I was watching this episode and just shocked by how great this episode is. As a finale, it gives both all the conclusion you need, and keeps enough to where you're asking questions. It also has some of the best scenes in any television show. And I'm coming here to review this, and I find that most reviews are saying how trash this episode is.
Look, I'm not here to say you are wrong. If you dislike this episode it's down to taste. But I see a lot of people talk about Season 3 this way. "It's weird, it doesn't go anywhere." I actually disagree. The first half of season three is a lesser version of season one. Morally ambiguous characters kill people and commit crimes, while a heroic cop and an evil criminal fight in the background. At least, that's what we think. Because this is a trap, a build up to a shock twist - the likable Emmit is killed, and our characters are forced to deal with the outcome. This episode is the conclusion of all this. While initially unfocused, the season now has four clear main characters; Nikki Swango, Gloria, VM Varga and Ray Stussy. This is the final episode, and our expectations are that this is the episode, like the other seasons, where the villain gets caught, and the criminals get their just due. And this might happen?
What makes this episode so great is that it both works as a grand finale and ambiguous ending. We start off and Gloria finally has the evidence she needs. Nikki is backing Varga into a corner, and leads into one of the most intense shootouts in Fargo, thanks to both editing and the fact that this season hasn't had many big shootouts. And Ray is finally standing up to Varga, in another tense standoff. This episode has four memorable scenes - the shootout, the standoff in the Stussy house, the car standoff, and the final interrogation scene. Some of this is due to the fantastic editing and score. Others are due to the amazing acting on display and the excellent writing. All is partially due to the amazing cinematography. This is all cinematic language that is used to convey a sense of hopelessness.
What's funny is that this episode is almost exactly what you want. The revenge person ironically dies inches away from the person she wants to kill. The person whose been leeching off unearned money finally gets comeuppance. But it isn't satisfying. Because the episode, and this season, asks the question as to whether the people like VM Varga, the true evil of today's societies, really face justice. And the answer is left for us. While the true ending is somewhat ambiguous, it heavily implies that he never gets caught - he finally fades out, as he has both truly become invisible from the law.
This can look at questions about modern times. It's one of the things I was initially skeptical about Season 3. Season 2 greatly relies on the feeling of a time period, and now we are back to modern times, again. But this season is all about modern times, the technological reliance that feeds off the scammers of the world. I read an article saying that VM Varga technically is never seen breaking the law, which is definitely not true - we see him literally cover up a murder. However, in the context of the show, the police never get anything on him. Gloria finds evidence to suggest that he is falsifying tax records, but as far as she is able to prove, only Ray Stussy was guilty of this. VM Varga was never recorded, and as far as the police know Gloria's recollection of Varga is a mere coincidence.
What makes this episode work for me is just simply the combination of the arthouse and entertainment. It's what a love about Fargo in general. In some areas, Fargo is a show that makes comments on our social places in society through smart direction. Other times, it is a thoroughly entertaining show with great action and dialogue scenes. While this episode makes grand statements about modern society, it is also an episode which makes satisfying conclusions for its story and delivers explosive set pieces and great scenes.
All in all, I love this episode.
Look, I'm not here to say you are wrong. If you dislike this episode it's down to taste. But I see a lot of people talk about Season 3 this way. "It's weird, it doesn't go anywhere." I actually disagree. The first half of season three is a lesser version of season one. Morally ambiguous characters kill people and commit crimes, while a heroic cop and an evil criminal fight in the background. At least, that's what we think. Because this is a trap, a build up to a shock twist - the likable Emmit is killed, and our characters are forced to deal with the outcome. This episode is the conclusion of all this. While initially unfocused, the season now has four clear main characters; Nikki Swango, Gloria, VM Varga and Ray Stussy. This is the final episode, and our expectations are that this is the episode, like the other seasons, where the villain gets caught, and the criminals get their just due. And this might happen?
What makes this episode so great is that it both works as a grand finale and ambiguous ending. We start off and Gloria finally has the evidence she needs. Nikki is backing Varga into a corner, and leads into one of the most intense shootouts in Fargo, thanks to both editing and the fact that this season hasn't had many big shootouts. And Ray is finally standing up to Varga, in another tense standoff. This episode has four memorable scenes - the shootout, the standoff in the Stussy house, the car standoff, and the final interrogation scene. Some of this is due to the fantastic editing and score. Others are due to the amazing acting on display and the excellent writing. All is partially due to the amazing cinematography. This is all cinematic language that is used to convey a sense of hopelessness.
What's funny is that this episode is almost exactly what you want. The revenge person ironically dies inches away from the person she wants to kill. The person whose been leeching off unearned money finally gets comeuppance. But it isn't satisfying. Because the episode, and this season, asks the question as to whether the people like VM Varga, the true evil of today's societies, really face justice. And the answer is left for us. While the true ending is somewhat ambiguous, it heavily implies that he never gets caught - he finally fades out, as he has both truly become invisible from the law.
This can look at questions about modern times. It's one of the things I was initially skeptical about Season 3. Season 2 greatly relies on the feeling of a time period, and now we are back to modern times, again. But this season is all about modern times, the technological reliance that feeds off the scammers of the world. I read an article saying that VM Varga technically is never seen breaking the law, which is definitely not true - we see him literally cover up a murder. However, in the context of the show, the police never get anything on him. Gloria finds evidence to suggest that he is falsifying tax records, but as far as she is able to prove, only Ray Stussy was guilty of this. VM Varga was never recorded, and as far as the police know Gloria's recollection of Varga is a mere coincidence.
What makes this episode work for me is just simply the combination of the arthouse and entertainment. It's what a love about Fargo in general. In some areas, Fargo is a show that makes comments on our social places in society through smart direction. Other times, it is a thoroughly entertaining show with great action and dialogue scenes. While this episode makes grand statements about modern society, it is also an episode which makes satisfying conclusions for its story and delivers explosive set pieces and great scenes.
All in all, I love this episode.