-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Fargo - Season 3 - Brothers, Bridge, and Backstabbing in 2010 Minnesota - Wed on FX
- Thread starter Cornballer
- Start date
I was bored out of my mind these past two episodes. The only thing I liked was Sy getting undressed/dressed by his wife concerned with trivialities and then starting to cry; "the world is wrong"--eh, the writing could have been stronger, but at least they gave him some definition. They've done so much to establish these characters, but they only talk now to connect plot points, decorate the delivery of a plot point (Yuri getting the files) or recapitulate a relationship.
tearsintherain
Member
Maybe the two hitman have fallen in love with Nikki Swango and the three of them will now go off and form an unbeatable Bridge trio, beating all opponents in the northeast regionals but ultimately losing to cheating Floridian bastards.
I'm pretty sure thats going to be a better finale than the final 3 episodes.
I'm pretty sure thats going to be a better finale than the final 3 episodes.
If he doesn't do something cool this show is a waste.
Still surprised to see the negative reception of this season though. It has missteps, but I think some of what it offers is the strongest the series has been. Hopefully it all comes together well.
March of the Crabs
Member
I agree - the highs of this season are the highest this show has ever been and the performances are great. There's just a few bizarre writing choices that bring it down a bit.
Still a great season.
dead souls
Member
Bad episode of a bad season. Stick a fork in Hawley he's done.
And what a dumb thing to get sidetracked on--a style over substance virtually plotless waste of time.
FX is in a pretty bad rut right now drama wise outside of Ryan Murphy joints--Taboo was bad, the most recent season of The Americans was one of the most boring seasons of television I've ever watched, and Hawley has seemingly lost it. Maybe Snowfall will turn out to be good, which would be nice.
Oh well, we'll always have The Strain.
And what a dumb thing to get sidetracked on--a style over substance virtually plotless waste of time.
FX is in a pretty bad rut right now drama wise outside of Ryan Murphy joints--Taboo was bad, the most recent season of The Americans was one of the most boring seasons of television I've ever watched, and Hawley has seemingly lost it. Maybe Snowfall will turn out to be good, which would be nice.
Oh well, we'll always have The Strain.
lol
Kadayi
Banned
That for me was the shittiest part. Trying to pull another Malvo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D5RQNdp5X4
Otherwise, I didn't mind the episode, but I agree that for the most part, the men are all imbeciles, and Shea Wigham is the standout in that respect.
I hope that Mr Wrench is there for more than a throwback and serves some greater purpose in putting the proverbial spanner in the works with regard to Wolfboys intentions at the very least.
Grizzlyjin
Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
Legion felt like an indicator that he might be stretched a bit thin. I know folks around here love it. But I found the majority of its short run incredibly repetitive. The direction was top notch, but the story did absolutely nothing for me.
I'm​ finding Season 3 of Fargo a lot stronger than Legion, but there's something missing here too. Can't put my finger on it. It's just as the story goes on, the elements are clicking less and less for me. This episode verged on self parody. This season keeps swinging for those big moments, and I don't think they're hitting.
The second season was way better than the first, though.
Intheflorsh
Banned
Season two's general awfulness actually made me angry. This season inspires no feelings whatsoever. Maybe that's a step up?
IggyChooChoo
Member
I agree on both. The chief makes a lot more sense if he's in on it. Not sure why they would need him to be from the beginning, though. And Sy is awesome.
Pyroclastic
Banned
season two is the strongest, most consistent season by far.
I keep watching hoping this season will turn the corner. Seven episodes in and I don't care about anyone except Sy. I should be able to really root for Gloria but she's just bland. The bad guys feel like parody. Seriously, a Russian guy with a wolf mask who has basically given a couple "In my country..." speeches? This season feels like it was made by a bot that can mimic a style but can't nail any specific beats or surprises of it's own.
Cornballer
Member
- FX video: Inside Installment 3 Ep. 7: The Digital Age
- NY Mag review
- Warming Glow: Fargo Frozen Five: Sy Feltz Is A Broken Man
- NY Mag review
- Warming Glow: Fargo Frozen Five: Sy Feltz Is A Broken Man
dead souls
Member
Yep. I loved it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXevJJE0YXQ
The pause and then cut in that scene gives me chills. Perfection.
The pause and then cut in that scene gives me chills. Perfection.
Kadayi
Banned
The main problem I had with Season two was the ending and the implication that Hanzee
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon...XkFtZTgwNTQ5MjMyNzE@._V1_SY1000_SX660_AL_.jpg
Would after plastic extensive plastic surgery ends up looking like this, 20+ years down the road: -
http://s3.amazonaws.com/images.hitfix.com/assets/9885/fargo-hanzee-old.jpg
Probably seemed like 100% gold in the writer's room, less so when you consider the appearance of the actors involved.
Lumpy Onion
Member
Good episode. Visually it was really nice to look at. Especially liked the scene with the two of them at Varga's house on the staircase, and that screen transition in the prison cell. Final few minutes were amazing too. Glad to hear that theme from S1 on the bus.
"Syphilitic floozy" line cracked me up.
"Syphilitic floozy" line cracked me up.
Season 2 was great, though.
That's child's play com pared to
a ufo fucking up the tone of what should've been a flawless climax.
Someone in this thread metioned it already, but as much as I like this series it has components of greatness but it's never quite as good or clever as it seems to think it is.
The biggest problem with Fargo is that it's based on the flawed premise that Fargo as a movie had this deep mythology that would resonate across several generations of varied characters, mixing in tonal shifts and lore from the Coen brothers' other films along with well-worn television tropes and artistic choices.
Yes, the movie Fargo features a selfish, stupid man who makes a decision based on greed that spirals out of control. That does not excuse screenwriting that ignores the basics of common sense for the sake of creating false tension or moving the plot forward.
It's a crime story. A central character is mixed up with some shady individuals and has become a criminal. Given that they have no prior baggage to tie this character to past seasons, it should be relatively straightforward to create any number of seasons based on this. What they do instead is make what they perceived as "quirky" in Coen movies into a tiresome series of bland revelations. There's no one to relate to in this season, no event we fear happening, and no outcome we want to happen, so what's the point of it all?
Yes, the movie Fargo features a selfish, stupid man who makes a decision based on greed that spirals out of control. That does not excuse screenwriting that ignores the basics of common sense for the sake of creating false tension or moving the plot forward.
It's a crime story. A central character is mixed up with some shady individuals and has become a criminal. Given that they have no prior baggage to tie this character to past seasons, it should be relatively straightforward to create any number of seasons based on this. What they do instead is make what they perceived as "quirky" in Coen movies into a tiresome series of bland revelations. There's no one to relate to in this season, no event we fear happening, and no outcome we want to happen, so what's the point of it all?
IggyChooChoo
Member
Yeah, this is ringing true with me. I actually thought Ray had the most interesting story, and now that he's gone, who is there to root for? Do I really care if Emmett gets his company looted by the Russians or not? Maybe the ending will redeem it and I'll see something more in Gloria or something.
Kadayi
Banned
Yeah, I think that's a fair criticism. I think the characters are on point, but I agree that the resolutions never quite hit the highs they should. This is partly my concern with the sudden appearance of Mr Wrench, is he there just for 'hey audience look it's Mr Wrench' or is he there to mess us Yuri's plans to off Nikki?
Caught up
I'll say I'm definitely not liking Varga, Yuri and Meemo overall. They're pure evil collections of affectations. Unless this turns towards some surrealistic nightmare, they're not working for me. I'd also like this season to be about more than some wink about truth and story being interchangeable.
I also think part of this season's problem is that the main characters are too distanced from the inciting incidents. Emmit takes a stupid loan and then Varga just steamrolls the rest. Ray at least set his part off, even if LeFay took it in a vastly different direction than Ray ever intended. It's not at all like S1's Lester making a snap choice and then kind of learning he's been suppressing some bad character traits and Malvo is ready to goad and enable him.
I think Varga and his crew are just a giant distraction. If the focus were on the sibling rivalry and how that spills out, that'd be best. The near-supernatural villainy of Varga is from a totally different story.
I'll say I'm definitely not liking Varga, Yuri and Meemo overall. They're pure evil collections of affectations. Unless this turns towards some surrealistic nightmare, they're not working for me. I'd also like this season to be about more than some wink about truth and story being interchangeable.
I also think part of this season's problem is that the main characters are too distanced from the inciting incidents. Emmit takes a stupid loan and then Varga just steamrolls the rest. Ray at least set his part off, even if LeFay took it in a vastly different direction than Ray ever intended. It's not at all like S1's Lester making a snap choice and then kind of learning he's been suppressing some bad character traits and Malvo is ready to goad and enable him.
I think Varga and his crew are just a giant distraction. If the focus were on the sibling rivalry and how that spills out, that'd be best. The near-supernatural villainy of Varga is from a totally different story.
Weird episode to have 2 different moments that had me go "who's that?"
Who was the guy that broke into the jail to try to kill Nikki?
I know who the guy on the bus is now, but when I saw that reveal I was just like "is that a guy from a previous season? Ok."
Yup, I agree. The best way I can describe the movie and the first two seasons is "that feeling you get as a kid when you've done something wrong and your parents are getting closer and closer to finding out." This season doesn't really have that, though you can tell they tried.
How do you guys know that dude's name?
Who was the guy that broke into the jail to try to kill Nikki?
I know who the guy on the bus is now, but when I saw that reveal I was just like "is that a guy from a previous season? Ok."
Yup, I agree. The best way I can describe the movie and the first two seasons is "that feeling you get as a kid when you've done something wrong and your parents are getting closer and closer to finding out." This season doesn't really have that, though you can tell they tried.
How do you guys know that dude's name?
Give it a go. This has been some of the best television in history these past few seasons.
PinkCrayon
Member
If Varga's crew are going to kill Nikki anyway, why didn't they do it at the motel?
This season isn't gripping me quite as much as season 2 did, but I still think it's been enjoyable. Episodes 4 and 5 really dragged, but I feel like it's picking up again. I love the more absurd elements the show sprinkles throughout, and I thought up until now it had been quite low on them so I'm glad it's making up for it now. Kinda shocked at how much people are turning on it, though, because it's easily better than the mess that season 1 was. That had far more misses than this season, imo, and it wrapped up awfully. Season 2 is one of the few perfect seasons of television in my eyes, so I'm shocked to see that people hated that, too. It's definitely harder to care about this season with Twin Peaks back (Lynch just gets into my head with his imagery and atmosphere), but I'm very interested to see where this is heading. That episode felt like a lead-up to a season finale, but we still got three episodes left. Shea's character is a jackass, but I think that's definitely more a commentary on dismissive men thinking they know better than the women they work with. There's definitely people who're like that, and I think it's funny that people find him so unbelievable.
Lol at everyone jumping to the conclusion of Noah stretching himself thin.
Lol at everyone jumping to the conclusion of Noah stretching himself thin.
maquiladora
Member
What the fuck am I reading
Uhh, when was he actually up? I was thinking of watching Legion because there is\was buzz around it and maybe that's where his good work is actually is.
Pretty hilarious to see this season getting criticized over what S1 & S2 had tenfold more.
BenjaminBirdie
Banned
Last few episodes have been a big improvement.
I'll definitely be disappointed if Mr. Wrench doesn't monumentally fuck up Yuri.
I'll definitely be disappointed if Mr. Wrench doesn't monumentally fuck up Yuri.
The Horror the horror
Banned
They were going to.
Meemo was waiting for her in the motel tub behind the shower curtain then got an SOS call from Varga, so he aborted mission. When he cleaned up the mess of Ray's murder and returned to the motel, he saw the place swarming with cops.
dantevsninjas
Member
Because the plan changed when Emmit killed Ray. They decided to pin his murder on her, which would be somewhat more difficult if she was found dead in her motel room.
Kadayi
Banned
Indeed. I figure in the dark and confusion Wrench will just naturally assume Yuri must be someone sent to get him. Which should afford Nikki the opportunity to escape. I just hope Wrench doesn't get killed in the process because he's the only character to feature in all 3 seasons now (he was a kid in Season 2) plus who knows maybe he's really good at Bridge as well as being a bad ass.
I think Season 1 was novel but certainly the great actors helped (one of the best of Billy Bobs career imo). Season 2, which I didn't like as much, still had Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons to liven things up. Can you even compare Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead to them?
Herr Schwarz
Banned
Yeah that Russian guy thinks he's boris the blade.
Bitch looks like the Russian version of Jim from The Office.
Standing around waxing lyrical implying he's some kind of coldwar badass mass murderer. Punk was about 1 years old when that was going down.
I'm still loving the show though, I feel like it's a becoming a victim of its own tropes however.
How many times can you rewrite the same bumbling crappy cop getting in the way of real police work.
Plus the thin line they have to dance in regards to "oh ye we're from bumfuck minnesota our ways are different we're a bit slow but we sure do trust any fella and have good wholesome yet simple values"
I'm in the UK and going by the perpetual stereotype, people from minnesota must of only started using toilet paper since 2007.
Still like the show but I feel like good ideas are getting overplayed.
Eugh it also feels like this show is blue balling me pretty hard. Always these close call moments and still no hail of gun fire yet.
My money is on that shit cop getting killed doing the right thing at the end though. Like once he's persuaded he'll double down and get shot.
Bitch looks like the Russian version of Jim from The Office.
Standing around waxing lyrical implying he's some kind of coldwar badass mass murderer. Punk was about 1 years old when that was going down.
I'm still loving the show though, I feel like it's a becoming a victim of its own tropes however.
How many times can you rewrite the same bumbling crappy cop getting in the way of real police work.
Plus the thin line they have to dance in regards to "oh ye we're from bumfuck minnesota our ways are different we're a bit slow but we sure do trust any fella and have good wholesome yet simple values"
I'm in the UK and going by the perpetual stereotype, people from minnesota must of only started using toilet paper since 2007.
Still like the show but I feel like good ideas are getting overplayed.
Eugh it also feels like this show is blue balling me pretty hard. Always these close call moments and still no hail of gun fire yet.
My money is on that shit cop getting killed doing the right thing at the end though. Like once he's persuaded he'll double down and get shot.
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
I want to love this season but it feels like it flatlined around the point VM was introduced. They had the premise but weren't quite sure what to do with it.
loganclaws
Plane Escape Torment
Are we supposed to know who the imposter cop was?
Mr. Wrench! That was a nice surprise.
like I said, I still like this season, but I agree with most of the complaints in here as it's getting pretty silly.
like I said, I still like this season, but I agree with most of the complaints in here as it's getting pretty silly.
except they didn't, but I already know that arguing with you is a complete waste of time so I'm gonna slowly pretend I never replied.
would be cool. seems like the slow pan reveal was made too big of a deal to just forget about him
That's why i call them (Breaking Bad, Fargo, The Leftovers) 'good bad shows'. They are well acted, well directed, well shot, well composed shows that simply have weak\poor writing and plotting.
If the criticism is contrived plotting and senseless behavior, then ofc S1 and S2 had bucket-loads of that. That's just a fact.
Hit-and-run driver that proceeds to drive to her home with a body on the hood. Police chief that can't process the simplest of crime scenes despite evidence screaming at him. Fat guy out-running a car to a destination. The Indian guy not killing\tying up the shopkeeper to prevent him calling the cops. Flying saucer showing up in the exact moment to save our protagonist from death. That's what i remember from the top of my head.
I just don't see how you can give S3 flak for things previous seasons had in abundance but still think S1 & S2 had great writing and plotting. Season 3 is the 'least offender' on that front. Maybe the characters and overall story isn't as interesting, but the essence is the same.
Really liked the scene between Yuri and the cop.
Definitely got those vibes but I really dug it. The tension felt real.
Definitely got those vibes but I really dug it. The tension felt real.
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked
- Locked
- Locked
- Poll