# 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:** 29
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/561 "2015-12-16T22:24:36Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > The guy giving Hanzee his new identity - FBI or US Marshals Service? They are the ones I would think of. Why would the government help a serial killer? Even if some misguided manager thought it would be worth it to have him turn state’s evidence on the Gerhardts, they’re all dead. ETA: and aren’t Native American agents part of the government? ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/562 "2015-12-16T22:30:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I thought I heard the rattle of a spent round when he racked it. But why would a hired killer carry a weapon with a spent cartridge in the chamber into a potentially nasty situation? I thought I explained all that. He racked it to expel the ordinary shotgun shell, to load the anti-tank shell that threw the guy across the room. ---
**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 16, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/563 "2015-12-16T22:50:16Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > I thought I explained all that. He racked it to expel the ordinary shotgun shell, to load the anti-tank shell that threw the guy across the room. Seems they were all carrying those shells during the massacre in Sioux Falls. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/564 "2015-12-16T23:09:26Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > The guy giving Hanzee his new identity - FBI or US Marshals Service? They are the ones I would think of. Perhaps he was just a guy who can help someone who needs a new identity? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/565 "2015-12-16T23:14:34Z")
Season 1 was an overrated poor retread of the much-superior movie. Season 2 was fantastic, minus dumb UFO stuff (and that potential connection to S1, which is beyond stupid) ---
**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 17, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/566 "2015-12-17T14:57:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Perhaps he was just a guy who can help someone who needs a new identity? Yeah, I figured he was just a criminal connection that Hanzee had, or that the Gerhardts had used before. Just like season 1 had Malvo visit a guy who sold shady stuff out of his van. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/567 "2015-12-17T21:02:56Z")
I thought the music they used for this season was fantastic. Here is an article about the music choices along with clips that include much of the music from this season. Enjoy. > **[A music supervisor’s “treasure hunt” found the ’70s tunes of Fargo season 2](https://www.avclub.com/a-music-supervisor-s-treasure-hunt-found-the-70s-tun-1798287451)** > > In Cue & A, music supervisors guide us through the record collections of our favorite television shows. ---
**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 18, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/568 "2015-12-18T03:30:38Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Yeah, I figured he was just a criminal connection that Hanzee had, or that the Gerhardts had used before. Just like season 1 had Malvo visit a guy who sold shady stuff out of his van. That’s what I thought, too. ---
**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 18, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/569 "2015-12-18T03:58:52Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I thought the music they used for this season was fantastic. Here is an article about the music choices along with clips that include much of the music from this season. Enjoy. > > [http://www.avclub.com/article/music-supervisors-treasure-hunt-found-70s-tunes-fa-229845](http://www.avclub.com/article/music-supervisors-treasure-hunt-found-70s-tunes-fa-229845) Yes indeed. Whoever was the brains behind the music selections did a masterful job. Of course, I don’t know what alternatives (if any) they had for the selections they made. All I really know for certain is that the music they wound up selecting was (IMHO) truly Delicious (with a capital “D”). It was a very valuable lesson to other TV producers as to just how much the appropriate music can enhance a TV show. Fabulous. ---
**Author:** ![JuliaSqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@JuliaSqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JuliaSqueezer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/570 "2015-12-18T20:49:20Z")
I don’t recall reading anything related to this, but it may be something true devotees of Fargo can answer: Did the TV Content Ratings letters at the beginning of S1 have anything to do with the naming of Billy Bob Thornton’s character? At the start of every episode, we see **TV-MA** (mature audiences) **L** (coarse language) and \*\*V \*\*(violence). Add an O and you have **MALVO**. Is it just a coincidence? How would the show’s writer’s know in advance that content ratings would spell out 4/5ths of the name? ---
**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 18, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/571 "2015-12-18T21:53:28Z")
> [@JuliaSqueezer](#): > > I don’t recall reading anything related to this, but it may be something true devotees of Fargo can answer: Did the TV Content Ratings letters at the beginning of S1 have anything to do with the naming of Billy Bob Thornton’s character? > > At the start of every episode, we see **TV-MA** (mature audiences) **L** (coarse language) and \*\*V \*\*(violence). Add an O and you have **MALVO**. > > Is it just a coincidence? How would the show’s writer’s know in advance that content ratings would spell out 4/5ths of the name? That is funny, but if anything I would guess that it’s more because he’s a Malevolent force on the show. The Solversons are the ones who figure out the answers in both seasons. But maybe I’m reading things into it too. I don’t know for sure where the names came from. ---
**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 18, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/572 "2015-12-18T22:31:47Z")
Interesting series of articles on the NYT by Scott Tobias, most of whose comments I totally agree with. In [this one](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/arts/television/fargo-season-2-episode-9-going-undercover.html?action=click&contentCollection=arts&module=NextInCollection®ion=Footer&pgtype=article&rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Ffargo-tv-recaps), concerning the penultimate episode, he talks about the use of a UFO and how it actually relates to [a bit of Minnesota history](http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/10/27/fargo-val-johnson-incident). Sorry if this has already been brought up, but in an omnibus thread, it’s too much to ask to read through it all. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/573 "2015-12-18T22:36:09Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Interesting series of articles on the NYT by Scott Tobias, most of whose comments I totally agree with. In [this one](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/arts/television/fargo-season-2-episode-9-going-undercover.html?action=click&contentCollection=arts&module=NextInCollection®ion=Footer&pgtype=article&rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Ffargo-tv-recaps), concerning the penultimate episode, he talks about the use of a UFO and how it actually relates to [a bit of Minnesota history](http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/10/27/fargo-val-johnson-incident). Sorry if this has already been brought up, but in an omnibus thread, it’s too much to ask to read through it all. If there were a detective show set in Washington State, would it make sense to have big foot come in and punch someone during a shootout? ---
**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 18, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/574 "2015-12-18T22:45:40Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > If there were a detective show set in Washington State, would it make sense to have big foot come in and punch someone during a shootout? Probably as much sense as having a UFO appear for no real reason. I didn’t say it made any sense, just that it was likely written with that event in mind. ---
**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 24, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/575 "2015-12-24T12:46:49Z")
There was some talk that Jesse Plemons who played Ed Blumquist put on a substantial amount of weight for another film he was doing and the makers of Fargo asked him to keep that weight on for the filming of Fargo. Well, I just saw Bridge of Spies in which Plemons plays a very minor - extremely minor - character named Joe Murphy in which he was at that heavier weight. Interesting tie-in was that Bridge of Spies was written by the Cohen Brothers. But the thing that stymies me was that Plemons only had 2 or 3 lines throughout this film. If this was the film for which he was asked to put on that weight originally, I just can’t imagine why. Would anyone know if there was some other film for which he was asked to put on the weight? By the way, Bridge of Spies stars Tom Hanks and was directed by Spielberg and it is a truly superb film. If you like great spy films, this one is not like most. It is easy to understand and it’s very “gripping” all the way through. If you’re interested, here is an article by movie critic Rex Reed in which he discusses the ten best films of 2015. > **[Rex Reed: The 10 Best Films of 2015](https://observer.com/2015/12/rex-reed-the-best-films-of-2015/)** > > Rex Reed picks his favorite movies of the year. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/576 "2015-12-24T13:58:19Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > That’s what I thought, too. Hanzee’s new name was Tripoli which was the name of the head of the Fargo crime syndicate in S1, they even use the same phrase “heads in a bag.” It seems Hanzee ends up being the boss of Fargo until they pissed off Malvo. ---
**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 25, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/577 "2015-12-25T05:11:29Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Hanzee’s new name was Tripoli which was the name of the head of the Fargo crime syndicate in S1, they even use the same phrase “heads in a bag.” It seems Hanzee ends up being the boss of Fargo until they pissed off Malvo. Quite possibly. See posts 533 and 536. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/578 "2015-12-25T10:10:08Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > There was some talk that Jesse Plemons who played Ed Blumquist put on a substantial amount of weight for another film he was doing and the makers of Fargo asked him to keep that weight on for the filming of Fargo. > > Well, I just saw Bridge of Spies in which Plemons plays a very minor - extremely minor - character named Joe Murphy in which he was at that heavier weight. > > Interesting tie-in was that Bridge of Spies was written by the Cohen Brothers. > > But the thing that stymies me was that Plemons only had 2 or 3 lines throughout this film. If this was the film for which he was asked to put on that weight originally, I just can’t imagine why. > > Would anyone know if there was some other film for which he was asked to put on the weight? > > By the way, Bridge of Spies stars Tom Hanks and was directed by Spielberg and it is a truly superb film. If you like great spy films, this one is not like most. It is easy to understand and it’s very “gripping” all the way through. > > If you’re interested, here is an article by movie critic Rex Reed in which he discusses the ten best films of 2015. > > [Rex Reed: The 10 Best Films of 2015 | | Observer](http://observer.com/2015/12/rex-reed-the-best-films-of-2015) It could be that the character Plemons played was originally intended to have a greater role in the film. After the Coen’s edited the movie his role may have been substantially reduced. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/579 "2015-12-26T14:30:07Z")
I wasn’t at all disappointed with the last episode but i would have liked at least a blurb detailing the fates of Peggy and Charlie. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840/580 "2015-12-31T11:16:21Z")
It just saddens me to see so many talented people - especially the creator and writers - reduced to using as their narrative drive mass murder after mass murder after mass murder. It’s not a ‘homage’ to 70s filmmaking it’s a self-serving homage to gun violence, a celebration of brutalism and hate and depravity - all nicely dressed up with John Wayne’s and dizzy ladies. You remember when this stuff was a parody, back in the 70s spaghetti westerns. And a turf ‘war’ - really? Like Jimmy Cagney or The Godfather or Tarantino? So many really talented people reduced to this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s2/732840.md?page=30)