Fargo, Season, Episode 8, Lop Lop

It’s down to the penultimate-penultimate episode of this season of Fargo.  Last episode left us with Ed apparently going full gangster, calling Mike Milligan with the offer of Dodd Gearhardt.  This episode fills in the details of what happened before this phone call.

The episode opens with frenetic music and a montage of Ed returning home, and Lou driving in pursuit of him.  The bodies of Dodd’s men lay growing cold, and Dodd has been tied to a post.  Peggy looks down and sees a man in a suit in a black leather chair.  He asks, “Have you actualized fully?” Peggy stumbles over her answer saying she’s trying.  The man continues, “There is a difference between thinking and being.”  She is confused.  The man explains, “To be is simply to exist, try being.”  She still doesn’t understand.  He tries another angle, “Think or be, you can’t do both.”  This leads Peggy to a realization, she shouldn’t think, she just needs to be present in the moment.

Ed calls out to her, interrupting her from her epiphany.  She tries to explain it to Ed, but the man is gone; in his place is Dodd, and he is awake. “This lady has lost her mind!  She’s seeing people who aren’t there.”  Dodd appeals to Ed to release him, but Ed says, “You’re a Gearhardt!”  Dodd sneers, “And you’re shit on my shoe, come here and let me wipe you off!”  Ed goes to him and punches him out. Ed tells Peggy they have to leave now.

The Blumquists leave with Dodd stuffed in the trunk of his own Lincoln Continental, reasoning the police will be looking for their car.  Peggy confirms Dodd is the “leader” of the Gearhardt clan.  She is also eager to share her “breakthrough” with Ed, but he hastens her along.  As they leave the police arrive. How could Ed have run home and beat the cops in the car?  Maybe they stopped for donuts.

Hank and Lou explore the scene in the Blumquists’ basement.  Two men are dead and Lou theorizes it’s the Gearhardts.  Hank sits down ands asks for Lou to call an ambulance.  Hank is still concussed after the previous showdown at the Blumquist residence.  Hank is carried out to the ambulance and Lou continues on his search for the couple.  Hanzee watches in silence from the bushes.

Once the house is clear, Hanzee goes inside to investigate.  He finds the bodies and Dodd’s coat on the floor of the basement.  He looks around upstairs and notices a note on the refrigerator regarding the conference and a motel reservation in Sioux Falls.

In the car, Ed stresses over what they should do next while Peggy babbles along excitedly.  “Road trip!”  she declares.

Ed has an idea to go to a relatives hunting cabin and hide out. Peggy believes they are now “self actualized”, whatever that means.  They arrive at the rotting cabin. Peggy keeps the cattle prod handy as they open the trunk.  Dodd tries to hit Ed and Peggy promptly zaps him. Dodd, defiantly shouts, “You’re dead, in case you’re wondering.”  Taking his wallet, Ed learns he is Dodd Gearhardt.

Ed decides to venture out to the convenience store nearby, instead of using the phone in the cabin.  Peggy will stand watch over Dodd who is again bound in the kitchen area. Hanzee is following the couple.  Ed makes the call, and says, “This is the Butcher!”  But the person on the other line (probably Ricky) isn’t as interested in Dodd’s whereabouts. Ed, flustered, says he’ll call again.  A cruiser enters the gas station.  

Dodd struggles with his bonds and tells Peggy he has four daughters.  (Three now that Simone is dead.) He calls her a “Hooaarrrr!” (whore)  Peggy grabs a knife and stabs him twice, on the right and left side of his chest. “Are you going to be nice?” She then offers him some baked beans she’s been making.  He says “No.” and Peggy replies, “No, what?” forcing him to say thank you.  She begins spoon-feeding her captive anyway.  She tells him how she hit his brother with her car and confesses this series of events has been hard on Ed, who she describes as “delicate.” She reveals Ed “cleaned up” the mess of Rye’s death.  She hopes this will be over soon so everything can “go back to normal.” (Even though she was clearly bored with normal.) Peggy continues to speak her psycho-babble regarding “self-actualization.” Dodd looks like he wishes she’d shut up.

Ed returns and Dodd appeals to him immediately, “She’s crazy!” and he tells him he was stabbed.  Peggy points out she was simply “teaching him some manners.”  Ed advises her not to hurt him further so he’s in good ransoming condition.  Ed states he wasn’t able to reach anyone of importance at the Gearhardts.  Peggy theorizes maybe everyone is busy with the war going on!

Hanzee climbs out of his truck in an alleyway.  He looks at a plaque that states, “Here 22 Sioux were hanged.” Below it lays a puddle of vomit.  Hanzee enters the redneck bar and orders water.  It arrives with spit visible in the glass.  Unfazed, Hanzee orders tequila and requests it be poured in front of him.  The bartender begins a racist rant against Native Americans, calling them unpatriotic and referencing Wounded Knee. Hanzee explains he did three tours in Vietnam, earning a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. The bartender doesn’t believe him.  Hanzee exits the bar and three men follow him out continuing with racist taunts.  He shoots two of them then enters the bar.  The bartender is already on the phone and says he’s called the cops.  Hanzee shoots him in the head. The cops arrive and order him to stop, also exclaiming racial epithets (were they across the street?) Hanzee pulls a rifle from the truck and shoots both officers. (We learn later from Hank, one is dead and one was critically injured.)

Dodd is feeling nature’s call and begs to be allowed to urinate.  He doesn’t want to soil himself and declares he has rights.  Peggy says, “Yeah, that’s true, the Geneva Convention.”  They agree to allow him to urinate in a teakettle and Ed assists him awkwardly.  Surprisingly, Dodd doesn’t make any attempt to escape.  Ed decides to leave again to use the pay phone.

Constance emerges from her hotel shower in a white bathrobe.  A bottle of Chablis is chilling in an ice bucket.  There is a knock at the door.  It’s not Peggy, but Hanzee. He places his hand over her mouth and enters the room.

Ed makes his call, and the Gearhardt compound is shown to be empty. (This must be after the shooting, which killed Otto.) Ed buys Hamburger Helper, the meal Peggy made after she hit Rye. The owner notes the cold weather despite “What the hippies say about the temperature rising due to my wife’s hairspray!” (Climate change has been with us awhile, but I doubt it was a casual topic of conversation in 1979. I digress.)  Ed tells the man they are hunting and going a little stir crazy in a cabin nearby.  The owner throws in some playing cards for free.  Ed asks the man what time he opens, so he can come back in the morning to make his phone call.

Peggy attempts to adjust the antenna in the cabin so she can watch television.  She looks at the phone and decides to call Constance.  Constance, restrained by Hanzee, tries to push Peggy to meet her and disclose their location.  Peggy tells her friend about her “revelation” as her friend desperately tries to appease Hanzee.  Peggy comes close to giving her the cabin’s address, but finally says only “They are Southwest near Vermillion.”  As Constance hangs up the phone she turns to Hanzee and says, “I tried!”  But it is doubtful he’ll spare her.

Ed and Peggy try to get some sleep after their long day. Peggy complains Dodd is “looking at her.” Ed removes a pillowcase and against Dodd’s protests, places it over his head. (Like a birdcage!) Peggy thanks him warmly.

The next morning, Ed leaves early and Peggy watches “Operation Eagle’s Nest” starring Ronald Reagan on the now working television. (Reagan referenced the movie when talking to Lou in the bathroom about his “combat experience.” No such movie exists, but Reagan played a military man in numerous movies.) The tense scene is between a French man and woman, both hiding in a basement as a Nazi officer stalks them.  The man decides he will give his life to shield the woman from the Nazi’s bullets.  The officer walks slowly down the stairs but is felled by our hero Reagan. He shouts, “Take that you Nazi rat!”  Engrossed in the film, Peggy doesn’t notice Dodd’s restraints are cut and he is gone.

Ed is in the phone booth once again, not getting through to the Gearhardt’s. Frustrated he storms out of the booth and sees a newspaper on the ground. It provides Mike’s name and the hotel where he’s staying.  Ed calls the hotel and is put through to Mike’s room by saying he has his wallet with a hundred dollars inside. The Undertaker and his men lay on the floor as Mike answers the phone. Ed cockily says, “Today is your lucky day!” and tells him he has Dodd. Mike smiles, “Would it be wrong if I kissed you when we met?” Ed explains the Gearhardt family is after him and he is “The Butcher of Luverene.” They agree to meet in Sioux Falls, Mike adds, “Brother, I like your style!”

The newspaper falls open on the ground, revealing another story about the manhunt for Hanzee and his shooting rampage in Sioux Falls.  Speak of the devil; Hanzee appears at the convenience store just after Ed leaves.  He tells the owner he’s looking for a heavy-set redhead, and the man suggests he try the local watering hole. (Thinking he’s looking for a woman to hook up with.) Hanzee explains it’s a man he’s looking for and senses the owner has seen Ed. The owner, sizing up Hanzee, wisely decides to divulge all his knowledge regarding Ed, stating they are in a cabin down by the lake. (This matches up with the information Peggy gave Constance on the phone.) Satisfied, Hanzee leaves.  The owner notices the newspaper story regarding the manhunt for Hanzee.  He phones the police.

Ed returns to a surprising scene at the cabin, Peggy is on the floor and Dodd isn’t tied up.  As Ed rushes towards his wife, Dodd places a rope around his neck and hoists the heavy-set redhead up strangling him. Dodd says, “You’ve got a woman problem!” and then continues a sexist rant while Ed struggles with the noose. Peggy crawling on the floor stabs Dodd in the foot through his boot, breaking the handle off.  Dodd yelps out in pain and tries to remove the knife, but slices his hand on the exposed blade.  Dodd struggles to pull his foot through the tightly wedged shaft.  Peggy rushes to free Ed and hits Dodd with a fire poker to immobilize him again.  Ed is down on the floor and comes to asking, “Is he dead?”  Peggy replies she doesn’t know.

Hanzee approaches the hunting cabin and sees Dodd’s Lincoln.  Peggy is securing the prisoner again, as Ed explains Mike will meet them in Sioux Falls.  Entering the cabin, Hanzee commands they step away from Dodd and sit down. Ed, trying out his newfound confidence asks, “What if we say no?”  Hanzee looks at him with his dead-fish eyes. Dodd greets Hanzee with more racial epithets. Oddly, Hanzee asks Peggy for a haircut, “something shorter” and “professional.”  Peggy admits he’s got the bone structure for shorter hair while Dodd continues with the slurs toward his man.  Hanzee shoots Dodd in the head as he continues his request for a new hairstyle.

The Blumquists are rattled, but Peggy asks to get her scissors.  She looks at Ed to be hospitable and he asks, “Do you want a pop?”  Hanzee declines and looks to Peggy with the scissors and tells her, “No funny stuff!”  Ed claims they are indebted to Hanzee for shooting Dodd and will gladly repay him. Hanzee sighs, “I’m tired of this life.” Through the window, Lou and Hank are approaching the cabin. Before Peggy makes the first snip, Hanzee is firing his gun through the window at them. Peggy impales him in the shoulder with her scissors; he tries to fire at her but his gun jams and he flees. Lou and Hank enter the cabin and Ed and Peggy put their hands in the air.

There are now only two episodes left this season. Why did Hanzee shoot Dodd, was it simply because he was tired of taking orders from him?  Was it Dodd’s slurs and overall lack of appreciation? It doesn’t seem like the Blumquists will be able to wiggle away from the authorities this time. Will they use their meeting with Mike as leverage? Floyd and Bear were absent this episode, what will the more conciliatory members of the Gearhardt family do when they learn Dodd is dead at the hands of Hanzee? Hopefully, Karl will be around at the end to tell the crazy story of the 1979 war.