Fargo returned last week for the third season of the anthology series. This season stars movie actor Ewan McGregor in two roles as brothers at odds with one another in 2010 in the frosty North. Like the cult classic film, it is produced by the Coen brothers and shares similar themes, which made the film so iconic. Like the film, it states the “Following is a true story but the names have been changed to protect the innocent but in honor of the dead the story will be told exactly as it happened.”
The hour opens with a view of the inside of a microphone. The dateline informs the viewer it’s “1988” in East Berlin. A Stasi officer brings a man in for questioning. The man is being accused of murder in a clear case of mistaken identity. The man who previously occupied his flat was a Soviet man by the name of Yuri. Yuri is accused of murdering his girlfriend named Helga. The man being questioned has a wife named Helga but is nearly twenty years older than this mysterious Yuri. Unfortunately, the man can’t contradict the Stasi officer and will likely be held for this crime.
The scene shifts to 2010 North Dakota where older brother Emmit is celebrating his twenty-fifth wedding anniversary in grand style. Brother Ray arrives with his much younger girlfriend Nikki in an old red Camaro. After some festivities, Ray requests a private meeting with Emmit to discuss a loan. Emmit’s quirky lawyer Sy is present for the meeting. Ray explains that he intends to marry his girlfriend Nikki and needs money to buy her a “decent ring.” At issue is the inheritance; Ray feels he is owed the proceeds of his father’s stamp collection. Emmit refuses to concede the rare stamp, noting Ray got the Camaro from his father and noting money is tight for him at the moment. Given the lavish party downstairs, complete with ice sculptures, Ray finds this fact hard to believe.
Ray is a probation officer, he meet his girlfriend Nikki (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in this role. They share a love of bridge and play in regional tournaments together. Ray decides to use one of his clients to help him steal the rare stamp from his brother. When Maurice, a mullet, dim-witted parolee fails a drug test, Ray blackmails him in to do the job.
The law enforcement character is Gloria Burgle (Carrie Coon.) She is the dedicated police chief in the small hamlet of Eden Valley. She is a single mom to one son. It is revealed her husband left her for another man. They travel to her stepfather’s isolated cabin to celebrate her son’s birthday. The old man is grumpy and opinionated but clearly loves his family. He gives the boy a carving he made of a man and a boy fishing.
Maurice loses the paper Ray gave him with his brother’s address. He half-heartedly looks for it in the snow by the side of the road but fails to find it. Maurice is loaded on weed but thinks he remembers what the paper said. He heads for the wrong the town. The mailbox reads “Stussy” but it is Gloria’s stepfather’s place not Emmit Stussy’s mansion.
Meanwhile, Emmit and Sy get a strange visitor. Apparently, they had to take out a large loan the previous year to keep their company afloat. An English-accented gentleman informs them this was not a loan but an “investment” The man states his company doesn’t want the money but services they will explain at a later date.
Gloria and her son are on their way home when he remembers he left the carving at his grandpa’s. He insists on going back, despite the late hour. Gloria returns to the house to find the door open and the house ransacked. She calls to her father without an answer. She retrieves her weapon and tells her son to call for backup and remain in the car. She finds her father tied up in the kitchen with the freezer door open. He is deceased but it is unclear how he died. Gloria finds a hidden compartment in the floorboards.
Maurice goes to see Nikki and Ray at her apartment. He tells Ray, “Some stuff went down.” And he doesn’t have the stamp. Maurice also notes that his older brother was really old! Maurice now threatens to tell the authorities about the crime in an attempt to blackmail Ray. Frustrated with his incompetence and worried about getting caught Nikki swings into action after Maurice leaves. She hastily unscrews the air-conditioner box from the window and counts the seconds as Maurice leisurely strolls back outside in front of the building. Once he’s below, Nikki, with a little push from Ray drop the heavy unit on Maurice’s head, killing him instantly. Nikki calls 911 as Ray hurries to leave before the cops arrive. They are excited by their violent victory over the imbecile.
The basic themes of jealously and incompetence are laid out. The police chief has a murder to investigate and a child to protect. The dialogue and dry humor make the Fargo series unique. The show-runners have stated that this season will connect to the earlier seasons. It should be a fun, yet weird ten part series.
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