Fargo returns to dark humor and ridiculous characters in season five

The Fargo series has returned after a three-year hiatus - and this is already great news for fans of crime and dark humor. Once upon a time, Noah Hawley's anthology started as a reimagining of the Coen brothers' film of the same name. The first season of the series did not copy the plot of the original source, but preserved its atmosphere and even regularly referred to other works of the directors.

But then the creators of the television “Fargo” wisely decided not to go in circles, but constantly came up with something new: from the expressive heroine Kirsten Dunst to Ewan McGregor in two roles at once. By the fourth season, the series began to look more like films Martina Scorsese about showdowns between national gangs in the distant past.

Now Fargo appears to be going back to its roots. This is again almost a Cohen story with all the necessary elements: stupid criminals, ridiculous positive heroes with many of their sins and a slightly grotesque world where people do nasty things to each other to a friend.

“Fargo” delights again with charismatic characters

In 2019 Minnesota, simple mother and housewife Dot Lyon (Juno Temple from "Theda Lasso") ends up in the police station: during a mass brawl at school, she hit a teacher with a Taser, and then a lawman - seemingly by accident. The woman is soon released, but this sets the stage for dangerous events.

Soon Dot is kidnapped by two mercenaries. But the housewife turns out to be not so simple: from the very beginning she pretty much torments the criminals, and then completely repulses them, using all available objects as weapons. There is nowhere for her to expect help: her husband is too soft and completely dependent on his mother, and her rich mother-in-law (Jennifer Jason Leigh from The Hateful Eight) does not hide her contempt for her daughter-in-law.

The first three seasons of Fargo did not plagiarize, but they quite clearly copied the characters from the films of the Coen brothers. There were also stupid losers who almost accidentally became criminals (Martin Freeman and Ewan McGregor), sinister gangsters (Billy Bob Thornton and David Thewlis), assertive anti-heroines (Kirsten Dunst and Mary Elizabeth Winstead), noble but bumbling policewomen (Allison Tolman and Carrie Coon). In the fourth season, the emphasis changed, although not as much as some critics said.

But in season five, Fargo is bringing back recognizable characters. Judging by the first two episodes, directed by Noah Hawley himself, the plot will be dominated by the heroine Juno Temple - and this is an excellent bet by the authors. Of course, many viewers still know her as the charming and witty Keeley from Ted Lasso - although the actress also has more interesting roles, for example in Horns with Daniel Radcliffe.

In Fargo, the actress maximizes her expression and charisma: her Dot is a twitchy and talkative woman with a dark past. In home life she is fussy, but in moments of danger she suddenly turns into a kind of agent MacGyver. It’s hard to say whether this behavior won’t get boring by the middle of the season, but the first 2 hours of watching this drive are a pleasure.

According to the tradition of the series, she is opposed by both creepy and comical villains. And here there is already a whole scattering of characters and types. There is, for example, a killer who wears a skirt and talks about himself in the third person. He seems like he's supposed to be sinister, but the writers deliberately make him a more ridiculous version of Anton Chigurh.

Jon Hamm, who once featured one of the best antiheroes in the history of television, here he plays the sheriff. But not the one who follows the law, but the one who believes that the law is what he is. What the character is not shy about declaring, for example, to FBI agents, while sitting naked in front of them in the bathtub. In the first episodes, his hero only gives instructions and reveals important plot details. But, knowing the actor's skill, there is hope that this particular character will become the best villain of the season.

It’s also nice to see Joe Keery as his son and assistant. The young actor has finally moved away from his image of cute Steve from Stranger Things. In Fargo, he has a completely opposite role: a dull and ruthless impudent man.

Dot's husband's family resembles a parody version of characters from either Descendants orFall of the House of Usher». They are related to the latter by a mysterious lawyer who is assigned the strangest cases - for example, slapping his son. This is a rich family in which the matriarch rules all loved ones as strictly as possible, even influencing their personal lives. And at the same time forcing them to pose for Christmas photos with machine guns.

In a word, traditionally for “Fargo” the emphasis is placed more on negative heroes or at least characters with “gray” morals. It seems that a female police officer will again be responsible for justice. I just want to believe that she will be given some kind of development, otherwise for now the heroine looks like a pale reflection and Frances McDormand from the original film, and her heirs from the first seasons.

Sometimes it feels like the Coen brothers are filming Home Alone

From the very first scene, the authors of “Fargo” remind you that the series is largely built on black humor associated with violence: the reasons for the fight they don’t disclose it at school, but it looks maliciously unnatural, they say, look what aggression is hidden in the teachers and parents.

But then the unexpected happens. In the first episodes, the series seems to be flirting with plot devices from “Alone at home": Dot, for an as yet unknown reason, has the ability to build traps from available materials. Moreover, their scale is growing.

It's debatable how much fun it will be each time you repeat it. I would like to believe that this move will not be repeated constantly until the end of the season. But at the beginning, it interestingly reveals the heroine’s personality and makes us think about her past - this will probably be the main intrigue of the season.

Sometimes it seems that the creators are going too far with comedy: in the new "Fargo" literally all the characters are parodies - even the domestic problems of a police woman are shown with irony. But, on the other hand, it’s good that the creators don’t seem to be going to give up ground in terms of rudeness and direct humor. The main thing is to maintain balance.

The plot has great potential

It's hard to tell from the first episodes exactly how the story will develop. There is a possibility that she will be too straightforward. But for now, the plot has great potential for sudden turns and surprising intersections.

There are three storylines of varying degrees of importance: Dot with her husband and daughter, her husband's wealthy family and the evil sheriff with his assistants. It is already clear that the action will be based on the confrontation of all these companies.

How exactly the fates of all the characters will intertwine is anyone's guess. Based on the first two seasons, it can be assumed that the authors have a few surprises in store.

Although Fargo is an anthology (that is, each season can be watched separately from the previous ones), the continuation will more likely appeal to fans of the series than to new viewers. The plot here is inferior to previous stories, but still seems fun and intriguing. We can only hope that the level of episodes will only increase in the future.