This is a true story. The events depicted here aired on FX from 2014 until the present day. At the request of the shows ranked above it, they will not be mentioned. Out of respect for the shows that have been discussed so far, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred
I've spoken a lot on here about the Coen Brothers' 1996 crime classic Fargo, and for good reason. It's one of my favourite films, a reminder that even with all of the darkness and evil in the world, we need to push on and fight for the things that are good. As much as that film means to me though, I didn't come onto the TV spinoff till much later. I don't know, maybe it was a snobbish impulse but I just couldn't see it living up to the film somehow, which just goes to show what I know. Needless to say I eventually caved, devouring all three seasons at the time and absolutely falling in love with the world Noah Hawley and team created. Set in the same world as the film, Fargo is a similar balance of nihilistic crime storytelling and puckish humour, with the added bonus of telling a different story each season, which gives the show much more scope and lets each run feel like its own take on the themes and ideas of Fargo
As always, those themes and ideas usually spiral out of the desperate things that people do to get out of bad situations. Here, every problem presents a choice, where wrong seems right, and quick fixes lead to utter chaos. The show doubles down on the idea that doing the wrong thing because it's easy will always lead to a person's destruction, but uses the advantage of time and season-long arcs to express this in ways that the film just didn't have the time to. The first season remixes a lot of the original film's beats but makes sure to develop them in a way that feels wholly organic. If you're familiar with the film, you'll have a foothold in the story right from the start, while still being open to the fresh direction that Hawley ends up taking those recognisable beats. But don't worry if you're a newcomer to the Fargoverse either, because the show clears the slate just enough to ensure that everyone can enjoy its darkly comic delights. The nods and references are more bonuses than anything, but Hawley backs them up with storylines and characters that stand just as well on their own, so if you've never seen the film, you'll still be able to appreciate what they mean in context to the show
The show exists in the film's universe but it quickly establishes itself as its own perfect unit, where each season moves outward rather than forward, constantly expanding on this world and keeping those same ideas fresh by putting them in different contexts and approaching the key themes of fate, morality and self-destruction from different angles. It's not a reboot; it's a remix, where the old building blocks are rearranged to form a new story. That gets even more exciting in the second season when the show stops looking to the film for beats to play with and reintroduces ideas unique to the show to put a fresh spin on. That constant internal referencing that the show builds is a crucial part of its charm. This is a big, organic world, a storybook where a playful author is letting these tall tales bounce off of each other, clashing into each other and exploding in really electric ways, but always keeping the focus on how the story is told each time
Because that's ultimately what Fargo is about: stories. More specifically, about larger than life yarns that spiral out of control and travel fast around small towns. I love the disclaimers at the start of each episode, the banners that read "This is a True Story", because it turns these kooky, snow-covered crime tales into local folklore, myths and cautionary tales that keep one foot in the absurd. The characters are big and exaggerated but that's why it works. They're folk legends, like the killer disguised as a preacher, or the bridge champion turned femme fatale. I love that borderline fantasy feel that every season has, and it really helps the Easter eggs and references feel like so more than hollow postmodern fanservice. No, these are little signs of love and care, dogears on important pages that mark Fargo as a real work of passion
It's a reminder that the constantly spinning wheel of sequels, prequels, remakes and reboots can actually be okay sometimes, and can give us some genuine gems that are interested in re-evaluating the past instead of just revisiting it. Even if you have no interest in the Coen Brothers or the original film, Fargo still works as an icy, darkly hilarious crime anthology that can be watched totally fresh. It's sharp and exciting, satisfying because it invests in the details and mines them for serious thrills. The film is a great story about how people who do wrong are fated to fail, but the show broadens the scope and flips it around somewhat to focus on what it means for someone in this world to do the right thing. When cynicism is setting in and everyone around you is resorting to convenient cruelty, do you throw in the towel and do the same?
Just like in the film, the answer is clearly no; the world is a strange, cruel place where random violence seems totally inevitable, but that's all the more reason to fight against it, to do right in spite of the total chaos that drives so many others to nihilism. There's a lot of good in the world after all, and it's worth protecting. Fargo is a perfect blend of comical violence and defiant heart that never sacrifices the utter chaos that has always made this story work. So the fourth season was a damp squib, what are you gonna do? Fargo is pure modern myth by way of the strange tales that echo around seedy bar rooms. It's a total blast, poetic and pulpy and consistently exciting. A worthy follow-up to the original film? You betcha
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