Fargo Review

As Hannibal and Bates Motel have proven, shows based on classic films can end up with massively different levels of quality. Bluntly put, Bates Motel is utter shit while in its second season, Hannibal has become one of the premiere works of 2014. Now we come to Fargo, an FX production with an impressive cast and a loose relationship to the Coen brothers movie. Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Colin Hanks, and Bob Odenkirk headline as the major names, but the big surprise is Allison Tolman who takes up a similar role to the film’s Marge Gunderson, as the only capable cop.

After three homicides set a small Minnesota town ablaze, Deputy Solverson (Tolman) is convinced her fellow officers have the case all wrong. And of course, they do, otherwise there wouldn’t be much of a show. Much like the the big screen edition, Fargo shows the stupidity of crime, as the awkward Lester Nygaard (Freeman) gets caught up in the homicides committed by a drifter named Lorne Malvo (Thornton).

For those more familiar with the works of the Coen Brothers, you’ll likely pick up on the similarities to No Country for Old Men. With some leeway, Brolin= Freeman, Bardem= Thornton, and Tommy Lee Jones = Tolman. Philosophical consistencies, such as how brave does law enforcement have to be in the face of overwhelming danger, can be found throughout.

As much as love the dark tone television has opened up to in recent years, it can be a overbearing. Fargo takes a welcomed approach of infusing what should be gruesome subject matter with just enough dark humor to create levity, but not so much it’s rendered incapable of hitting distressing strides. Malvo is the seemingly unstoppable force with years of experience as a hitman, taking what he wants from life. Watching how a single line of self-motivation from Malvo stirs up the belittled Lester into transforming his salary-man career and failing marriage into a Frankenstein creation is a wonderfully ugly evolution.

If there’s one glaring flaw, it’s the ending. Few things are more difficult in fiction than writing a satisfying conclusion. Predictable and safe are two descriptors you generally want to shy away from. While they won’t destroy all the good will built up, it leaves the audience feeling apathetic. A sterile ending is an unfitting climax to the craftsmanship which worked to build-up the tense atmosphere. The penultimate and much of the finale nail every aspect of anticipation of a big case coming to a close. Yet the payoff is… well, it’s mundanely realistic with a little bit of plot armor and a hole or two mixed in.

Quite possibly the message is real crime is often boring and the media / traditional crime-dramas have too heavy a focus on the action, rather than the people behind it. That’s if you're willing to do a bit of light stretching before a mental workout.

Philosophical quandaries aside, this is telling of some of the other issues as well. In retrospect a few of the plots are tertiary. Malvo's escapades with the grocery-store-millionaire boil down to little more than filler to showcase how creepy he is and tie-in the film. And yes, his humanity borders on animalistic but that's better conveyed through his interactions with those essential to the plot.

What is arguably most impressive is the creative direction. This could have easily been a re-imagining or prequel, but it’s not. Fargo is its own separate tale, and one can have never seen the film and still enjoy the show. The creators knew exactly how much to borrow from the Coen's. The bleak winter wasteland visuals, the amusing accents juxtaposed to the grim content, even the fake opening regarding a basis in reality. They provide for something intrinsically Fargo and Coen brothers but never step on the toes of the new.

Brief, yet poignant for nearly its entirety, Fargo proves the formula of bringing in big names for the short-term can not only work, but excel. Ten episodes exemplify what I wish we'd see more of from American television. Like True Detective earlier in the year, a tight narrative constrained to a season's worth of episodes can be more favorable than dragging one out over eight seasons. It's not impossible to create something with such life over a long period, but it's often best to have your story written from beginning to end before you start telling it.

The few flaws in the way of shaky finishes are heavily outweighed by what precedes them. It’s unlikely you’ll walk away thinking with new, earthshaking insight on the definition and capabilities of shows, but for those looking for a filmic touch to their television, then Fargo is it.

8.5/10