# Fargo S2 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840 "2015-09-28T15:08:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/421 "2015-12-08T22:02:33Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > That’s a good point. Peggy had thought about leaving Ed earlier. And if she was just out for her own safety, she could have ditched Ed, because it’s really him that everyone is after. But they’re a team now, at least for the moment. If they survive the season, the best life for them would be to open a bar somewhere. Ed would get to have his business that he dreamed of owning, and Peggy would have some excitement and the chance to yell at and threaten people who get out of line. Except, she didn’t want to leave _Ed,_ she wanted to leave the life of being the butcher’s wife and running the shop and raising kids in a sleepy Minnesota town. She is just fine now that that option is dust and she is getting the adventure she craved. This is what she wanted for her and Ed - with maybe more murder and mayhem. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/422 "2015-12-08T22:02:35Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > … Now let’s see them answer what happened to Simone - maybe she’ll come storming out of the woods with guns ablazing ready to take over the family business. Your mouth to God’s ear! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/423 "2015-12-08T22:19:00Z")
So, anyone posted this brief article on the apparent genesis of the [UFO subplot](http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/10/27/fargo-val-johnson-incident)? Personally while realizing it almost certainly is a polarizing moment for show fans, I _loved_ it. _Adored_ it. I’ve got no problem with supernatural mysteries plugged into seemingly normal shows and it’s the most absurdly literal _deus ex machina_ ever. Show creator Noah Hawley was obviously having a ball with tropes - including the equally absurdly over-the-top moron cops having an almost literal “pissing contest” while waiting for their doom. And Kirsten Dunst continues to bring it. Hope she walks off with that emmy. re: the relationship with Ed, the big moment for me ( even more than her “Gift of the Magi” moment ) or her sharp defense of his intelligence in this episode ( and the line “_we’re_ realized”, not just that she is ), was in the previous episode. After Ed but the cover over Dodd’s head to keep him from staring at them in bed, she snuggled up to Ed with a perfectly contented smile. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/424 "2015-12-08T22:22:36Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > I bet the South Dakota State Troopers and police are pissed about how they’re portrayed compared to Minnesota State Troopers. In Minnesota they’re fit and trim, care about the law, and have loving families. SD Troopers are obese morons who are more concerned about covering their asses and spend their time smoking, playing poker and pissing in pools. I’d love to see a conversation between a couple troopers from both states about how they are presented in the show. > > BTW - radio silence means “don’t talk on the radio”, it doesn’t mean you can’t listen. > > I’m unsure if the flying saucer really adds anything to the show, beyond Peggy’s great line. If that whole plotline was left out, it would have been fine with me, unless Doctor Who shows up in the final episode and resets the time continuum. > > I’m glad they answered what happened to Constance (Connie?) in the hotel room with Hanzee. Now let’s see them answer what happened to Simone - maybe she’ll come storming out of the woods with guns ablazing ready to take over the family business. Lou and Hank are shown to be above average cops with good lives, but I’m pretty sure that some of the other Minnesota cops we’ve seen have been overwhelmed by circumstances. If Lou hadn’t been there when Bear wanted the stand-off to get Charlie back, I’m pretty sure things would have gone much differently with just the other cops there. We’ve just seen more of the South Dakota cops with Lou traveling all over the place. I like the flying saucer stuff. Normally I think that would drive me crazy, but I think it just fits with what they’ve done this season. Especially if you look at the whole story as a somewhat true folk story that’s passed down in a book like Murders in the Midwest. > [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > Except, she didn’t want to leave _Ed,_ she wanted to leave the life of being the butcher’s wife and running the shop and raising kids in a sleepy Minnesota town. She is just fine now that that option is dust and she is getting the adventure she craved. This is what she wanted for her and Ed - with maybe more murder and mayhem. Except that what Ed wants is a quiet life in a sleepy town. Peggy has been exhilarated by everything that has been happening, Ed not so much, although he was proud of how he did set up a deal with Mike Milligan. Peggy is fine for the moment, and she might be happy living on the run for the rest of their lives. But if Peggy and Ed survive, and don’t get any charges against them, and there aren’t any criminals coming after them, they could easily settle back into old patterns, and Ed’s happy with the quiet life and glad to have all that bother behind them, and Peggy will want to leave him again. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/425 "2015-12-08T23:02:44Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > It’s almost like Plemons relied on the badass he played in _Breaking Bad_ to serve as a backdrop for the ineffectual Ed in _Fargo_ who “came into his own” as things progressed. > > It would be fun to know if he was cast for that aspect of his skillset/range or if he was trying to play against type at the beginning of the season – even maybe directed to do so. I did read that he was instructed not to lose the weight he had put on for another recent role. > > If it’s not clear: I love Ed in this show! > > Another character I’ve enjoyed watching progress is [Ben Schmidt](http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0460543/?ref_=chmd_md_nm) played by [Keir O’Donnell](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1218757/) Jamin? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/426 "2015-12-08T23:05:03Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > \ > BTW - radio silence means “don’t talk on the radio”, it doesn’t mean you can’t listen. > \ A great point and a great post too. I really liked what you had to say abut the Troopers. I had a great big laugh from that. Why haven’t you been posting more? Please come back and give us your thoughts on the finale? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/427 "2015-12-08T23:06:01Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > I bet the South Dakota State Troopers and police are pissed about how they’re portrayed compared to Minnesota State Troopers. In Minnesota they’re fit and trim, care about the law, and have loving families. SD Troopers are obese morons who are more concerned about covering their asses and spend their time smoking, playing poker and pissing in pools. I’d love to see a conversation between a couple troopers from both states about how they are presented in the show. Well to be fair, we’re only seeing this particular SDAK group of troopers who admitted that their offices are full of corruption. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/428 "2015-12-08T23:19:15Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Jamin? I’m sorry. Don’t understand. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/429 "2015-12-08T23:42:33Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I’m sorry. Don’t understand. 😕 Heh Heh. Remember the scene with Peggy and the “shit cop” in the motel room? Peggy asks if his name is “Ben”. He replies, “Jamin” “It’s Ben **jamin** ”! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/430 "2015-12-08T23:50:46Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Heh Heh. > > Remember the scene with Peggy and the “shit cop” in the motel room? > > Peggy asks if his name is “Ben”. > > He replies, “Jamin” > > “It’s Ben **jamin** ”! Ah, yes! I had forgotten that one. Thanks. I just think his character is fun to watch as he keeps “changing his skin” like a chameleon. The actor has done a good job making an unlikeable character fun. He’s not alone in that, for sure. In fact, are there many likeable characters in the show? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/431 "2015-12-09T00:51:18Z")
Pretty good episode, although not as good as the week before. Nice to have Martin Freeman back on _Fargo_, even if was only as the British historian V.O. Anybody get a clear screenshot of the pages of the Midwest Crime book? Looked pretty detailed. > [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > …Di[d] you hear the way Peggy shouted, “HEY!” when one of the cops used the word “stupid” when talking about her husband? That tone of voice made me think she is a much tougher cookie than I ever thought was possible… > [@Shoeless](#): > > “Are you seeing this?” > > “It’s just a flying saucer, Ed. Come on, we gotta go.” Those were both great Peggy moments. > [@MikeF](#): > > Bear goes into one of the hotel rooms searching for Dodd and racks his shotgun dramatically. The thing is, no spent round ejects when he does so. Nitpick for sure but if your going to make the act central to the shot, make it accurate… I actually thought that, if Bear found Dodd, he just might shoot him, and tell Ma that the other guys/cops had done it. Implausible, though, that Ed couldn’t stop a charging Bear with his MSP sidearm. I suspect the gutshot Sheriff Danson is a goner. > [@JohnGalt](#): > > …BTW - radio silence means “don’t talk on the radio”, it doesn’t mean you can’t listen. > > I’m unsure if the flying saucer really adds anything to the show, beyond Peggy’s great line. If that whole plotline was left out, it would have been fine with me, unless Doctor Who shows up in the final episode and resets the time continuum… Agreed on both counts. Didja notice the UFO sticker in the Rushmore convenience store? Still, the UFO subplot is subpar and out of place IMHO. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > So, anyone posted this brief article on the apparent genesis of the [UFO subplot](http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/10/27/fargo-val-johnson-incident)?.. Well, OK, I feel a _little_ better about it all now. Didn’t know UFOs were such a big thing in Minn. back then. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/432 "2015-12-09T02:08:24Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Whatever his name is, the Indian was right: he couldn’t vouch for Floyd’s safety. I’m interested in how the final episode plays out. I think Hanzee is a pretty nuanced “villian”. What’s his final endgame? He’s a cold blooded killer–probably augmented due to his Vietnam duties. But what’s his motivation for bringing down the Gerhardts? I think the narration addressed this somewhat, but not definitely. I think he’s got some layers. Maybe being a disrespected Indian and wanting to escape that life for something better. Seeing the “hanged Sioux” placard and having the bartender spit in his drink probably influenced a decision. But what does he think will happen and how his actions will play out? ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/433 "2015-12-09T02:17:23Z")
Even though I knew he was a walking target, I did gasp and get upset when Ted Danson got shot and I hope he survives… if not for his sake, for his granddaughter’s. Losing your mother and grandfather (assuming they’re both at death’s door) so close together at a young age is awful. Yeah, she grew up just fine, but it still would be hard to see. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/434 "2015-12-09T02:34:09Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Anybody get a clear screenshot of the pages of the Midwest Crime book? Looked pretty detailed. No, it was a fake. There was about half a page of text that more or less followed the story, then it was cut and pasted all over dozens of pages to fill them up, sometimes in order, sometimes not. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/435 "2015-12-09T02:48:08Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I’m interested in how the final episode plays out. I think Hanzee is a pretty nuanced “villian”. > > What’s his final endgame? He’s a cold blooded killer–probably augmented due to his Vietnam duties. But what’s his motivation for bringing down the Gerhardts? I think the narration addressed this somewhat, but not definitely. Remember that the book was supposed to be a history, not a novel, so the narrator could only make whatever sense of whatever facts he could find; he’s not omniscient or infallible. Some of what he said might be sheer speculation, no more valid than any other opinion in this thread. Hanzee is very hard to figure. He warned Floyd not to come to the motel, then he killed her there. So did he really want her to stay away, so he wouldn’t have to kill her (since she would (as she did) realize that he had set up Bear and the others), or was he using reverse psychology by _ **telling** _ her not to come, and making her resent being told what to do, to ensure she would be there so he could kill everybody at once? And my obligatory nitpick about an otherwise great show – I hate it when the “good guys” have the bad guy at their mercy, and they know if they don’t kill him he’s going to keep trying to kill them, but they just bash him on the head and run off anyway. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/436 "2015-12-09T03:09:37Z")
I pretty much took Hanzee at his word to Floyd - he couldn’t garuntee her safety - as the narrator said, there is much debate about when/how he came to the decision he did. I think he was going to let it play out, then kill off everyone that was left standing - had Floyd not come, she would have ‘survived’. Bear was definitely intent on killing Dod if he had found him. Still taking in the rest of it - the UFO ‘out of nowhere’ was hilarious. The narration made the season make sense - its someone ‘recounting’ the ‘legend’ - there’s lots of gaps. I’m guessing much of it written by Molly - “and then the UFO showed up and saved daddy and took mommy to heaven” - ok - maybe not - but there are elements that almost make it seem that way - maybe peggy’s realized child of the future? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/437 "2015-12-09T03:27:50Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > \ > Implausible, though, that Ed couldn’t stop a charging Bear with his MSP sidearm. > \ MSP? Minnesota State Police? ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/438 "2015-12-09T14:03:56Z")
What happened in the last minute or so? My DirectTV recording cut off when Ed left Lou and was running across the parking lot in search of Hanzee. Lots of cruisers just arriving in the background. Please tell me I didn’t miss much! Just have to love the line, “It’s just a flying saucer”. That’s a definite prize winner. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/439 "2015-12-09T16:24:37Z")
> [@Fir\_na\_tine](#): > > What happened in the last minute or so? My DirectTV recording cut off when Ed left Lou and was running across the parking lot in search of Hanzee. Lots of cruisers just arriving in the background. Please tell me I didn’t miss much! > > Just have to love the line, “It’s just a flying saucer”. That’s a definite prize winner. You missed: nothing 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/440 "2015-12-09T17:41:08Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Bear goes into one of the hotel rooms searching for Dodd and racks his shotgun dramatically. The thing is, no spent round ejects when he does so. Nitpick for sure but if your going to make the act central to the shot, make it accurate. > > We normally watch this on-demand (with very brief commercial breaks) but watched last night “live”. Is it me or are there commercials every five minutes? Its very annoying. A roll-eyes for me as well. I hate that kind of lack of attention to detail. I also don’t like the UFO aspect of this series. This episode’s in-your-face flying saucer was a jarring note in an otherwise great scene. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840.md?page=23)