Showing posts with label Gary Valentine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gary Valentine. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Fargo Season 1 Episode # 5 "The Six Ungraspables" - Recap and Review

Martin Freeman, Adam Goldberg and Russell Harvard as Lester Nygaard, Mr Numbers and Mr Wrench in FX Fargo Season 1 Episode 5 The Six Ungraspables

Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) is forced to reveal the name of Lorne Malvo to his cellmates Mr.Numbers (Adam Goldberg) and Mr.Wrench (Russell Harvard). He further reveals that Lorne took his car to Duluth.

Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) is still on Lester's heels. She has obtained his phone records on the night, his wife and the ex police chief were killed.

A call had been placed to the motel where Lorne was staying. This piece of information finally convinces Chief Bill Oswalt (Bob Odenkirk) that something is amiss.

Colin Hanks as Deputy Gus Grimly in Fargo Season 1 Episode 5 The Six Ungraspables

Deputy Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks) has his daughter Greta (Joey King) look up Pastor Peterson from Baudette.

Lorne is back to Calamity Joe (Roger LeBlanc) to get a police scanner. He visits Don Chumph (Glenn Howerton) and prepares to extort the ransom money from Stavros Milos (Oliver Platt).

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A guilt ridden Gus shares his anguish with his neighbor, who advises him that only a fool tries to solve all the world's problems.

Stavros's son, Dmitri (Gordon S. Miller) does some investigation of his own and discovers that the troubles plaguing his father are very much man-made. However Stavros is too much into his religious beliefs and refuses to heed Dmitri's advice.

Allison Tolman as Deputy Molly Solverson in FX Fargo Season 1 Episode 5 The Six Ungraspables

Molly revisits Lester's house for clues. Lester is taken to the hospital, where Molly learns that the pregnant Ida Thurman (Julie Ann Emery) has just given birth.

Molly checks in on Lester in his hospital room. Lester pretends to be asleep and Molly leaves the room.

This was a good episode. The writing is sharp and witty. The casting continues to be solid with a couple of new additions and there is not a single weak link in the chain.


Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo in FX Fargo Season 1 Episode 5 The Six Ungraspables

The show is at its best whenever Billy Bob Thornton is onscreen. His conversations with Calamity Joe and especially with Stavros during the ride is hilarious and amusing. Equally good is his discussion about house safety precautions. The concerned neighbor calls him Se'irim”, the term for demon in the Hebrew Bible.

The shooting scene at Lester's place was beautifully shot. The attention to details and the graphical rendering was superb. Kudos to the technical crew.

The hapless Lester undergoes considerable torture and Martin does a great job with his American accent and acting.

Molly's Yeah in the hospital reminded me of Frances McDormand's character from the 1996 original.

Recommended to fans of thrillers/dramas/Coen Brothers.

Click here to read all my posts related to Fargo.

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Image Sources: FX Productions, MGM Television, FX Network

You might also like:

Fargo - Morton's Fork
Fargo - A Muddy Road

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Fargo Season 1 Episode # 4 "Eating the Blame" - Recap and Review

Glenn Howerton as Don Chumph in Fargo Season 1 Episode 4 Eating the Blame

As the episode opens in 1987, a much younger Stavros Milos is traveling with his wife and son in his car. He is down and out on his luck and is seeking new fortunes. He soon discovers a briefcase full of cash.

Cut to the present. Stavros (Oliver Platt) hires Don Chumph (Glenn Howerton) to get his pipes repaired, after he had a literal bloodbath in his shower. The plumber quotes Bible and angers Stavros. While leaving the house, he notices a man watching the house.

Deputy Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks) runs into Lorne Malvos (Billy Bob Thornton), who is spying on the Stavros house. Gus arrests Lorne, who continues to threaten his captor during the ride to the police station.

Back in Bemidji, Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) is still focussed on Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman). She is informed by Gus about his arrest of Lorne.

Her efforts to visit Duluth gets stymied by her still incredulous boss, Chief Bill Oswalt (Bob Odenkirk). Bill drives down to Duluth Police Department to take a look at the suspect. Lorne is let go, much to Gus' dismay and puzzlement.


Adam Goldberg as Mr Numbers in Fargo Season 1 Episode 4 Eating the Blame



Lester gets abducted by Mr. Numbers (Adam Goldberg) and Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard) and is thrown into the car. Lester calls his brother Chaz Nygaard (Joshua Close) for help and then pretends to be playing a practical joke.

Lester makes his escape and notices Deputy Knudsen (Gary Valentine) standing nearby. Lester punches the police officer in order to get arrested.

Stavros is getting increasingly restless and paranoid. His supermarket store, Phoenix Farms is soon under attack by swarms of crickets. He receives a ransom demand of one million US dollars.

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Gus meets up with Molly and poses her the same question, he himself was asked by Lorne: “Do you know the human eye can see more shades of green than any other color?” (Gus gets a chance to get even with Lorne in the season finale Morton's Fork”).

Molly answers the aforementioned Lorne's riddle as saying that humans needed to be alert and observant to detect the presence of predators amidst all the greenery present in the forest.

Mr Numbers and Mr Wrench get into a fight in a bar and end up sharing the jail cell with Lester.

This was another strong episode. The humor is dark and hits the funny bone.

Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo in Fargo Season 1 Episode 4 Eating the Blame

Billy Bob Thornton gives another captivating performance. His impersonation of Frank Peterson, the minister from Baudette during the interrogation scene was spot on and amusing. Billy is quite a revelation in his role.

The acting is solid from the rest of the cast. I have enjoyed Gary Valentine's performance in The King of Queens and it was a pleasant surprise to see him turn up here. 

The scene with Mr Numbers and Mr Wrench in Lou Solverson's restaurant was hilarious.

A highly recommended watch for fans of the Coen Brothers/Fargo/Thrillers.

Click here to read all my posts related to Fargo.

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to this blog by clicking here.

Image Sources: FX Productions, MGM Television, FX Network

You might also like:

Fargo - Morton's Fork
Fargo - A Muddy Road