The Pretend War

I've picked this episode to comment on Season 4 because this is when I decided to give up :( The previous seasons had lots of humour, 'Minnesota nice' and great characters - this season has none of that. The only great quirky character is Timothy Olyphant's Mormon detective, and he's not in it enough to carry the whole thing. I'm rewatching Season 1 & realising what's missing - I used to tell everyone it was the best show on TV, I won't any more. Seasons 1 & 2 are outstanding - this one has made me sad.

For starters, I dont know how any of the first 4 episodes are rated under a 9. That is just pure poppycock. People who dont even like this show are still rating it poorly so screw those people. Like it or not this show is on another level. This is amazing TV all around.

Although ep4 has been shown..nothing really goes on.. very slow pace.. and the 2 sides at this story are lost in translation..

Are any of you old enough to remember an 80's Brian DePalma mafia comedy called "Wise Guys"?

There's a character in "Wise Guys" named Frank "Fixer" Accalvano. He was played magnificently campy and totally over-the-top by "Captain" Lou Albano.

Last night, watching episode #4, watching Salvatore Esposito's mannerisms, his eye-rolls, his larger-than-life histrionics, even his wee moustache, I swear - I SWEAR - he had to have based his character on Lou Albano's Frank "Fixer" Accalvano from "Wise Guys". I even pulled up some stills from "Wise Guys" to refresh my memory, and looked at them side-by-side stills from "Fargo", and it's uncanny.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, you understand....Keith Richard has been a role model in film, you know.....but.....mmmm...."Wise Guys" was a completely over-the-top comedy; "Fargo" is supposed to be a drama.

Anyway, I'm glad it's getting better!

Due to a quirk in Australian streaming services, I somehow missed series 4 and went to series 5.

I probably should not have bothered. It is just awful.

I have been a Fargo fan since the original movie, but series 4 just misses on every count.

First, there is no initial crime that the hero is trying to solve thus driving the plot. The characters are just not relatable nor realistic. Chris Rock is awful.

And, most importantly.. there is none of that whole Minnesota charm that pervades the rest of the Fargo genre.

I'll watch the rest as I'm retired... but I will probably nap through a lot of it.