Morton's Fork

Review By Kamal K

Love it. Wanted to binge the whole season in one sitting! Decided to savor one episode a day. Billy Bob Thorton was phenomenal! His performance was simply brilliant. Like a force of pure evil and genius coming over this small town and it's residents. Freeman is equally captivating as we watch the evolution of his character Lester from unlucky, passive, and inconsequential to sociopathic ego maniac. It's also hilarious and wickedly clever. Outstanding!

This one is for me the the best season of the three first. I have not seen the fourth yet; it was supposed to be aired on Netflix and it seemed to have failed. But I will watch it later. Back to this one, the FARGO the movie spirit and atmosphere is well followed and the ending is awesome. Unfortunately the second season was totally spoiled by a bad ending, it deceived me so much. The third is OK, just in the middle in my personal rate. Billy Bob Thornton and the other lead character are in the perfect adequate roles.

I let this show go past me at first, since when I heard of it I didn't know if the idea of remaking a movie and stretching it out to 10 hours was a good idea. Hearing good things later, I took a look and was more positive when I saw that it was not a remake of the film, but rather another set of stories happening within the same universe – albeit with some overlaps and connections to the events of the film. While this is the case that it is not a direct lift for television, it is clearly meant to replicate the world of the Cohen brothers' films, in particular Fargo but there is a lot in here which connects to their more general tone. The risk with this is that it would serve to not only remind how great Fargo and other films from the siblings are by virtue of how far off the mark it falls; fortunately though, although it is not quite at that standard, it never really disappoints on its own or by comparison.

Using the world of Fargo along with elements of Blood Simple, No Country and others, what we get is a story where the influence of a hired killer spreads through a much simpler community, bringing out the worst in some and spreading fear and death through others. In doing this it also mixes the odd with the comic, with the dark, with the violent, and with the tense. It is a very effective mix and it works very well throughout this season. It is most clear as to how well it works because, even as some aspects are weaker and a lot of the plot actually doesn't make logical sense, but it all still engages because of how well delivered and sold it is.

The cold, slow tone is very effective at building tension and a sense of foreboding, and this is played well throughout the 10 episodes. There are some elements where the narrative reaches beyond what works, and some characters are maybe a bit too broadly drawn; but at the same time the sense of the odd and the tension continue to work to keep you with it regardless of what happens. The dialogue at times is a little off the Cohen's best, but considering it has 10 hours to deliver and does so mostly consistently, it can be forgiven for not always clearly the bar as well as it does in the majority of scenes. Technically the look and feel of the film add to the cold tension; the slowly moving camera is perhaps overused but it never really got old for me because one could not be sure when it was leading to something or when it was just hanging there with the suggestion. The slow-burn approach is often cleverly applied and it was hard not to be impressed by the way it thinks nothing of staying out of the building and showing 2 minutes of walls while inside the biggest action sequence of the season plays out.

The casting is very much the cherry on the top of all of this. Thornton has worked with the Cohens a couple of times now, so he knows the approach and he draws heavily on their iconic still "force of nature" killers. He is very enjoyable throughout, with a sense of charisma and menace which works in context really well. Freeman may never top Macy in a similar role, but he is mostly pretty assured and sells his character well. Tolman and Hanks are very engaging, with good performances and without the distraction of them being quite as well known as others. The use of Carradine is great and he brings a lot to small scenes – in particular the one he shares with Thornton is very well played. Odenkirk is a very good bit of casting and he plays his comical sheriff in a way that is funny but also has heart. The casting continues with roles for Goldberg, Howerton, Platt, Key & Peele, and others. I will not say all of them work as well as others, but generally the casting works.

I think the show has been a bit over-hyped, because it is not without weakness, and there are aspects that you need to go with; however generally it does deliver and engage with such consistency and confidence that the viewer is more than happy to go with it. I was genuinely surprised by how well it "does the Cohens" and just how strong, entertaining, tense, fun, horrific, inventive, and fresh so much of the season felt. Well worth seeking out.

When this series started, I was skeptical about how much it would achieve. Now, after 10 pitch-perfect episodes, I stand corrected. This series has done the impossible. It has crawled out of the shadow of the Fargo that gave birth to it and has carved its own identity. This is Hawley's Fargo.

Gripping and satisfying, the finale was brilliant throughout. Some part of me was expecting the appearance of a wood-chipper somewhere but Morton's Fork had more poetic ends in store though still with their fair shares of blood, gore and unrelenting suspense.

What I really liked about this series was the juxtaposition. One one hand the life is calm, unassuming, almost naive in the small town of Duluth and on the other there are dark forces prowling through the residents of this town who are oblivious to these forces until the very end.

The bloody game of chess between Malvo and Nygaard utilized these people as pawns and was very satisfying but I must add that the checkmate left a little to be desired.

All in all, I loved this series. The acting, writing, cinematography and, of course, the music were all top-notch. One of those series that I would gladly rewatch over and over again until I get bored, which I probably never will.

Molly takes the lead while Gus pursues a hunch. Lester manipulates a situation, and Malvo finds a new target.

What I Liked:

The cinematography is solid, and each scene perfectly implements its beautiful and mesmerizing music score. On top of that, each actor gives a strong performance, with Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman being the clear standouts.

Malvo is one of the most intriguing individuals you will see on television, with Thornton's portrayal being nothing short of superb, along with Freeman's portrayal of Lester.

Lester's transformation saw him become the most interesting character on this show, even more so than Malvo. As he became the antagonist in his own story, it was great to see him one-up Malvo, the man who sent him on his dark path of destruction.

What I Disliked:

Numerous characters never received any closure. Chaz, Kitty, Gordo, Mr Wrench, The Hess Family, and Stavros instantly came to mind, as these characters never appear or are even mentioned in this finale.

Malvo's demise was anti-climatic and ultimately forgettable. While I'm not against Gus killing him, it would have been interesting to see him face some form of punishment rather than receiving a citation for bravery.

Overall:

Fargo's finale is not without its flaws, nor is it a highlight of this fantastic season, but this was still a high-quality conclusion that mostly satisfies. You would be hard-pressed to find many shows more tautly written and produced in its premiere season.

8/10

Kind Cadmium.