Well, we are now halfway through the sophomore run of Fargo, and it seems we are finally receiving the bloodbath we were promised. This was an episode that I had been waiting for, and I was not disappointed. Fargo‘s bloodbath also proved to be an action-packed episode with some incredible character work involved, and it built the season-long tension to an all-time high.
This week on Fargo: Peggy takes Ed’s words to heart, but it might be too late. Lou is on guard duty as Ronald Reagan (Bruce Campbell) tours their state for his presidential campaign. The Gerhardts learn that Ed is “responsible” for Rye’s death, and Dodd uses it to start a war between their family and the Kansas City mafia. Mike Milligan turns a spy. Peggy sells the car. Ed is attacked by the Gerhardts in the butcher shop.
There are some really fantastic characters in this show. The more I watch, the more I can’t look away because of how compelling these characters are. Some of them (Ed & Peggy) are totally oblivious characters slowly but surely digging their own graves. Others are master manipulators, criminal masterminds, upstanding heroes, and everything in between. What thrills me about Fargo is how seamlessly all of these extremely different characters can exist in the same world. Even more than that, they can all revolve around one central plot that completely makes sense. Each time a layer of this story unravels and connects to another, I just get so excited. “The Gift of the Magi” drew everything closer together, and it made for one hour of extremely compelling television.
I think Reagan might have been my favorite in all this. Bruce Campbell does a pretty awesome impression of him, and everything he does wreaks of Reagan. The voice, the soundbites, even the encounter with Lou in the restroom. It seems to be a less than flattering portrayal of President Reagan, but it lead to a couple of really humorous moments with Lou. Keeping politics out of this arena, Campbell’s Reagan, and the way he was used in the episode, worked really well in “The Gift of the Magi.”
I love character work. I love stories as they unravel. But best of all, I love that we finally are getting our bloodbath. Perhaps I’ve just been missing an action-packed show in my life, but “The Gift of the Magi” made my heart race like no Season 2 episode of Fargo has yet. There was a real sense of urgency behind “Magi” that propelled the episode and kept the pace up and moving. Dodd Gerhardt was impeccable in the small manipulation leading up to the battle. The whole war, and even the first attack on Ed, were visually stunning and just spectacularly presented on film. “Magi” contained some of the best sequences of the season so far.
This was definitely the best episode of Fargo Season 2 yet. There was blood. There was intrigue. There were all kinds of fascinating character studies being presented and wonderful stories unraveling at every turn. Each week, I honestly can’t wait for the next episode of Fargo, and that’s never been more true.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy this episode? Let us know!
Fargo airs Mondays at 10/9c on FX.
[Photo credit: Chris Large/FX]
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