It’s Hanzee on the official FX site: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/fargo/episodes
But maybe he’s called Hanzee but his full name is Ohanzee. Ed is really Eward or Edmund probably.
If we were to try to come up with the Top Ten lines from this series, this would have to make the list, especially with the dry deadpan delivery. Truly LOL material.
And I suspect at least half the lines on that list would have been Peggy’s. She needs at least an Emmy if not more. The show wouldn’t be what it has been without her.
I think the general consensus among critics, and I strongly agree with this, is that the best show of the past 5 years or so was Breaking Bad. If I had to pick a current #1 show, it would probably be Fargo, but there are a few other shows definitely in contention, including The Americans, Better Call Saul and Game of Thrones.
In any case, tonight’s episode was great. The big talking point is obviously the UFO. It was kinda weird, but enough hints had been dropped that it didn’t really seem out of place. The AV club reviewer said that it fit in because its random alien nature just emphasized how random the chain of events was that led to the massacre.
Definitely an odd touch, but not one that diminished my enjoyment of a truly amazing show.
Whatever his name is, the Indian was right: he couldn’t vouch for Floyd’s safety.
I have not committed a crime. Though it’s nice to know I’m a celebrity now.
I’m guessing the big question left for the finale is what will become of the final three (Ed, Peggy & Hanzee).
Di 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. Especially since I already thought she was just about as tough as they come.
So, I’m guessing she will survive and may very well leave the two men in the dust.
After all, she is fully “**REALIZED” **now. Isn’t she?
That was an amazing hour of TV. I loved how the show has been leading up to this terrible massacre, and the episode started with narration from a folksy coffee table book about murder in the Midwest.
Also I feel a bit bad for the Solversons, both Lou and Molly have been smarter than most everyone, and right about terrible things that were going to happen, and not listened to. Of course they’re also smart enough to stay alive, unlike some who don’t listen to them, but it’s interesting. I understand the trooper who was instructed to follow Lou to the state line had his orders to follow and didn’t want to bring the wrath of his boss, but he was just unfazed by hearing Lou say that the guy inside the gift shop was shot dead. It’s like this stuff is just so unexpected that most of the people can’t even process.
Lou’s call back home was the most heartbreaking thing to me. With Molly showing her picture to her babysitter and you hear a glass breaking in the other room, then Molly finding Betsy collapsed, and Lou is calling home with a smile on his face.
Peggy is really a survivor now. I don’t know if she was awake because she just couldn’t sleep, or if she felt like something bad was coming. But she saw the approaching shadow and knew to prepare, unlike the room of poker playing cops who could have just as easily seen the shadows coming but didn’t because they were talking about peeing at various places.
If I had to guess a few episodes who would be involved in the massacre, I would have guessed that Mike Milligan would be a key player, so it was pretty funny that he showed up late, saw the carnage, and turned around with an “OK then” and got back in the car.
What I got from her shout was that she’s really defensive of Ed now. Think back to the early episodes of the season, when she was cold towards Ed, was taking birth control pills in secret but now, thanks to their “adventure” she has feelings towards Ed now that she won’t allow anyway to be dismissive of him.
In response to Sam Lowry’s excellent points, I just want to say that the writers and Noah Hawley have managed to take dozens of clichés and stock approaches to TV drama and turn them on their heads, usually with dark humor and irony. To think that I missed the first episode purely because I hadn’t seen any advance notice it was even going to be on, and had heard/read virtually no buzz on the second season’s premise, I’m just glad I was in on it as early as I have been.
Come to think of it, I’ve been late to the party on almost all the shows that have become my All Time Favorites. Even The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad and another dozen or so, were things I came to late. I’m just happy that I’m in on this particular incarnation of what will likely rise to my Top Five, if things continue in the Excellence Department.
How can these people keep coming up with new wrinkles on things that got their starts in the 1950s or before that?
I can’t help but visualize Plemons and Dunst going off by themselves and working on their characters, even after the director(s) and writer(s) have coached them to the level that they probably want them to show, just to add those little nuances that their characters have developed. I’d love to be the proverbial fly on the wall during their rehearsals!
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.
Or give them a haircut! 
I’d hate to be around there at last call. Peggy might get stabby.
Agreed, but it’s also the fact that Ed has revealed himself to be a legit, stone-cold badass. Meaning it’s not just a cold wife who warmed up to her husband, it’s also a boring, domesticated husband who has become dangerous and exciting. A super polite and pleasant bad boy, but a bad boy nonetheless.
Maybe they change their name to Sam and Diane? Move to Boston instead of California?
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.
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 played by Keir O’Donnell
It’s not just you! I record the show on DVR so I can zip past the ads. At least FX, unlike all the other channels I watch on a regular basis, gives the little visual cue that they’re back from commercial land so I can slow down the fast forward ahead of time. Other networks are a true PITA in the regard. AMC is the worst, but CBS has jumped on that bandwagon lately.
Have you noticed that these producers added extra time to the episodes so the commercials don’t eat into the show so much?
I still consider his Breaking Bad role as against type. To me, he’ll always be Landry the nebbish from Friday Night Lights.
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.