Monthly Archives: November 2020

This Is A True Story: Fargo Season IV Recap/Review


This is a true story. The events depicted occurred in Hollywood in 2020. At the request of Accuracy, the names have not been changed. Out of respect for the Truth, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred. And lots of spoilers.

Perhaps the past really is prologue. By almost every metric, Fargo‘s fourth season, which concluded Sunday night, got the show back on track.

After two brilliant seasons and some unattainable expectations, the third installment of the anthology series felt like an inevitable disappointment last year. Critic response was lukewarm, and audience reaction lacked the fanboy frenzy of most Coen Bros. projects.

So the rebound isn’t wholly unexpected, and the fourth series still pales in comparison to its two prodigious predecessors. Still, the latest iteration suggests that Fargo the TV series may be up to something as brilliant as Fargo the taproot film. Namely, that creator Noah Hawley may be slyly piecing together stories of a single book whose chapters have been placed out of order.

That possibility became clearer with a Season 4 finale, Storia Americana, that is actually a prequel hand-off from Season 2, arguably the best season in the series this far.

And the newest season raised the tantalizing possibility that Hawley is making an adaptation of the fictional anthology The History of True Crime in the Mid West, a book that plays a noticeable role this season and in Season 2. Could all four tales be part of a single story?

Album) The History of True Crime in the Midwest : FargoTV
The fictional book that’s appeared in two seasons.

After all, Hawley employed a similar crossover between Seasons 1 and 3: the deaf hitman Mr. Wrench. Distributing network FX has taken pains to make it clear: Each season is a standalone creature.

But could the next chapter (television gods willing) of Fargo reveal a larger tale? The Coens (who serve as executive producers) are nothing if not fond of layered stories. And Hawley appears untethered by network constraints to tell a quirky tale (this season ran 11 episodes instead of 10, and episodes routinely ran longer than an hour).

Why Is Mr. Wrench Helping Nikki On 'Fargo'? The Hitman's Motivations Are Fuzzy
Mr. Wrench in a crossover role.

All of which begs the question: Is Hawley creating a larger “true crime” story in an homage to the brothers, gift-wrapped with Coen-like chronology leaps?

Season 4 is set in Kansas City, a key location in Season 2, and serves to document the formative years of rising crime syndicate boss Mike Milligan.

Other season-jumping Easter eggs this year: Joe Bulo, who is Milligan’s boss in Season 2, is a young thug who learns firsthand that the family crime business is dying; Mort Kellerman, the K.C. crime boss killed in Season 2, delivers an assassination of his own this year; and this season’s protagonist, Loy Cannon (Chris Rock), drops a Milligan quote in assessing how locals treat outsiders: “Pretty unfriendly, actually.”

Above: Joe Bulo, left, gets lessons in thuggery.
Below, Mort Kellerman, right, delivers on.

It’s those inside jokes that underpin the series, which is, ultimately, a collection of Coen Brother tribute videos. Season 4 had plenty of discography nods, including No Country for Old Men, Raising Arizona and, in particular, Miller’s Crossing.

Gabriel Byrne in Miller’s Crossing, left, Chris Rock in Season 4, right.

The young Milligan is a boy named Satchel Cannon (Rodney L. Jones III). He’s haloed by a clipped-wing nightingale known only as Rabbi Milligan (a terrific Ben Whimshaw). The poetic pairing of outcasts would merit a future name change to whatever you damn well please.

This FARGO Theory Spells Doom for Loy - Nerdist
Satchel and Rabbi, left. Mike Milligan, right.

As usual, Hawley peppers each season with film-school level references to the Coen Brothers. He treats the duo with Kubrickian reverence, and the result is near-film-quality adoration. A “bad” Fargo episode is better than most shows’ best day.

And this season had plenty of good days, including the entire Wizard of Oz tribute episode East/West (no. 9) and the recurring ghost of Theodore Roach, the gnarled demon of slave ships past who haunted this season’s darkest scenes.

The show had a few missteps: There were a few too many characters to keep track of this time around, and the story made logic leaps previous seasons wouldn’t have attempted.

But the season finale, which ended on a beautiful surprise post-credit scene, brought the show so far back (or forward?) in its origins story it’s hard to think a larger tale isn’t unfolding.

And considering Hawley and company pulled this season off in the middle of a pandemic — when we most needed thoughtful, scripted television — it really doesn’t matter whether Fargo is a true story or not. As long as it’s a continuing one.

The Real Transfer of Power

Leadership & Continuity: The Peaceful Transition of Power | Eidson & Partners

There are two types of American president: the person you’d like to be; and the person you probably are.

Barack Obama was a president we’d like to be: young, eloquent, quick with a smile. Donald Trump was the president we probably are: aging, weight issues, quick to temper.

Physical and philosophical idiosyncrasies aside, the pattern tends to track historically, too. We wanted to be like Lincoln. We wanted to be like Kennedy. We wanted to be like Reagan.

The person we’d like to be.

Conversely, we probably were like Nixon. We probably were like George W. We thought we wanted to be like Clinton, but bitterly discovered that we probably already were.

The person we probably are.

It’s no mean feat, turning what you are into what you’d like to be. It’s easier to bitch about a problem than confront it. Victimization is a breeze. Aspiration is a bitch. Which is why the “transfer of power” is moving in fits and starts. It’s actually a transfer of mindsets.

And we’ve committed to change, like a New Year’s resolution to adopt a dog or join the armed services. In this case, commitment was in the form of 80 million-plus eviction notices for Trump. And like any deadbeat tenant, he and his roommates will trash the place before leaving.

That’s because Trump still represents 74 million-plus Americans who don’t feel like aspiration. Who knows? Donald Trump may have been the person they wanted to be.

And make no mistake: The reason Trump and his toadies are dragging their feet on change is because the people they represent are just as cold to it. Perhaps more so.

Regardless, the commitment to Biden is a tacit commitment to work: on COVID; on climate; on gender and race relations. All with a Senate that has a vested interest in proving to Americans the system is broken, rotted and irreparable.

And, regardless of party, is Biden not the type of grandparent we want to be? Active, still quick, forgiving, gentle. Don’t we want to be the genteel grandpa instead of the grimacing one?

5 Ways Biden Will Affect Your Finances As President – Forbes Advisor

But that’s the cost of transfer: sweat equity.

There are plenty of signs that 2021 is going to be a terrific year. Proud Boys and QAnon are out. A COVID vaccine and the word of science are in. Dreamer immigrants have a reason to dream again. American government looks more like America again.

It’s enough to make a body hopeful.

And who wouldn’t want to be that?