Fargo - “The Muddy Road” Recap. Holy Cow!

Season 1, Episode 3

Air Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 10PM E/P on FX Networks.

Rating: ★★★★★

“Gotta say I’m super ticked here.” – Chief Oswalt

Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton)

“The Muddy Road” opens with Phil McCormick (Dave Trimble) nervously working at his desk while repeatedly looking down the row of cubicles as if he knows trouble is coming. Trouble does come in the form of Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), who grabs Phil by his tie and drags him off. I laughed at how the other workers quietly look out from their cubes as Phil is being tugged through the building and into the parking lot. Turns out Phil is the mysterious semi-naked man who runs off into the woods and supposedly dies during the opening of Fargo’s series premiere, “The Crocodile’s Dilemma.”

The story jumps forward as Molly (Allison Tolman), having figured out Phil’s identity, goes to his office to review the security footage. This gives Molly her first look at Malvo. Armed with his photo, Molly seems even more determined to track down Chief Thurman’s (Shawn Doyle) murderer.

Malvo figures out the person blackmailing Stavros (Oliver Platt) is Don (Glenn Howerton), Stavros’ wife Helena’s (Allegra Fulton) not so bright personal trainer. Instead of turning Don over to Stavros as he was paid to do, Malvo decides to do things his way.

Malvo: “Good news, I’m taking over.”

Don: “Uh, taking over what?”

Malvo: “The blackmail.”

Don: “Eh, you work for the guy.”

Malvo: “Exactly, and now you work for me.”

Don: “I’m confused.”

Malvo: “That’s ok, I’m not. The first thing we need is a new blackmail letter.”

Now in the blackmail business, Malvo starts making life miserable for Stavros, first by killing his dog and then leaving behind a much larger ransom demand. Malvo seems determined to not only get Stavros’ money but to drive him crazy in the process. I love how Malvo is always looking for the next con. He seems to enjoy messing with people’s heads. Noah Hawley does such a wonderful job writing these characters in a way that makes even the bad guys enjoyable to watch.

Molly (Allison Tolman) and Lester (Martin Freeman)

The scene where Lester quietly stares at the bloody floor where Chief Thurman was murdered is absolutely riveting. Lester is silent but you can hear his pleas to Thurman from that fateful night. Watching Lester sit there, you feel the weight of emotions going through him. Kudos to Freeman for the manner in which he portrays such an emotional scene. He hardly moves a muscle, yet it’s a powerful performance that says a lot without any dialogue.

Mickey (Atticus Mitchell) and Moe Hess (Liam Green) once again provide the juvenile comedic relief when Lester goes to see Gina Hess (Kate Walsh) about her deceased husband’s life insurance policy. As funny as Mickey and Moe are, sometimes they become a distraction in scenes where they are in the background. You keep waiting for them to do something stupid so you pay more attention to them rather than the important parts or other characters in the scene. The Gina and Lester scene is entertaining to watch as it becomes clear Lester is not used to a sexually aggressive woman like Gina. However, while Lester seems uncomfortable, there is a part of him that seems to enjoy what’s going on.

Am I the only one who doesn’t understand the scene where Molly meets up with an old friend for lunch? So far, everything in Fargo seems to be connected in one way or another and yet, the lunch scene seems out of place. Will we learn who the friend is later on? Will Molly’s friend be connected to any of the mayhem or does the scene simply show Molly having lunch with an old friend with no ulterior motive?

Mr. Numbers (Adam Goldberg), Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard) and Lester (Martin Freeman)

Turns out Mickey and Moe aren’t the only ones watching Gina with Lester. Mr. Numbers (Adam Goldberg) and Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard) decide to pay Lester a visit at work after watching the two of them together. The hit men are curious whether Lester is behind the Hess murder so that he could make a move on Gina. Thankfully, for Lester, Molly shows up at the office.

Molly tells Lester she is considering buying an insurance policy and then accidentally on purpose drops a folder causing a photo of Malvo to fall out. Lester doesn’t say anything but he is clearly rattled. Later, at the police precinct, Molly tells Chief Oswalt (Bob Odenkirk) what happened but it doesn’t go over very well. Oswalt has repeatedly told Molly to leave Lester alone. Molly knows she is on the right track to solving Thurman’s murder and I doubt Oswalt’s scolding is going to stop her.

Gus (Colin Hanks)

Just as Molly seems out of options in her investigation of Lester, Gus shows up at the police station to talk about Malvo and Lester’s car. Gus is surprised when Molly shows him a photo of Malvo and asks whether this is the guy. Molly is confused over Gus letting someone go without running the plates and driver’s license; that is, until Gus’ daughter Greta (Joey King) comes in. Suddenly, Molly understands what happened and why. I really enjoy the chemistry between Molly and Gus. There is a certain sincerity to their scenes that is comforting to watch. Gus and Molly are alike in many ways in that those around them don’t seem to take them seriously. Yet Gus and Molly are the only ones who seem to be figuring everything out.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “The Muddy Road.”

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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.