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Fargo Review: “Eating The Blame” (Season 1, Episode 4)

Four episodes in, and Fargo is proving that it's not only one of the best shows of 2014, but one of the best in recent memory. While it may be easy for a series like this to unravel or collapse under its own weight and ambition, it instead gets stronger every episode by deepening the show's mythology, paying homage to the cinematic masterpiece that shares its name, and ultimately paving its own path that allows it to act as a companion piece and pseudo-sequel of the beloved Coen brothers classic.

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When the show began, it appeared that Lester would be our conduit, and the main character for the show to follow as the crazy events unfold around him. As seen with the last few episodes, however, that is definitely not the case. Fargo has turned into more of an ensemble show, gracefully jumping from one storyline to the next and placing Lester firmly in the backseat (or, in his case, the trunk).

The wound on Lester’s hand continues to get worse, offering a nice little visual reminder of the terrible secret he’s carrying with him. Like a cancer, it only grows with each passing day, and is a constant reminder of the pain his actions have caused. He also still hasn’t cleaned up his dead wife’s blood, which has got to mean something symbolically or psychologically.

As it turns out, Mr. Numbers saw Lester’s little encounter with the newly widowed Mrs. Hess last week, and now believes that he is responsible for Sam Hess’ murder. Before long Lester is kidnapped, tossed into the trunk of a car and driven out to the frozen lake where we saw the two men dump a body in the second episode.

Luckily for Lester, he still has the tazer that he stole from his brother, and uses it on Mr. Numbers to escape. He runs across a police officer and punches him in the face in order to get arrested. Then, just when he thinks he’s free, Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench get into a bar fight and wind up in the same jail cell. Looks like Lester’s luck is about to run out.

Additional Thoughts

  • “Buckets… Literally buckets of blood.”
  • Gleen Howerton is excellent in this show, and one of the few characters who has absolutely no idea how bad things are probably going to get. Case in point….Chump: “Who is this?” Malvo: “Who knows you’re at the pet store right now? Chump: “Ummm… My mom.”
  • loved the riddle Malvo tells to Grimly, and how perfectly it spells out their ongoing game of cat and mouse, hunter and prey. “Did you know that the human eye can see more shades of green than any other color?”
  • Bob Odenkirk’s Bill continues to be the biggest buffoon on the show, the loveable but idiotic small-town cop who just let a psychopath walk free. I can’t wait till that comes to bite him in the ass.