After three long years and a coronavirus setback later, the fourth season of Fargo has finally arrived! And while I approached it with some trepidation seeing Chris Rock as the top billing, I still have so much faith in this season being as fantastic as the rest. They surely started off well! With the slight cliffhanger at the end of the second episode, it’s definitely left me itching for more. Without giving everything away, here’s a high level overview of what went down in the season premiere.
Via narration by Ethelrida we see the same bar with varying crime organizations throughout time. First it’s the Moskowitz Syndicate and the Milligan Concern shaking hands and trading sons as a peace offering. Before long though, we see the Milligans backstabbing and murdering all of the Moskowitz Syndicate, son included. Then the Milligan Concern is shaking hands with the Fadda Family and sons are exchanged again. This time though, little Patrick Milligan betrays his own family and sticks with the Italians. A few decades pass before the Fadda Family has to make deals with anyone, but that changes when Cannon Limited gang wants to enter the mix. They too trade sons, but it’s clear that this is our “true story” for the season.
Straight off the bat, Don Donatello gets shot in the neck with a BB gun and is taken to the hospital. While recovering, his son Josto connects with strange nurse, Oreatta Mayflower. Turns out she’s more than strange, she’s actually a murderer. At first you think she’s trying to put old folks with slim chances of recovery out of their misery, but it turns more sinister when she gifts Ethelrida and her family a poisoned pie! Although the outcome of that gift remains to be seen, because just as her father brings the pie in, a boat load of cops show up to the house.
This is to presumably arrest the escaped from prison Florine (Ethelrida’s aunt) and Satchal. I imagine the journey of those two is far from over because they are totally unstable and what good is a show if a bunch of your characters aren’t unstable?! That all remains to be seen though. Aside from all that excitement, it’s clear Loy Cannon wants to make a move on a slaughterhouse now that Don is dead. They make their move but are temporarily put on hold by the younger Fadda son, Gaetano. This man’s got crazy eyes, and I can’t wait for his inevitable death scene – it’s going to be so theatrical!
I know the season has only just started, but I imagine something epic is going to happen with Ben Wishaw’s Patrick. He was a crucial part of the beginning story! Also, I love how Jason Schwartzman’s campiness just thrives in the world of Fargo. It’s almost wild that they didn’t cast him sooner! Finally, Jessie Buckley stands out as my clear favorite character so far. She’s play Mayflower just unhinged enough that makes her intelligence frightening. I also can’t imagine how fun it must be to play a character like that. Aside from the characters, the music of the 50s is spectacular, and it’s also so interesting to see really how similar the blacks and the Italians are treated in America. But it’s clear that rather than coming together as one strong unit, that they are going to try a rip each other’s throats out as soon as they can manage. I’m so excited that Fargo is back on the air! I highly implore you to watch! No previous season viewings necessary!