9.3

Fargo: “Before the Law”

(Episode 2.02)

TV Reviews Fargo
Fargo: “Before the Law”

I’ve been thinking a lot about the violence on Fargo. I’m someone who has a hard time with gory images—I don’t watch The Walking Dead, or The Strain or Game of Thrones. But I had no problem watching Ed dispose of Rye’s body via a meat grinder. The scene, a not-so-subtle callback to the movie’s iconic wood chipper scene, was extraordinarily graphic and might have made me a vegetarian for life. But, as disgusting as it was, there is a kind of elegance to how the show portrays violence. It doesn’t wallow in it. It is presented in an almost matter-of-fact style. Ed has to dispose of the body. What else is he going to do?

But Ed is in quite a predicament. We learned this week that he’s friends with Lou, who stops by the butcher shop at the worst possible time. Lou wants to get some bacon for breakfast as one of Rye’s fingers rolls on the floor. Ed didn’t get caught this time, but we know Lou is a good cop and Ed is in over his head. We also learned that Peggy is even more troubled than we first thought. Peggy has stolen all the toilet paper from the beauty salon where she works. And you don’t get the feeling that she’s stolen the toilet paper because they can’t afford it. There’s got to be some deep-rooted psychological issues at play here—does stealing things make her feel more in control of her life? And her co-worker Constance found out about the toilet paper and the car accident. Peggy is not a great liar (she tells Constance conflicting stories about the car accident), which doesn’t bode well for Ed and Peggy. It also doesn’t bode well for Ed that Lou now knows he was at the butcher shop when he didn’t need to be. How long before that little tidbit comes out?

The Gerhardt family is looking for Rye and so is Joe Bulo’s right-hand man Mike Mulligan. Joe wants to take over the Gerhardt business by any means necessary—either they acquire them financially with the Gerhardt’s cooperation, or they kill them, it doesn’t matter to Joe. They want to find Rye because, “the first Gerhardt to switch sides gets a shiny red apple.”

The Gerhardt’s have problems of their own. Oldest brother Dodd wants to take over the business, but so does his mother Floyd. According to Dodd, the boss can’t be a woman. But Floyd is unlikely to cede to her son.

Meanwhile Lou takes Betsy and Molly to the crime scene where Molly discovers an old balloon, which leads to the discovery of the gun—which kind of makes you realize how Molly grew up to be a cop. And I have to admit, there’s a certain relief in knowing that Lou survives all of this. I’m not so sure about Hank. In a scene reminiscent of when Gus pulled over Malvo last season, Hank stops Mike and the Kitchen brothers on their way out of Luverne. Unlike Gus, Hank doesn’t back down, but he also has no reason to detain Mike and has to let them pass. I’m loving Bokeem Woodbine’s performance as Mike. His smile and calm demeanor are so deceptive. He gives these incredible speeches that have a nearly undetectable undercurrent of evil.

I’m also loving Cristin Miloti’s performance as Betsy. You can feel the strain Betsy’s illness is having on her and her marriage. She’s trying to create a normal life for her family, but you can also tell she knows that is no longer possible. She’s playing a woman who knows she is going to die very soon. It’s heartbreaking to watch.

With so many people searching for Rye, it can’t be long until his death is discovered. And then what will happen to poor Ed?

Other thoughts on “Before the Law:”

This is the first episode that showrunner Noah Hawley directed.

Should we start a pool about who we think is going to die next? I’m worried about Hank.

I really love some of the show’s subtle touches, like Bear drinking half-and-half. Tells you so much about his character.


Amy Amatangelo is a Boston-based freelance writer, a member of the Television Critics Association and a regular contributor to Paste. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter or her blog.

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