Season 1, Episode 10
Air Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2014, 10PM E/P on FX Network.
Rating:
“The other one now?” – Molly
Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard
Lester (Martin Freeman) races to create an alibi after witnessing the death of his second wife Linda (Susan Park) at the hands of Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton). Will Lester get away with covering up his involvement or will the truth finally come crashing down around him?
Molly’s (Allison Tolman) face is priceless as she gets the call about Linda being found shot to death. While she may be surprised, she never lets it show in her voice. Molly arrives at the crime scene with Lester quickly behind. Lester had gone to Lou’s (Keith Carradine) diner to establish his whereabouts but not before calling the police and reporting shots fired. Lester is convincing as he mourns the loss of his second wife but I am not sure Molly buys it.
One of the things that has been fun to watch throughout Fargo is the fascinating evolution of Lester as he transformed from the weak and non-confrontational shell of a man we saw in the season premiere, “The Crocodile’s Dilemma,” to the confident and manipulative Lester we see in “Morton’s Fork.” Freeman has done a stellar job throughout the season portraying a character you feel for yet despise at the same time.
Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard, ,Jordan Peele as Agent Pepper, Keegan-Michael Key as Agent Budge, Allison Tolman as Molly Solverson, Bob Odenkirk as Bill Oswalt
With Lester in an interrogation room, Molly fills in the details for FBI agents Budge (Keegan-Michael Key) and Pepper (Jordan Peele). At the same time, her father Lou comes in and tells Molly about his previous encounter with Malvo, which connects Malvo, once again, to Molly’s case.
Throughout the season, I felt like the writers were holding Lou back, giving him meaningless scenes in the diner. That all changes in “Morton’s Fork” as Lou steps it up to protect his family. I really enjoyed the scenes with Lou interacting with Gus (Colin Hanks), but even more so with Gus’ daughter Greta (Joey King). While it’s small, one of my favorite moments in “Morton’s Fork” is when Lou and Greta are sitting on the porch having a conversation — simply because of the scene’s simplicity.
Is it in poor taste to laugh when Oswalt (Bob Odenkirk) describes the feathers from Lester’s jacket being lodged deep in Linda’s skull? There have been several scenes like that throughout Fargo where you can see Oswalt’s brain trying to grasp his own words as they come out of his mouth. I don’t know about you, but I could listen to Oswalt talk uncomfortably for hours.
Allison Tolman as Molly Solverson, Bob Odenkirk as Bill Oswalt
The laughter is short-lived as Oswalt and Molly have a heart-to-heart. Early in the series, I thought Oswalt was simply a bumbling idiot but as the show went on, I realized he simply wasn’t the kind of person who sees the bad in people. Realizing he can no longer do the job with blinders on, he decides to retire and recommends Molly take over as Chief. It is a heartfelt scene that is beautifully written and acted. As a matter of fact, in a recent conference call I participated in with Allison Tolman, she describes it as one of her favorite scenes with Odenkirk.
Watching Malvo work in a remote cabin, getting ready to make his next move, while listening to Molly on the police scanner, you can feel the intensity rise. This is partly due to the realization that because this is the final episode, nobody is safe. The feeling of impending doom continues to grow as Gus calls Molly begging her not to join the other officers in the search for Malvo. Molly agrees but, as expected, her promise doesn’t last long.
Oblivious that he is being used as bait, Molly releases Lester from jail but informs him agents Budge and Pepper will be keeping an eye on his house. This sets up a thrilling and very bloody game of cat and mouse. It’s fascinating to watch the showdown between Lester and Malvo play out as the hunter becomes the huntee. Just as it looks like Lester has the upper hand, Malvo gets away but not before being severely injured in a bear trap. Fortunately, Lester had decided to keep his brother Chaz’s (Joshua Close) hunting gear. Despite Malvo escaping, you can feel Lester’s confidence grow when he realizes he went toe to toe with Malvo and held his own.
Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo
Injured, Malvo returns to the cabin where he had been hiding out. As he tends to his wounds, Gus emerges from the shadows and shoots Malvo repeatedly until he is sure Malvo is dead. For much of the season, Malvo has been described as an animal, and in “Morton’s Fork,” Lester uses an animal trap to stop Malvo. Coincidence? What do you think? In the end, it is fitting that Malvo dies like an injured animal needing to be put down. It’s a bittersweet moment as Gus, overcome with emotion, struggles to breathe.
Molly arrives at the cabin and Gus directs her to a briefcase on the table, telling her, “Open it.” Inside are several tapes and a cassette player. Molly grabs the tape with Lester’s name on it and puts it inside the player. It’s impossible not to tear up as Molly reacts to the recording Malvo made, which proves she was right about Lester all along.
The story jumps forward two weeks to Glacier National Park in Montana. Lester is enjoying himself on a snowmobile when he notices a police road block. Realizing they are there for him, he races off with the police close behind. Lester crashes his snowmobile, forcing him to run onto a frozen lake. Needless to say, the ice around him starts to crack and Lester suddenly disappears into the frozen water. I guess in his haste to escape, he doesn’t see the sign that says, “Thin ice ahead.” The camera pans in on what appears to be Lester’s frozen hat underneath the frozen water’s surface.
Fargo concludes with Molly getting a call updating her about Lester. She returns to the couch to enjoy some TV time with Gus and Gretta just as the music picks up and the credits start to roll.
Fargo is one of those shows where the characters are so endearing, it is easy to connect with and care about them. For the past week, I have been arguing with myself about my thoughts and opinions about the Fargo series finale. “Morton’s Fork” is a great episode and a gripping way to end the show.
My initial reaction to the finale was that I wanted to see more of a visual redemption for Gus. I wanted to see him walking into the police station, dragging Malvo behind him, to the cheers of the officers. I wanted to see Lester go to his door and see Molly standing there. And then, without saying a word, you see Lester’s face as he realizes it’s over.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized those thoughts were what I wanted even though they didn’t exactly fit the characters. I wanted redemption for Gus but he didn’t care about redemption. His focus was protecting his family. Malvo was a threat so Gus eliminated that threat. When it comes to Molly, what she really wanted was the truth and thanks to Malvo’s recordings, she got it. The more I found myself thinking about it, the more I realized what an amazing finale “Morton’s Fork” truly is.
It’s hard to believe it was only ten weeks ago that critics and viewers were wondering if Fargo, the TV series, could survive living in the shadow of Fargo, the cult favorite movie. “Morton’s Fork” provides the exclamation point to a resounding Yes!
Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Morton’s Fork” and Fargo.
Visit the show’s website http://www.fxnetworks.com/fargo
Photos © 2014 FX Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Greg Staffa
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