Eleven weeks have come and gone, and we all finally got to see the conclusion of Fargo‘s fourth season. Sure, overall it was my least favorite season, but that certainly doesn’t mean it wasn’t great television! It was a remarkable season in its own right and fit in well with the rest of the Fargo catalog. Here we go!
From the very start you could tell this was a season finale because it felt like a swan song. A montage of all of the characters killed off this season showed their faces on the screen once again reminding of us of what’s transpired. I also took it as a sign of what’s to come. Indeed, blood was shed this episode, and while some were surprises, others were definitely not.
Oraetta gets sprung out of jail by an unknown benefactor, Josto is lamenting the death of his brother, and Loy has his men move their stuff out of the mortuary. To start the killing off this episode, Josto rounds up Dr. Harvard and his father-in-law, shoots them up and sets the car on fire. I suppose those were two deaths that seemed inevitable but not that impactful.
Next we see Loy almost get his life taken while looking out a window, but one of his men saves the day. Immediately afterward, Josto is told that they got Cannon but when he goes out to celebrate he is met by Ebal, Oraetta, and the rest of his mob. They accuse him of committing crimes against the family, more specifically, conspiring with Oraetta to kill Donatello. It is also assumed that Josto had Gaetano killed so he wouldn’t have to share the newfound “crown.” Both Josto and Oraetta are driven to some remote location and both shot and killed. In demented Oraetta fashion, she asks that Josto be killed first so she could watch.
Loy’s world goes through a rollercoaster, as at first he is thrilled to find his son, Satchel, has found his way home alive. In the next breath, he is meeting with Ebal and being told that half of his operation is going to the Italians. While it’s natural that Loy wants to kill Ebal, he warns Loy that they are a national outfit and there will be a wave of them forever that Loy would be trying to go through. Loy takes his lumps and heads home, peering into his living room in admiration of his family as Zelmare comes up from behind and stabs Loy a good number of times.
That death was definitely the surprise, and the fact that Ethelrida and her parents made it out unscathed was totally unexpected. Ethelrida is the one who ends the episode reading her history report. It was all sort of anticlimactic, but a mid-credits scene we see Mike Milligan from Fargo‘s second season and it all makes sense. Satchel grows up to be Mike Milligan! He honors Rabbi by taking his Irish last name and carries on Loy’s business by becoming a hit man. This season does earn back some bonus points for connecting itself to my favorite season! Definitely don’t sit on this amazing show.