in Metalocalypse and dialling it back a bit).

[Small Man Big Horse]

I can't believe the bank manager was fooled by fat McGregor and his dodgy wig, hair wise he looked nothing like thin McGregor and I didn't buy that scene at all.

[NoSleep]

I think it was meant to indicate that the brothers' lives rarely coincide, enough for an "irritable, chancy Emmett" impersonation to work with his bank manager (Emmett's obviously a lot more pally with the guy). It worked as comedy, anyway.

I'm actually warming to the other (Gloria) half of the story more.

[a peepee tipi]

I noticed everyone going for the wordy character last season whilst I wasn't entirely happy with his performance either.

This is sort of how I feel too as far as the writing goes, but as with Milligan I think they camouflaged a lot of the more glaring issues with perfect casting in Thewlis. Unfortunately in this case, nothing else about the story or other characters is particularly compelling to me so it's harder to forgive.

Well well, nothing new to say on my end other than that I hope in the midseason episode more than like 3 things happen.

[a peepee tipi]

Felt like Stuhlbarg's episode, I like how he's the catalyst for the colliding plots strands (about time!). Back half set up there as well, looks like it's going to be picking up. Getting a bit tired of the need to base every plot point around a misconception though, they're really hammering that shit down. Still overall find it middling, but I've at least enjoyed each episode thus far. Except for the third, I would appreciate more experimentation within the show, just not at all... whatever that was

[NoSleep]

Getting a bit tired of the need to base every plot point around a misconception though, they're really hammering that shit down.

I think uncanny coincidences are this season's UFOs.

[selectivememory]

Eh... that was okay, but I don't know, felt like it lost a bit of momentum for me, focussing on some things that are less interesting than in the previous episode. And McGregor was really poor. The first time he's really had to show some emotional depth in his performance and it was utterly unconvincing; his limitations as an actor were really exposed. I've got to admit that the Ray-Nikki relationship is of virtually no interest to me, which is a problem given how central it is to the plot.

I do find parts of this quite intriguing still, like the way Emmit is coming around to Varga - and Varga in general is a lot of fun with just how fucking repellent he is. But I was annoyed that the police chief shut down the investigation (I think he's a really shit, one-dimensional character to be honest) as that was beginning to get very interesting and I liked where it was leading.

Wasn't quite sure what to make of the ending. I wonder if Sy had assumed (like I did at first) that Nikki had been murdered, otherwise I doubt he'd have driven off. Was a very good and effective scene though.

[NoSleep]

They weren't very professional henchmen if they meant to kill her and didn't.

The two cops are great, though.

[selectivememory]

Oh, I'm sure they didn't mean to kill her. What I found puzzling was what they were up to by just giving her a beating (possibly just trying to shit Sy up some more, or stir more animosity up between the brothers?) and also whether or not Sy realised she wasn't dead. I guess they did that to her behind her car, so he couldn't see, because looking at his face while it was happening I was convinced she was dead, and I think he must think so too going by how he responded. (incidentally, the guy playing Sy was superb, especially in that scene)

Yes, the two cops are great, and their investigation is one of the main things I'm enjoying about this right now.

[NoSleep]

And McGregor was really poor. The first time he's really had to show some emotional depth in his performance and it was utterly unconvincing; his limitations as an actor were really exposed.

To be fair, the plot fell down here. It seems they banked a lot on the gag of his weeping sounding like the sex tape before we see him huddled in the corner. He should have been straight out seething angry from the outset (or maybe cold, calculating), as he knows who's to blame and that his wife has simply been misled (whatever the temporary fallout).

[hewantstolurkatad]

Finding it very hard to care about a lot of what's going in this season. It's basically Stuhlberg and Thewlis that're keeping me watching but I'm not especially interested in their plots either.

[NoSleep]

We also seemed to discover that Nikki is actually naive and stupid rather than acting naive and stupid towards some greater plan.

[Neomod]

Not a great episode this week but I knew that I'd seen that henchmen duo style before.

In 1981's Diva.

[3D]

Finding it very hard to care about a lot of what's going in this season. It's basically Stuhlberg and Thewlis that're keeping me watching but I'm not especially interested in their plots either.

I'd broadly agree, although I thought the two set pieces were very effective this week. I'm left wondering if the other Stussy employees are walking around with their eyes closed though. You wouldn't need to be Poirot to know there was something amiss.

I know this series isn't quite up to snuff for me at least as unlike the first and second I have to remind myself when it is due to hit the torrent sites.

[up_the_hampipe]

We also seemed to discover that Nikki is actually naive and stupid rather than acting naive and stupid towards some greater plan.

Yeah, bit disappointed by that. I thought this was building to Nikki and Varga having some sort of manipulator's showdown or something. But I guess it makes more sense that she's just some amateur scam artist who got mixed up in heavy business.

I'm getting a bit fed up of all the monologues and analogies from the bad guys.

[a peepee tipi]

I'm getting a bit fed up of all the monologues and analogies from the bad guys.

How else is a character supposed to perform an action, make clear to the viewer his immediate motives, AND help convey the themes of the show without some ham-fisted monologue or metaphor? I especially don't know how the audience is supposed to grasp that if you don't do it multiple times in every episode. It's not like we're dealing with a visual medium here.

If there's one thing the Coens understand that Hawley doesn't, it's subtlety. Also, apparently it was Hawley performing that awful cover of "Ship of Fools" at the end there. Fuck's sake

[BritishHobo]

It does feel like a much smaller, less complicated story this time. The first two seasons were able to develop all these different strands and draw them all together in intriguing ways, whereas this season we only really seem to have the respective McGregor plots (which have basically coalesced at this point) and yer police lady who's already figured it all out. And compared to those seasons, it really feels bereft of memorable characters, which both one and two were stuffed with.

Also they seem to have avoided any of the plot/character linkage the previous seasons made use of (season one following​ the money from the film, season two delving into the massacre witnessed by Tolman's dad), which makes it seem even more separate than the previous two.

[Hangthebuggers]

I don't think it's as good as the first two series (thus far), but I'm still enjoying it. For me it's just great television. Quirky characters, interesting location, sinister tidings.

Anyone else reckon Feltz is slightly gay for Emmit? I noticed it a few episodes ago when they were in the car together and then again in the last one were he says 'you're a model... I mean a role model'. Funny character quirk that I hope is just left as it is without any need to press it further.

Also V.M Varga is slightly cartoonish but still makes an interesting and creepy antagonist.

[up_the_hampipe]

Anyone else reckon Feltz is slightly gay for Emmit? I noticed it a few episodes ago when they were in the car together and then again in the last one were he says 'you're a model... I mean a role model'. Funny character quirk that I hope is just left as it is without any need to press it further.

He does have a Smithers vibe.

[BritishHobo]

Something that stuck out to me was that the while 'you have a fat wife'/cuckold/piss (spunk?) drinking stuff was more cruel and humiliating than anything I've seen in Fargo before.