“Now that is a truly odd question.”
The noose is tightening in Fargo: Season 2’s second episode, “Before the Law.”
Spoilers for Fargo: Season 2 are contained in this article.
Ed (Jesse Plemons) and Peggy Blomquist (Kirsten Dunst) are playing a dangerous game on this show, and the cards seem stacked for them to lose. The unlucky couple aren’t coping well after Ed murdered Rye (Kieran Culkin) in the season premiere, and though they’re trying to put on a brave face, the continued and excellent use of split-screen — a stylistic choice that’s a nod to Season 2’s ’70s setting — allows viewers to see how much these characters are suffering.
Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst in Fargo
It’s hard not to feel some sympathy for these characters, particularly Ed, as the wolves come prowling in the aftermath of the Waffle Hut massacre. The clean up work falls on Ed’s shoulders, as he scrubs Rye’s blood from the garage floor and destroys the body using the butcher shop’s meat grinder. The scene when Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) shows up to buy bacon but almost catches Ed in the act of grinding Rye’s body was genuinely tense, as Fargo highlights just how close this couple is to getting caught.
But as these two people find themselves in over their heads, similar to Lester Nygaard’s (Martin Freeman) turn in Season 1, Season 2 delved deeper into some villainous and deliciously interesting characters. The obvious MVP of episode 2 is Mike Milligan (Bokeem Woodbine), one of the Kansas City gangsters who is oozing charisma and danger. Woodbine’s in the early running to be the breakout Season 2 actor like Allison Toleman was in Season 1, and he chews scenery in every scene that he’s in. Mike is the closest character Season 2 has to Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) so far, and he doesn’t seem like he’s too far off from figuring out what actually happened to Rye.
Brad Mann and Bokeem Woodbine in Fargo
So far Rye’s death is still unknown, and this episode treads water building up to the inevitably reveal that he is gone. Three separate people are tracking down the youngest Gerhardt son for reasons that range from genuine to nefarious: Floyd (Jean Smart), simply because she is concerned about her son being a loose end; Dodd (Jeffrey Donovan) to try to bring Rye over to his side and usurp his mother as the head of the Gerhardt crime ring; and the Kansas City group to try to break down the Gerhardts and take over their business.
Meanwhile Lou and Hank (Ted Danson) — with the help of Betsy (Cristin Milioti) and Molly (Raven Stewart) — have found the Waffle House murder weapon and, in addition to the shoe found at the crime scene, are that much closer to puzzling out that Rye is the perpetrator they’re after. These three plot threads were drawn tighter and tighter in this episode, and the narrow focus makes it seem like these three storylines are on the brink of colliding. The only notable outlier proved to be an ancillary one, as Peggy’s salon boss’s interest and keen attention on her employee promises to be trouble for the Blomquists and their big secret down the road.
We want to hear it.
Despite being a longer episode, episode 2 lacked the same momentum of the premiere as it focused more on raising the stakes than furthering the plot. It also wasn’t as funny as the first episode, which offered a welcome lightness in the dialogue to balance out the dark storytelling.
But Fargo remains as engaging as ever, and “Before the Law” offered viewers a chance to see what happens showrunner/writer Noah Hawley steps behind the camera, as this was the first episode he’s directed. With his direction the show is as visually striking as ever, and it also came close to the premiere’s indulgences with the final tease of the episode reiterating that alien forces (literally) seem to be affecting this turn of events. To borrow a line from Mike Milligan, now that truly raises some odd questions.
Fargo delivered another excellent episode with “Before the Law,” which focused more on increasing the tension than world-building. This isn’t a show to waste screentime, so hopefully the pause to assess the damage after the events of the premiere pays off in episode 3.
