I’ve read recaps and skimmed through this thread, but I can’t find the answer. I’m guessing I’ve forgotten something in the episode that led Hanzee to the Motor Motel.
What was it?
Couldn’t he have just followed the cops there?
Yes, but he left the cabin before the cops did, and wouldn’t have known about the motel plan. Also, he was on the roof of the building by the motel before anyone else arrived.
We first see Hanzee at the motel as the cops are physically entering their rooms. No doubt they’d have to first check in, get their room keys, or at very least have one representative for the team get the room keys and check everybody in.
Assuming Hanzee just followed them there, he would have time to climb onto the neighboring roof (the first time we see him there) before the cops would be able to actually get inside their rooms and close the doors.
Hmm, you’re right, sorry I had my timeline a bit mixed up.
But HOW did he know to follow them? Sorry if I’m being thick. 
He was probably more following Ed and Peggy.
Who were with the cops at that point.
I’m reasonably certain that the only people that knew about the deal with Milligan prior to Hanzee’s arrival were Ed and Milligan.
If memory serve’s - Ed had just returned from making the deal with Milligan to find Peggy on the floor - and he wasn’t talking much while he was hanging around.
Next scene has Dod on the floor getting his ass tied up (by a woman, again) and Ed still wasn’t quite with it - on account of almost die’in and all - when Hanzee shows up.
Dod wakes up - insults the angry Hanzee a couple of times, ends up with lead poisoning and a terminal head ache.
Hanzee asks for a professional haircut - they offer him a soda , on account of him killin Dod and all - notices Ed looking longly at the two cops approaching - shoots at said cops, shoots at Ed with an empty revolver when he stands up - gets stabbed inthe back for his trouble- leaves and (apparently) heads for the Rushmore quick mart*
- So - unless there’s a cut scene where Ed tells Hanzee and Peg about the plan with Milligan - no one but Ed knew that until he told the Cops.
Which - come to think of it - didn’t seem that surprising to Peg at the time either - but now that she’s fully realized and actualized, not much surprises her.
*its of course entirely possible that Hanzee hid outside the cabin window and listened to the whole thing before heading for the RushMore stop and go - but seems kinda doubtful.
He was following Ed and Peggy because they were his primary target.
If they were his only target - he could have sniped them from the rooftop - he also could have killed them in the cabin (he still had his pointy knife and rifle)
I agree that in general - he was ‘following them’ - my point was that
a) he didn’t ‘directly’ follow them
b) we still don’t know how he knew where to go to catch up to them.
We don’t yet know what he wants to do with them. He may have only decided to kill them after he was stabbed with the scissors. Anyway, we should withhold criticism until we see the finale.
I’m not critcising - i’m having fun with it - so far, its the only true “hole” I think we’ve identified - and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they show ‘how’ he knew at the beginning of the next.
As to why he decided to go after them - that was alluded to in the voice over - but is generally considered a mystery.
He may have very well ‘followed’ from behind (laid in wait with the car, knowing more/less where they had to leave from) and quite literally followed them. I’m simply saying from what we know - we simply don’t know.
I don’t see how you think it’s a hole at all.
He tried to kill Ed and Peggy, but his gun was empty and he was stabbed with scissors with a bunch of cops converging on his position, so he ran to the convenience store to patch himself up then stole a car.
We don’t see him again until the motel. It’s not unreasonable for him to have driven his stolen car back to (near) the cabin, get out and surreptitiously watch the goings on from the woods. Once he sees the cops take Ed and Peggy away, he goes back to his car and follows them to the motel.
That’s what I would guess. He stole the car, then parked at one of the cabins nearby Ed and Peggy’s and waited for the cops to go past and then followed them. I’m pretty sure there was just one major road in and out of there, and plenty of places he could park and not be noticed.
We have seen evidence before that he is an excellent tracker. Maybe one of the very best alive. I wouldn’t put anything past his abilities.
So I have tried to compile a body count list for this season. Let me know if I missed anyone and if things are out of sequence.
The Waffle Hut: The Judge, the Cook, the Waitress
Peggy & Ed Blumquist’s House (Pt.1): Rye Gerhardt
The Roadwork Site: Skip the Typewriter Salesman
The Kansas City Troops in the Woods: 1 of the Kitchen Brothers, Joe Bulo, various other Kansas City troops
The Butcher Shop: Virgil the Gerhardt Hitman
The Clinic Visit by Otto Gerhardt: The Nurse, The Bodyguard
Peggy & Ed Blumquist’s House (Pt.2): Two Gerhardt henchmen
The Gerhardt Headquarters: Otto Gerhardt, possibly others
The Woods: Simone Gerhardt (probably)
The Hotel in Fargo: The Undertaker and his two henchmen
The Bar: The Bartender, 2 Cops in the alley
The Hotel in Sioux Falls: Constance the Hairdresser
The Cabin Down By The Lake: Dodd Gerhardt
The Rushmore Gas Station Store: The Proprietor
The Motor Motel in Sioux Falls: Numerous cops from various jurisdictions, All remaining Gerhardts except Hanzee Dent
The only notes I have are these:
The Clinic Visit by Otto Gerhardt: I believe there were two bodyguards
The Bar: I think that both cops weren’t killed, because in an earlier episode if I remember correctly Lou said that they are on the lookout for Hanzee because he killed one cop and sent another to the hospital. He did seem to also kill the bartender, and seriously wound the two racist guys in the alley, one of them might have died.
The Motor Motel in Sioux Falls: Charlie is also a surviving Gerhardt as far as we know, it’s not just Hanzee left, since Charlie’s been in custody ever since he tried to kill Ed.
Thanks for the feedback. Going by the Wikipedia synopsis they say 2 dead cops in the alley. But I think you may be right about it only being one, per the radio report only saying one was killed. As for the Motor Motel Massacre I meant all the Gerhardts present were dead except Hanzee.
Who was the guy sleeping outside in the chair at the Motor Motel? I thought he was the hotel night clerk, and not a cop. (But then again, it was winter, and why would a hotel clerk stand guard outside?)
Wasn’t he was wearing the undercover cop uniform, jeans and a white tee?
There were three folks killed at the HQ in Kansas City by the Gerhardt window-washers.
Also, technically, there were a number of folks killed in a flashback when Otto Gerhardt took little tyke Dodd to the movie theatre to talk about “a seat at the table” with the then-boss. Little tyke Dodd started the killing, in fact.