6.19.2014

Television: Fargo, "Morton's Fork"

So I guess there was some fuss about feminism? About how Molly Solverson—after being set up as the smartest gal in the room and all—ends up not being the one to save the day? Cuz instead she's reduced to pregnant woman needing to be protected by father and husband or whatever?

I dunno. I mean, I've said before that I didn't really see Molly as all that to begin with. At best she was an example of slow and steady winning the race. She was smart in her way, and she did scuttle around the barriers when people told her to stop and drop it, but . . . ::shrug:: I just never could get behind her as a protagonist. It's like cheering for a C student because she's in a room full of failing classmates.

Some of the fuss stemmed from the useless Grimly suddenly being elevated to hero status when he acts on a hunch that allows him to corner and kill Malvo, thus slaying the monster of the piece. I'll admit it was odd to have Grimly, you know, do something. After doing a whole hell of a lot of nothing. But at the same time this illustrated the lengths to which he was willing to go to protect his family. The stark difference between Grimly and Lester Nygaard is that Les only thinks of himself, and that ends up being a large part of Lester's undoing.

The sum total of the series (this season, anyway) is: tortoises win. Molly is a tortoise. Malvo is a hare. Lester started as a tortoise but tries to become a hare, and look what that gets him. Hares run over everything in their paths and leave destruction in their wakes. Tortoises, meanwhile, plod steadily along. If you think about tortoises . . . They live a long time and exist largely untouched by outside forces.

Fargo was an interesting series—good characterization and character arcs, very nicely filmed—and I'm curious to see what the next season will bring.

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