‘Fargo’ Episode 2: The Rooster Prince

This week’s episode of “Fargo” was certainly a “slow burn” episode. Compared to last week’s flat-out intensity, this episode began fleshing out the ground work for the next coming weeks.

Lester is now facing the reality of his actions. His wife is dead. Because of him. He has the murder weapon stowed away in his washing machine.

But that’s not the only thing that’s a problem for Lester. Bemidji Police Officer Molly Solverson, reeling from the brutal murder of her former Police Chief Vern Thurman, is starting to place the pieces together and seeing the connection between Lester, Malvo, the murder of Sam Hess and the deaths of Lester’s wife and Vern Thurman.

Yet, she meets a roadblock when Deputy Bill Oswalt, now Chief Oswalt, gets in her way. Bob Odenkirk plays the bumbling cop perfectly. Talks over people, way too polite and thinks everything is connected to mysterious “drifters” which he is not entirely off about.

We also drift between Bemidji and Duluth. We see Duluth Police Officer Gus Grimly also piecing together what happened in Bemidji to the mysterious Malvo who he let go in the first episode.

And now we have Lorne Malvo in Duluth, sent there to find out who is blackmailing Stavros Milos, the Supermarket King of Minnesota. With an appearance of an over-bronzed Glenn Howerton from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ” as  Don Chumph, this should get real interesting.

We also got the introduction of two associates from a crime syndicate out of Fargo. Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench are looking into the murder of Sam Hess. They kidnap some guy named Lenny from the Bemidji strip club, the Lucky Penny, who matches Malvo’s description. Poor Lenny was the lone death in this episode.

Anyway, this episode — while having a much slower pace than the debut — certainly is building up an interesting web of a story,  bringing the cities of Bemidji, Duluth and Fargo into a criminal mix.

Also, Malvo had only a few scenes, but Thornton kills it! His harassing the guy about the mail was hilarious.

Observations:

* Bemidji has a strip club, but apparently no library (guy in Lester’s office in episode one said he worked at the library).

* Only the Supermarket King of Minnesota and sleaze balls at the Lucky Penny swear in Minnesota.

* Malvo once found a human foot in a toaster oven.

* Malvo also takes bathroom breaks while someone threatens him. When you gotta go, you gotta go I guess.

* Chief Oswalt talking over Molly when they start questioning Lester was comedy gold. Especially when he goes off on the purple gum.

Things are sure getting intense. I can’t wait for what happens next.