Did You Do This? No, You Did It!

Greetings from Lithuania.

I enjoyed season 2 for far as much as season 1 to be honest, i don't think season 2 is THAT better then 1st. Acting is very solid, but performances in season 1 were a bit better, but that is because is of the story and the script. That said performances here are very good, with some great ones as well. Story is more action oriented, and that's good. There are some more weaker plot lines, but overall package in season 2 is very good, i do looking forward to see how it all will turn out at the end.

Overall, this episode is very good. Tension is rising, some decisions have been made, w'll see how it will end in the next 3 episodes. Great series so far.

The Blomquists are on the run with a passenger in the trunk. There are factions within the Kansas City gang and Mike is in no mood to fall on his sword for the sake of the brotherhood. The Gerhardt daughter (Fredo) has overstepped her bounds. At some point the Gerhardts had to wonder how Mike and the gang knew so much so soon. The old lady has put her trust in the local police and in the Luverne contingent to prevent her entire family from being decimated. There is incredible bloodshed from the very beginning, including an intriguing group of window washers on scaffolding, firing automatic weapons into an office building and killing four people. Lou continues to push his luck in the face of great danger. He is truly the Gary Cooper poker face in this episode. He has seen the awful side of life and isn't afraid to mix it up. Meanwhile, his poor wife is probably dying. She is spirited but truly ill. Excellent setup episode, Can't wait to get the Blomquists back and see what happens.

Since I am watching this in chronological order and I did not read any reviews about the finale, I guess this episode is setting up all the players for the showdown. As in a chess board, the "pieces" are now taking their final positions.

I liked it because there are no Blomquist in it and I truly don't care about whatever happens to them. The idea might have been to build suspense about their fate, but I was glad not to see them, even if I know that "silent" Hanzee is on their track (BTW, a bit of sloppiness there - if Hanzee is that smart, how come he did not top them off, instead of just chasing them around?)

The gangs are imploding, devastated by internal troubles. These people never learn: if you stick together you're stronger. Take care of inside business only AFTER you won the war...

But again, the Gerhardt's family showed very little cohesion form the start: three brothers despising each other; mum over 60 with a sick husband and battling sons; a double-crossing grand-child ...

And the Kansas City gang is just thugs, so who cares? Even if they think they're smarter than average and can quote from literature (very unlikely, but still... makes for a better show... maybe)

Lou and Hank investigate in Fargo, The King of Breakfast visits Betsy and Molly, and Bear questions a family member's loyalty.

What I Liked:

The cinematography is solid, and each scene perfectly implements its well-crafted and memorable music score. On top of that, each actor gives a strong performance.

As the gang war intensifies, each scene involving the Gerhardts and the Kansas City Mafia becomes tenser and tenser, making for some highly enthralling television.

Mike killing the Undertaker is perhaps the best scene to this point. The way he is introduced and then executed was ingenious by the writers.

What I Disliked:

I am not a fan of several editing choices, particularly the usage of split screens, which appear superfluous at best.

The philosophical rantings from Mike are starting to become forced and trite. He is still an interesting character, but it seems the writers are trying too hard to make him an intellectual thug.

Overall:

Fargo continues to deliver high-quality episodes, making for an enthralling and consistent sophomore season so far.

8/10

King Cadmium.

I'm hard-pressed to choose an episode that more epitomizes "Fargo" than this one; how it moves from exciting to riotous to deeply sad. Seems like every commercial break was a cliffhanger ending - and the real ending came completely outta nowhere ; it's a roller-coaster. It's just a pile-up of twists and turns, one after another.

And all throughout, pretty much every character gets some wicked dialogue to chew on. In that sense - hell, in every sense - this is classic Fargo.

10/10