Fargo Reviews

Regarding Season 5 (ended 1/2024): I'm a little conflicted about this particular season. On the one hand, the season's spousal abuse themes, which borrow heavily from movies like Sleeping With The Enemy and Enough, in their depiction, are concluded with the FX network ending each episode with real-world resources for abuse victims, so kudos for getting the message out there. On the other hand, the season is placed in 2019, the pre-COVID presidential administration of one Donald J Trump: public enemy #1 in Hollywood (Jennifer Jason Leigh's Lorraine Lyon refers to him obliquely as "the Orange Man" in one episode). Jon Hamm's Sheriff Roy Tillman, the abuser in the story's arch, is the embodiment of Hollywood's view of conservativism: a Bible-quoting he-man, disdainful of the federal government, ruling his domain with an iron fist (the same, covered in a velvet glove, keeps his spouses in line), capable of convening an anti-government militia (January 6th anyone?) on a moment's notice. The conflict of the Supreme Court's recent reversal of Roe v Wade (which occurred in 2022, but why let facts stand in the way of a good story, that's how Fargo works, right?) is animus of this conflict as a whole. The en vogue 2024 theme of female empowerment, in the form of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Juno Temple, and Richa Moorjani are all up front, as well as the DEI subtext of Dot Lyon's (Temple) daughter, Scotty, who self-identifies as a boy. As with every good Fargo season, there's an element of the supernatural and Season 5's Old Munch (Sam Spruell) channels Season 3's V.M. Varga (David Thewlis) to perfection.

Season 3 is my favorite so far, it's really amazing...I love the humor and the actors, Ewan Mc Gregor is incredible and I like Mary Elizabeth Winstead anyways!:) Great TV Show, in my opinion the best!