Fargo - “Before the Law” Review. 100% Grade A Ground Beef.

Season 2, Episode 2

Air Date: Monday, October 19, 2015, 10PM E/P on FX Network.

Rating: ★★★★★

“That’s what an empire is; it’s bigger than any son or daughter.” – Floyd Gerhardt

She doesn’t look like a Floyd.

With Otto (Michael Hogan) recovering from his stroke and Rye (Kieran Culkin) nowhere to be found, the Gerhardt crime family is ripe for the picking. Sensing blood in the water, Joe Bulo (Brad Garrett), a representative of the Kansas City mafia, and his enforcers, Mike Milligan (Bokeem Woodbine) and the Kitchen brothers (Todd and Brad Mann), head to Minnesota to discuss a proposal with the Gerhardts. Will the family take the offer or will it lead to an all-out war between the two parties?

“Before the Law” has one of my favorite cinematic openings of any TV show. I love the use of the split screen with the drone camera showing the viewers what each main character is up to. The intro is capped off with a beautifully extended shot that follows the Kansas City mafia guys out of their car, then cuts away, ending up in the Gerhardt house where it moves down the hallway and settles on Otto, who is confined to a wheelchair.

The Gerhardt boys.

Bulo’s visit to the Gerhardts sets up some interesting tension between Dodd (Jeffrey Donovan), the oldest son who feels he’s the rightful heir, and his mother Floyd (Jean Smart). Dodd relies on brute force and intimidation to get his way while Floyd carefully calculates her every move. Both Donovan and Smart do an excellent job playing off each other, creating a trepidation that feels genuine. Watching the two intensely discuss the future while seated at the family dinner table makes for some fascinating television.

As much as I enjoyed Garrett during his years on Everyone Loves Raymond, it’s Woodbine who steals every scene. I could listen to him talk for hours. Not only is Milligan’s dialogue masterfully written, Woodbine’s timing and delivery has an elegant, yet frightening, tone. Watching the scene between Milligan and Sheriff Hank Larsson (Ted Danson) is gripping. What comes across as a casual conversation has a substantial undertone to it that I found captivating.

Not much of a snowman.

If you watched season one of Fargo, you already know the outcome of certain events of season two. Before the first season ended, we knew Lou was shot by a horrible monster of a human being—part of me thinks it was a young Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton)—giving him a limp for the rest of his life. We also know Betsy (Cristin Milioti), who’s battling cancer this season, will likely die before the season is over. We also know young Molly (uncredited) makes it through the season unscathed. Because we already know what happens to the Solversons, it’s hard to get as emotionally invested with the family members this season. While I enjoyed the scenes between Molly (Allison Tolman) and Lou (Keith Carradine) during the first season, I haven’t found that same appreciation for their younger versions. Hopefully, the writers will be able to find ways to create believable distress for Lou as things escalate.

Meanwhile, Ed (Jesse Plemons) cleans up the bloody mess caused by Peggy’s (Kirsten Dunst) accident with Rye. One of the great things about season one was despite accidentally killing his wife, audiences still rooted for Lester (Martin Freeman). But after two episodes, it’s difficult to find the same connection when it comes to Ed and Peggy. Unfortunately, I don’t feel any emotional bond to either and find myself unconcerned about their fate.

Not much for words.

With each new season comes the need for an homage to the iconic wood chipper scene from the movie. That moment comes during “Before the Law” with Ed’s use of a meat grinder. I keep wondering what Ed is going to do with the 150 pounds of ground human meat he creates. As disturbing as the scene is, Ed still has to dispose of the beef. Perhaps in the next episode, he’ll host a community barbecue —all the burgers you can eat. Eww!

The music continues to be a distraction with the songs’ bold lyrics. Given the series is set in the 70s, I fully expected an assortment of musical choices from that decade; that doesn’t happen and instead, the music often drowns out the scene. I keep listening to the lyrics looking for some correlation between the song and the moment but have yet to find one.

Visually, Fargo’s directors are doing a wonderful job of capturing the essence of Minnesota life in the late 70s, minus the murder and mayhem, of course. While the overall story arc has yet to fully take shape, there are some interesting subplots forming. With such an amazing cast, it’s only a matter of time before the audience is able to grasp the bigger picture, and appreciate the actors for what they bring to the table. Until then, Fargo is definitely worth tuning into.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Before the Law.”

Tune in to Fargo Mondays at 10PM E/P only on FX.

Visit the show’s website at http://www.fxnetworks.com/fargo.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.