Fargo (TV Series) The Law of Non-Contradiction (2017) User Reviews

We May Solve This Thing Yet

[ThomasDrufke · 8/10 · 4 May 2017]

Ah, the brilliance that is the randomness and pointlessness that is Fargo. And I mean that in the best possible way. Was there any point to see Gloria take off from Minnesota and head to Hollywood investigate her step-father's death? No, not at all, because we all know his death was an accidental murder somehow related to the Stussy brothers. But leave it to Noah Hawley and crew to create an hour long one-off story that somehow feels like it's completely necessary to viewers. If for nothing else, this episode provided us with a wonderful place to just watch Carrie Coon do her thing waltzing through an unsolvable crime. That's exactly what we got. It's not usual that we get an episode focused on one main character, but perhaps that's just what we need to keep this story moving forward in a unique direction. It also gave us a chance to go back to the 70's era, where last season took place, and see Ennis Stussy's life when he wrote screenplays that seemed to be heavily inspired by Star Wars (albeit a year or two before its release). Heck, if we are talking inspirations, this episode as a whole could be seen as an homage to Twin Peaks, with a cop investigating the murder with strange circumstances and even an appearance from Ray Wise himself. This version of Stussy was played by up and coming actor Thomas Mann, from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and also most recently Kong: Skull Island. That whole thing played out interesting as it was revealed that he changed his last name to Stussy via a name seen on the rim of a toilet. Could that feel any more like a Coen Brothers plot point? So in all, this episode didn't necessarily trudge the plot forward like I thought it might, but it may have been just the off-shoot we needed.

8.7/10

The Telling of Lies

[jcruztdotfoto · 9/10 · 3 May 2017]

There are many ways to tell a story. Often the most popular employ either character or plot and a combination of the two. Not often used is the telling of stories themselves: smaller narratives, short works of seemingly unrelated fiction to propel the narrative forward. Season three of Fargo uses this last technique very well.

From the opening Kafkaesque story of the East German Police interview we learn that "They are not interested in the telling of stories," they are interested in the "telling of the truth;" the fiction of season three is consumed with the magic of story tellers to tell the truth.

This can be seen most clearly in episode 3 of the third season. Like the child robot set out into an empty earth to record the planet's evolution, Gloria sets out to LA to investigate the dark past of her late step dad. Employing the far flung elements of the human mind, reason, science, myth, art and fiction, Gloria begins to reorder the chaotic elements of her once small world.

The powers of human creativity will eventually help her get at the truth.

Excellent episode that sucked me into the season

[gregphipps · 9/10 · 5 May 2017]

I have been watching the show since it premiered and this has to be the best of the current season so far. It was very well-directed and a bold experiment for a TV show whose main focus is an ensemble cast. People may say this episode was pointless since all she does is find out Ennis' (Thaddeus') backstory, and the plot resumes at the end of the episode. I don't see it as that. I see it as a great episode for character development for Gloria. We get a glimpse into her character in her fish-out-of-water experience, where we see just how cut off from the rest of the world she is.

Let's not forget The Planet Wyh story line, where a fictional sci-fi book written by Thaddeus is narrated and shown to the audience via 2D animation. This might have turned people off of the episode, but I can't see why. The concept of the story itself was neat, and the themes of the book tie in well to the themes of the episode.

If anything, this is the episode is the one that hooked me for season 3. People who disagree also probably crap on True Detective Season 2 because it was "different". Anthology shows are becoming popular in American TV and we have to get used to change and not get bogged down by the greatness of a first season of a show. The producers are making the show they want to make, and frankly, Fargo is doing eons better than any other TV show on the air that was adapted from a film. I can't wait to see the rest of the season :)

Age Discrepancy of Mobley

[anwahs13 · 24 May 2017]

I am confused as to how old Thaddeus Mobley/Ennis Stussy is supposed to be in 1975?

He is murdered in 2010 at the age of 82 but in 1975, that would make him 47.

He looks like he is in his early 20's. Am I missing something?

showcases what makes television great

[dkid_luke · 10/10 · 8 May 2017]

this episode is by far one of the best episodes of Fargo or even one of the best of television. Sometimes the episodes that center on one character is the one that tells a lot, and this episode shows it. Loplop from Season 2 and The Crocodile's Dilemma from Season 1 are still very great writing in their own right, but The Law of Non- Contradiction, takes the series to a whole new form of existentialism.

there are a lot of ways to take this episode. some take it as Gloria realizing that she needs technology and her journey through "traditional police work" will lead her to nothing. Some take it as us finding out that because of a small detail (an erased D) can cause a butterfly effect in the future (having Ennis be E. Stussy and not D. Stussy, which would make Maurice not go to his place at all). Another person will say that its about realizing that sometimes points that are in no way contributing to the story has or will have a special meaning to someone else. Another person would say that the point IS the lack of it, Its basically a story, we know that nothing about Ennis' past affected his murder but Gloria needed to find that out in her own terms. To me all this is correct since the point I see in this episode is showing us that Gloria maybe from the same cookie cutter as Marge, Molly and Lou, but her motivation comes from grief and trying to understand the life of her stepdad who she finds out, she knows nothing about. The other three were more motivated on finding the truth and just to understand why there are bad people in the world. Gloria on the other hand, is trying to understand death, and is trying to not really avenge but understand her stepdad by investigating and eventually solving his murder. It gives us a different side to a good person cookie cutter the series has used, it shows us that a good person does not have to be heroic, they just need to have a great motivation. That's how I see it though, especially seeing the story of Minsky the robot, it shows that good people do not know they are helping unless someone tells them that they did help.

Existentialism, Naivety, Quantum Mechanics, Randomness, Morality. just another great Fargo episode.

Story in a Story

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 11 May 2017]

As things go on a one week hiatus for the Stussy brothers and their new friends, Gloria is off to Hollywood to find out what exactly happened to her stepfather before he was that. She finds a motel room in a shady part of the city where she is immediately robbed and gets hooked up for a little while with a local cop. She is pretty and he has designs on her, but it isn't going to happen. As it turns out, the stepfather wrote sci fi back in the seventies and was taken advantage of by a couple of opportunists because of his naïveté. They convince him to throw his literary advances into a pot to get a screenplay published. He eventually commits a horrible act of revenge. Of course, we are only seeing this in flashback. These Fargo episodes always include the "fish out of water" thing and this is no exception. Gloria has her stuff together and perseveres. There is one strange object we are introduced to. A box with a switch that when turned on, turns itself off. Also, we get to hear a narration from on of the stepfather's books about a little robot that lives through all of time. Very fine writing, very provocative...

showcases what makes television great

[mitchellb-88235 · 10/10 · 10 March 2021]

I've read all the other 15 or so reviews and I agree most with dkid_luke May 8, 2017 using the same headline you see above. WORTH THE READ ... IMHO enjoy (

astonishing change of pace episode

[paradux · 10/10 · 17 June 2017]

Fargo the movie in 1996 seems to have heralded a seachange in TV generally. Most shows today, the real hits, do not follow the old fashioned linear narratives (think CSI) and moreover tend to have liberal amounts of absurdity built in.

Fargo the series has been one of the most successful efforts at balancing the narrative and absurdity to great effect.

Season 3 Fargo was showing signs of losing some of the zing. Not really a criticism, really just the observation that maintaining the level of quality of Fargo S01 is almost impossible.

Then comes this amazing episode out of nowhere. This single episode with its flashbacks in time and change of locale is better than many iconic films. It is for example better than, yet similar to, Chinatown.

Carrie Coon is amazing. The entire episode is amazing.

A passable episode

[robertosullivan-40405 · 7/10 · 4 May 2017]

As someone who has been unimpressed by both Ewan McGregor and David Thewlis so far this season, it was great that they were absent here (though I think McGregor had a voice "cameo" as the astronaut in the short animation). This episode focused on Carrie Coon's character Gloria, and I'm delighted as Coon can easily run rings around any actor/actress she's put in a scene with.

The flashback scenes are great - Mann delivers a brilliant performance as the awkward Thaddeus and Melamed is superb as Zimmerman. The dialogue was tight. The direction sometimes was a bit lacking, but the cinematography was well done. Jeff Russo's music was sublime, as per usual.

I almost don't look forward to next week, as I know McGregor and Thewlis will be back, but at least that means Nikki Swango will return. So far, in my opinion, this season is just behind S2, and far away from S1.

Questioning existence.

[mgidb · 8/10 · 17 September 2019]

I liked how Thaddeus story made me questioning the future of Quantum technology crossing the old fashioned binary language 0/1 which was shown in Minskey story.

Best episode of the series

[dierregi · 6/10 · 11 February 2018]

For me this was the most interesting episode of this series, so I guess I am pretty much done with Fargo - since this was as un-Fargo-esque as it could get.

We move to LA and to the world of SciFi writers of the 70s, with a young - but already unpleasant - Ennis Stussy who is going to get into the trouble that will bring him to Minnesota.

Gloria investigates and very little of the cast or regular location is on sight for most of the episode. Thanks to the lack of the dumb or criminal (or different dumb AND criminal characters) this was a better episode. So I am definitely not into Fargo anymore.

Ages don t fit (?)

[mediterrae-37967 · 9/10 · 17 March 2020]

Someone mentioned it here. If the old man died at age 82 , he should have been older back in 1975, so i think this will continue later or maybe he wasn t the writer. Loved the episode and specially the box with hands. I can see lots of David Lynch signs here.

Fargo: S3E3 "The Law of Non-Contradiction" Review - King Cadmium

[kingcadmium · 6/10 · 29 March 2022]

Gloria revisits her stepfather's past to try and find some answers.

What I Liked:

The cinematography is solid, and each scene perfectly implements its well-crafted and memorable music score. On top of that, each actor gives a strong performance.

The use of animation in this episode was intriguing and unique for a show like Fargo. It is a testament to the level of creativity of the writing staff.

What I Disliked:

Ennis Stussy appears to be around 25 in 1975, yet he was 82 in 2010. An oversight by the writers.

As a whole, this episode feels somewhat pointless, with no plot advancement until the final scene. A show like Fargo can't afford to divert from its main story like this, especially for an entire episode.

Overall:

Easily my least favourite episode of Fargo so far, a merely decent outing for a show capable of much more. One can only surmise this season will improve moving forward.

6/10

King Cadmium.

Trying Way to Hard

[goldmonster · 4/10 · 3 May 2017]

This episode left me scratching my head. It felt like it was trying way to hard to be cutting edge but ended up being a wish wash of goobly gook. I know those words don't make sense but neither did this episode. Once you see the episode you will see what I mean. 95% of this episode is set in Los Angeles as Gloria investigates the murder of her Step Father. It already has a different mood being in L.A. and a lot of the main characters in the first 2 episodes are no where to be seen in this episode. The 1st two seasons of Fargo were some of the best TV in the last 10 years ranking right behind Breaking Bad. The first 2 episodes of season 3 left some to be desired but while slower than the 1st 2 seasons showed promise. Then came the weird episode 3. Some reviewers will come on here and say it was the greatest episode of TV anywhere but then their buzz will wear off and they will see it for what it was. Junk. Come on Fargo. You can do better. Please!

Highlight of the season so far

[jashezilla · 7 May 2017]

Honestly, the first two episodes of the third season so far were pretty average. Don't get me wrong, they weren't bad, but they didn't really stack up to the high caliber the last two seasons were at. That is, until this episode. 'The Law of Non-Contradiction' has to be hands-down the best episode of Fargo yet. Instead of focusing on the normal characters, like the show normally does, this episode takes us into the past of a minor character, one we didn't really need to know anything about. The thing is, the character becomes interesting with all the twists and turns they go through and at the end of the episode it really does feel like a glorious case study (get it, glorious...Gloria 😂), one that brings us closer to one of the main characters after all. If this season keeps it up, aw jeez man, we're in for a good trip to Minnesota after all.

Beautiful

[sadbin505 · 10/10 · 14 July 2022]

Beautiful episode. This type of episode makes Fargo the best series I've ever watched. Philosophical, artistic, filled with elements, and attention to detail, everything is beautiful about this series.

Perfect story in a story illustrating the nature of stories

[Techmama68 · 9/10 · 4 September 2022]

This episode is a brilliant encapsulation of one of the themes of this season, which is that everyone's truth is their own, and that there is no absolute truth. There are so many lines of dialogue in this season that illustrate this. Even the opening statements that this is a true story, which we know is not true, demonstrate this. When you watch a show like this you really have to pay attention to the ongoing dialogue, or it's not going make sense.

If you think it was a mistake that there was an age discrepancy related to this story with Gloria's stepfather, watch the series again and listen to the quotes people say about truth and stories. This episode's story is an amalgamation of the waitress's memories from a time she was barely conscious, an interview with an Alzheimer's patient, and Gloria's independent research of a dead man she barely knew. Combine that with the fact that this show loves to throw in themes of aliens, there is no absolute truth as to who her stepfather was or what happened when he lived in LA if he ever did.

"Let each man say what he deems truth, and let truth itself be commended unto God." -Varga.

We are not here to tell stories, we are here to tell the truth. -East Berlin Official.

3-rd season

[sobulka · 8/10 · 10 May 2017]

So far "Nora Durst" (Carrie Coon) had been saving this dying TV series. Hope she'll actually save it. Maybe I'm not fair to her talent. Yes! I'm not objective because I'm her fan. But anyway season 3 is inferior to the previous ones. Also the music... It is absolutely mesmerizing. Sometimes I do not understand did I like the episode or I just fell into its music.

The Law of Non Contradiction

[bobcobb301 · 8/10 · 6 May 2017]

The science fiction movie was a little weird, and it didn't quite make sense why Gloria had to go West to investigate the death, but this was a really enjoyable episode. It felt like a one-off movie. It was good to have the same Fargo humor in a different kind of setting too.

This season still feels off, but this was a good episode.

Show within a show?

[Dreviews16 · 8 August 2017]

Well, somehow this episode did feel good. Was quite a slow start and I was beginning to wonder whether this show would go down the drain of explanations and theories. But it didn't. It actually for sometime did seem that this was another show. This episode, with the entire animated story line in the middle, had a different kind of feeling attached to it.

A look back at a journey, of what was, what could have been and what became in the end. What strikes me is Mobley looking at his mirror and trophy, after he runs back from Vivian's apartment. He had it all the books, the award, a movie-adaptation, all the money. And in a few moments, its all gone, blown up into the air. He's a man on the run, a broken man, a man who doesn't want anything to do with his past now. Has that what made him a 'Horrible person' as described in the previous episode. Perhaps. There was also focus on Gloria Burgle's character which seemed a pretty nice, short journey in itself, much like our MNSKY in the animated shorts. A journey to know her father, know herself and what she stands for. For a moment there's a trifle indecision, lost paths and so on, but then (perhaps) it was the journey which mattered at the end of it, as it did for MNSKY. Woah! And what was Leland Palmer doing in here, did have a couple of memorable scenes with him. And yeah, they get back to the main plot, after this nice little excursion. Really, felt like this show entered the Twilight Zone for some time.

Went to Bed

[ptropf · 2/10 · 4 May 2017]

Season 1 was awesome. Season 2 was in many ways better. Season 3 should be titled Benzodiazepines brought to you by Crayola. I made it through episodes 1 & 2, thinking well this might get better. Last night I made it about 30 minutes before going to bed. I am sure the producers said, "Hey, we could save a bunch of money on filming and editing by having a 6 year come up with the cosmo plot and do a bunch of pretty bad animations". The acting is forced, the characters unlikable the dialog (Yes, by now we know that you are NOT the chief of police no more, yea) as vapid as the winter landscape. Only reason that I gave it a 2 is in the hopes that it gets better.

Weakest Episode of the series so far

[somf · 3 June 2017]

This is basically a side story that has little relevance to the main story whatsoever. It felt like filler the whole way through.Who knows , in a few episodes we may be revealed the relevance of this story, but I doubt it.

I enjoyed the first two episodes this season, but will be surprised if I end up liking this season as much as the first two.

This looked and smelled like a re-write of 'Twin Peaks' heck it....

[rusoviet · 3/10 · 3 May 2017]

...even had Ray Wise in a cameo. The reviewers claim Ewan McGregor was blown away by the script well I'm guessing it didn't include this confusing pile of drivel 'The Law Of Non-Contradiction'.

The acting is good the script is 'filler' and it isn't very well crafted to couple onto the first two episodes save for the last 3 minutes.

Compared to the first two seasons this is a major fall from those engaging episodes. Then we have the theme music borrowing heavily from 'Last Of The Mohicans' in grandeur with nothing to match it with.

Better hope there is something left to watch next week.

absolutely terrible EP in legendary series

[kellindil-759-448828 · 2/10 · 2 March 2021]

Serious disappointment, too many threads, boring as hell and forgettable. Tried to be artistic but ended up dumb