Danish had to die. Tillman was not going to forgive being humiliated.

This episode...holy crap. Best of the season.

I'm wondering if Roy has truly gone off the deep end, didn't expect how his encounter with Danish would go. My money is still on Dot in the end though.

And even more so than last week, I would not want to be Gator right about now.

Weird that Danish thought he would just show up and resolve a kidnapping, like it would be no big deal. I suppose the cop could have given him a little bit more of a heads-up at how crazy they are, like point to the bullet-hole in the windshield at least.

Mr President Elect said:

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Weird that Danish thought he would just show up and resolve a kidnapping, like it would be no big deal. I suppose the cop could have given him a little bit more of a heads-up at how crazy they are, like point to the bullet-hole in the windshield at least.

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I kind of wonder if he sacrificed himself. You could tell he didn't want to go and he had to have known what would happen… he's clearly shown himself to be extremely smart.

Mr President Elect said:

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Weird that Danish thought he would just show up and resolve a kidnapping, like it would be no big deal. I suppose the cop could have given him a little bit more of a heads-up at how crazy they are, like point to the bullet-hole in the windshield at least.

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He has been able to solve every other problem they have had with money and connections. What he didn't factor in was the humiliation they had caused Tillman. That was not going to be forgiven. Also, I don't think Roy negotiates from a position other than the most powerful at the table.

Yeah, I think we saw at the debate that Roy has no idea what to do when he's not the one in control of a situation.

Danish had a fundamentally flawed assumption that everything is negotiable and people act rationally.

They should open the next episode with a voiceover from Cool Hand Luke
"What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men, you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week -- which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it."

Aggie_Journalist said:

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Danish had a fundamentally flawed assumption that everything is negotiable and people act rationally.

They should open the next episode with a voiceover from Cool Hand Luke
"What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men, you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week -- which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it."

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As a kid, I always thought that was just the intro to Civil War by GNR. LOL.

Took me a few years to figure that one out, too

Mr President Elect said:

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Weird that Danish thought he would just show up and resolve a kidnapping, like it would be no big deal. I suppose the cop could have given him a little bit more of a heads-up at how crazy they are, like point to the bullet-hole in the windshield at least.

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Yup, my wife and I were like, Danish's death is almost completely on the cop (well, and of course Roy too) but he tells him she's running out of time and doesn't give him any other heads up about the death trap he was driving his Porsche into.

Maybe he was still mad about Danish explaining "reality" to him earlier in the season.

Jon Hamm in a cowboy hat is hot. Jon hamm in this character is evil. He should take over Yellowstone.

"I can't do anything because she didn't say it was a kidnapping even though it clearly is, and I also can't do anything even though they threatened to kill me and shot my car. But good luck and let me know how it goes" was pretty bad

Just a thought...by this point, he had been convinced that law enforcement had little authority over the rich and powerful and thought the rich and powerful were more likely to be able to save her.

ffco said:

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Just a thought...by this point, he had been convinced that law enforcement had little authority over the rich and powerful and thought the rich and powerful were more likely to be able to save her.

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Interesting as Lorraine clearly shares this viewpoint as well when telling Indira how useless the police are. So I'd imagine Danish felt similarly.

I kind of thought Mr. Wrench would have made an appearance by now.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2024/01/07/why-fargo-season-5-doesnt-feel-like-fargo-anymore/?sh=21bf5c3f24ca

"In the fifth season of Noah Hawley's Fargo series, based off of the 1996 Coen Brothers film of the same name, many of the Fargo-isms we've come to expect from the show remain, but the show itself has become an entirely different beast."

zap said:

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2024/01/07/why-fargo-season-5-doesnt-feel-like-fargo-anymore/?sh=21bf5c3f24ca

"In the fifth season of Noah Hawley's Fargo series, based off of the 1996 Coen Brothers film of the same name, many of the Fargo-isms we've come to expect from the show remain, but the show itself has become an entirely different beast."

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I appreciate you finding this article, which links to some other comments on the show.

It captures some of what I've been feeling about the gratuitous drive-by politics and the overwhelming darkness of Dot's situation.

I had briefly ruminated over a possible Wizard of Oz connection, only because of "Dorothy" and "Lyon," but could not reasonably take it any further.

I do agree this season has trended thematically more black and white, while other seasons have been grey.

Maybe Danish's death would have been more shocking if they had not already demonstrated he was a stone cold killer.

Is there a difference between FX and Hulu broadcasts? I've been watching Hulu only, but just realized FX comes out earlier and I'm dying to see the next episode. Do you miss any quality or content if you watch on FX via Direct TV?

Phrasing said:

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Is there a difference between FX and Hulu broadcasts? I've been watching Hulu only, but just realized FX comes out earlier and I'm dying to see the next episode. Do you miss any quality or content if you watch on FX via Direct TV?

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My FX channel via YouTubeTV seems to be really crappy resolution. The Hulu versions always look crisper. This is especially noticeable on dark scenes like the Halloween night break in.

ETA: I bet if I logged into the FX app with my YouTube credentials, I'd get a better resolution. Not sure when the new episodes are available on the FX app though.

Thanks! Yeah, I feel like the resolution on Direct TV is not as good as streaming. But more worried about if they cut out stuff for FX on cable. Will probably watch tonight on FX and rewatch on Hulu later this week.

Teddy Perkins said:

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Phrasing said:

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Is there a difference between FX and Hulu broadcasts? I've been watching Hulu only, but just realized FX comes out earlier and I'm dying to see the next episode. Do you miss any quality or content if you watch on FX via Direct TV?

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My FX channel via YouTubeTV seems to be really crappy resolution. The Hulu versions always look crisper. This is especially noticeable on dark scenes like the Halloween night break in.

ETA: I bet if I logged into the FX app with my YouTube credentials, I'd get a better resolution. Not sure when the new episodes are available on the FX app though.

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the resolution on FX on YouTubeTV is astoundingly bad. Do not understand it.

Resolution is standard across the channel (720p/1080i) - same for all broadcast channels. The streaming app often offers 1080p or even 4K for some programs.

But what makes it really crappy on linear/streaming/broadcast tv is the low bitrate they push through. It's horrendous on FX and AMC, among others.

Can't wait for the finale. Last night's episode was top-notch Fargo, IMO. The talk between Tillman and the FBI and the call between JJL and Dot were highlights for me.

Roy kills me with the Danish breakfast references

Interesting episode. I had to watch it early, even with the diminished FX broadcast.

Well that sure all hit the fan last night

There was something really poetic about Munch being the one that saved Dot, so perfect. And poor Gator, damn.

Im only halfway through, but when they started playing Prodigy's SMBU before Tillman's son/crew goes to try and get Nadine I was effing hyped.

What was the white thing on the floor that Roy stepped around in the dugout? Then some sort of memory/image appeared briefly.

OldArmy71 said:

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What was the white thing on the floor that Roy stepped around in the dugout? Then some sort of memory/image appeared briefly.

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The dead animal - goat I think - that Ole Munch killed and spread its blood all over his body before going in their house and writing an obscure symbol on the wall of Tillman's daughter's room. I think that was Episdoe 2.

zap said:

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2024/01/07/why-fargo-season-5-doesnt-feel-like-fargo-anymore/?sh=21bf5c3f24ca

"In the fifth season of Noah Hawley's Fargo series, based off of the 1996 Coen Brothers film of the same name, many of the Fargo-isms we've come to expect from the show remain, but the show itself has become an entirely different beast."

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So I reread this and I really don't agree with most of the writer's conclusions. Roy has just as much and I'd wager more depth than Malvo or Varga, characters who were evil just because. He's someone who's power has grown unchecked, turning him into someone who rules his own world with no consequences. And Dot is far from an angel; she's escaped her past personal hell to build a new life of her own that she believes in, using survival tactics she picked up along the way. And you can pretty easily explain away how she thinks and acts when considering she lived in Roy's paramilitary world for I'm guessing 10+ years.

Indira and Witt Farr are the show's moral compass, good hearted law enforcement who want to do the right thing while dealing with struggles of their own. The Indira vs Lorraine battling perspectives have been interesting to watch, especially given the recent turn there.

I also think Danish's actions make perfect sense. He didn't realize what Roy would resort to with his back against a wall and maybe Roy didn't either, that isn't a position Roy is accustomed to being in. Danish is a man who's never not been able to negotiate his way out of something so he went to his SOP with Roy, putting him in an untenable position and expecting him to take the easy solution. He expected a reasonable person's response, not realizing that Roy is only a facade of a reasonable person.

I also really enjoy the Roy vs Lorraine dynamic, what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Neither of them has ever faced someone they couldn't just overpower, outsmart, or outspend, but now they have to figure out how to deal with someone who doesn't operate under the same rules that they do.

Wow. Thank you!

OldArmy71 said:

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Wow. Thank you!

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NP! I thought it was a fantastic call back given what happens in the next scene (Munch coming back and saving Dot) Just fantastic writing.

I thought it was funny when Lorraine called the Orange Idiot and "Bill". "Honestly, what's the point of being a billionaire if I can't have somebody killed? Ha ha. Bill (Clinton?), I'm gonna have to call you back."
Genius!