In the movie Fargo, when Chief Marge goes down to Mineapolis to work on her homicide case, she meets up with an old acquaintance from high school, Mike Yanagita.
I watched this movie again recently and wondered if there was any significance to his appearance that I was just missing. I know the Cohen brothers often throw extra scenes in for fun, but on the off chance that I’m overlooking something, I’d like to hear what you guys think.
IIRC, I read or heard a comment attributed to the Cohens, the jist of it being that they kept the scene because it showed several aspects of Marge’s character quite well.
Quite likely there’s more than that, too. Personally, I think that scene grounds the film nicely, and even acts as a microcosm of the reality in which Fargo’s story unfolds. Think: in any other movie that scene would’ve turned out much differently, with sexual tension or high drama, nostalgic reflections of days-gone-by or what-not. Instead it is dealt with in a very subdued, even bleak fashion; the poor bastard just breaks down crying. The same goes for the film’s central kidnapping plot, characters, even the portrayal of violence; they are by turns shocking and pitiful, but never larger-than-life. They don’t exist in the standard movie “reality”.
Just my opinion. Great, great film.
It’s been pointed out that Mike is somewhat of a keystone of the plot.
He has that scene with Marge when he sounds so sincere about being in love with her. Later, she finds out he was lying, and she immediately goes back to talk to Jerry, who had sounded so sincere when she had questioned him before.
I’m not sure if one has to do with the other. She seems to have an epiphany when driving home and returns to ask Jerry one more question. If she had been suspicious she would not have let him walk out of the room and escape.
The two scenes may not be directly linked in the plot, but as RealityChuck points out, their structure and theme are very similar. The scene with Mike foreshadows the subsequent scene with Jerry.
Think about Of Mice and Men. Early in the story, the old man’s dog is so old and sick that it needs to be put down for its own sake. The old man lets one of the ranch hands take the dog out and shoot it. This sets up the pivotal final scene in the book and movie, which has a very similar structure and theme, but with much greater consequences.
The same thing is happening in Fargo. The scene with Mike, which is relatively innocuous, helps to give the scene with Jerry that follows, which has much more serious consequences, more power.
It’s also a motif of the movie: Interviews that conlude in unexpected ways.
The two scenes may not be directly linked in the plot, but as RealityChuck points out, their structure and theme are very similar. The scene with Mike foreshadows the subsequent scene with Jerry.
Think about Of Mice and Men. Early in the story, the old man’s dog is so old and sick that it needs to be put down for its own sake. The old man lets one of the ranch hands take the dog out and shoot it. This sets up the pivotal final scene in the book and movie, which has a very similar structure and theme, but with much greater consequences.
The same thing is happening in Fargo. The scene with Mike, which is relatively innocuous, helps to give the scene with Jerry that follows, which has much more serious consequences, more power.
It’s also a motif of the movie: Interviews that conlude in unexpected ways.
Bumped.
Here’s Joel Coen on the scene (and some other Fargo stuff):
Thanks for posting that. Steve Buscemi’s anecdote is a hoot.
And here I just figured that the idea of an Asian guy talking in the Minnesota accent was the whole point of the scene. 
I wonder if anyone has tried to track down that officer.
That’s always what I thought, too. The film is a survey of exaggerated weirdos in an imaginary Minnesota. I always got the feeling Buscemi’s Carl was the only one not from around there, making the bad guy the only relatable character in the film (not a bad thing, but very clever if that was the intention.)
I remember that Roger Ebert addressed this question in his Movie Answer Man column back when this was a new movie and his conclusion was the same as @RealityChuck; that it led her to question Jerry’s sincerity.
And yet the Asian-Minnesotan characters didn’t talk like that in “A Serious Man.” 
What sort of accent would you expect an Asian guy raised and living in Minnesota to have?
Hmong, of course. 
Thanks for posting, I enjoyed that - wished there had been more of it, really.
j
There are a few more tidbits from the interview here.
And thanks for that as well. I already took a look on YouTube to see if the session had been videod and posted, but seemingly not (yet, anyway).
j
Another very worthwhile read on this topic, from TroutMan’s link above:
I’d forgotten that actor was in Do the Right Thing, too.
Also pretty interesting (Mike Y. is discussed about halfway down):