I assume they’re keeping on the person that made such great casting calls in the first place, so I’m okay with giving them the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure there are other actors who can make this stuff work. After all, there was no overlap with the original movie cast, and we wouldn’t be here without that.
Nice observation.
Well, from all the interviews I’ve read (for both shows), it’s not that Fargo is doing that because True Detective is, they were just both sort of envisioned that way at around the same time. True Detective sounded like it was always the plan to be a series of unconnected seasons, Fargo sounded like they went into season one without even being sure they wanted to do a second season, but with the understanding that if they did, it would be unconnected.
(edit: I mean, not entirely unconnected I guess, but new cast, new story, “unconnected” by normal TV standards)
Yeah, I bet Hawley did not intend it that way, but FX probably saw the chance to be a comparable alternative. FX vs HBO is kind of like any one-sided competition where the upstart thinks it is in a rivalry but the established player pays no attention. Especially this season with HBO submitting True Detective for the drama Emmy instead of mini-series, effectively screwing FX’s The Americans out of a nod.
Finished it yesterday. Hey this has been pretty good! A pleasure to watch.
Not perfect of course, there has so many coincidences, twists, convoluted happenings and characters missing the obvious and/or having a supernatural deduction skills that the series stretches belief, but it’s a pretty fun ride in general.
Second season look:
Some very good impressions. Starts Monday!
— Alan
Allison Tolman or GTFO!
-Tom
It’s set in the late 70’s and focuses on her dad, so I don’t think it’s gonna happen
Tom! You’ve had months to make peace with this!
I think it’s time to purchase a life-sized Allison Tolman doll, dress her up like Molly, then put on a red shirt and sit with her on the couch to watch Fargo every week, like so:
Well, I guess that leaves us with the GTFO option.
Seriously, though, I’m looking forward to seeing how season two turns out. But season one was sooooo actor-centric that a season two is going to have to earn my loyalty all over again.
-Tom
I don’t think I ever mentioned it in this thread, but I really didn’t care for Colin Hanks’ character, and especially how the show ended with him as the centerpiece. What a schlub. The guy could have headed off every bad thing that happened if he’d only done his job instead of being such a coward. He was the Kim Davis of small town law enforcement. At least he won’t be back in season two.
-Tom
That whole idea of “earning my loyalty all over again” seems like something we’ll have to get used to with this new model of season reboots. I’ve never seen American Horror Story (I lived in the same dorm as series creator and current Gwyneth Paltrow arm candy B. Falchuk so I’ve got personal baggage getting in the way) but I like that they’ve started giving each season different titles. Or at least subtitles, like American Horror Story: Hotel. Seems like the right approach to differentiate it from the traditional numbered seasons. They’re spiritual successors not continuations.
I’m torn on Hanks’ Gus Grimly. I agree with you that there was a lot of plot frustration with him. (I never understood how exactly he got away with what he did at the end to emerge victorious without any legal consequences.) But I did like the balanced exploration of cowardice in contrast to Martin Freeman’s role as Lester Nygaard. Both were weak-willed men pushed by extraordinary circumstances into acting out of character and overcoming their internal wimpy reluctances. There were times when I was cheering for Lester (the supposed bad guy) and angry at Gus (the supposed good guy.)
Of course, better yet was the contrast between the two bad guys, Lester and Malvo. “Have you been a bad boy?”
This new season of late-70s period Fargo sounds a bit strange but I’m hopeful.
Not surprised to see a Man Who Wasn’t There reference, given the format of the show, but was surprised it was that Man Who Wasn’t There reference. The specific shape it took also threw me until I realized 1) it’s 1979 and 2) the Coens are now Spielberg collaborators. So we can grandfather it in that way.
Also spotted: shoutouts to Big Leboswki, A Serious Man, and the gimme, O Brother Where Art Thou.
Not sure about the split screen. On the one hand, it’s very 70s. On the other hand, it’s not Coen Brothers at all.
A good start. Lotsa stuff happening, lots to absorb, lotsa characters. Though, uh, fewer than we started with.
Wait - the Nite Owl at The Night Owl massacre? And “Good, bad, I’m the President with the rosy cheeks”? There’s something that positively delights me that Bruce Campbell is playing Reagan.
Hey, so that was pretty cool. And I think I’m on board with the cast. By the way, I had no idea there was an Ann Cusack. I was certain that was Joan Cusack while I was watching.
I must have missed them. What were they?
What? What are you talking about? Did you just fucking spoil something from later in the season?
-Tom
I was being obscure. The young Solverson (gotta love that name), played by Patrick Wilson, the Nite Owl from Watchmen, is called into a cafe massacre, kinda like The Night Owl massacre from L.A. Confidential. Like I said, obscure.
Or were you referring to Ronnie Raygun? Since they cast Bruce Campbell in that part, Corsair’s First Law of Casting dictates he’s gonna have a bigger effect on the story than that one scene, but that’s not a spoiler, it’s solversoning.
Tom probably doesn’t follow who was cast in what roles, so pointing out that a historical character not seen in the first episode will appear later on the show (and in something more involved than archive news footage) is probably what he’s referring to.
Did everyone else blink? Campbell appeared onscreen as Reagan in the first episode. I did not even know he would be in the series. I do assume, though, that since they showed the real Jimmy Carter, they must be planning something else for Reagan since they aren’t treating him the same with stock footage.
Or, maybe I just watched the previews of coming episodes and neither of you did and I’m confused.
Edit in: fast forward through the whole damn thing…oops, previews. But you could figure by Corsair’s First Law of Foreshadowing that they included the Reagan movie at the start for a reason.
Wait, maybe I’m the crazy one. Was Reagan really in this episode? If he was, I missed it. I didn’t see any of the previews for upcoming episodes.
Nope, it was me (see previous edit in). Which figures, because we wait for “Dutch” Reagan to appear on screen in the movie outtake, but he never does (well, except for the preview). So it only goes to figure that his appearance will be at best, delayed, in the actual story. Gotta wait on him to make the grand entrance. Some tie-in between his campaign and the movie location (which they go to pains to explain was the actual location - no idea if this is a real Reagan movie, or some faux film for the series).