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The 7 - Movies & TV - Fargo 1x9: A Fox, A Rabbit, and A Cabbage
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Mr Shh
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#1 Posted on 13.6.14 1749.40
Reposted on: 13.6.21 1749.41
The title of Fargo’s penultimate episode is related to the latest riddle we hear Key pose to Peele as they pass the time away in the dull Fargo FBI file room: A man with a boat has to safely transport a fox, a rabbit and a cabbage from one side of the river to the other. He can only take one item with him at a time. Also, he cannot leave the fox alone with the rabbit, because the fox will eat the rabbit. Same thing with the rabbit and the cabbage. This particular riddle describes the action of this week’s episode, as all of the key pieces in the Malvo/Lester/Gus/Molly have to safely move to the same spot so that we can have the final showdown next week.

Peele shows he’s not keen on solving these types of brain teasers. His solutions to the riddle (1. get a bigger boat, 2. turducken) show that for him, in order to solve a problem, one can’t be bound to all of these pesky rules and constraints. Real-world problems aren’t bound by these rules, so why should the solutions be? In the riddle you’re making assumptions about who eats what, but who’s to say that the fox wouldn’t eat the cabbage if let alone with it? The silver-haired fox in our story, Lorne Malvo, certainly would. He has shown, and continues to show, that he’s not constrained by any rules, not even his own.

Malvo’s more than just a fox. He takes joy out of corrupting innocent people, like Lester Nygaard. As a pastime, he listens to recordings of conversations he has with people after he sets them down a path of evil past the point of no return. He is the Devil.


We pick the action up where we left off last week, One Year Later, when Lester discovers that he and Lorne freaking Malvo are enjoying cocktails in the same Vegas hotel bar. We know how Lester got there. But how did Malvo? We learn through a flashback that Malvo took a job to hunt and take out a guy who turned state’s evidence against a Chicago mob boss and is now in witness protection. Malvo spent the past six months passing as a dentist in order to get close to the informant’s brother, Burt (played by Mr. Stephen Root), also a dentist. Malvo hits it off so well with Burty Burt, and they become such good friends that Burt invites Malvo to Vegas for a weekend of fun...and also to meet the brother. What does the fox say? “Aces!”

Back at the hotel bar, Malvo and Burt (and Burt’s wife and Malvo’s fiancée) are sharing some hearty laughs when the new and improved Lester Nygaard puts on his big-boy pants to go over to Malvo, say “Hi!” and show himself off to the man responsible for his becoming the man he is today. Lester stands up to Malvo when Malvo understandably denies knowing who in the hell Lester is. Malvo and company retreat from the bar and head up to their hotel rooms, but Lester won’t leave well enough alone. He follows the group into the elevator and presses the issue. He demands some sort of acknowledgement from Malvo. Then, with the utterance of one question by Malvo, Lester immediately realizes that maybe this rabbit bit off more cabbage than he can chew. “Is this what you want?”...the same exact question that Malvo asked Lester in the hospital one year ago when Malvo was trying to figure out if Lester wanted him to kill Sam Hess. Then, the same follow-up question as back in the hospital. “Yes or no?” One year ago, old Lester didn’t answer. Malvo killed Hess anyway. This time, new Lester says “Yes”. And just like that, Malvo puts bullets into the heads of his “friends”. Malvo, without hesitation, gives up on his job (with a $100,000 bounty) just to keep fucking with Lester. The rules don’t apply to the Devil.

After Lester knocks out (well, *tries to*, anyway) Malvo with his Insurance Salesman Of The Year Award, he wakes up his wife Susan and gets them to leave Vegas right then and there, two days early. Lester is running from Malvo and spends the rest of the episode looking over his shoulder. Back in Bemidji, Lester is ready to run away, forever. He convinces Susan to just pick up and move off to Acapulco. But before they can do that, Deputy Molly Solverson stops by to have a chat. Molly got word from Las Vegas PD that hotel guest and Bemidji resident Mr. Lester Nygaard just might have been a witness to a triple homicide. Lester manages to successfully dodge all of Molly’s questions, but not without a little help from Susan(!), who jumps in and takes responsibility for the couple leaving Vegas two days early.

As Key and Peele waste away in the file room, the man who took Molly’s latest call on the Syndicate murder spree comes down to update the file. Key and Peele immediately jump all over this and plan to take a trip to Bemidji, MN to meet the officer who says “he” knows who was responsible for the murder spree.

(One would think if Molly made multiple calls to the FBI over the past year, Key and Peele would’ve seen multiple updates to the file, and presumably would’ve acted sooner. Oh well.)

Meanwhile, Malvo returns to Bemidji to hunt down Lester. En route, he passes by Gus Grimly's mail truck. Gus shows a semblance of recognizing Malvo as he drives by. And that re-ignites Gus’ interest in the man who made him look like a foolish and inept police officer on two separate occasions.

Malvo stops by Lester’s last known address, a home that Lester sold after becoming quite successful (he opened his own insurance agency, dontcha know!). Malvo meets up with the family who now lives in the home. After finding no luck in getting Lester’s forwarding address, Malvo the Devil makes sure to scare the living bejeezus out the family’s children by telling them about the double homicide that took place there, and claiming the house is haunted.

Malvo the Devil’s next stop is Lou’s diner, where he fishes for Lester’s new address from Lou while enjoying the best piece of apple pie he’s had since the Garden of Eden. Malvo and Lou engage in an overly tense battle of wills when Lou isn’t quite willing to give up the info. Lou deflects Malvo’s questioning by reminiscing about a particularly brutal homicide case he worked in Sioux Falls in 1979. It’s not a stretch to think Malvo was the culprit of that story. Thornton and Carradine were pretty tremendous here.

Malvo exits the diner, *just* as Molly and Key and Peele arrive to meet up and discuss Molly’s info on the Syndicate spree. It wasn’t quite time for the fox, rabbit and cabbage to be on the other side of the river. Molly takes them back to her precinct and shows them her investigation board. Naturally, Chief Bill Oswalt arrives, sees the board and immediately ridicules Molly’s investigation in front of Key and Peele. Then, in a HUGE victory for Molly, Key and Peele dismiss the Chief and express just how damn impressed they are with Molly’s work.

Later that night, Lester’s ready to leave for Acapulco, like RIGHT NOW, but he has one more completely disgusting and downright evil task to accomplish. With Lester’s and Susan’s passports at the office, Lester (the Devil’s protégé), suspecting Malvo is definitely in Bemidji, prepares to use Susan, a woman who absolutely adores and selflessly loves Lester, to lure Malvo out, knowing full well that Malvo might kill her. He downright ensures this will happen when he convinces Susan to leave without her coat (who needs a coat in Acapulco?), then has her wear HIS coat, with the hood up, after he asks her to go into the office and fetch the passports. Sure enough, Lester’s suspicions are correct: Malvo is hiding out in the office, and puts a bullet in Susan’s head, thinking it’s Lester. Little did Lester know that he didn’t need to go through the trouble of disguising Susan...Malvo would’ve killed her either way.
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EddieBurkett
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#2 Posted on 15.6.14 0043.53
Reposted on: 15.6.21 0046.36
I spent the entire episode terrified for Lester. The suspense of when Malvo would show up was off the charts. Then he brilliantly sets up Susan as the bait at the agency (I didn't even catch that he was thinking that far ahead when he told her not to grab her coat!) and Malvo assassinates her, he actually shows relief! RELIEF! Lester is a psychopath and I hate* this show for actually making him sympathetic in this episode when confronted with Malvo's bald faced evil. I still want to know what happened to Lester's brother in prison. I think I want Lester to survive Malvo and wind up in prison, but I really shouldn't care if Malvo destroys him.

(*hate in a good way)

Brilliant comparison of of the fox, rabbit, and cabbage with Molly and Malvo at the diner. That scene with Malvo and Lou at the diner was AMAZING. OF COURSE Malvo catches Gus' picture.

Love that Malvo is such an agent of chaos that he tells the new family about the murders at Lester's house.

Bill's dismissal of Molly's investigation being denied by Key and Peele was a long time coming. Bless Molly for taking her win with such humility. I would have told Bill to suck it. Endlessly.

Hey, look, its Stephen Root! I guess his character's going to have a major role in the next two episodes, because he's such a great character actor they wouldn't use him on an extended came - oh, nevermind.

Loved that Gus' daughter and Molly's father had bonded. I worry for that whole family. When Malvo realizes they're onto him... I have no idea what's going to happen next week.
djp
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#3 Posted on 15.6.14 1103.29
Reposted on: 15.6.21 1103.41
I love this show. I really have no idea what's going to happen at the season's end, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every episode so far.

Good write-up - I think my favorite part of this past episode was after Lester hit Malvo with his trophy. Malvo's reaction: 'Ow, Lester!'

I get that part of Mavlo's gig is impersonation, and that he was able to fake his way through a ministry stint, but how does one play a dentist for that amount of time? The dude has some talents.

Does anyone know if there will be another season?
EddieBurkett
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#4 Posted on 15.6.14 1112.58
Reposted on: 15.6.21 1113.29
    Originally posted by djp
    Does anyone know if there will be another season?


Yes, but like American Horror Story, its going to be anthologized. Same universe, different characters, different cast.
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#5 Posted on 16.6.14 1115.54
Reposted on: 16.6.21 1117.01
    Originally posted by EddieBurkett
    I spent the entire episode terrified for Lester.
I did also, but was even more terrified for Lou. When he and Malvo were at the diner, and they kept cutting to Molly in the car en route, it had a "her father will die before she arrives" vibe.

Also, here's an interesting article about the show moving forward. The writer throws out an interesting idea for another season revolving around the incident in Sioux Falls (referred to by Lou Solverson and Lt Schmidt).

My wife and I had to rewind one part, because we were certain that we'd misheard one line, "I am gonna stick my whole thumb up your ass later." Apparently, we hadn't misheard the line.
Mr Shh
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#6 Posted on 16.6.14 1437.27
Reposted on: 16.6.21 1439.23
    Originally posted by EddieBurkett
    Then he brilliantly sets up Susan as the bait at the agency (I didn't even catch that he was thinking that far ahead when he told her not to grab her coat!) and Malvo assassinates her, he actually shows relief! RELIEF!

After thinking about it more, there is a small part of me (very small, mind you) that wonders if Lester hired Malvo in Vegas to take out Susan. Right now, it's a completely nonsensical idea, I know. But I'm having a little trouble understanding why Malvo is pursuing Lester in the first place. Malvo followed Lester all the way back to MN because he got hit in the back of the head??? Something doesn't pass the smell test.
EddieBurkett
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#7 Posted on 16.6.14 1445.01
Reposted on: 16.6.21 1451.40
    Originally posted by Mr Shh
    Malvo followed Lester all the way back to MN because he got hit in the back of the head??? Something doesn't pass the smell test.


Malvo clearly has some special intent for Lester. He doesn't want to kill him directly (he could have shot at him as he was fleeing the elevator). Based on the tape that he was listening to, I'm thinking Malvo wants to break Lester to the point that he kills himself. Either that, or he wants to build Lester into his protoge, and this is all part of that process.
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#8 Posted on 16.6.14 1530.02
Reposted on: 16.6.21 1531.50
Lester is an eyewitness to Malvo killing the police chief, as well as the 4 people in the elevator. That would shoot down his preacher alibi, opening him up to the killing of the guy he dragged out of the office building, Sam Hess, and the syndicate murders. Lester is a loose end that can bring Malvo down (even if it meant bringing himself down in the process).
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