Fargo: Season 2 Episode 8 "Loplop"

"Hon, you got to stop stabbing him."

-Ed Blumquist

"Loplop" is a very interesting episode of Fargo, as to takes place mostly at the same time as the previous episode, filling in the blanks by showing us the events from the perspectives of Ed and Peggy Blumquist (Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst), Dodd Gerhardt (Jeffery Donovan), and Hanzee Dent (Zahn McClarnon).

Ed and Peggy manage to escape their house before the cops and Hanzee arrive, and they take Dodd with them to use as a bargaining chip.  They decide to hide out at Ed's uncle's cabin in South Dakota. They keep Dodd tied up in the cabin and Peggy keeps watch over him, while Ed makes repeated trips to the nearby gas station.  He uses the pay phone there to call both the Gerhardt's and Mike Milligan (Bokeem Woodbine).

Meanwhile, Hanzee finds a lead in the Blumquist house, which sends him on the trail of Constance Heck (Elizabeth Marvel), who is attending the Lifespring conference.  On the way, he stops at a bar in South Dakota for some water, but runs into problems with some locals and the bartender, who act very racist towards him.  Hanzee ends up shooting them, as well as some State Troopers, and escaping.

Hanzee manages to find Constance and waits with her until they receive a call from Peggy, who gives up her general location of being near Vermillion, South Dakota.  Hanzee kills Constance and makes his way to the gas station where Ed has been making his calls.  Hanzee learns from the gas station owner (Bob Bainborough) that Ed and Peggy are staying near a lake.

After Ed gets through to Mike Milligan and makes a deal to meet in Sioux Falls the next morning to hand over Dodd, he returns to the cabin to find Dodd has broken free, due to Peggy being distracted by the TV.  Dodd nearly kills Ed, but Peggy stuns him.  Hanzee arrives, but when Dodd acts racist towards him, Hanzee kills Dodd.  He then asks Peggy to give him a haircut, as he is tired of his current life.  Before she can start her trimming, they notice Officer Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) and Sheriff Hank Larsson (Ted Danson) approaching the cabin.  Hanzee starts shooting out them, but Peggy stabs him, and he is forced to flee.

What Works:

This is a cool episode as it fills in the missing pieces from the previous episode.  It's a very contained and focused episode.  It really only has two storylines going on, which is a nice change of pace.

The scene with Peggy and Ed driving in the car, discussing two entirely different subjects is a highlight.  It's hilarious and a great moment to show the different wavelengths these characters are on.

It gets even better when Dodd is added to the mix.  It's a great dynamic of Dodd being terrified by Peggy, and Ed just being annoyed with Dodd.  It's some of the funniest stuff Fargo has ever done and a great final episode for Dodd.

This episode also does a great job of humanizing Hanzee.  For the most part, he's simply been a terrifying minion to Dodd, but now he is doing his own thing.  He's human, and he's been through some awful stuff, and you actually feel bad for him at the bar.  And with the haircut scene, there's a sense of tragedy.  He was so close to leaving this life behind, but at the last second, he is pulled back into the violence.  This is probably Hanzee's best episode of the series, and Zahn McClarnon gives a great performances.

What Sucks:

Peggy is a very hit-or-miss character in this episode.  She has some great moments, like I mentioned above, and it's very satisfying to watch her take down Dodd, but on the flip side, she gives up way too much information in her phone call to Constance, and she gets so distracted by the movie on TV that she doesn't notice Dodd escape.  It's frustrating, and I'm not really sure how we're supposed to feel about her character.  I think we're supposed to like her, but I'm not sure, and I know I don't care for her.

Verdict:

"Loplop" is a refreshing change of pace for Fargo.  It's nice to see the show be so focused.  This episode is really funny, and I love the Ed-Peggy-Dodd dynamic.  Plus, our big, bad hitman gets some development and some humanization.  I still find Peggy to be a frustrating character, but Fargo continues to knock it out of the park.

 9/10: Great