Fargo - Season 2 (FX) (1 Viewer)

Haven't seen a thread for the new season yet, but it premiered last night, and frankly, I could've easily watched hours more of that.


Allow me to expand: Holy. Fucking. Shit.


What an awesomely-ballsy, confident opener. That opening with the fake Reagan film, the murder sequence at the diner (complete with its punchline outside), Danson and Wilson's investigation, the sequence at Plemons' and Dunst's house, Lou reading to Molly, Brad Garrett's presentation at the end: so many awesome scenes.


Loved that

I'm impressed that the people behind this show can seemingly make that same lightning strike twice, when the odds for it striking even once on a show based on a classic Coen Brothers movie was incredibly small.


Not a misstep in the entire running time, and I love the cast. 100% in for the season.

Also: The UFO. What the fuck?! That was an amazing moment (and pure Man Who Wasn't There). The sheer audacity of Hawley to do something that outrageous and weirdly-beautiful. That whole diner sequence has got to be one of the top television moments of the year.


"We can do this two ways."
"Is one of them 'the hard way'?"
"There's the easy wa-- what??"


(Also-also: Is Cristin Milioti just doomed to forever play dead mothers?)

joshEH said:

Also: The UFO. What the fuck?! That was an amazing moment (and pure Man Who Wasn't There). The sheer audacity of Hawley to do something that outrageous and weirdly-beautiful. That whole diner sequence has got to be one of the top television moments of the year.

"We can do this two ways."
"Is one of them 'the hard way'?"
"There's the easy wa-- what??"

(Also-also: Is Cristin Milioti just doomed to forever play dead mothers?)

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Yeah what was up with that?
Overall I'm not sure this one grabbed me as much as the SP of last season, but maybe I need to watch again (I'm not entirely sure what was going on with the Brad Garrett presentation at the end)

I guess it's confirmed that

Awesome, ballsy premiere episode for season two, indeed.


The diner sequence was so well staged. Really loved the cinematography (again) particularly the lighting of the diner and some of the exterior shots. The shot of Cusack on the diner booth's table with the milkshake was very striking. I was really surprised that after the buildup of Rye Gerhardt (Kieran Culkin) that the character would be dispatched so suddenly. And that is a good thing, because being surprised in a television series is an uncommon commodity. On a more negative note, I was somewhat disappointed that Michael Hogan isn't going to be sticking around. (I realize that it serves the story, but I like the actor so much that I would have liked to have seen more of the Gerhardt patriarch.) Nice setup for the coming conflict with Brad Garrett's presentation, with Bokeem Woodbine being briefly seen in silhouette.


Spoilers from the previews of upcoming episodes...




Damn, I loved the premiere!


Edit: Forgot to mention the soundtrack which included Fleetwood Mac's Oh Well and Billy Thorpe's Children of the Sun - which fit in nicely with the UFO scene outside the diner. I always enjoy the nostalgia of period soundtracks and I hope the show continues to showcase music from this era as the season continues.


- Walter.

Totally enjoyed this and the cinematic artistry of it. So well done. I had a tough time understanding why Patrick Wilson's character (early Lou) and Ted Danson's character (his father-in-law) were so ho-hum blasé about what was a spectacular crime scene. Does this preserve the conceit of the original Coen brother's film that people in this region never react demonstrably to anything? Or was it because these characters have seen much worse in their previous war experiences - Lou in Vietnam? Either way, a great season opener. And that opening a perfect metaphor for Reagan.

This is a beautiful show that takes its time and makes it well worth it. That UFO scene was utterly bizarre, but so perfect to precede the car hit! I jumped!


What an amazing cast here. Can't wait to see how much more twisted the story gets.

WillG said:

I guess it's confirmed that

Spoiler

this is at least a semi-prequel to season one, focusing on the elder Solverson

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That was pretty much confirmed IN season one, when the present day Solverson told the general outline of the story this season looks to be.

Yeah, I didn't even pick up on Patrick Wilson being a younger Solversen until my wife pointed it out, lol! I then put it together that he mentioned some story last season that I assume is going to be in this season, but I can't really remember the details. Overall though, I really liked this first episode. It may not have grabbed me quite as much as the first episode of last season, but that may have been because I wasn't sure what to expect and all of season 1 ended up being so amazing. Now I'm expecting amazing, and it DID deliver. That fake Reagan film had me in absolute stitches! I think my wife and I will be anxiously anticipating each new episode again.

Ending the episode with Richard Burton's narration from Jeff Wayne's epic "War of the Worlds" double LP from '79 portends some possible alien intervention at some point, yah?

I liked when that dog ate those body parts out of the bucket the minute everyone left. Something my dog would do. Pretty gruesome episode with the dog and meat grinding and everything.

I don't know if all the episodes are going to be 90 minutes (or at least an hour+), but the 2nd episode felt quite glacially paced. Although it was clear where the body disposal would end up, that whole sequence was excellent.

I'm really loving this season (Bokeem Woodbine especially), but I had a big problem with this latest episode. Lou is supposed to be a pretty sharp guy (maybe Hank not so much), so you're telling me Hanzee can show up at the waffle house and within 5 minutes find the piece of glass from the headlight and then within (I'm guessing) a couple hours make the connection at the body shop? Wouldn't Lou (or even the wife) have found that glass when they were there right after the murders happened?

Hmm, I don't recall but maybe when Lou was there there was a little extra snow that had fallen and when Hanzee got there it melted revealing the piece of glass? Anyway, I'm going with that theory to get me past your issues.


Does anyone listen to Howard Stern? I wonder if the character's name Hanzee was a nod to Howard's wack packer Hanzee (Emron Kan). It wouldn't be the first time a show has given a nod to Stern.

MarkMel said:

Does anyone listen to Howard Stern? I wonder if the character's name Hanzee was a nod to Howard's wack packer Hanzee (Emron Kan). It wouldn't be the first time a show has given a nod to Stern.

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Given the oddity of the name, it seems likely they did but I hate to think they gave that crazy asshole any kind of nod to inflate his paranoia/ego even more.

TravisR said:

Given the oddity of the name, it seems likely they did but I hate to think they gave that crazy asshole any kind of nod to inflate his paranoia/ego even more.

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Nuh, nuh, nuhnuhnuhnuhnuhNUH!!

I'm absolutely LOVING this season! I think it may be better than the first season, even! I don't know how many times in the last week or so that I've said to my wife "Hun, we talked about this, ya know, I mean, ya know...we TALKED about this...hun..."

Joe (Brad Garrett) just looks at Hanzee standing by his truck with an expression that basically says he just shit his pants. Say no more. See no more (except for his hairline in a box).

I missed the first season; watching this season really makes me want to go back and watch the first season- but since this season's a prequel, I'll probably wait until it's over and then try to find season 1 somewhere.


I'm liking how each character has a story and a rich background. Can't wait to see what/if the UFO's significance is.

We are truly in a golden age of television. This show is fantastic, each episode better than any film I have seen recently.


With this, The Leftovers, The Knick, Homeland, and Game of Thrones we are really being treated to some great tv.

Monday nights roll around and I'm thinking "Damn, nothing on," (sorry Voice, Dancing), but then my DVR kicks in at 10 p.m. and I remember, "Oh, shit, that's right, FARGO! And forget the recording, I've got to watch this live and, whoah, it's awesome this season. Right up there with The Leftovers, but with great black humor. Nick Offerman was exceptional this week, justifying his to-this-point, minor presence, with a front and center scene stealing episode. How do you play drunk, scared, cocky, humiliated, bold, delusional and heroic at the same time? Just watch.