It’s a faux film. (As every Turner Classic Movies buff knows, Reagan worked for Warners, not MGM.)
Yes, it’s a spoiler. Thanks, asshole. And thanks for peppering the thread with it even more.
-Tom
No, no it’s not, it was part of the show. I did not go anywhere other than the show to get the information, I did not see it out of sequence, I did not go to some other site, or repeat something from some other board, or have any form of inside information. It’s a spoiler in the sense that the producers chose to reveal something not yet covered, but go complain to them, presumably at the same time you complain about any and all of the ads. As to the specific post you just replied to, all of that was speculation on my part beyond the previously mentioned item, so unless you count speculation as spoilers, well, that’s your problem.
I don’t watch commercials or trailers, so I had no idea about REDACTED. It would have been a cool surprise. And, yeah, you pretty much ruined it.
By the way, the correct response to posting a spoiler is probably to apologize and at least to tag the spoiler as such. It is not to double down.
-Tom
Man, I missed the premiere, so I went to watch it on FX’s web site, and they only had the newest (second) episode. Fine, I see it’s on Hulu (and I tried to watch it using my cable provider, but I have to “watch it within 24 hours”. Christ, whatever. Fuck it, I’ll just sub Hulu for a few months. So I pay $12 and… it’s still only available for certain cable providers, being a Hulu+ member means nothing. Goddammit, I just want to watch Fargo, you idiots. I even paid to!
What? The newest is the first and only episode so far of season two. It’s the one you can watch on FX’s site. That is weird and stupid about Hulu+ locking it down to certain providers though.
OK, reference roundup for Episode 1, spoilered out of an abundance of caution.
O Brother Where Art Thou
The end credits song in Episode 1 is adifferent version of a song from O Brother.
The Big Lebowski
The personality of the Nick Offerman character as well as his framing (him seated on the right, Donny-alike on the left) recall Walter.
A Serious Man
The judge tells the story of Job - which is the basis for A Serious Man.
The Man Who Wasn’t There
A character inexplicably sees a UFO at a crucial moment - though here it’s a 70s style Close Encounters UFO, not the saucer from The Man Who Wasn’t There.
Oh, man, I read it backwards. They list the episode first and then the season, so I thought it was the second episode of season 2 (not looking at the season number, since I knew it was the latest season). I just tried to watch it and the FX site is down for maintenance though. Not in the cards, I guess.
Good catches, although I’m not sure I’d characterize some of those as shoutouts so much as standard Cohenisms. Series creator Noah Hawley is certainly taking their influence seriously. I can imagine the Cohen brothers looking over his scripts and nodding approvingly. :)
-Tom
You can watch the first episode for free at Amazon, I’m guessing you’ll need to be a Prime member.
I did see Campbell as Reagan, in a poster behind Offerman, in the scene where Offerman was introduced.
I’m also happy to see Donovan as one of the gangsters. I only got halfway through the first episode, but can’t wait to see more.
More episode 1 references at this link - including some good ones (never would have caught the Ladykillers one, I have erased the Coen Bros version from my memory) and some pretty sketchy ones (I don’t think a split level house rises to the level of a reference. Ditto for “there are two gangs.”)
I watched this at lunch today, I liked it quite a lot and I’m eager for the next episode. Hulu is still the fucking worst though. What a waste of $12. At least I got to watch Supernatural in ad-free HD and I guess I can start watching Heroes Reborn the same way, but I’m not sure that’s all worth the money per month. The FX app on my phone allowed me watch The League and Fargo with minimal fuss and for free.
If you’ve never watched Rick and Morty, check out season one on Hulu. That’s what got me to grab a subscription now that they’re (optionally) ad-free. They’re also less of a hassle than CW’s app/site for watching Arrow and Flash, so I’ll probably keep the subscription for a while.
I did see Arrow/Flash on there, which is cool, but my son and I watch that 20 minutes into air-time (to fast forward ads) on the DVR. I suppose we could use the Hulu app on the PS3, but then we’d have to wait a day, and I don’t think either of us would be able to.
Rick and Morty is a good idea though, thanks - I watched the first 6 episodes on Comedy Central’s website not too long ago, and lost track of the show. May as well catch up ad-free while I can.
It would be cool if that was his only appearance. A Campbell Easter egg.
By the way, I’m not sure that opening with the filming of the Civil War movie worked for me. It felt far too contemporary and self-aware to be taken as anything other than a goof. To see how this sort of “from another time” opening should be done correctly, see the dybbuk bit at the beginning of A Serious Man.
-Tom
Whelp. They have a tough act to follow from season one but Patrick Wilson and Jesse Plemons are sure doing their part. I cannot imagine not staying hooked throughout the entire season.
The scenes of tension in this show are simply amazing; Patrick Wilson had two in a row, first with the Gerhardts and then with the KC mob people. Both were very different, yet just as tense, and you kinda don’t know how they’ll resolve (though of course you know Wilson will survive). Wilson conveys a great icy resolve, doesn’t he?
— Alan
I did like those scenes quite a bit, especially the stare-down with Dodd. It was cool to see that Patrick Wilson’s character wasn’t such a pushover nice guy. “Icy resolve” is a great way to put it. I presume that’s going to be more of his character arc as the season progresses.
I’m not entirely sure what to make of the other plotlines, partly because it seems obvious how they’re going to end up. The North Dakota Godmother and Fat Damon/Frumpy Dunst couple don’t seem to hold any surprises. They’ll run afoul of each other, death and mayhem ensue, Patrick Wilson is left to clean it up. I guess we’re just hanging fire to find out the particulars?
I’m also not entirely sold on Bokeem Woodbine reprising Billy Bob Thornton’s character from last season.
-Tom
What show that had as great first season as Fargo the TV series had, has had as good a season 2? I’m so in love. The pacing is so languid and yet there are no wasted scenes or moments.
The Wire.