Written by Noah Hawley (The Unusuals)Starring:
Billy Bob Thronton (Armageddon)
Martin Freeman (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
Allison Tolman
Colin Hanks (Orange County)
Keegan Micheal Key (Mad TV)
Jordan Peele (Key and Peele)
Keith Carradine (Dollhouse)
Joey King (White House Down)
Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad)
Adam Goldberg (The Unusuals)
Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
Watching the original film proved to be difficult to accomplish for me. Having premiered in 96', I wasn't the choice demographic. Not a lot of 8 year olds clambering for blackmail, lies, murder, and hit men. Over the years, flipping through channels, I'd stumble across the film mid run and have no clue what was going on. The accents threw me off, the characters were annoying, and the plot seemed incomprehensible.
Cut to a film class in 2012. Structure of Story. Fargo was on the syllabus.
The day came, the professor hit play and the gentle symphony began playing. The snow filled the projection on the screen as the drums ushered in the haunting explosion of violins and horns, without even a shred of story having unfolded, I was taken. My every cell was absorbed entirely into the beauty, the simplicity of the intro. What followed was an emphatic tornado of ruthlessness and bravery. A story that utterly shattered me.
Two years later the FX limited series adaptation arises and at the end of it's run, the tenth of ten episodes, blood lines in the snow from every character already melting away. There I sat, alone on a sofa, completely absorbed as it was, when the final scene began, rung in by a phone call to Molly Solverson (the revelation that was Allison Tolman). As the conversation ends, she hangs up and the familiar soft twangs of the mandolin chime in bringing a smile to my face and deep comfort within my body. She walks to Gus and her stepdaughter. The drums boil up. Chills rise on my arm, my breath releases a sense of completeness that rivaled any masterpiece standalone film. Previously, there had been a slight disappointed that the film's theme was used in the premiere episode but that forgiven since the show's own score proved powerful enough that I no longer knew that I still so desperately wanted it included in the show. And there it was. Amazingly saved to the moment that served it best.
This show, built in the spirit of the movie, drenched in brutality, an exposé of pure evil, a window into metamorphosis, had ended in the only way that it could have. That music. After teasing a similar sound that was gorgeous in its own right, they unleashed the unparalleled triumphant roar of the true spirit of Fargo.
The shootouts (particularly the Wrench and Numbers vs. Malvo snow battle and the Malvo in Fargo rampage) were exceptionally portrayed, visually clever, and unexpectedly spectacular.
The score within the episodes was a masterpiece, possibly the best ever for a TV series. Character themes have rarely brought this much clarity to a scene.
The cast deserves unanimous praise. Thronton is operating full throttle. A villain that shatters expectations. Freeman's portrayal is complex and beyond what he's ever done. Adam Goldberg and Russell Harvard steal the show. And Allison Tolman can't be classified in words. Colin Hanks also deserves note as he refuses to fade into acting obscurity with this gloriously performance as a father stuck in a cocoon.
Not to mention the supporting turns by Bob Odenkirk, Key and Peele, and Glenn Howerton in unconventional roles for the comedy savants. Keith Carradine, Kate Walsh, and Joey king also deserve mention as they hold their own despite such large characters swirling around them.
As the awe inspiring music slowly fades, all we are left with a story magnificently told. Well done, Noah Hawley. His writing hasn't lost a step since The Unusuals was taken away so unjustly.
10 out of 10
10 out of 10
