By: Declan Hertel Entertainment Editor
When my father asked me several years ago if I had ever seen “Fargo,” the Coen Brothers’ 1996 cinematic masterpiece, I told him I hadn’t. Without saying another word, he went into our living room and turned it on.
There was no question about it: “Fargo” immediately became one of my top three films of all time.
It was sometime in 2012 when I heard that a television show was to be made, also called “Fargo,” that continued to build on the setting and themes of the film: somewhere in the frozen Midwest, in or around Fargo, ND, there are people too desperate and ambitious for their own good, ruthless-yet-quirky criminals who would gut a man for a buck, and good-hearted, innocent police officers forced to come face to face with the darkest face of mankind.
The news filled me with a delight and anticipation I had never felt for pop culture before.
Much to my delight, the first season was unbelievable. It was near-perfect in every facet. “Fargo” ran to nearly universal acclaim, and though it was initially touted as only a miniseries, it seemed like FX, and creator/show-runner Noah Hawley would have been insane to not make another season.
That is precisely what they did. The new season premiered on Oct. 12.
Early reviews stated that it was even better than the almost flawless season one, and I am pleased to announce that two episodes into the second season, it looks like they were right: “Fargo” round two is absolutely killer.
Centering on the “Sioux Falls Incident,” an event oft-mentioned but never explained in season one, season two takes us to Luverne, Minnesota and Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1979.
The nation is reeling from Watergate and the end of the Vietnam War; and as is the way in the “Fargo” universe, someone with too much ambition and too little brain creates a huge problem in a small town for both the local police and criminal populace.
This season stars Patrick Wilson (“Watchmen”) as Lou Solverson, a State Trooper recently returned from combat in Vietnam, Kirsten Dunst (“On the Road”) as Peggy Blomquist, a hair stylist with a creeping obsession with having a better life, and Jesse Plemons (“Breaking Bad”) as Ed Blomquist, Peggy’s dutiful husband and local butcher.
All their performances thus far are pitch perfect, especially Kirsten Dunst as one of the most compelling characters I’ve ever seen in any medium. The aforementioned are just scratching the surface of an amazing cast, which includes Ted Danson (“Damages”), Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”), Jean Smart (“24”), and Bruce Campbell (“Evil Dead”) as Ronald Reagan on the campaign trail.
Thus far, season two’s most promising aspect is that while it’s retained the dark charm, murder, and mayhem that is the essence of all things “Fargo,” it is absolutely coming into its own as a piece of television.
If I have but one real criticism of season one, it’s that it stuck too closely to the movie in terms of plotting and characterization, at least early on. Not so with season two, which takes place almost ten years before the movie, and almost twenty before season one.
The only thing this season needs to do is make the “Sioux Falls Incident” something worth remembering, and with a vehicular mansla
ughter cover-up, two crime syndicates facing off, and a brutal triple murder already, I can’t wait to see how this season escalates.
I feel the phrase “must-see TV” is a cliché, but I am using it here. “Fargo” is truly must-see TV. When “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men” ended, all of a sudden the honor of “Best Show on Television” was up for grabs.
I’m calling it now: “Fargo,” by midway through this season, will have one major entertainment news outlet declare it as such. And they will be right.
If you have any love in your heart for black comedy, for murder mysteries, for perfectly executed drama, for the art of the television show, the verdict is simple: if you are not watching “Fargo,” you are criminally misusing one hour of your time every week.
