FARGO (FX): After watching two episodes, this season looks like it's going to match last season beat for beat and character for character except for the most interesting character of all, the pregnant deputy sheriff, Molly, who is only six years old in this 1979 setting. The references to current events are kinda fun for those of us who were actually around when they occurred. Molly's dad (Patrick Wilson) is the deputy sheriff now and (Ted Danson) is the sheriff who are investigating a triple homicide at the local Waffle Hut. Things just turn from bad to worse when an ordinary housewife (Kirsten Dunst) accidentally hits the Waffle Hut's killer with her car and thinking him dead drives home with his body on the hood of her car. Just take a second to visualize that, because we don't actually see it. Only he's not dead until he gets into a scuffle with the hit and run driver's husband (Jesse Plemons) when he comes to in their garage. Now what do we do with that body, the smacked up car and all that blood? I'm not gonna tell you. It's amazing how such seemingly simple people can get themselves into so much trouble so quickly and to what ends they will resort, to get away with murder. There is also the organized crime element when the boys form Kansas City (Brad Garrett, Bokeem Woodbine) want to buy out the local family (Jean Smart, Jeffery Donovan) who controls the illicit drug and sex trade. To say the style is laid back is an understatement. The genius here is twofold: The exquisite writing; "Yeah, that's a shoe alright." and the laconic pace which somehow still manages to maintain tension and suspense. Added to that, we have low keyed performances with well known actors who are barely recognizable physically while playing characters very far removed from the one's we're familiar with. It's not a thrill-a-minute fun ride, but it sure is an interesting one. Score: 9.5. Yeah, ya gotta watch it.
