Fargo Season 4

[sifth]

So I have a question about the final scene of the episode.

Was it actually a new scene they filmed or a re edit of the scene from season 2? I remember Mike having a very similar scene in season 2, when he was in the back of the car.

[3CityApache]

I think it was a new one, but I wouldn't be surprised if proved wrong.

[RumHam]

Probably just unused footage from season two.

[RumHam]

I thought the finale was pretty good. Still think it's the worst season. I enjoyed "can you shoot him first so I can watch?"

I don't think the Mike Milligian reveal was well done. The scene in the car added nothing, except to say "yes even though he made it back to his family he still eventually changed his name for some reason." 

In season two he even talks about his mother Barbra Milligan. So uuuh...yeah. 

[sifth]

3 hours ago, RumHam said:

 

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I thought the finale was pretty good. Still think it's the worst season. I enjoyed "can you shoot him first so I can watch?"

I don't think the Mike Milligian reveal was well done. The scene in the car added nothing, except to say "yes even though he made it back to his family he still eventually changed his name for some reason." 

In season two he even talks about his mother Barbra Milligan. So uuuh...yeah. 

 

To be fair Mike isn’t exactly a very honest character. Heck he basically got his “big” promotion at the end of season 2 by lying to his boss.

[RumHam]

7 hours ago, sifth said:

To be fair Mike isn’t exactly a very honest character. Heck he basically got his “big” promotion at the end of season 2 by lying to his boss.

Fair enough, and it makes a certain amount of sense to ditch the name Cannon as a black man joining the KC organization. But why lie to the Gherdhart girl he was sleeping with for information about his mothers name (especially her first name) and personality? If you go watch the scene, it's right after Joe Bulo dies and he has his head in a hat box. It really doesn't seem like he's lying.

Another thing I forgot to mention that bothers me. The scene near the end where Ebal tells Loy they're talking half his business and he just has to suck it because they're the cosa nostra and he's just one guy in one city. He's not wrong, but it kinda makes the whole gang war seem ridiculous. Why didn't he point this out to Loy or Doctor Senator in the second episode? 

[sifth]

44 minutes ago, RumHam said:

 

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Fair enough, and it makes a certain amount of sense to ditch the name Cannon as a black man joining the KC organization. But why lie to the Gherdhart girl he was sleeping with for information about his mothers name (especially her first name) and personality? If you go watch the scene, it's right after Joe Bulo dies and he has his head in a hat box. It really doesn't seem like he's lying.

Another thing I forgot to mention that bothers me. The scene near the end where Ebal tells Loy they're talking half his business and he just has to suck it because they're the cosa nostra and he's just one guy in one city. He's not wrong, but it kinda makes the whole gang war seem ridiculous. Why didn't he point this out to Loy or Doctor Senator in the second episode? 

 

 

Mike is a strange character; in many ways he reminds me of Lorne Malvo, a man who lies so much it comes as easy as breathing. I grant you that Mike isn't nearly as insane as Malvo, but I still see similarities in their personality.

I mean you're not wrong when it comes to Ebal, and I wonder if Loy knew how hopeless his cause was from the start. Part of me thinks he just let his pride get to him in the end and wanted to show the Italians he was a force to reckoned with, only for reality to start sinking in, towards the end of the war. The irony in this whole thing is, had Loy not started trouble by taking the butchers shop in the first episode, he would have been able keep all of his territory, because Josto was a weak leader and would be easier to reason with.

[Relic]

That was...terrible. 

[Astromech]

Disappointing season. So many useless characters and subplots. 

Spoiler

That final scene with Mike Milligan was just salt in the wounds. Thanks for reminding me of the good seasons.

 

[Iskaral Pust]

I’m feeling good about stopping after ep1

[3CityApache]

For me the season was not great, but definitely not terrible either. It had some great characters and some great acting (with Jessie Buckley and Timothy Olyphant being most notable examples). I'd rank it on par with season 3.

Spoiler

It's a shame that Satchel never met Ethelrida though. Od did he?

 

[sifth]

Yea, the quality for seasons 3 and 4 were totally a step down from this shows first 2 seasons, which were masterpieces, IMO.

 

Season 4 just had way too many characters and didn't know how to use many of them. For example Andrew Bird's character just vanishes half way through the season, after Loy finds out about the money. Also Calamita literally did nothing this season besides look scary and provide Gaetano someone to talk with. I suppose he did help kill Doctor Senator, but I get the feeling that was Gaetano's choice and not his.  I also wasn't very impressed by Chris Rock's performance, for some reason all of his characters just feel the same to me, even when he's trying to play someone different.

[Freshwater Spartan]

I know I am late to the party. I finally finished the season and again it proved to be one of the most enjoyable shows on TV. I really loved the setting, music and characters for this one. I was a little disappointed in the lack of North Dakota in this/season but I loved seeing how Hawley has been able to weave KC into the Fargo universe. I also loved the variety of film homage s this season. A New Years resolution of mine is to read one of Hawley's novels this year. The guy can write. I hope we get one more season. To make it onto my all time TV show list I think you need 5 seasons to qualify.

From best to worst i quality.

1. The movie.

2. Season 2

3. Season 4

4. Season 3 

5. Season 1

[DireWolfSpirit]

I'd probably go

1. S2

2. S1 & S3 tie

3. The movie

4. S4

Genny from Gomorah was not nearly as fierce as I thought his character should have been. A few too many marginal attempts at humor on the season as a whole.

The nurse and the funeral home family were actually more interesting than the gangsters, that's not a compliment to the show for me.

[Nictarion]

I’d rank them in exact chronological order. I’ve enjoyed them all, but the movie and the first couple seasons are in one tier, and the last two seasons another. 

[Iskaral Pust]

39 minutes ago, Nictarion said:

I’d rank them in exact chronological order. I’ve enjoyed them all, but the movie and the first couple seasons are in one tier, and the last two seasons another. 

Agreed.  I’m surprised by @Freshwater Spartan and @DireWolfSpirit ranking S1 so low.  It’s been a long time since I watched it but I recall Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton being very good in their roles, and Allison Tolman was a worthy successor to Frances McDormand.

A friend was griping to me about S4 over the holiday break.  He found it muddled and boring.

I believe the movie is back on Netflix.  It might be worth yet another rewatch. 

[DireWolfSpirit]

I'm not rating S1 low, I liked 1,2,3 and the movie, I just put S4 below the others.

[Iskaral Pust]

13 minutes ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

I'm not rating S1 low, I liked 1,2,3 and the movie, I just put S4 below the others.

I guess you liked S3 relatively more than I did (not that I disliked it, but Ewan McGregor fell a bit flat for me), which made it look like you had a relatively lower impression of S1.  Hell, you even liked S3 more than the movie.  

[DireWolfSpirit]

Absolutely 1,2, and 3 more than the movie.

I loved the movie as well but it's just one 2 hour show, whereas the seasons I had 10 episodes or so to enjoy.

Season 4 however fell well short of the movie and the seasons for me.

As I mentioned with S4 the wit or humor attempts were just a miss with me and the S4 tough guys didn't have that ruthless edge like we saw with Billy Bob Thorntons character or Hanzie(sp) in the earlier seasons for example.

[Freshwater Spartan]

32 minutes ago, Iskaral Pust said:

Agreed.  I’m surprised by @Freshwater Spartan and @DireWolfSpirit ranking S1 so low.  It’s been a long time since I watched it but I recall Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton being very good in their roles, and Allison Tolman was a worthy successor to Frances McDormand.

A friend was griping to me about S4 over the holiday break.  He found it muddled and boring.

I believe the movie is back on Netflix.  It might be worth yet another rewatch. 

Season 1 is great. It is an extremely fun and entertaining re- imagining of the movie. It was fun to see how Hawley moved the many set pieces from the movie into new places and new characters. Season 1 also features an excellent performance by Billy Bob Thorton. He's probably the best villain of the whole show. But it also the most derivative of all the seasons. So COMPARATIVELY it's weaker than the others.  Don't get me wrong. I love season 1. But I didn't start thinking Fargo was among the best shows on TV until the next couple of seasons aired.  Season 2 was perfect.

I know different strokes for different folks but I always wonder when I read comments by those who praised season 1 but trash the other seasons: Did they see the movie?  They must know that just about everything that is in season 1 was covered in the movie right?