At its core, Fargo doesn't tell a hugely original story. The way it's told, with the signature tone, deep yet comical characters, quirky humour and an attention to detail, is what makes it what it is.
Once more, Billy Bob steals the show as Lorne Malvo. The way he effortlessly changes his demeanour to convince an interrogator that he is a different guy to the one in the photo is convincing only because Billy Bob is able to play out Lorne's acting so well. Lorne loves having fun at the expense of others. As he carries out the blackmail plot he sends warnings in the strangest ways, like setting loose crickets in Stavros's supermarket. Yet there's actually a Biblical message behind the seemingly random warnings. What exactly Stavros is doing to deserve it though, I can't work out. He didn't do anything dishonest to get the money in my opinion. Lorne's crimes are far, far worse than any of his, so why he would seek to pass judgement in this way I don't know. Maybe it speaks to Lorne's idea that you should 'be a man'- maybe he justifies all his crimes by telling himself that he's taking risks. Maybe that's why he objects to the way Stavros obtained his money.
Lester gets put through a frantic kidnapping and it's something for some reason fitting for his characters that the way he escapes from a pair of hitmen is to get himself arrested. It's also fitting, given his poor luck, that he ends up in the same prison cell as the two men who are trying to kill him. Their grins and Lester's tentative smirk in response that ends the episode reminds me of how brilliant Martin Freeman is in his role.
Once more, Billy Bob steals the show as Lorne Malvo. The way he effortlessly changes his demeanour to convince an interrogator that he is a different guy to the one in the photo is convincing only because Billy Bob is able to play out Lorne's acting so well. Lorne loves having fun at the expense of others. As he carries out the blackmail plot he sends warnings in the strangest ways, like setting loose crickets in Stavros's supermarket. Yet there's actually a Biblical message behind the seemingly random warnings. What exactly Stavros is doing to deserve it though, I can't work out. He didn't do anything dishonest to get the money in my opinion. Lorne's crimes are far, far worse than any of his, so why he would seek to pass judgement in this way I don't know. Maybe it speaks to Lorne's idea that you should 'be a man'- maybe he justifies all his crimes by telling himself that he's taking risks. Maybe that's why he objects to the way Stavros obtained his money.
Lester gets put through a frantic kidnapping and it's something for some reason fitting for his characters that the way he escapes from a pair of hitmen is to get himself arrested. It's also fitting, given his poor luck, that he ends up in the same prison cell as the two men who are trying to kill him. Their grins and Lester's tentative smirk in response that ends the episode reminds me of how brilliant Martin Freeman is in his role.