Fargo the TV miniseries

Once that dropped away and we got back to Lester’s story, things got more grounded and focused and I thought the show was much stronger for it.

I’m not entirely disagreeing, but the show wasn’t supposed to be grounded. The outrageous coincidences, the Biblical plague stuff mentioned above, the casting of Key and Peele as Shakespearean clowns, Malvo coming back after three shots to the chest, the unseen slaughter in the building with quite a few armed guards, etc. etc. The show is clearly intended to be a kind of magical realism. Arguably it was better when it wasn’t pushing that angle so hard, but that’s what it was aiming for.

Hey, I really liked the unseen shootout. It was a different and entertaining way to present that sort of thing.

I never said it was bad. I’m just saying that it was one of the magical realism elements - that wasn’t a human doing the slaughter, it was a force of nature.

Good finale, I just watched the last 2 episodes. This was without question my favorite show on tv this year, even better than Hannibal, Game of Thrones, and House of Cards.

I’m up to the last episode on amazon instant videos. I’ve enjoyed it, but the whole “gee whiz golly gee” expressions and demeanor everyone but Lester wears at all times starts to feel forced after the second episode. It plays like a parody of the movie Fargo at times thanks to that. Plus, character stories seem to drop in and drop out of the show without much ballyhoo (Hey, the grocery store tycoon is being bribed…and now he’s not…end).

But I’m still anxious to see how it ends. Thornton and Freeman are great together.

Fargo renewed for season 2 looks like (source)!

I hope they don’t tie the story to Minnesota again. I know the show is CALLED Fargo, but I’d like to see them take the “true crime” gag/conceit to different areas in America (or even overseas).

Completely unrelated except for tone is the only thing to do for another season. Which I have to say, they did very well with season 1 compared to the movie. Even with the suitcase of money tie-in.

…and avoid working a comic stereotype into practically every character’s speech patterns. That got real old, real fast.

But other than that, I really enjoyed the series after it was finished. It got MUCH darker than I thought it would and I appreciated that. It went places I didn’t expect it to.

Sioux Falls 1979 will be the setting of the next season, as many hoped. Looking forward to it.

No Allison Tolman. :(

-Tom

I’d just as soon neither Gus nor Molly ever have to deal with a second season of what they went through this time around.

Maybe she’ll come back for the third season. This is TV. Anything is possible.

So does this mean Thornton will return, looking younger? Or will his part be recast?

Whether it was intended or not, Fargo is definitely the basic cable True Detective. So because True Detective season 2 will go with all new actors (supposedly), so will Fargo season 2 (though possibly with a couple recurring characters).

It will be all re-cast. None of the season one actors are returning for season two.

— Alan

Seriously. She was the best part of the series for me by a long shot.

He went on to say the decision to go for Sioux Falls 1979 made using her problematic, since she’d have to portray a 4 year old.

She could pull a Christian Bale and lose 160 pounds, couldn’t she? Get down to her birth weight or something?

Anyway, I loved Kieth Carradine’s character in Fargo, so I’m anxious to see his younger self take center stage. From the little bits of history he dropped every now and again during the first season, the case they’re going to cover should be quite horrific. I just hope they get an actor who’s as good as Carradine.

Noah Hawley should check out that American Horror Story series.

Seriously, though, I like the idea of the creator of a show rebooting his cast. I just hate that in the case of Fargo, the cast was so integral to making it work. I’m not sure I have much interest in a Fargo series without Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, and Allison Tolman. I’ll be far more excited to watch whatever Tolman is in next.

-Tom