FX's FARGO Discussion Thread

[volodya]

As with past seasons, with the exception of last season, the thing that makes Fargo stand out is the performances. Truly great performances all-around. Perhaps nobody did more with less than Lamorne Morris as the happenstance deputy, and true protagonist of the season, misfortunately caught up in this criminal imbroglio.

Except for one. Jennifer Jason Leigh. She's awful. Terrible miscasting. Her role could have brought so much more emotional weight.

What did you not like about JJL? It's Fargo ffs, I'd like to hear that one...

 

[Madmick]

What did you not like about JJL? It's Fargo ffs, I'd like to hear that one...

She was wooden, but not in a good Cary Grant way. She chose to come off as some stilted 20th century old money Translatlantic-warbling New England classist, but that isn't the character at all. She wasn't defined as an heiress. Her character is written as domineering with a new money, post-feminist outlook on everything. She wouldn't walk around doing this Lauren Bacall routine.

Nothing about her performance is convincing. This is a midwestern/northern woman who runs a billion dollar debt-collecting business that holds everyone with an entitled attitude in contempt, including conservatives, and that isn't just about an entitlement to money. Her contempt is for any sensibility of entitlement to anything unearned. She's particularly irritated by men who expect her to participate in notions of deference related to gender. To her, that is just another entitled attitude these men expect as a matter of cultural inheritance. She hates that. So why on earth would she adopt this feminine veneer popular with groomed debutantes from an earlier era who behaved in a way that was expected of them like she attended some finishing school?

This character, if treated realistically, is no nonsense, straightforward, and has no patience for the theatrical approach that JJL took to the character. She isn't afraid to adorn her wealth, but she isn't for pageantry. That's for airheaded beauty queens, and it's beneath her. Even a caricature of her character as a real person, which is what Fargo does, wouldn't have her this aloof. She would be more warm, more emotionally accessible, but willing to flip a switch on a dime, and put anyone in their place if they think they could leverage her inner humanity to contradict her will.

She was awful. Just awful.

 

[volodya]

S

She was wooden, but not a good Cary Grant way. She chose to come off as some stilted 20th century old money Translatlantic-warbling New England classist, but that isn't the character at all. She wasn't defined as an heiress. Her character is written as domineering with a new money, post-feminist outlook on everything. She wouldn't walk around doing this Lauren Bacall routine.

Nothing about her performance is convincing. This is a midwestern/northern woman who runs a billion dollar debt-collecting business that holds everyone with an entitled attitude in contempt, including conservatives, and that isn't just about an entitlement to money. Her contempt is for any sensibility of entitlement to anything unearned. She's particularly irritated by men who expect her to participate in notions of deference related to gender. To her, that is just another entitled attitude these men expect as a matter of cultural inheritance. She hates that. So why on earth would she adopt this veneer of a women who behaved in a way that was expected of them like she attended some finishing school?

This character, if treated realistically, is no nonsense, straightforward, and has no patience for the theatrical approach that JJL took to the character. She isn't afraid to adorn her wealth, but she isn't for pageantry. That's for airheaded beauty queens, and it's beneath her. Even a caricature of her character as a real person, which is what Fargo does, wouldn't have her to aloof. She would be more warm, more emotionally accessible, but willing to flip a switch on a dime, and put anyone in their place if they think they could leverag
e her inner humanity to contradict her will.

She was awful. Just awful.

She, and the writers did all that backwards, basically lol. What is so difficult for you to understand about that?

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

The turquoise colored tracking device with the extended antenna that Gator uses to track Munch, is the same one from No Country for Old Men. If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure they used that in another season but I don’t remember .
Even the way Roy has the introduction monologue about being apart of a lineage of sheriffs is much like the Tommy Lee Jones’ monologue at the first of No Country.

Nice catch!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Last episode definitely felt underwhelming but overall a great season.

My rankings:
1, 3, 2, 5 ........I guess I could give #4 a try but it'll take some time. Gonna finish True Detective first lol

 

[Fox by the Sea]

i'm halfway through this, but i'm impressed by juno temple.
she looks haggard, had that buccal fat removal operation for sure, making her look even more like a downtrodden victim, while at the same time compellingly producing a way more brutal and dangerous persona than her tiny frame could on first glance would be expected to.

 

[Madmick]

She, and the writers did all that backwards, basically lol. What is so difficult for you to understand about that?

Make the case. Justify it.

 

[gspieler]

7/10

This season set the stage well, but the last several episodes seem anticlimactic. Also, for a show that's supposed to have an aura of realism, the writers take a lot of liberties in stretching the boundaries of suspension of disbelief.

Performances were consistently good(but not great), and production values were excellent. But the story itself has holes, and wrîting often comes off as lazy. Still worth watching. Just not as good as previous seasons

 

[TheCryingElite]

She was wooden, but not a good Cary Grant way. She chose to come off as some stilted 20th century old money Translatlantic-warbling New England classist, but that isn't the character at all. She wasn't defined as an heiress. Her character is written as domineering with a new money, post-feminist outlook on everything. She wouldn't walk around doing this Lauren Bacall routine.

Nothing about her performance is convincing. This is a midwestern/northern woman who runs a billion dollar debt-collecting business that holds everyone with an entitled attitude in contempt, including conservatives, and that isn't just about an entitlement to money. Her contempt is for any sensibility of entitlement to anything unearned. She's particularly irritated by men who expect her to participate in notions of deference related to gender. To her, that is just another entitled attitude these men expect as a matter of cultural inheritance. She hates that. So why on earth would she adopt this veneer of a women who behaved in a way that was expected of them like she attended some finishing school?

This character, if treated realistically, is no nonsense, straightforward, and has no patience for the theatrical approach that JJL took to the character. She isn't afraid to adorn her wealth, but she isn't for pageantry. That's for airheaded beauty queens, and it's beneath her. Even a caricature of her character as a real person, which is what Fargo does, wouldn't have her to aloof. She would be more warm, more emotionally accessible, but willing to flip a switch on a dime, and put anyone in their place if they think they could leverage her inner humanity to contradict her will.

She was awful. Just awful.

I like this break down. Her character initially irked me too. Especially with the translatlantic accent. It didn’t come off as remotely natural at all, coupling with her general blasé attitude. JJL is usually pretty good. However I would say I warmed up to her more as the season progressed.
I honestly think that was the functionality of binge watching the whole season in one sitting. I imagine if I watched on a week to week basis, I may have never taken any sort of liking to her. It probably would have felt like I had to get use to her every week.
Overall I like this season quite a bit but I do agree it’s a little underwhelming compare to the first 3 seasons with being a bit better than the 4th.

 

[Madmick]

I like this break down. Her character initially irked me too. Especially with the translatlantic accent. It didn’t come off as remotely natural at all, coupling with her general blasé attitude. JJL is usually pretty good. However I would say I warmed up to her more as the season progressed.
I honestly think that was the functionality of binge watching the whole season in one sitting. I imagine if I watched on a week to week basis, I may have never taken any sort of liking to her. It probably would have felt like I had to get use to her every week.
Overall I like this season quite a bit but I do agree it’s a little underwhelming compare to the first 3 seasons with being a bit better than the 4th.

Yes, I'm not saying JJL is a bad actress, she's done extraordinary work, but she was extraordinarily offputting in this, and didn't resonate with her character or the viewer (myself) at all.

Jodie Foster is a phenomenal actress. But she gave one of the worst performances I've ever seen in Elysium. Great actors and actresses are capable of misfiring, too.

 

[TheCryingElite]

Yes, I'm not saying JJL is a bad actress, she's done extraordinary work, but she was extraordinarily bad offputting in this, and didn't resonate with her character or the viewer (myself) at all.

Jodie Foster is a phenomenal actress. But she gave one of the worst performances I've ever seen in Elysium. Great actors and actresses are capable of misfiring, too.

Oh yeah for sure. In fact they’re so good most of the time, that when they do have a “miss” it’s seemingly more egregious.

 

[misterfurious]

Except for one. Jennifer Jason Leigh. She's awful. Terrible miscasting. Her role could have brought so much more emotional weight.

I can’t figure out why she sounds like a drunken southern belle; her son has the typical exaggerated Minnesota accent, as does everyone around her. Makes no sense.

 

[koquerelle]

I haven't seen season 4. Is it worth it?

As with past seasons, with the exception of last season, the thing that makes Fargo stand out is the performances. Truly great performances all-around. Perhaps nobody did more with less than Lamorne Morris as the happenstance deputy, and true protagonist of the season, misfortunately caught up in this criminal imbroglio.

Except for one. Jennifer Jason Leigh. She's awful. Terrible miscasting. Her role could have brought so much more emotional weight.

99% agree. She tried to do something she didn't have the talent to do or it simply didn't work. I haven't figured out which. It was obvious from the first line she delivered. I think she would have been okay if the director had guided towards another path.

 

[Threetrees]

I haven't seen season 4. Is it worth it?

99% agree. She tried to do something she didn't have the talent to do or it simply didn't work. I haven't figured out which. It was obvious from the first line she delivered. I think she would have been okay if the director had guided towards another path.

I couldn’t get through season 4 it was too unfocused and the theme did nothing for me.
A character named Doctor Senator played by the great character actor Glynn Turman carried from a performance standpoint ( though Jason Schwartzman was excellent as always) otherwise the performances weren’t great.

I got about half way through and stopped

 

[jeff7b9]

Watching this put of order.

Saw S2 first, then S5. Watching S1 now..


Man, the editing in season one is just BAD. However, the characters and interactions are entertaining. BillyBob has created quite the nuanced nutjob. Got to suspend disbelief because no one talks or interacts like that, but as I am here to be entertained, I am willing to go along for the ride and have fun.
I dig the music in S1.

 

[gspieler]

Yes, I'm not saying JJL is a bad actress, she's done extraordinary work, but she was extraordinarily offputting in this, and didn't resonate with her character or the viewer (myself) at all.

Jodie Foster is a phenomenal actress. But she gave one of the worst performances I've ever seen in Elysium. Great actors and actresses are capable of misfiring, too.

I can’t figure out why she sounds like a drunken southern belle; her son has the typical exaggerated Minnesota accent, as does everyone around her. Makes no sense.

Do we actually know she chose to play the character that way, and it that it wasn't a function of the writing/directing? I mean, I can't imagine she controlled all of the variables(including the script) that made that character present the way it did.

 

[gspieler]

I haven't seen season 4. Is it worth it?

99% agree. She tried to do something she didn't have the talent to do or it simply didn't work. I haven't figured out which. It was obvious from the first line she delivered. I think she would have been okay if the director had guided towards another path.

Season 4 is underrated, if anything. IMO, it's as good as the first three(or at least, on a similar level). It stands out like a sore thumb, however, in that it fundamentally changes what Fargo is supposed to be about(which are morbid tales of crime from the Upper Midwest, doused in dark humor). Season 4 is set in a different place, time, told from a different cultural perspective, and doesn't rely nearly as much on dark humor. It's a good song; just doesn't belong on that album. 8/10

 

[misterfurious]

Do we actually know she chose to play the character that way, and it that it wasn't a function of the writing/directing? I mean, I can't imagine she controlled all of the variables(including the script) that made that character present the way it did.

No idea, but whoever made that decision made a bad one.

 

[Bojka]

Watching this put of order.

Saw S2 first, then S5. Watching S1 now..


Man, the editing in season one is just BAD. However, the characters and interactions are entertaining. BillyBob has created quite the nuanced nutjob. Got to suspend disbelief because no one talks or interacts like that, but as I am here to be entertained, I am willing to go along for the ride and have fun.
I dig the music in S1.

Billy Bob isn't really a nut job in that he isn't crazy or deficient. He's more sadistic and psychopathic while being exceptionally competent and a bit of a troll. He's just supposed to be a predator. One of the main themes of the season compares people to animals and the idea is he isn't domesticated while Lester is. One of my favourite characters ever. Season 1 is a bit polarizing for some reason, but IMO it's by far the best.

 

[Madmick]

Do we actually know she chose to play the character that way, and it that it wasn't a function of the writing/directing? I mean, I can't imagine she controlled all of the variables(including the script) that made that character present the way it did.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter. I don't care where blame is assigned. She's responsible for the performance that goes on the screen at the end of the day. And it was terrible.