Ok, we’re all fully on the Fargo bandwagon by now. Season one was solid, season two was top-tier, and the series has taken on a complete life of its own. Plus, by now it would be downright predictable of me, a Minnesotan, to criticize how Minnesotans are portrayed. So I won’t! What I will say is that season three is by far the best yet. Why? It ventures into surreal territory and pulls it off. The result isn’t just delightful oddness, but an oblique glimpse into our characters’ inner lives. Sci-fi writing, cocaine-dusted pasts are revealed, cats speak for the dead and bowling alleys turn into purgatory. Beyond this new stylistic ambition, we get our best female protagonist yet, Nikki Swango.
Overall Impression
A sideways glance at Minnesota, where your place in a phonebook can be a death sentence and the failure of automatic doors can make you question whether or not you’re real.
Why You Should Watch It
It won’t make you think as much as Westworld, but it does have a similar amount of angry women and murder.
Best Part
Nikki Swango, who gets written off as “Miss Penitentiary 2010,” yet masterminds one of the best action scenes in the series. The character of V.M. Varga should get a mention, too. This antisemitic, bulimic villain is as disgusting as villains come, but he’s played by David Thewlis with a mastery that almost rivals Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds.
Worst Part
The police chief who tried to shut down Burgle’s investigation because he refused to buy into complicated theories. How the hell did he become a police chief?
Also, Varga had great lines, but they were a little too good to feel like something someone would organically say in conversation.
Alternate Interpretation
A very long warning about impending class warfare.
Overall Rating
9/10. Elevates the Fargo series, making it altogether more daring and memorable.