Secret Asshole
Expert in things that never, ever happened
Forum Staff
⚡ Thunderdomer ⚡
True & Honest Fan
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2017
I checked and I haven't seen a thread on this show. There really needs to be one. So this is going to be long, as I explain why Fargo could be so great. Oh, you thought I was talking about the movie? Well, lets get that out of the way.
Fargo is a TV show developed by Noah Hawley. Who is he? Not important. But it is a crime anthology series that shares similar motifs from season to season. And I'll go over all of that and how really cool this show is. So, what is it about? The first season is a loose adaption of the movie itself. It basically follows similar beats, but is different enough to be considered its own thing. Before I get into the first season, I'll go into Fargo's motifs. Even though it is an anthology, they all take place in the same world. Namely, the Midwest. Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and Kansas City, Missouri (which for non-Americans, is a central hub for organized crime in the midwest for over 100 years now, started by Sicilians). Every season (except for its latest) is connected to each other with some loose threads. What really connects the anthology series is the motifs.
Mythology
Fargo, in every season, has incorporated some aspect of modern fantasy. Its like True Detective in a way. Its just there, hovering in the background. Its used sparingly, like spice. Its there to reinforce the themes that the particular season is touching on. Typically, for 2 out of 4 seasons it was Judeo-Christian in nature, but it alternates. Sometimes it has no meaning at all and they include it for kicks, leaving it up to the viewer to speculate. Probably my favorite aspect. Its done so smartly.
Psycho Killer
Another thing Fargo has is a psychotic murderer. Pretty much every season. Some are forces of nature. Others have their goals and actions shrouded in mystery. But its all got them. You might think this gets old, but it really doesn't.
Catalyst
All seasons of Fargo start with death. This death typically leads to a dozen more. Its typically the one (or two) killings that ignite the entire conflict. Everything can be traced back to that one crime and the dominoes falling. The story weaves an intricate web around these killings and sets everything up. Its really fun to see how things expand outward from just one death. And how out of control things can get. Which lead me to the main theme of all of the anthologies....
Miscommunication
Fargo, at its heart, are stories about miscommunication. If only people told the fucking truth, half of the shit could be avoided. Its an ever present fact. People making bad decisions, which leads to compounding bad decisions.
So, lets get into the seasons.
Season 1 is distinctive because it is the one mostly based on the movie. It stars Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo, as a devil hitman. Though, that's really not what he's about. He is all about temptation. Coaxing characters and people to do horrible shit. Just nudging it along. So when Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard (a play on Jerry Lundeggard), who after being bullied by an...old high school bully, encounters Malvo in the hospital. Any sympathy you feel for him is quickly evaporated. As he tempts Lester into something horrible, which leads to more horrible shit occurring. And all of that cascades downhill into mayhem.
Season 2 is basically sort of a prequel, going into detail about the crime in Sioux Falls and how many bodies dropped there. It is basically the shift of the 1970s into the 1980s, and how the old ways are changing and gangsters are slowly becoming obsolete. Its also about family and how family relationships can be quite complicated.
Season 3 is the most Lynchian of the three seasons, and not because it has Ray Wise. It stars Ewan McGregor as twin brothers, feuding over money. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Nikki (If you want to see how great an ass she has, just watch the first episode) the love interest of the 'loser' brother. Its really strange. Odd characters, strange coincidences. Things left unexplained. This is because, basically, the entire season is about how we bend the truth to fit our own perspectives. So it is a meta narrative on how we do that. I really enjoyed the third season a lot. It starts off a bit slow, but its really fucking good. I enjoyed it a lot.
Currently, Fargo is airing Season 4, with Chris Rock as part of the black mob or Negro Syndicate as they call it, with Jason Schwartzman as the leader of the Italian mob. You might be wondering, but ASSHOLE ISN'T HE A (())? First, I'm a spaghetti nigger so I'm the one that should care and I don't. The other reason being he's half Jewish and actually half Italian. His middle name is Francesco. Which I never knew and is kind of funny. I haven't gotten through most of it yet, and its basically starting its end run. Since Fargo only runs for 10 episodes, which isn't much but is honestly plenty. Season 4 is definitely about the American Dream and discrimination against race. Now, you might be saying that's shit. No, it isn't. The show, in its intro, basically says Italians and Irish are non-whites. Which, in the 1950s, that's what they were. So it tackles how two groups that are pushed down by society deal with it and struggle to make a home for themselves. Its really interesting, in that its 2020 and its portraying a message that discrimination affected a lot of people, even though the modern day definition of white doesn't line up with what it really means. I mean, I have to give it props for this. And Fargo still retains its core themes in spite of this. Racism isn't a catalyst, its just something both these groups experience, and most importantly, its not present to the detriment of the story.
This is in contrast to Lovecraft country, with shits all over its main supernatural elements to promote black supremacist garbage. Its a breath of fresh air, to acknowledge my ancestor's discrimination among people who say it didn't matter. There's also the concept of nationalism and immigration with the Italians. The blacks see themselves as American, while they see the Italians as the 'other', fresh off the boat, trying to take American land. It is really refreshing to see. Wokeness isn't really present, and women are just as terrible and awful as men. So that's why you should watch Fargo. Each season in the anthology is independent of each other, especially the fourth. So you can basically watch them in any order (but you will miss out on certain things, winks, nods and callbacks if you watch them out of order). But if you just want the story and thematic elements, it isn't that important. So if you're not convinced, let this shot of Billy Bob Thorton convince you:
Fargo is a TV show developed by Noah Hawley. Who is he? Not important. But it is a crime anthology series that shares similar motifs from season to season. And I'll go over all of that and how really cool this show is. So, what is it about? The first season is a loose adaption of the movie itself. It basically follows similar beats, but is different enough to be considered its own thing. Before I get into the first season, I'll go into Fargo's motifs. Even though it is an anthology, they all take place in the same world. Namely, the Midwest. Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and Kansas City, Missouri (which for non-Americans, is a central hub for organized crime in the midwest for over 100 years now, started by Sicilians). Every season (except for its latest) is connected to each other with some loose threads. What really connects the anthology series is the motifs.
Mythology
Fargo, in every season, has incorporated some aspect of modern fantasy. Its like True Detective in a way. Its just there, hovering in the background. Its used sparingly, like spice. Its there to reinforce the themes that the particular season is touching on. Typically, for 2 out of 4 seasons it was Judeo-Christian in nature, but it alternates. Sometimes it has no meaning at all and they include it for kicks, leaving it up to the viewer to speculate. Probably my favorite aspect. Its done so smartly.
Psycho Killer
Another thing Fargo has is a psychotic murderer. Pretty much every season. Some are forces of nature. Others have their goals and actions shrouded in mystery. But its all got them. You might think this gets old, but it really doesn't.
Catalyst
All seasons of Fargo start with death. This death typically leads to a dozen more. Its typically the one (or two) killings that ignite the entire conflict. Everything can be traced back to that one crime and the dominoes falling. The story weaves an intricate web around these killings and sets everything up. Its really fun to see how things expand outward from just one death. And how out of control things can get. Which lead me to the main theme of all of the anthologies....
Miscommunication
Fargo, at its heart, are stories about miscommunication. If only people told the fucking truth, half of the shit could be avoided. Its an ever present fact. People making bad decisions, which leads to compounding bad decisions.
So, lets get into the seasons.
Season 1 is distinctive because it is the one mostly based on the movie. It stars Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo, as a devil hitman. Though, that's really not what he's about. He is all about temptation. Coaxing characters and people to do horrible shit. Just nudging it along. So when Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard (a play on Jerry Lundeggard), who after being bullied by an...old high school bully, encounters Malvo in the hospital. Any sympathy you feel for him is quickly evaporated. As he tempts Lester into something horrible, which leads to more horrible shit occurring. And all of that cascades downhill into mayhem.
Season 2 is basically sort of a prequel, going into detail about the crime in Sioux Falls and how many bodies dropped there. It is basically the shift of the 1970s into the 1980s, and how the old ways are changing and gangsters are slowly becoming obsolete. Its also about family and how family relationships can be quite complicated.
Season 3 is the most Lynchian of the three seasons, and not because it has Ray Wise. It stars Ewan McGregor as twin brothers, feuding over money. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Nikki (If you want to see how great an ass she has, just watch the first episode) the love interest of the 'loser' brother. Its really strange. Odd characters, strange coincidences. Things left unexplained. This is because, basically, the entire season is about how we bend the truth to fit our own perspectives. So it is a meta narrative on how we do that. I really enjoyed the third season a lot. It starts off a bit slow, but its really fucking good. I enjoyed it a lot.
Currently, Fargo is airing Season 4, with Chris Rock as part of the black mob or Negro Syndicate as they call it, with Jason Schwartzman as the leader of the Italian mob. You might be wondering, but ASSHOLE ISN'T HE A (())? First, I'm a spaghetti nigger so I'm the one that should care and I don't. The other reason being he's half Jewish and actually half Italian. His middle name is Francesco. Which I never knew and is kind of funny. I haven't gotten through most of it yet, and its basically starting its end run. Since Fargo only runs for 10 episodes, which isn't much but is honestly plenty. Season 4 is definitely about the American Dream and discrimination against race. Now, you might be saying that's shit. No, it isn't. The show, in its intro, basically says Italians and Irish are non-whites. Which, in the 1950s, that's what they were. So it tackles how two groups that are pushed down by society deal with it and struggle to make a home for themselves. Its really interesting, in that its 2020 and its portraying a message that discrimination affected a lot of people, even though the modern day definition of white doesn't line up with what it really means. I mean, I have to give it props for this. And Fargo still retains its core themes in spite of this. Racism isn't a catalyst, its just something both these groups experience, and most importantly, its not present to the detriment of the story.
This is in contrast to Lovecraft country, with shits all over its main supernatural elements to promote black supremacist garbage. Its a breath of fresh air, to acknowledge my ancestor's discrimination among people who say it didn't matter. There's also the concept of nationalism and immigration with the Italians. The blacks see themselves as American, while they see the Italians as the 'other', fresh off the boat, trying to take American land. It is really refreshing to see. Wokeness isn't really present, and women are just as terrible and awful as men. So that's why you should watch Fargo. Each season in the anthology is independent of each other, especially the fourth. So you can basically watch them in any order (but you will miss out on certain things, winks, nods and callbacks if you watch them out of order). But if you just want the story and thematic elements, it isn't that important. So if you're not convinced, let this shot of Billy Bob Thorton convince you:
![2Fargo.S02E08.Loplop.1080p.NF.WEBRip.DD5.1.x264-NTb[2015-12-10-14-43-12].jpg](http://uploads.kiwifarms.st/data/attachments/1687/1687080-50a552c43ad9be4431abf647431a177e.jpg?hash=UKVSxDrZvk "2Fargo.S02E08.Loplop.1080p.NF.WEBRip.DD5.1.x264-NTb[2015-12-10-14-43-12].jpg")
