Fargo Season 3

[NoSleep]

I'm wondering how the too-young sci-fi writer and the original (presumably older) Yuri fold back into the story.

[imitationleather]

I'm wondering how the too-young sci-fi writer and the original (presumably older) Yuri fold back into the story.

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't. Felt like a non-sequitur plot to cement the atmosphere of kookiness the show is going for. Could be completely wrong on that, though.

This season has been deeply unsatisfying. Season 1 and 2 were great fun if you didn't think about them too hard, but I'm not getting anywhere near the same level of enjoyment this time around. Less interesting characters played by worse actors with a less interesting storyline. Will stick it out to the end, though.

[Hangthebuggers]

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.

Was it piss/spunk? I just thought he'd put his cock in it. I don't think he pissed in it.

[NoSleep]

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't. Felt like a non-sequitur plot to cement the atmosphere of kookiness the show is going for. Could be completely wrong on that, though.

It would be odd to spend a whole episode pointing everyone in the wrong direction. And the Yuri thing was the very first scene of the entire series. Still, maybe it'll turn out shitter than True Detective II.

[up_the_hampipe]

Was it piss/spunk? I just thought he'd put his cock in it. I don't think he pissed in it.

I think it was piss. It wasn't spunk because we saw the stuff pour out. If he just put his cock in, why would it be such a big deal to drink from the cup? Still gross, yeah, but not horrific like the scene was suggesting.

[imitationleather]

Was it piss/spunk? I just thought he'd put his cock in it. I don't think he pissed in it.

I thought it was piss. It was weird because of the way he put his entire cock in the mug. Maybe I've been pissing in mugs all wrong these past few decades but that's not how I would have done it. Surely you'd get your cock all wet with piss if you did it like that was my thinking. It's not like Thewlis is shy about getting his cock out on camera, either. I guess maybe the network is, though.

Really took me out of the moment.

[NoSleep]

The whole pissing in the cup was a bit weird. I don't think I've ever pissed so little in one serving.

[up_the_hampipe]

He probably didn't have much left to excrete because he'd just puked up breakfast.

[NoSleep]

That's the other thing. Is he just having a bad spell, because he doesn't look like he's undernourished?

[a peepee tipi]

Meh

[selectivememory]

Back on form for me this week. Been a very inconsistent season, and the relationship between the brothers is a bit undercooked (and it was hard to feel much when Ray died - really, the characters I'm interested in are Varga, Gloria, Emmit and Sy, although maybe Nikki is a bit more interesting now we see that she's a bit naive and dumb and not who she seemed to be initially), but there have been some great moments. Varga again was a lot of fun in this one, especially when the police visited and when cleaning up after Emmit.

So Varga's guys beating on Nikki last week - is it just a nice coincidence now that that feeds back into Varga's plan, or was that just one of many contingencies he was preparing for? I guess given how much coincidence has been a theme this season it was probably just that, but I wonder if he told his guys specifically not to beat her in any place that would show.

[NoSleep]

I'm not even sure why they didn't kill her the first time or whether they knew who she was or not. I presume Varga is a dab hand at surveillance, but it's unclear why beating her shitless one day then deciding to kill her the next makes any sense.

Liked how Gloria's non-presence online has made life difficult for Varga.

[imitationleather]

One thing I'm very pleased they've almost completely jettisoned from season 1 (and to a lesser extent season 2) is the extremely long monologues from characters that didn't seem at all related to the plot but appeared to be a conceit to make the show seem more intelligent than it actually is. For instance, whenever yer pregnant female cop would settle down and begin a big long speech with, "Once there was..." I'd be like, "Oh boy, this is going to be a very boring five minutes while she gets this out of her system."

[up_the_hampipe]

I liked Varga's role in this episode. He wasn't just some villain making things problematic for everyone, he was showing his value to Emmit. Dealing with the IRS, police and sorting out the Ray situation. After all, the measure of a strong relationship is helping clean up a dead body. I think this is going to be a turning point where Emmit aligns himself more comfortably with Varga and pals, much to the chagrin of Sy.

The death of Ray was odd, especially how Emmit just stood there and let it happen. I get that there probably wasn't much to be done, but that's your brother. Get a towel or something. I like how Ray just pleaded 'Emmit' with a regretful look on his face. It said everything about how far things had gone and their deep down love for each other as family. You don't always need a monologue.

[funtimefrankie]

Starting to think Varga is all smoke and mirrors rather than the big time head honcho he's making out. The chatter with the police officers would do nothing but heighten their intrigue. As would the stalling tactic with the IRS.

Presume the big plan is to get them to leverage Stussy Parking to get this $50m loan and then him and his 2 henchmen disappear into the sunset.

[maett]

I like this season more than the second season.
That's all I've got. Oh and Thewlis is fantastic.

[up_the_hampipe]

It's objectively not better than season two, but I am enjoying it. Thewlis is doing a great job and I hope he turns out to be the first Fargo villain who is actually all talk.

[a peepee tipi]

Despite the usual issues and being mostly Varga-less, I kind of liked this one. Enjoyed the rest of the main cast, even Emmit despite the weird meeting with Winnie, looks like he's losing it. The DJ Qualls scene was all kinds of shit and I'm still not too big on the coppers, but it's probably the most I've enjoyed Gloria and Nikki. Don't know how to feel about that ending though. It seems weird to not have any direct connection to the city of Fargo, but part of me likes the idea of that being the only tie-in to the other seasons and where it could take the story. However, there was definitely a part of me going, "Fucking really?". Having Jean Smart pop up like that

[selectivememory]

I thought that was another great episode. And the ending I liked a lot, seeing that character back again. Hopefully a lot more of him in the next few episodes.

I really hate Shea Whigham's character though.

[up_the_hampipe]

I didn't think they'd bring a character from a previous season, but there you go. That was a good one, glad to see this season is heating up. I would say that the prison bus interception was preposterous, but Malvo's massacre in season one and the UFOs in season two were all a bit ridiculous.

[Hangthebuggers]

So the guy she was sat next to on the bus, was he the deaf guy from series 1?

--

Also how did the cop with the syringe get past the security on the desk (are we to assume he was a local cop or what?), whereas the cop woman had to hunt down paperwork to even get close to the prisoner cells? So how the fuck did she get into the cells to save the day?

That bit confused me a lot.

[NoSleep]

The paperwork was for her to meet in an interview room. I assume she had given up on that and went down to the cells to talk to her anyway and stumbled across the assassination attempt.

[Hangthebuggers]

The paperwork was for her to meet in an interview room. I assume she had given up on that and went down to the cells to talk to her anyway and stumbled across the assassination attempt.

Ah that makes more sense. In my mind I was imagining the paperwork was required for the cell access, hence my confusion as to why every bugger was just strolling in there with a syringe or a gun. This makes infinitely more sense. Thanks.

Also to confirm, that was Mr Wrench wasn't it? Wonder what he's been up to?

[up_the_hampipe]

Also to confirm, that was Mr Wrench wasn't it? Wonder what he's been up to?

It was. Presumably he's just been in prison. Last time we saw him, Malvo left him handcuffed to his hospital bed. The interference by Yuri might allow him to escape and wreak havoc. But he might just be nothing more than an easter egg.

There's some theories that the widow Goldfarb might be the one who defeats Varga. I can see it. Also I really enjoy saying "the widow Goldfarb" in the Minnesota accent.

[selectivememory]

It was. Presumably he's just been in prison. Last time we saw him, Malvo left him handcuffed to his hospital bed. The interference by Yuri might allow him to escape and wreak havoc.

Didn't Malvo give him the key to his handcuffs? I presumed he'd been rearrested after being on the run for some time or causing more trouble.

Anyway, I like the character (and his theme music), so hopefully he hasn't already been killed by the crash. Would be strange (although considering the third episode of this season, maybe not) if they brought him back for one scene where he doesn't do anything, just to kill him straight away.

[BritishHobo]

I have been half-expecting, given the seemingly total disconnected between this season and the previous two, that there would be a major out-of-left- field connection; especially because the show has kinda wrung everything it can out of the plot and the limited number of characters. Expansion makes sense.

Also I'd been listening to the Wrench and Numbers theme all week, so it made me very happy.

[NoSleep]

Remind me: they won't like Wrench if they've made him angry, will they?

[up_the_hampipe]

Didn't Malvo give him the key to his handcuffs? I presumed he'd been rearrested after being on the run for some time or causing more trouble.

Oh yeah. Also they were on a bus transporting them to prison. I'm such a bozo!

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

Also how did the cop with the syringe get past the security on the desk (are we to assume he was a local cop or what?), whereas the cop woman had to hunt down paperwork to even get close to the prisoner cells? So how the fuck did she get into the cells to save the day?

Fargo, particularly over the course of season 1, takes a few liberties with common sense for plot purposes. As soon as I heard about the blue form and all the kind of red tape the cop needs to talk with the suspect, I was reminded of the Bob Odenkirk character in season 1, who basically existed to slow the investigation down. Also, I remembered that nobody had been able to get a picture of Lorne Malvo (until they found the church website), so Allison Tolman couldn't get an ID by witnesses or stuff like that.
Except that Malvo had been arrested by Colin Hanks, he was taken to the police station, and there was even a long scene where they take his fingerprints. But nobody took his mugshot, or thought about using the mugshot...
Also, when Glenn Howerton was assaulted by the SWAT team, the bulletproof plan by Malvo is basically bullshit. Why don't the cops check the back door, for instance? The plot needed Malvo to get out the house unseen, but it would be standard procedure for an assault team to check the environment (or the blueprints of the house) to avoid casualties.

So, the lack of security at the prison compared to the amount of stuff needed for the interrogation room, Shea Whigham turning into a more efficient version of sexist Bob Odenkirk, who dismisses a huge amount of evidence just because he can't stand that a subordinate may outsmart him, that was stuff which is basically Fargo by the numbers.

[BritishHobo]

Fucking hell, I forgot about Glenn Howerton's tanned dickhead character.