Fargo - An Unofficial Podcast

Fargo continues on it’s hot run with “Aporia”.  Jim and I break down the highlights of this installment, Emmitt tells Gloria a whole lot of truth, Wrench and Nikki get Biblical on Varga’s gang, Moe ruins everything, as per usual. and we’re honestly terrified anytime the camera starts to pull focus on David Thewlis’s mouth. Good god, this show ought to have driven stock in fluoride up 500%.  We wra...

FX’s Fargo threw audiences a supernatural, out of nowhere curve ball this week in “Who Rules the Land of Denial” and A.Ron…. loved it?  The man who hates a fishnado, the man who revolts at the first sign of UFO, is all down for purgatory overseen by a Wandering Jew?  Okay, then.  We discuss Jewish mysticism, Gloria Burgle’s arc, who is tormenting Emmitt, and how Varga’s move against Sy could be a...

FX’s Fargo continues to pick up steam as it heads into the final stretch, with “The Law of Inevitability” dealing with the aftermath of Emmitt’s loss (he doesn’t acquit himself well), Sy coming to grips with the destruction of his world, and Gloria getting sick and tired of people not being clear on the definition of law enforcement around these parts.  And that doesn’t even get into the big finis...

Jim and A.Ron are floored at the surge of pacing on the back half of this season’s Fargo, as typified in “The Lord of No Mercy”.  Shocking events unfold as our hero, the technically challenged Gloria Burgle, goes head to head with the master of cyber sleuthing, VM Varga.  Plus, what’s Nikki’s play?  Does Emmitt have a change of heart and begin resisting Varga’s take over of his parking lot empire,...

FX’s Fargo comes out swinging this week on “The House of Special Purpose”,  delivering top notch black comedy and savage inhuman beatings with equal aplomb.  Seriously, somebody should get an Emmy nom just for the phrase “fornicating with the cookware!”  We try to figure out exactly how powerful Varga is, speculate on the Storage Queen’s prospects as an escape hatch for the Stussey crew, start to...

There is a whole lot to ponder in “The Narrow Escape Problem”, the latest episode of FX’s Fargo.  Communist propaganda, meditations on the 1%, Joseph Stalin, bulimia, Ewan McGreggor playing a different Ewan McGreggor playing yet another Ewan McGreggor; an Ewan McCeption, if you will, biblical themes, our heads are just spinning.  And Gloria with new found gal pal Winnie seem on pace to have this w...

Jim and A.Ron struggle to wrap their minds around the apparently “useless machine” of an episode of FX’s Fargo, “The Law of Non-Contradiction”.  Is the ep an artistic triumph, or ultimately a pointless treadmill of plot?  Is Gloria married or divorced?  Is she Chief or Old Chief?  Was the little android MNSKY a useless failure or scientific breakthrough?  Is Thaddeus Mobley really Ennis Stussy or...

FX’s Fargo was very, very good this week, expertly blending the unfathomable pinheadery and sublime comedy that has become the series hallmarks in “The Principle of Restricted Choice”.  We talk about the dramatic possibilities of using one actor to play two characters, chat about the ins and outs of “duplicate” bridge, and analyze the symbolism and possibilities of Gloria’s incompatibility with mo...

FX’s Fargo is back for it’s third season, and it’s visually exciting and is chock full of colorful characters played by gifted actors and we’re all having a lot of fun.  But it’s also the exact same Fargo formula we’ve seen in the movie and in two seasons of the show.  Is that a problem, and if it is, what will the series offer as a change or curveball this year, especially give that we weren’t al...

Jim and A.Ron close the books on season two of Fargo, as we consider the finale episode, “Palindrome”.  We discuss how we feel about Hanzee, Peggy vs. feminism, the Solverson family, and the Kansas City mafia in the final analysis, consider some fan feedback over the last two week’s episodes, and look ahead to 2017 for Fargo season 3. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where you come down on Fargo’s latest episode, “The Castle”, and perhaps the season as a whole, entirely hinges on whether you swallow the final act… We did not, and thus are in the uncomfortable position of not liking and yet still admiring Noah Hawley’s bold experiment in television.  Hopefully some of our concerns will evaporate by the time the finale episode is over next week, but if not, we p...

FARGO WINS THE WEEK!  In “Loplop”, Fargo hits all the notes; comedy, drama, suspense, without ever causing any tonal conflicts, and sets the season on it’s final, no doubt bloody, and most likely weird, trajectory. It wasn’t perfect; we felt a little uncomfortable with this episode’s timelines, and geographic orientation, which we discuss in the cast proper and in feedback, but Peggy as hostage ta...

Lots of stuff to talk about, from Simone’s tragic end, to Mike Milligan’s desperate gamble, to Mama Gerhardt’s turning snitch, Lou triumphant, and say, what the heck has Peggy, Ed, Dodd and Hanzee been up to during this episode?  Lots of phone calls and a few dead bodies is all we know, hopefully we’ll catch up with them in the weeks ahead.  All this plus some stellar (ha!) feedback from our fello...

A.Ron is sick and the show notes are suffering for it.  But this otherwise excellent podcast for Fargo’s extremely excellent episode 206, “Rhinoceros” managed to be recorded just before the precise instant he lost his voice.  We talk a lot about Lou and Hank, the majesty that is Karl Weathers, Jabberwockies and aliens and just all kinds of stuff.  And while A.Ron might be on death’s door, the emai...

Fargo episode 205, “Gift of the Magi”, was a real deal… Both sides of the Gerhardt and KC war take grievous losses, tensions between Bear and Dodd threaten to boil over, Hanzee’s loyalties are tested, Peggy has an apparent change of heart, but alas, it’s too late; Ed has killed another fella, maybe two!  We discuss all the happenings and theories going down this episode, with assists from our fell...

We are pleasantly surprised at the pacing of Fargo season 2; while there might have been some cheats here and there and along the way, we’ve got the anticipated Kansas City / Fargo war declared just four episodes into the season, with “Fear and Trembling”.  We also discuss revelations about Dodd’s character, Ed and Peggy’s relationship in contrast to Lou and Betsy’s, Nick Offerman’s plumbing stres...

This week we debate the horrors of being buried in asphalt vs. dumped into an ice-covered lake, praise Lou profusely, question where Hitler fits into this puzzle, and bring Lorne Malvo into the equation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim and A.Ron are in the middle of an embarrassment of TV riches, as we enjoy episode 202 of FX’s Fargo, “Before the Law” We discuss the music, the cinematography, and the philosophy of the episode, as we ponder alien entanglements, commercial meat grinder power, and A.Ron apologizes to one Jesse Plemons.  All this plus some of your feedback, and we’ll see you same time next week! Learn more about...

We discuss the mid-west gang war that provides the broad strokes of the season, lay odds on how many different way’s A.Ron will manage to pronounce “Gerhardt”, talk about Jesse Plemmon’s enduring “MATT DAY-MON” impression that he keeps finding ways to get paid for, and talk about our first impressions of the weird and wonderful characters we’ve met so far. All this, and some insanely smart emails...

Jim and A.Ron are ready for Fargo season two to start next week, and to get the ball rolling we have a mini-preview / roundup of casting news, plot outlines, early advance reviews, episode titles, and a bit of feedback. Fargo begins this coming Monday, and our podcasts will be out each following Wednesday. See you then! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim, A.Ron and Eric three way bang the Fargo wrap up for season one.  We talk the finale, possible plots for season two, more Fargo story telling innovations, and A.Ron learns to stop worrying and love the Gus. All this plus a heaping helping of your awesome feedback! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first season of FX’s Fargo is in the books, and what an impressive rookie season it was. A.Ron and Jim have some small quibbles about the finale, but overall are impressed. Next week we come back for a season one wrap up cast. Let us know what you thought! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim and A.Ron ponder the meaning of the latest excellent episode of FX’s Fargo, “A Fox, A Rabbit, and A Cabbage”.  Thing discussed; more evidence of Lorne’s supernatural flavor, Lester’s increasingly bad life decisions, turducken, Roller Girl, the “platinum era” of television, and more possible ways to tie in the series, the movie, and potential future seasons.  All this, and a few inches of fluff...

Jim and A.Ron are super impressed with this episode of Fargo episode 108, “The Heap”.  Lots of innovative and ballsy film-making on display, and we talk about it all.  We talk about the couples, Gus and Molly, Lester and Linda, Key and Peele, Wrench and Numbers, the increasingly eerie Lorne, and machine gun themed baking.  All this, plus a light dusting of feedback, and a segment from our Fargophi...

Jim and A.Ron talk about the latest episode of Fargo, 107, “Who Shaves the Barber?”  Discussion topics include mathematics, philosophy, and masturbation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices