‘Fargo’ Episode 6: Buridan’s Ass

The best way I can describe this episode is that things are falling into chaos. The characters are blurring the line of balance between right and wrong.

Let’s start with Lester. He awoke to find himself in a hospital with a police officer guarding his room. His brother informs him that he is a suspect in his wife’s death and, just as his wife did, his brother began “poking the bear” in Lester with snide comments.

Lester sneaks out, finds the murder weapon, and plants it in his brother’s gun collection. Grabs a gun and plants it in his nephew’s backpack. Lester is breaking bad and putting the blame, and the trouble that will ensue, on his brother.

And poor Don Chumph, the bronzed goofball who started the whole ransom of the supermarket king, he goes out in what is thus far the most cringe-worthy death. Malvo duct tapes him to an exercise machine with a gun, shoots out across the street and the show puts us, the viewer, in the position of watching Chumph’s final, agonizing moments. He wasn’t much of a character, but the way that was pulled off was both brilliant and agonizing to watch.

We also see the crime syndicate who want answers in the death of Sam Hess. The men Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers work for. They are on Malvo’s tail and now with orders to kill Malvo.

Which brings me to that ending. Caught in a snowstorm in Duluth, Wrench and Numbers find Malvo and a shootout ensues. Malvo, using his sneaky ways, is able to kill off Numbers. Unfortunately, the shootout got the attention of Gus and Molly, who head toward the violence.

Well, we hear Wrench and Molly having some sort of altercation and Gus thinks trouble is heading toward him in the blinding snow. He shoots. It’s Molly.

A lot happened in this episode. Fish falling from the sky causing the deaths of Stavros’ son and bodyguard. There was a lot to process here.

So far, this has been one of the best written, best acted and best ensemble in a program I’ve seen in a long time. Just everything so far has been top notch in every area.

Observations:

* Criminals in Fargo eat fish in an obnoxious way. Chew with your mouths shut.

* Stavros puts back the money and ice scraper where he found it

*Fish inexplicably fell from the sky

* Malvo knows people are now out to kill him, not just find him. It will be interesting to see how he acts knowing now he’s on other criminals’ radars.