I do my weekly DVR Purges, but let's be frank: they are crap. I don't proofread them at all most weeks. They're collections of scattered thoughts that barely even make sense a week later. What I've decided to do is, with most of these shows I watch taking a break, reflect on where I stand with them, assessing what is in the show's favor (assets) and what could get it in trouble (liabilities).
Now, not every show I watch will be included. In general, I'm sticking to shows that I've kept notes (be them from Purges or otherwise) as I've watched. That means, shows like The Bridge, Looking, Sherlock, and Dexter will not be included. To get my thoughts on those, ask me. This project, supposing I stay on schedule should take all month and I hope it does a good job summing up where these shows stand. In some cases, I'm hoping to convince you to start watching. Other times, it'll be nothing more than a postmortem for a show that's gone.
I hope you enjoy.
Favorite Episode(s): "A Fox, A Rabbit, and A Cabbage" & "Morton's Fork"
The Good (Molly): Bravo for the casting agent who found Allison Tolman. She is wonderful as Molly (and clearly a lead role, but don't tell the Emmys). She's an excellent cop who isn't superhuman and isn't cocky about her hunches. She manages to be supremely competent in spite of the overwhelming incompetence of her department. Watching her and Gus bond was a highlight, from her immediate understanding of why he let Malvo go originally to watching TV with him and Greta to end the season. As long as we are talking about forces of good, it baffling to think that Colin Hanks is the same guy who plays the cocky best friend in Get Over It. He'll always be overshadowed by his father, but he is quite the talent himself. Then there's Keith Carradine who got, perhaps, my favorite scene of the season, talking the Greta on the porch in the finale. For such a dark show, there were plenty of forces of good to balance it.
The Bad (Malvo): Malvo made Fargo fun. Billy Bob Thorton had a blast playing this character. You can tell. He has a confident ease in everything he does. He's not a man with a death wish or a supreme mastermind. He has an innate understanding of people and how things work. That's how he can drag a man out of his office by his tie without worrying that someone will stop him or he can pick up a package at the post office with almost no information. Hell, he took down the entire Fargo operation is one tracking shot.
The Ugly (Lester): Martin Freeman does such a great job playing Lester as a major sonuvabitch. He kills his wife, frames his brother, literally fucks over the widow Hess, gets his second wife killed, and couldn't be more smug about getting away with it all. The damnedest thing is that he is so pathetic in the pilot that I still found myself cheering for his little victories along the way (standing up the the Hess boys, tricking Malvo into stepping on the bear trap, etc.). His evolution isn't all that different from Walter White's, except it's on a much more immediately apparent and shortened scale.
Buridan's Ass: This is the only episode I came away from less than impressed. As neatly as everything plays out in other episodes, this one relied a lot on luck and chance. It was lucky that Lester had a bunk mate in the hospital who was completely covered in bandages and passed out so they could switch places. It was lucky that the SWAT team employed a "shoot first, ask questions later" approach in the standoff with Don (Glenn Howerton). It was coincidence that Stavros Milos' son is killed by fish falling from the sky (in biblical fashion). I prefer story to actually be driven by the characters.
Length of the Time Jump: The story jumps 12 months and a lot has changed. Perhaps too much. Gus and Molly are already married and about to have a kid. Lester has a much nicer house and is getting a national insurance salesman award along with his new wife. It's all a bit much for that short a time. It's feasible though, so it doesn't bother me too much. A longer jump would've been nicer.
Season Two: News broke recently that the second season is going to revolve around the occasionally mentioned Sioux Falls case in the 70s. What made season one great is how little it had to do with the movie. The movie and show were clearly of the same world but not tied to one another. Odds are, there will be the same divide over the two seasons. There's potential to play up the dramatic irony and include much younger versions of some of the characters which a lesser show would do. Hopefully, my pristine opinion of Fargo I have now is maintained through season two.
True Detective got the buzz. Fargo was the better series. That's my opinion at least. It lacked the powerhouse performances. Instead it was filled with nuanced performances by every recurring character and had a far more complete ending. This was never going to be a show that would stand on its own. It invites all the comparisons and excels despite them.
Previously this Offseason...
Community
Brooklyn Nine Nine
New Girl
Suburgatory
Modern Family
Parenthood
The Mindy Project
The Michael J Fox Show
The Big Bang Theory
Agents of SHIELD
The Crazy Ones
Back in the Game
Parks and Recreation
The Walking Dead
The Middle
Saturday Night Live
Cougar Town
House of Cards
Louie
How I Met Your Mother
The Americans
Archer
Silicon Valley
Hannibal
Girls
True Detective
Mad Men
Veep
Game of Thrones
Orange is the New Black
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