Fargo Episode 3 Myth of Sisyphus

The battle lines have been drawn, between law enforcement, the Kansas City syndicate and the Gearhardt family.  Add in the hapless Blomquist’s and their entry into the criminal world and it is a recipe for disaster. (Just add some ground Rye, I mean beef!)

The episode opens on a frozen empty highway.  In the forest nearby, Hanzee strokes a white rabbit.  He has a flashback to his youth when a magician (who resembles Joe Bulo) pulled a white rabbit out of hat.  We are shown a montage of Peggy and Ed and the various characters preparing for their day, as upbeat music plays sung in a native language.  Hanzee approaches the Gearhardt compound; the rabbit’s neck is broken…

Floyd sits with some of Otto’s business partners.  Otto is present, but he is unable to speak or walk and it’s unclear if he is aware of his surroundings.  Floyd tells the men about the Kansas City offer.  Bear and Dodd are present but at odds regarding Floyd’s legitimacy as the new boss of the family.  Dodd is firmly against the K.C. offer, asserting, “This is OUR business.” Floyd pleads for calm, realistically assessing that the Gearhardt’s are a small family business who is unlikely to defeat the K.C. group by force.  Dodd wants to hit the group hard. Floyd asserts, “I’m not afraid of a war but only as a last resort and on our terms.”  The visitors agree the safest path is to be defensive but “We’ll cut their noses off if they attack.”

Mike Mulligan and Joe meet for lunch.  Joe gives him advice on how to keep one’s hair looking sharp with hard or soft water by using “Agree.”  Equipped with hygiene tips, Mike laments he has no new information on the Gearhardt’s.  Joe is blasé, “We might have to kill them all, the market will decide.” Mike suspects Rye had something to do with the murder of the judge and is on the run. Joe looks at that as an opportunity. They can use Rye to bargain with his mother. (Of course, they don’t know he’s being baked into a meatloaf somewhere!)

Back in Luverne, Minnesota, Lou drives in his cruiser. He receives a call from Hank; they have identified a print from the gun at the Waffle Hut as belonging to Rye.  Lou is on his way to Fargo and asks Hank to tell his wife he’ll be home late.

At the Fargo courthouse, Lou meets Ben Schmitt.  Lou mentions he is investigating a case involving the Gearhardt family.  Schmitt fills Lou in on the Gearhardt family history.  They started during Prohibition, with Dieter Gearhardt moving alcohol. He was murdered in ’51 with nineteen shots to the head!  Otto then took over the business. Schmitt compares Otto to Hitler.  Lou mentions the Kansas City men who were acting suspicious around the crime scene.  Schmitt seems shaken, and says Lou has a FUBAR situation on his hands.  Schmitt grimly advises Lou to “Confess to the crime yourself!” rather then mix with the Gearhardt’s and the Kansas City syndicate.  

At the Gearhardt compound, Hanzee grills Dodd’s daughter Simone about Rye’s possible whereabouts.  She is coy and notes there is a place she likes to go to smoke weed and take boys.  Hanzee disapproves of attitude and drug use.  He commands her to show him the place.

At the station, Hank looks at photos of the Waffle Hut crime scene. The white shoe sits prominently on his desk. A “wanted” poster has been made for Rye Gearhardt.

Peggy works sweeping at the beauty parlor as Betsy chats and gets her haircut.  Betsy is unsure whether she’ll loose her hair with her chemotherapy and debates just shaving her head.  Peggy tells Constance she has decided to go to the seminar but hasn’t asked Ed for permission.  The women giggle as Hank arrives, asking if he can post the “wanted” poster in the salon window.  Betsy tells her father her theory that the killer walked into the road and was hit by a car. (Explaining the shoe in the tree.)  Constance turns to Peggy and is about to mention her recent “accident with the deer.”  Peggy abruptly stops her boss from completing her thought and offers cheerfully, “That doesn’t make sense!”  Hank pauses to consider Betsy’s theory.  He agrees with Peggy, “You just don’t drive home with a Gearhardt in your windshield and go home and start supper!”  (Even though that’s EXACTLY what happened, oh, these guys are so close to the truth it’s frustrating!) Betsy advises her father to look for a damaged car.

Peggy hurries across the street to Bud’s butcher shop to give Ed an update on the Rye situation.  Peggy tells his employer there is a “family emergency” and Ed needs to leave right away.  Peggy explains to Ed, “They know about the hit-and-run!” and urges him to deal with their damaged car immediately.  Ed has his usual “deer in headlights” look as he hears the news.  The couple sees the “Wanted” poster in the window of the beauty salon.  Ed turns a whiter shade of pale.

Young Molly watches a movie titled “Operation Eagle’s Nest” in the living room. Could this be a reference to Otto Gearhardt, whom Schmitt compared to Hitler? Molly’s grandfather Hank fought the Germans in World War ll, now he’s up against German’s again in the form of the Gearhardt crime family.

As Lou waits in the courthouse, he spies a suspicious man near the murdered judge’s office.  Schmitt and Lou follow the man to his car. (A blue Gremlin!) The men ask for his identification and learn he is Skip Sprang, the owner of the typewriter shop in town. Skip seems anxious as he explains he was at the courthouse regarding some back taxes he owes.  He is confident in the store’s “grand re-opening” noting that typewriters aren’t “just for women anymore.” Even in the seventies, this seems like a crazy thing to say.

Schmitt asks Skip again why he was at Judge Mundt’s office.  Skip gives an incoherent answer alluding to spaceships and alien encounters.  The men give up questioning Skip but agree he’s a “mighty squirrely fellow.”  Schmitt seems reluctant to further question or consider the strange man.

Skip goes to an apartment building and knocks on number thirteen.  Simone answers the door and teases him about being so lonely.  Skip explains he’s there to pay money he owed Rye.  Simone infers he must be the “new partner” Rye mentioned. Hanzee emerges from behind the door.  Skip becomes more agitated, stating he doesn’t have the money he owes, but will, very soon.  Simone pretends to be puzzled, “So you’ve come hear to pay my uncle but you don’t have any money?”  She comment’s on Skip’s American flag tie, grabbing it playfully and says, “Let’s have some fun!”

Peggy and Ed drive their damaged car on an abandoned road.  She says, “You’re a real paladin!” (One of the legendary twelve peers of Charlemagne’s court) Ed obviously doesn’t understand and responds he’s her husband and he’d do anything for her.  She calls him her “knight.”  Peggy has a plan, something she saw her alcoholic uncle do numerous times.  They will crash the car in a lone accident and have the insurance record to provide an “alibi” for the vehicle.  Ed seems really nervous and it takes him two tries to obtain the “correct” accident.  The tow truck arrives; the couple rides the city bus back into town in silence.

In the Gearhardt’s kitchen, Charlie and Bear ponder the offer from Kansas City.  Bear wonders if they could sell half their interests.  Charlie observes, “They don’t seem like the kind of people who want half a car!”  Bear cautions his son to stay out of the family business and continue his education.  It’s clear he fears for his son with a pending dispute with the Kansas group.  Floyd agrees with Bear that Charlie should stay in school.

Lou and Schmitt arrive together to the Gearhardt headquarters.  The yard is full of armed men standing guard.  Schmitt says, “It’s not too late to go to the movies!” As the men get out of the car, the guards ask for Schmitt and Lou’s weapon prior to entering the house.  Lou refuses to hand over his weapon.  Floyd comes out the front door and acknowledges she knows the Schmitt family.  Lou states they are investigating the Waffle Hut murders including the judge from Fargo.  Bear comes out to support his mother. 

When Schmitt mentions Rye, the henchmen point their guns at the outsiders.  Lou pleads for calm, but then hotheaded Dodd arrives and threatens Schmitt once he mentions they have Rye’s fingerprints on the gun. (Tipping off the Gearhardt’s to what evidence they have against Rye, not kosher.)  Lou interrupts, telling Dodd, “You’re dancing with the wrong girl, I was the one who found the gun!”  Dodd is even more insulted, given the challenge and homosexual overture of Lou’s statement.  Lou stands firm, “In Minnesota, if a police officer asks you to talk, you talk!”  Lou presses on, asking if Dodd knows Mike Milligan or the Kitchen brothers.

Charlie comes out to interrupt the tense scene.  He has a urgent message from Hanzee for Dodd, telling him to meet them at the “dig.”  The tension dissipates and the guns are lowered.  Floyd asks the outsiders to leave and without a warrant they must.  In the car, Lou expresses frustration.  Schmitt doesn’t want to “dance” with the Gearhardt’s and states it will be impossible to get a judge to write a warrant.  Lou wants to go and check out the typewriter store.  Schmitt leaves Lou alone on this mission.

As Lou comes to the defunct shop, he notices the lock has been removed from the door.  He walks in the filthy abandoned shop quiet except for the sound of distant typing coming from the back room.  A Kitchen brother comes out from the back, Lou stops him from reaching a gun propped up against the wall.  Mike and his brother soon join him.  Lou, having heard the description of the men from Hank, deduces it’s “Mike Milligan and the Kitchen Brothers.”  Mike grins, “Sounds like a prog rock band!”  The brothers now have their guns on Lou.  As usual, Mike does the talking.  Lou asks him about Skip’s whereabouts.  Mike says he’d pay Lou for that information.  Lou responds, “ At your mother’s house, I think going in the back door!” (Wow, Lou just threw down a “your momma” joke with guns pointed at him!)  Mike just laughs, “I like you. Yesterday I met a sheriff and I liked him too!”  Lou theorizes that was his father-in-law and states people from Minnesota are friendly.  Mike disagrees, saying they are unfriendly, but so polite about it!  Lou backs up and says he’s going to leave.  Mike quotes Nixon, “Peace with honor.”  Mike informs Lou, “We’ll go, we’ve seen all we need to see.”  Mike and the brothers walk out, he turns to Lou once more and says a more famous Nixon quote, “I am not a crook!” (Complete with double victory sign). Another bizarre standoff ends.

Lou goes to an auto body shop, looking for “hit-and-run” damaged cars.  A mechanic speaks to him about U.F.O.’s two nights past and strange happenings.  The man theorizes they are benevolent but are the cause of many “strange happenings.” Lou looks bewildered, but agrees there is something very strange going on in the area.

Peggy and Ed ride the bus silently home. She tells him, “I think it worked.” Ed looks nervous, “How can you be sure?” Peggy just smiles, “It worked!”

Lou finally heads home to find Hank and his wife in the living room working on a puzzle.  He tells the older man about his “High Noon” day including the Gearhardt’s and “Mike and the bathroom brothers!”

Dodd arrives at the “dig” to find Simone and Hanzee. He chides his daughter for wearing revealing clothes and smoking. He shoves her angrily into his truck as she alludes to the fact he’s sexually attracted to her.

Dodd questions Skip about Rye, stating he knows Skip put Rye up to murdering the judge. Dodd partially strangles Skip as the terrified man pleads ignorance. Hanzee asks Skip to “get in the hole.”  It resembles a grave.  A dump trunk is poised to cover Skip in the hole with gravel.  Skip pleads with the men to give him two days to find Rye and talk to Mike Milligan. Dodd orders the gravel dumped, burying the typewriter salesman alive.

Dodd instructs Hanzee, “Drive to Minnesota, get my brother, and kill anyone who gets in your way!”  Skip’s flag tie sticks out of the gravel.

The episode was titled “The Myth of Sisyphus.”  There are a few characters that may be faced with a Sisyphian type punishment due to their rampant egos.  Dodd is on a collision coarse with the Kansas City syndicate.  Lou is stepping on everyone’s toes in his desire to solve the Waffle Hut murders.  Peggy definitely thinks she has gotten away with murder.  Joe and Mike are curious cats who don’t seem to worry about anyone standing in the way of their orders to acquire the Gearhardt’s business.  What tangled webs being spun both by amateurs and experienced criminals.