If there was one at all, I thought it was to show that the “ya know” act the locals all put on was a cover to hide some serious desperation. Or it could be to show they were racist, too - the Asian guy was just never going to be accepted by the Scandinavians no matter how hard he tried to act like them.
Now that was obscure. Hats off to you, sir.
“We’re not a bank, Jerry.”
I only recently thought to look at IMDB and see why the character of Wade Gustafson (Jerry Lundegaard’s jerkish father-in-law) has always looked familiar. He’s Harve Presnell, who played Rotten Luck Willie in Paint Your Wagon and Johnny Brown in The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
And he never got a chance to display his famous baritone in Fargo.
This is the best explanation I’ve heard. Mike was desperately lonely because his wife died. Only it turns out he was still married, and just trying to get some. That made Marge realize that people lie, so she went back for a follow up with Jerry.
That was my take on it, after the 5th viewing or so.
Marge: Say Lou, didya hear the one about the guy who couldn’t afford personalized plates so he went and changed his name to J3L2404?
Lou: Yah, that’s a good one.
I don’t think he was married. From what I got out of it, he had a slight obsession with the woman and wouldn’t leave her alone.
“What the heck were you thinkin’? Heck, if I’m only gettin’ bank interest, I’d look for complete security. Heck, FDIC. I don’t see nothin’ like that here.”
“Oh, we stay busy around here…but that’s the way we like it”
“I’m not gonna debat you Jerry”
“I thought I’d take care of it now…right here…in Brainerd”
Basically every woman friend of mine has agreed that sums up pregnancy beautifully.
Mike was never married. He was “bothering” the woman he claimed he was his wife, who died. He made all that up to make himself more sympathetic to Marge.
In fact, he lied about his wife dying from cancer when he hadn’t actually been married, and about having a sweet job with Honeywell (IIRC). Haven’t most of us known a sad loser like this some time in our life?
Oh, and from I gather from the thread, we shouldn’t contribute unless we include a quote. So: “Don’t know him, didn’t vouch for him.”
ETA: Beat me to it, Lemur.
But are ya sure? 'Cause I mean, how do you know?
Wow, I must really be misremembering. There was a scene where Marge talked to a mutual friend about Mike, right? And she revealed the truth? Aw geez, I wish someone would post that dialog, ya.
I’m goin’ crazy out there by the lake there.
Ask, and ye shall receive, dontcha know. From http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/f/fargo-script-transcript-coen.html:
Marge has a phone conversation with a friend who tells her that “Linda” is doing great, and that Mike had never married “Linda”, though he had been pestering her. Mike was living with his parents and had been “struggling”. Marge says something like, “Really? Well I’m suprised”
Just total fucking silence, two can play at that game smart guy. We’ll just see how you like it, total silence.
“I guess you think you’re ya know like an authority figure? With that stupid fucking uniform hah buddy? King clip-on tie there, big fucking man there huh? Ya know these are the limits of your life man. Ruler of your little fucking gate here, heres your four dollars you pathetic piece of shit.”
This is so NOT the reason for it…what would make you think that?