Fargo Season 1 Episode 3 Review: "A Muddy Road"

"Gotta say, I'm super ticked here." - Bill Oswald



The 3rd episode of Fargo picks up with Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) going down to Minneapolis to investigate the kidnapping of the frozen man she found in the woods.  She manages to get security footage of Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) dragging the man out of his office.

Meanwhile, back in Bemidji, Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) decides to go back to work.  He is approached by Fargo hitmen Wrench (Russell Harvard) and Numbers (Adam Goldberg).  Before they can get any information out of Lester, Molly arrives, forcing the hitmen to leave.  Molly "accidentally" lets Lester see a picture of Lorne, and Molly deduces that Lester knows him.  But Chief Bill Oswald (Bob Odenkirk) has no interest in going after Lester.

In Duluth, Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks), discovers that the car Lorne was driving when he pulled him over actually belongs to Lester.  He informs his Lieutenant, who is furious with him and orders him to inform the Bemidji police department about his screw-up.  Gus' daughter, Greta (Joey King), suggests that he apologizes in person.  They drive out to Bemidji and meet Molly and realize that the man Gus pulled over is the same man who kidnapped Phil McCormick in Minneapolis.  Molly also realizes Lester lied to her about what really happened to his car.  Molly invites Gus and Greta out to eat at her father's restaurant.

Meanwhile, Lorne confronts Don Chumph (Glenn Howerton) about his blackmailing scheme.  Lorne decides he wants to get the money from Stavros Milos (Oliver Platt) himself, and takes over Don's plan.  Lorne murders Stavros's dog, switches out his medication for adderall, ups the blackmail to a million dollars, and hooks up Stavros's shower so that, instead of water, it pours blood.

What Works: 

This is another solid episode of Fargo.  All of the character moments are great and we build up a lot of tension with Molly, Wrench, and Numbers all closing in on Lester.  Plus we get some more great scenes of Lorne Malvo terrorizing everyone who comes into contact with him.

The other big plus is we finally get Gus involved in the main story.  He meets up with Molly and expands the case.  It's great to finally have him involved and he has great, if awkward, chemistry with Molly right off the bat.

What Sucks:

My only complaint with this episode is there isn't one big stand-out moment.  The first two episodes have death scenes that were very memorable.  This episode has Lorne murder a dog, but it takes place off screen.  It just lacks any iconic moments.

Verdict:

"A Muddy Road" is a very entertaining episode of Fargo that keeps operating at the high level of entertainment set by the first two episodes.  It's great having Colin Hanks brought into the main story.  Even if the episode lacks an iconic moment, it's still a very entertaining episode of television.

 9/10: Great 

   


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