Fargo (TV Series) The Narrow Escape Problem (2017) User Reviews

Animals & Instruments

[ThomasDrufke · 8/10 · 11 May 2017]

At this point, you kind of know how the season is going to play out. The Stussy brothers will get what they deserve and Gloria will be honored and become police chief. But even if we do know the outcome, it doesn't make the path to get there any less effective.

Just as Martin Freeman did last season, Billy Bob Thornton returned to record some weird voice-over the episode. Leave it to Fargo to apply an animal and an instrument to each character on the show. For example, Ray, being the clumsy and sometimes grumpy guy that he is, was given the designation of a duck. This, largely taken from the "Peter and the Wolf" symphonic fairytale, added some context to the most clichéd Fargo episode yet. I say cliché in the most admirable way possible, considering this felt like classic Fargo at its best, and still unlike anything else on TV.

The thing I'm enjoying the most about this season is watching the Stussy brothers continue to fail in their respected occupations. Ewan McGregor brilliantly draws the line between two charismatic characters, but two characters who are generally not good people. Looking at the history of this show, that's quite a common thing for Noah Hawley to be able to pull off.

Perhaps even more so than that part of the show is watching each character progressively get closer and closer to the truth. I've always taken particular interest in the cops for the seasons and how twisted the case ends up getting before inevitably coming to the truth. Just the mere fact that we know everything about the case, and cops know close to nothing. It's very Hitchcockian in that way. The thrills don't come from reveals, they come from the suspense building up to those reveals. Love it.

8.4/10

Fargo vs. Saul

[highwire-1 · 9/10 · 13 May 2017]

It seems like part of the subtle humor this year is aimed at Better Call Saul of the rival network. Episode 1 mentions an (unseen) character surnamed Ehrmantraut (later clarified with first name Rick). And Gloria's trouble with sensors is the complete antithesis of Chuck McGill's hypersensitivity to electromagnetism. Any others?

Fargo: S3E4 "The Narrow Escape Problem" Review - King Cadmium

[kingcadmium · 8/10 · 29 March 2022]

Emmit and Sy try to figure out what they've gotten themselves into, Nikki and Ray track down some collateral, and Gloria learns more about Maurice.

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.

V. M. Varga is a terrific character, played wonderfully by David Thewlis, stealing every scene he appears. I can't wait to see how his plans unfold.

What I Disliked:

Yuri and Meemo are massively underutilized, given they appear to be interesting characters. I very much hope these two characters are given more screentime moving forward.

Overall:

Fargo is back on track with a high-quality episode. One can only surmise this season will continue to improve moving forward.

8/10

King Cadmium.

Something New Around Every Corner

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 12 May 2017]

I'm always amazed at the impatience that some reviewers have with expository episodes. Yes, they may not immediately move the story along, but in and of themselves, they are incredible. That whole group that has moved into the offices are so threatening and so over the top, I can sense danger. Varga is an insane character who overindulges and engages in bulimic purges. The Stussy's are non-plussed at every turn. Varga wants to pull Sy into the whole thing to show him what true wealth is. As is the case with such demons, he seems to be in another world and Sy is left utterly bewildered. Varga talks about the world's wealth being so unfairly proportioned, but his motive for being insanely rich is as nutty as he is. The darkness that hangs over this new edition is palpable. We now have the very volatile Ray, having lost his job, trying to go off to a bridge tournament with that lunatic minx, believing they will win millions. The last time we saw him, she was trying to call him and he sat drinking and stewing. However, just think of the job he has lost. Taking urine samples where the men routinely pee on his shoes. Meanwhile, Gloria, and another female cop (not your pretty-girl type but perceptive and unconventional, slowly working their way toward the events revolving around the Stussys. Some are criticizing the "Peter and the Wolf" stuff. Since it never got in the way of the storytelling, I found it charming, having heard that music so many times. If one can imagine for a second, stacking this against other shows, thinking of the clichés those other shows use, how can one not be captivated by the very effort to create an amazing world for all this to happen. I cannot wait for the next episodes to unfold.

Narrow Indeed

[darbski · 9/10 · 10 May 2017]

**SPOILERS** By now, everybody sees the likenesses between chief Gloria Burgle and Chief Marge Gunderson. Curiosity, persistence, courage, and intelligence. Now, we also have Officer Winnie Lopez. Also very good looking with the same qualities as Gloria. I sure hope nothing bad happens to either one of them.

We know that Nikki is just smart, clever and sneaky enough to get her and Ray into deep poop. Because that's where they are right now. What I've been thinking is that Sy hates Ray so much because he really wants to take his place in the Stussy family. Maybe; he's as dumb as Ray, although more conniving and basically mean, and I'll be delighted when his own evil turns on him.

You just have to wonder if the parole Board are gonna revoke Nikki anyway, or if they'll let Ray have a little more schoolboy fun with her. NOBODY'S stupid enough to believe that she really loves him; would that even be possible? Maybe, I guess.....

There's some pretty nasty stuff just around the corner; the next episode should make that clearer.

Who is the narrator?

[Sodium · 10/10 · 11 May 2017]

It sounded to me like it might be Billy Bob Thornton. Does anybody know? (Also, I loved score clip from the original film soundtrack that they used in that scene near the beginning of the highway in the snow.) I am so far not enjoying this season quite as much as the first two, but it has potential.

Season Three: So Far

[pwest-554-998361 · 10/10 · 17 May 2017]

(Spoiler Alerts)

Last Week's episode of Fargo: "Into the Fire," put the bow into the tie, which connects it to seasons one and two. While no Solverson's have appeared yet, nor any Fargo, syndicate hit men, we are starting to see the themes, variations and parallels, which have been Hawley hallmarks of previous two seasons. We have steady, unassuming cop, Gloria, trying to solve a crime and a dismissive, new boss pushing her to "move along cause there's nothing to see here." We have identity switches, mistakes and not one but two evil entities: a female tigress, named, Nikki, who is transforming a likable, looser named, Ray Stussy, into her evil twin and an insidious, evil virus, named V. M. Vargas infecting the life of Emmitt Stussy, Ray's calculating twin brother. I normally do not comment on this show: there is no need too. No one complained at all about seasons' one or two; however, so many reviewers have questioned this season's slow pace and bemoaned that Gloria is flat compared to Solverson clan: Molly, her dad and Grand- Paw, Hank.

Gloria, like Molly, is a smart cop from a small town, who is underestimated, unappreciated and unassuming she is pushed aside by others. Glory sticks to her guns when others are telling her to pack it in. However, Glory is quieter and more contemplative than Molly. Which, at first, may make her seem flat; however, over the first four episodes, we learn Gloria is reserved. She mostly listens and watches others rather than interject herself into situations. We also learn early on Gloria is also dealing with a divorce; her husband has left her for another man. So, a less observant viewer could easily see a flat-line whenever Gloria is on camera.

Yet, make no mistake, Gloria has a heartbeat. She loves her son and even feels duty bound to her step-father, Ennis Stussy, after her mom dies. Even though Ennis barks at her at times, she and her son have dinner with him on a regular basis. She tells her son in some many words: hey, he was married to my mom, ya know. We see this duty turned into to dogged determination once she finds Ennis murdered. Gloria returns Ennis' house because her son forgot the birthday present, "Grand-Dad," made him. From that moment on, Gloria moves calmly but assuredly into Sheriff mode after she finds Ennis dead in the, kitchen tied to a chair, suffocated: his nose and mouth sealed with super glue and his house ransacked by an assailant looking for something.

Gloria will only feel released from this duty once she finds his killer. This could get complicated because Gloria's Eden Valley police department is being absorbed into the County, and she will have a new boss. Hearkening back to season one, Gloria's new boss blows into town,takes one look at her tiny department, chides her shoddy policing because she has not embraced computers and still uses file cabinets. He takes one look and dismisses her as a lousy cop. He promises to return, however, with a new organizational plan, which includes forcing Gloria to embrace technology as his, new authority. Here, when begin to we see the brilliance of Hawley's character creation and plot line come together. In the first two seasons, the Solverson Clan is mocked by big city or county police officers because, their small-town values can't solve modern problems. Now, Gloria now finds herself in the same boat. Even though she has been Eden Valley's Sheriff for a while with no complaints, she is pushed aside. She is invisible. In fact, Noah Hawley, takes his theme of small town people and values as invisible to the "real evil" and "progress" to a new level when he takes Gloria from figurative invisibility and changes it into literally invisibility: from the first episode, we learn sensor, technology ignores Gloria or fails to sense her presence.

Gloria can't walk through automatic doors, use a cell phone, without it dropping or even get soap from a sensor dispenser or dry her hands under a motion, activated hand dryer. Maybe, Gloria relies on her own senses, instincts and old-fashioned detective work because it has always worked in the past, so why fix something Gloria doesn't see as broke. Remember, last year, Ed told Peggy she was always trying to fix things and sometimes there is nothing broken. I'll talk about Peg Blomquist in a few moments. Then again, it might just be that technology has been no friend to her! Hawley hammers this point once more as Gloria's job as Sheriff disappears with the county take over of her office and she is caught in the undertow of "Modernization." However, Gloria cannot worry about her disappearing job, or identity. She has a murder to solve. Someone has killed her step-dad and she intends to find the murderer. Perhaps the slow space of the show so far is mirroring Gloria's steady, methodical policing and her personality.

In addition, Hawley reintroduces a new "Wolf" or "Cat/ Tigress" in season three: Nikki Swango. Billy Bob Thornton's narration of the musical "Peter and Wolf" composition from "Into the Fire" makes this connection for us. As in season one, a "Wolf", Thornton's character, Malvo, transforms a loser named Lester, into a stone-cold killer and his evil twin. Nikki the "Tigress" is transforming a loser, Ray, into a stone-cold killer and her evil twin. In addition, Hawley's Nikki is an evil version of Peggy Blomquist, played brilliantly by Kristen Dunst last season. Peg Blomquist stumbles into crime on her journey of self-actualization, but our Nikki is already a stone-cold criminal and is trying to self- actualize through a "Mind-Bridge" connection with her evil twin, Ray Stussy.

A decidedly better episode than the awful swamp that was Episode 3

[rusoviet · 9/10 · 11 May 2017]

...and it is due to the presence of David Thewlis aka V.M. Varga. Great films are usually so because of the troika - great actors, solid script and a skilled director 'but' there are also some that are engaging because of the personality of 'one' character and for season 3 it is V. M. Varga.

Thewlis' performance is always menacing. He is truly someone to be feared akin to Capt. Simco in the series 'Turn'. You hope said soul will leave the scene because of what he represents - a personality obsessed with control and gain. Not gain to flaunt but gain to manipulate others because that is Varga's goal. The accumulation of wealth definitely provides such.

I sense the season has finally gotten through the meaningless 'fleshing out' of the other characters peculiarities and can now focus on just how shall 'Capt. Gloria Burgle' (Carrie Coon) react to her first encounter with this real monster and then move to slay him. Emmett/Ray Stussy are now merely 'parts' of the drama -

Based on the use of Prokofiev's 'Peter And The Wolf' score this is what the rest of the season shall be - This is the classic 'good vs. evil' and as of yet, neither party has laid eyes on the other.

Setting things up

[Dreviews16 · 10 August 2017]

Well, the plot moves ahead with the season, and more, albeit minor revelations are made to the audience. The acting was pretty decent, characters moved ahead in their development arcs. The happy accidental setups of Fargo continued with Miss Lopez helping out Peter in her quest to solve the case. Sy's comic relief was pretty good as well, him messing up with Ray and then him being horrified at a cop being present in front of Varga's goons. Somehow I do feel that the twins deserve each other and are formidable foes to each other. But presence of Mr. Varga (oh, and his disgusting habits, very well done by David Thewlis and series creators' in creating a true nightmare) has some sort of influence shaking up things, sort of the way when superpowers enter civil wars on behalf of sides for their own gains. He has pretty much sunk his teeth in their private affairs (With Uncle Joe by his side), it makes me suspicious as to his identity. Is he working for someone? That's the impression I've had so far. He seems more like an agent, an errand boy for someone, who's often ready to soil his own fingers doing the dirty work. Also, how does Gloria wash her hand in the washroom scene? Haha, that aside, Possibly the modern devices not working around her symbolize the little world of Fargo, going modern but still stuck back in time. Or maybe there's more to it. Will it be a part of an important plot-point later?

P.S. It struck to me pretty late after watching the previous episode, the age discrepancy between the older stussy and Mobley. Then discovered that the actor who played Mobley is merely 26 or something, Stussy would have been 47 in '75. A couple of posters here also raised the same issue. I was kind of taken in by the episode (which is wonderful in itself), but I was till the end of second episode was not on to the idea of Mobley and Stussy being the same person. So, all the Stussys' of Eden prairie and Eden valley might be related after all. Or not so clear? Let's see how it pans out. Might not be related to the plot this season at all. For a sec I thought, Leland Palmer might be Stussy, but then discovered what his name in the show meant. Still not discounting any possibility.

What a disappointment!

[nightwish-46178 · 5/10 · 15 July 2022]

Now this season is getting me annoyed more than anything.

Very disappointing after the first two seasons. Unlikable characters.. they don't really need to be likeable. But they're not interesting or engaging either. Rather, it feels like an exploration of the dullness spectrum from one character to the next.

Even the characters that are supposed to be more 'edgy' or 'daring' are something of a cliché, you just want to switch off.

And the transparent desperation to appear artistic almost casts a doubt on how good the last 2 seasons were. Truly a shame. I do still believe that the first 2 were veritably great creations, but perhaps for that reason the creators decided to take chances with a weaker story, an unengaging cast, and started experimenting with pseudo-artistic production. What else could've gone wrong?

A rehash of previous episodes

[dierregi · 1/10 · 11 February 2018]

Smart female cop wants to investigate suspicious murder, but her dumb boss is against her investigation for no good reason whatsoever - except proving to the audience that he's stupid and she's smart. Could be Molly, but she's not...

Vicious but well educated criminal is exceedingly verbose and loves having abstract conversations with his victims, while keeping detached and cool-headed. Could be Malvo, but he's not...

Two cops have an enlighting conversation that makes them both realize their separate cases could be related. Could be Molly and Gus, but they're not...

Sounds a lot like series n. 1, but it's not. This is episode 4 of series n. 3, although it's a lot like recycling the same plot. Same story, different faces, but here we go again....

And that British guy IS boring...

Nothing makes sense!!

[mrjohnwick-14052 · 3/10 · 21 April 2020]

I'm really addicted to the first and second season of Fargo. The way of story telling, screenplay and acting was top notch. But what the hell is happening in season 3 . Stussy brothers portion is really doesn't make any sense . Especially the lawyer characters. Some overacting characters . Meh !!!!...

Trying to hard

[matthijs_quekel · 1/10 · 11 May 2017]

This is the last episode of Fargo I watched this season. They are trying to hard to get the fever of the last 2 seasons, instead u get a cringe worthy performance. Of course the actors are great. The Overacting of some actors is pissing me off. They will never get the level of the last 2 seasons. Thats why im gonna stop watching.