# Fargo Season 5 discussion (Starts 21NOV2023) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [November 16, 2023, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228 "2023-11-16T08:16:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/261 "2024-01-16T22:00:36Z")
There’s an old concept of a [‘sin eater’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin-eater). By eating that meal next to the corpse, he took on the dead man’s sins. The dead man was presumably a wealthy nobleman who could afford to pay off somebody to do that. There’s the implication he’s trapped in a form of purgatory until he’s sufficiently expiated those sins. The show seems to tie this to the concept of debt. People, often otherwise good people, still get trapped in a cycle of debt they can’t get themselves out of, to the benefit of the wealthy. In the case of Munch, he’s trapped in a similar debt spiral but one of sin rather than money. Or at least that’s how I read it ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/262 "2024-01-16T22:01:54Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/263 "2024-01-16T22:03:04Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > What was he eating? So, he was in monetary debt for whatever reason, and clearly very poor and hungry. In payment of his financial debt he agreed to take on a spiritual one, by symbolically eating the sins of the deceased man. Sin-eaters were real, but I’ve never heard any lore that they became immortal, or lived extended lives because of it. The idea was that they would serve out the term in purgatory that would otherwise have been served by the deceased. Kind of like paying someone else to go to jail for you. The Cohen Brothers have this one serving out his term on Earth, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/264 "2024-01-16T22:04:51Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > The Cohen Brothers Noah Hawley, anyway. The Coens are producers and clearly creative inspirations, but he’s been the one running the show. It’s also not the first time he’s put a mild supernatural spin on things. Since it’s already Season 5, probably best to just accept it and roll with it ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/265 "2024-01-17T00:05:13Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > So why did he have so much difficulty capturing Dot in episode 1? As he said, he did not know she was a Tiger, it would have cost more (and I assume he would have treated her as such). ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/266 "2024-01-17T00:17:40Z")
It’s never clear how mild-mannered Dorothy became such an expert at survival. Surely Roy Tillman didn’t teach her how to turn a can of hairspray into a flamethrower, or how to pick locks, or improvise booby traps, but she does all that and lots more. She might have picked some of that up through osmosis, being in proximity to Roy’s Patriotic War-Scouts, but they wouldn’t have allowed her to take part in their fun and games, seriously. Perhaps she just kept her eyes and ears open as she served them lemonade. But she would have had to practice, and I doubt she got to have a lot of alone time in that nuthouse. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/267 "2024-01-17T00:26:41Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > There was a moment, when the lead FBI guy was talking to Roy on his horse at the gate, where there was just the briefest flicker of fear in Roy’s eyes. Excellent acting by Hamm, it was so subtle and a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. The other sign of Roy’s weakness in the ninth episode was when his wife’s father ripped into him about being ineffective. Roy could say nothing to contradict him, but just had to say that there were sandwiches for his father-in-law’s men. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2024, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/268 "2024-01-17T03:28:13Z")
The final episode did not remotely play out the way I would have predicted. It worked, though. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2024, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/269 "2024-01-17T03:34:49Z")
When I think about sin eating, I think about a movie I saw once. A movie about a 10-year-old girl who has a secret adult male friend in the woods who teaches her that the moral values of her community are wrong. Of course, it wasn’t _trying_ for a pedo vibe, he was just telling her how their tradition of sin eaters was silly superstition and what she really needed was Jesus. > **[The Last Sin Eater - Movie Reviews](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_sin_eater/reviews?intcmp=rt-what-to-know_read-critics-reviews)** > > Rotten Tomatoes, home of the Tomatometer, is the most trusted measurement of quality for Movies & TV. The definitive site for Reviews, Trailers, Showtimes, and Tickets ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/270 "2024-01-17T05:51:14Z")
To follow up on my earlier post: I had been accustomed to downloading subtitles after seeing the episodes, since I always missed some of the dialogue because lines were mumbled or too quiet. So this time, I was able to watch and knowing what was said (though not always who said it) ahead of time, that wasn’t a problem. And it really enhanced it for me. My favorite moment that I wasn’t prepared for was the look on Roy’s face after his visitor spelled out what was in store for him. Not so tough now, eh? Now how the subtitles got out ahead of time is a mystery, but I’m glad I took the opportunity. Try it sometime if you have a chance. Look at it this way: once you’ve seen an episode you are no longer a “virgin”, and this way I got to enjoy it twice - first as a rough outline, and again with all the subtle parts put back in. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/271 "2024-01-17T13:16:49Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I find it interesting that none of us has found it necessary even to mention Dot wrenching out Danish’s thigh bone as a weapon. Minor nitpick, but that thigh bone had to have come from a much older Tillman victim (Linda?). Danish’s corpse would have been too fresh to yank out his femur, without some butchering tools and a fair amount of effort. I stopped readinng new posts once I realized they were commenting on the final episode-- I’ve been catching Fargo on Hulu, which is a day behind. Looking forward to watching it tonight! ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/272 "2024-01-17T14:23:42Z")
Great misdirection having the round cover of the underground bunker back in place as Roy emerged. Here I was thinking “continuity error! Gator left that thing wide open after he got out!” I was surprised as Roy by the ambush. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2024, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/273 "2024-01-17T15:17:02Z")
After Dot shot Roy and he was stumbling around between buildings, I thought he was going to get caught in the cross-fire between his militia and the government. Getting accidentally shot by one of his own would be poetic justice of a sort. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/274 "2024-01-17T16:13:15Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Great misdirection having the round cover of the underground bunker back in place as Roy emerged. But what was his plan? Walk away on open, exposed, desertish land with no escape vehicle in sight? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/275 "2024-01-17T18:51:28Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > It’s never clear how mild-mannered Dorothy became such an expert at survival. She survived on the streets for a while before Linda found her and she had multiple escape attempts before she finally got free. It was very clear to me. To your earlier comment, why not watch the episode with closed captioning on? > [@Hampshire](#): > > Great misdirection having the round cover of the underground bunker back in place as Roy emerged. Here I was thinking “continuity error! Gator left that thing wide open after he got out!” > I was surprised as Roy by the ambush. Me too. That was great. There were two (minor) things that I thought were errors. First, the season started in the Fall of 2019 and mostly went for a month or so. The ending was one year later so Fall of 2020. They would have all been wearing masks in the Federal prison. Ole (and I love how we have all been pronouncing his last name wrong) indicated that he came to the US before Columbus and said that he was riding horses before the muskets came. There wouldn’t have been horses in the new world at that time. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/276 "2024-01-17T18:54:12Z")
You want to argue that point with him? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/277 "2024-01-17T19:07:54Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > US before Columbus and said that he was riding horses before the muskets came. There wouldn’t have been horses in the new world at that time. I don’t think he was saying before Columbus. He said he was hired as a soldier. The Revolutionary war was mostly fought with foreign mercenaries. But it is true that there were Viking settlements in northern Canada before Columbus, and there are rune stones that indicate exploration down the East coast and the Mississippi at that time. None of it is settled science at this point though. (youtube the Kensington runestone.) I wonder if this season will go down in history as the ultimate masterpiece of product placement? IMHO it beats out the Stay-Puft marshmallow man. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/278 "2024-01-17T19:14:49Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I don’t think he was saying before Columbus. He said he was hired as a soldier. The Revolutionary war was mostly fought with foreign mercenaries. Good point. Maybe he was off in the interior for a while before he encountered other Europeans. There is an AMA on reddit right now from a guy who was an extra on set as one of the FBI guys. He said that there was a huge fire fight that was filmed that ended up being cut. One FBI agent was shot and then they destroyed the militia. [https://www.reddit.com/r/FargoTV/comments/198o904/i\_was\_spoiler\_in\_fargo\_episodes\_9\_and\_10\_ama\_part/](https://www.reddit.com/r/FargoTV/comments/198o904/i_was_spoiler_in_fargo_episodes_9_and_10_ama_part/) ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/279 "2024-01-17T21:48:30Z")
I’m disappointed they used the promise of prison rape as part of Lorraine’s revenge on Roy. Not that she wouldn’t have used it. But this allusion, meant to please the audience as fitting payback, is like an old Norm Macdonald punchline that isn’t funny anymore. Let’s not go there, huh? _\>She survived on the streets for a while before Linda found her and she had multiple escape attempts before she finally got free. It was very clear to me._ _To your earlier comment, why not watch the episode with closed captioning on?_ 1). She had specialized skills you wouldn’t have likely learned “on the streets”. But I guess we’ll never know. 2) Didn’t have that option. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228/280 "2024-01-17T22:09:09Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > She had specialized skills you wouldn’t have likely learned “on the streets”. But I guess we’ll never know. She had specialized skills anyone could learn by watching the _Home Alone_ franchise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fargo-season-5-discussion-starts-21nov2023/993228.md?page=15)