# Fargo S4

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\
**Created:** [December 31, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991 "2018-12-31T17:21:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 9

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/161 "2020-11-18T20:32:59Z")

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> [@Dung\_Beetle](#):
>
> Was there something after the tornado? I didn’t catch that scene.

Yeah after the tornado we go back to the hotel. Satchel wakes up and Rabbi is not there. Rabbi’s car isn’t there. Satchel leaves the hotel, with the dog, and they stand in the road in front of the billboard (“The future is now!”) and we see Satchel has Rabbi’s gun.

I don’t think this necessarily means Satchel is going to kill anyone now. But he is on his own, and I guess has the “tools” to make it on his own. Where will he go?

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**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/162 "2020-11-18T20:49:01Z")

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Oh gosh. At least he’ll have his dog.

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**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/163 "2020-11-18T21:15:16Z")

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> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#):
>
> It’s now giving me major _Legion_ vibes, where it was a really cool show at the beginning and turned into a weird pile of nonsense just because Hawley likes weird.

The amount of “weird for the sake of weird” peaked in Season 3 of Fargo, in my opinion.

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**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/164 "2020-11-18T22:00:23Z")

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> [@Dung\_Beetle](#):
>
> > [@PastTense](#):
> >
> > So at the end of the episode we see Satchel with a gun in his belt. Is he going to kill someone? Who?
> 
> Was there something after the tornado? I didn’t catch that scene.
> 
> Anyone else notice that the religious gas station owners (not seen) were named Em and Henry? (As in “Auntie Em! Uncle Henry!”)

Yes - and the Dale Carnegie guy at the house was named “Hunk”, which IIRC was the name of the Tin Man’s farmhand doppelganger.

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**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:** [November 18, 2020, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/165 "2020-11-18T23:02:28Z")

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The more I think about it - the more I think that nothing in this episode that was in black and white actually happened - or at the most is Satchel as the ‘unreliable narrator’ as to what happened ‘on the road to Fargo’.

He has Rabbi’s gun - which was with Rabbi @ the tornado. It’s possible that Satchel was in the car during the events and now the story (as told to the editors of the book) is a merge of actual events (shootout, people die) and Wizard of Oz intermingled -

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**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/166 "2020-11-18T23:26:44Z")

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Oh, good catch!

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**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:** [November 18, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/167 "2020-11-18T23:29:57Z")

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> [@simster](#):
>
> The more I think about it - the more I think that nothing in this episode that was in black and white actually happened - or at the most is Satchel as the ‘unreliable narrator’ as to what happened ‘on the road to Fargo’.

What about the dog? Kind of weird for it to suddenly be in that armoire. I was thinking the explanation was going to be that it was from the room next door, and there was an opening in the back of the armoire. But Satchel never wondered about where it came from.

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**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:** [November 18, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/168 "2020-11-18T23:55:10Z")

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WAG: The tornado was ‘real’ - the dog was a survivor and found where ever Satchel was recovering. Some parts of the hotel scene at the end was in color - guy getting med attention could very well have been the sign painter?

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/169 "2020-11-19T00:55:36Z")

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I said it was Rabbi’s gun but don’t take my word for it. I know not of guns. Coulda been one of two (or more) guns they had on the trip with them.

Didn’t occur to me that just the scene before we saw Rabbi with his gun at the gas station. When I saw that Satchel had it I just assumed Rabbi left him /A/ gun.

So, don’t let me steer you wrong by my lack of knowledge!

(although I love what you’ve come up with so far!)

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**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/170 "2020-11-19T01:11:09Z")

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Rabbi took a gun off the guy at the catalog store when he went back for the money. So there _were_ two guns…

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**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:** [November 19, 2020, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/171 "2020-11-19T18:30:50Z")

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I am going to ignore the 2nd gun theory 😃

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**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:** [November 21, 2020, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/172 "2020-11-21T18:18:17Z")

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I liked this episode better than last week’s, but it often seemed to be odd just for the sake of being odd. Bleakly beautiful B&W cinematography, though.

Good to see the book _The History of True Crime in the Mid West_ again - just sorry they didn’t bring back Billy Bob or Martin Freeman to do a v.o.

Barton Arms = a tip o’ the hat to the Coen Bros.'s _Barton Fink_, I presume.

Will the Mellon family’s serial-killer spree in 1894 be the subject of a future _Fargo_ season? They could even use the same building.

Loved the interchange between Rabbi Milligan and the philosophical billboard guy.

Rabbi and Satchel hear a radio broadcast about “yesterday’s deadly shootout at the county slaughterhouse” in Kansas City. Control of the slaughterhouse was obviously a point of contention between the black and the Italian mobs. I guess that’s an incident we haven’t seen yet - the shootout we’ve seen was at the train station.

The tornado sfx were very well done, I thought.

Satchel should be able to get to a phone somewhere and make a collect call back to his family in K.C. and arrange for someone to come get him, right? He would either know how to do that, or could be told by some kindly stranger, I’d expect.

[quote=“Shoeless, post:164, topic:826991, full:true”]

> [@Dung\_Beetle](#):
>
> > [@PastTense](#):
> >
> > …  
> > Anyone else notice that the religious gas station owners (not seen) were named Em and Henry? (As in “Auntie Em! Uncle Henry!”)
> 
> Yes - and the Dale Carnegie guy at the house was named “Hunk”, which IIRC was the name of the Tin Man’s farmhand doppelganger.

Good catches! But Satchel _is_ still in Kansas, albeit with his “little dog, too.”

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/173 "2020-11-23T08:32:07Z")

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So–more plot resolutions through weirdness and randomness.

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**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/174 "2020-11-23T13:40:41Z")

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I am an idiot because I don’t get the ending. How is Loy having the ring supposed to end the war? Can someone help me understand?

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**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:** [November 23, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/175 "2020-11-23T14:12:26Z")

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The ring belongs to the Fadda father, the one who was accidentally shot by those kids. I think the idea is that giving the ring back will be enough of a peace offering.

BTW, who shot Gaetano?

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**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/176 "2020-11-23T14:16:32Z")

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Gaetano tripped and shot himself. The possibility of this happening was foreshadowed in an earlier episode, when he slipped and fell in the street (and then went ballistic on the kid who laughed at him).

I don’t think that ring will be enough to bring peace.

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**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:** [November 23, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/177 "2020-11-23T14:54:21Z")

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Perhaps not peace but the ring is a bargaining chip, if Loy is clever enough to use it properly. (Though I don’t see how to use it, aside from using it as a peace offering.)

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/178 "2020-11-23T15:30:45Z")

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“Hey, did you know your fadda was murdered? How about I tell you who did it?”

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**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/179 "2020-11-24T02:14:09Z")

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I don’t see the ring as a bargaining chip. Perhaps Orietta would be one - turning over the identity of the killer of Fadda in exchange for peace. But I don’t think that’s it. My guess is that it will be used to turn the Sicilians against each other. Plant the ring on somebody in one faction, then tell the other faction that you know who killed Fadda senior, and point at the guy with the planted ring. The two factions go to war with each other, Loy gets credit for turning over the ‘killer’ and watches as the two sides kill each other.

That’s just a guess, But I don’t think the ring by itself is important enough to be of any help. It’s what it represents and what can be done with it that matters.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [November 24, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-s4/826991/180 "2020-11-24T02:22:46Z")

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One of the recaps I read suggested that Loy would use it to prove to New York that he had a deal with the senior Fadda.

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