Well. We WERE promised a bloodbath. Fargo has seemed to barely scratch the surface in terms of how crazy things are going to get, but this episode (I’ll try to avoid typing the title 100 times) really started pushing things faster and farther than I imagined. There’s an incredible tension in between the lines of this episode, and it builds and builds with each passing moment.
This week on Fargo: Lou and Hank visit the Gerhardts to try and make a deal. While they’re gone, Lou sends Karl and Sonny to keep an eye on Betsy and Molly. Floyd Gerhardt reluctantly feeds the police some information. Bear discovers a traitor in their midst, and deals with it on his own. Kansas City sends “The Undertaker” to relieve Mike Milligan, but he has other plans. A mysterious caller claims to know Dodd Gerhardt’s whereabouts.
Wow. This episode may have been the one that really solidified this season for me. Don’t get me wrong, because the whole season has been fantastic, but for me, when people begin to reach their breaking points and do crazy things is when a show really gets good. “Did You Do This?” hit all the right chords because the tension has boiled over already. Tension is something that Fargo does an incredible job building, but oozing past that tension may even be more exciting.
Particularly prevalent in “Did You Do This?” is the Gerhardt family, seemingly imploding at the feet of Kansas City. Bear is willing to kill his own niece to gain an edge in the war. Floyd works with the police. I just loved the way these stories were told. When Bear was driving back home, and Fargo showed each family member crossing his mind, laying “Danny Boy” in the background, it created a truly hauntingly beautiful moment. It almost made me sympathize with the Gerhardts for a little while.
I turned right back against them, though, when Floyd gave Lou and Hank that information. First, I sympathized, and then she wore that slight smirk as they left. Man, Jean Smart is such a great actress. That whole scene was brilliant and subtle, and just elevated the stakes by about 200%. I have no idea what she’s playing at, but I absolutely have to find out.
In a few of my reviews, I’ve complained that the amazing dark humor of Fargo Season 1 wasn’t so prevalent in this season. I stand by that statement, but this iteration of Fargo just has a really different sense of humor. Rather than getting sick pleasure laughing when Lester Nygaard kills his wife with a hammer, you begin to laugh at the good guys. Lou and Hank, for instance, are perfectly within their created characters to start spouting off goofy insults and one-liners. It doesn’t feel forced at all, and it’s really funny. Patrick Wilson and Ted Danson are doing some incredible work on this show, and they’re pretty darn funny without trying.
I just love Cristin Milioti as Betsy, too. We all know that Betsy doesn’t make it to the 2000s, but maybe Fargo Season 3 (announced today) can take place in a time when she’s alive. She’s one of the best supporting characters on the show, and maybe on TV right now.
“Did You Do This? No You Did It!” was an exercise in everything that makes Fargo‘s second season so successful. There was blood, tension, humor, and humanizing stories about compelling characters. This was by far the best episode yet of Season 2, and I’m beyond excited for the final three installments.
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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