It’s the penultimate episode of this fourth installment of Fargo, and I’m really excited to see how it all plays out. After a cool and creative deviation last week, this week reverts back to the storylines we’re used to and plays out a string of events so delicious I might as well have been salivating while watching the episode.
Lots of loose ends start getting tied up this week, and both the Fadda’s and the Cannon’s realize this messy almost-war needs to end soon before the New York powers that be decide to end it for them. Both families are looking to take out the top dog and replace them with someone they can control, but really, Loy knows it won’t be that good for them regardless, so he’s looking for a deal, too.
Otis is trying to right his wrongs and has Josto and Gaetano arrested. While he gets a sanding ovation at the precinct, his boss also warns him to watch his back, because “you can’t turn your back on the hand that feeds and not expect to get burned.” True to form, Josto and Gaetano are stationed outside of Otis’ home waiting to off the offending double-crosser. While the brothers wait, they connect further when Gaetano recounts his young life and what led him to become an orphan in Sardinia. Did I mention that Gaetano is my favorite character from the season? Because he is. Anyways, not long after Otis meets his end, but then tragically and somewhat comically so does Gaetano, as he trips and blows his brains out on the way back to the car.
Elsewhere in the episode, Ethelrida asks her mother if their family is cursed. She recounts to her the story of her great great grandfather who was a slave about to die on a ship before he is able to successfully strangle the man responsible. That’s the creepy dude we’ve been seeing pop up all season! Shortly after that exchange, Lemuel and Ethelrida are face to face with Oraetta who wants Ethelrida to come over to her place. Yeah right! She stands her ground which irritates Oraetta to know end. She spits some vitriol and threatens that Ethelrida will see her in her dreams before stalking off. True to her word, we see Oraetta hovering over Ethelrida’s sleeping frame with a needle full of poison before the ghoul scares the crap out of her. Out of breath as she makes her way back to the safety of her apartment, Oraetta’s then cuffed by the police because Dr. Harvard woke up. “Oh geez!”
Finally, in the last leg of this episode, Ethelrida manages to convince Lemuel to let her meet with Loy. She’s got a proposal to get her family’s home and business back. At first, Loy won’t listen when she tries to explain that her parents still own the deed and pay taxes. He ignores her further when she hands him the invoice for the funeral services of 87 of Loy’s deceased men. Finally, she hands over Donatello Fadda’s ring and Ethelrida tells Loy that she knows how he can win the war. Convinced after looking at Fadda’s obituary, he agrees to Ethelrida’s terms.
Now, I assume Ethelrida is going to use some of Oraetta’s poison, but I suppose I can’t be sure. It seems like right now, despite everything, that the Cannon’s have the upper hand, especially with the brute force of Gaetano out of the picture. Although, all of that being said, I’m sure there will be some last minute backstabbing taking place. Still waiting for a shoot-out! I forgot to mention that we saw Satchel on the road home, and he seems to have transitioned from child to man in this episode. That’ll be a sweet reunion I bet….or will he follow in the footsteps of the Rabbi? We shall see! Despite all of the exciting things that happened this episode, I am ultimately bummed with how Gaetano died, and I still think Oraetta has been underutilized this season. Looking forward to the season finale either way!