The Malvo/Stavros and Gus/neighbor stories are interesting mirrors of one another, each offering philosophical chats that work rather well at engaging the parabolic subtext of the week. Stavros is struggling with his religious beliefs and various sins, and is given an exceptionally dark talk from Malvo. Malvo is obviously the villain of the story, and has been from the beginning; but this week’s episode helped shed new light (or should I say darkness?) on how evil and ruthless he truly is.
Gus, on the other hand, is visited by his Jewish neighbor and told a parable about a man who ultimately ends his own life in order to donate all of his organs. Gus doesn’t quite understand the story, and is told by the neighbor that “Only a fool thinks he can solve the world’s problems.” To which Gus replies, “Yeah, but you gotta try, don’t ya?”
This paints Gus as the polar opposite of Malvo. Malvo’s worldview is one of violence and an examination of the darkest corners of humanity. Gus, however, believes in helping people and doing the right thing, and can’t even fathom what it may look like from another perspective.
In terms of the other characters, Molly made some great progress this week and even managed to convince Bill of Lester’s involvement in the Bemidji murders. Bill has been the most frustratingly naive character on the show, so to see him finally accept Molly’s deductions was incredibly relieving (though it takes him a minute to put the pieces together).
Molly is getting closer and closer to solving the puzzle, though that closeness has made her a little bit desperate. The fact that she broke into Lester’s house to search for evidence is a sign that she’s frustrated and a bit overwhelmed, grasping at any piece of evidence or information that will finally tie up each loose end she’s been frantically examining.
There were other instances in the episode that helped cement its correlation with the pilot as well, like the return of Ida and the birth of her baby. I believe it’s her appearance this week that really propels Molly to take the law into her own hands; as she likely feels a sense of responsibility in solving Thurman’s murder and bringing his widow and newborn daughter peace.
Overall, this was another great episode of Fargo that helped set the stage for the final confrontations that will occur over the next five episodes. However, considering all that’s happened in the series so far, where these events may lead is anyone’s guess, though each character will have to answer one question: Are you a lunch, dinner, or an angry wolf?