Photo courtesy of FX
Many shows that raise the bar for what a series can accomplish often can’t maintain that in later seasons. Fargo, sadly, is one of those shows. Its earlier seasons created its own cinematic universe, based on the filmography of the Coen Brothers, by borrowing scenes, dialogue, and even the soundtracks from those films to create something new. Die-hard fans of those filmmakers found every season rich in references and callbacks used to tell a new, self-contained story.
Season four, similarly, is its own story, set in Kansas City in 1951, of a brewing gang war that’s been held tenuously in check for decades by a strange but effective practice. Each of the two families/gangs in the city exchanges the oldest male child to help keep the peace. That child lives with the ‘other side,’ and this exchange creates some of the most interesting characters of the season. A violent montage sets up the history of the previous gangs in the city, which included a Jewish and Irish family.
The show opens with an Italian crime family making a pact with a black family and exchanging son like previous gangs. Chris Rock plays Loy Cannon, the head of the black crime family who exchanges his son for that of Donatello Fadda (Tommaso Ragno). Rock is best in this role when he gets to chew scenery and pontificate on the racism of the day, which is brutally present in this season for both his and the Fadda family. He isn’t at his best when he’s scowling out a window, lost in thought.
Another prominent member of the Fadda family is Donatello’s son, Josto, played by Jason Schwartzman, who brings his usual brand of petulant comedy to his role. He also excels when he’s able to be his typecast self but isn’t as believable when it comes to anything more dramatic.
Rock and Schwartzman’s conflict amps up after someone dies in the first episode, and the resulting storyline involves a dizzying number of characters, including Oraetta Mayflower (Jessie Buckley), Rabbi Milligan (Ben Whishaw), and, in his first acting spot, indie musician Andrew Bird, who plays mortician Thurman Smutny.
The plot becomes intricate very quickly and spirals to include heavy hitting actors like Jack Huston, Timothy Olyphant, and Salvatore Esposito. Each of these characters, amongst others, have their quirky personality like any other character on Fargo, but their idiosyncrasies begin to wear on you. Huston plays dirty cop and war veteran Odis Weff, who struggles with serious OCD and has to lock and unlock car doors and apartment doors multiple times. Olyphant is yet another solid actor playing as their typecast self; here he plays a Mormon U.S. Marshal who snacks on carrots in every other scene he’s in. Esposito plays Gaetano, brother to Schwartzman’s character, a hulky, heavily-accentedveteran who fought under the defeated Italian regime.
All the character’s quirks make for an entertaining first few episodes, but they and the labyrinthine plot drag on a little too long through the season’s eleven episodes. The themes of non-white peoples in America all grasping for power and living in spite of the unadulterated racism in the 1950s somewhat get lost as the episodes proceed. This season’s strongest point is what the season has to say about power and being non-WASPy.
One of the bright points is Jessie Buckley’s character of Oraetta, who plays deadly nurse fond of making poisonous baked goods. Her physical performance and accent as someone who moved to Kansas City from Minnesota steal every scene that she’s in. She provides one of two links to the Coen Brothers universe in that she nails the Midwest accent and quirkiness.
Another bright point is Emyri Crutchfield, who plays the mortician’s daughter Ethelrida Pearl Smutny. As a high school senior, she is the narrative force behind the entire season, as her ‘history report’ becomes the overarching narrative used to lead the viewer through so much of the backstory and concluding few episodes. She also becomes this season’s overlooked and underestimated heroine, one of the best tropes in every season of this series.
This season provides some unique and obscure callbacks to past Coen Brothers movies, including some deep dives to Raising Arizona, No Country for Old Men, and Miller’s Crossing. Fans will be satisfied with these and the soundtrack, which performs similar feats as O, Brother, Where Art Thou? by using negro spirituals to perfectly compliment some scenes (though even these well-curated tracks starts to wear out).
Two characters in this season are ones seen in season two, which occurs in Minnesota in 1980, providing only a slight connection to other season of the series.
Many fans and reviews panned this season for good reason. In spite of its bold and evocative storyline, this show could not hold up the quality television that past seasons have. Perhaps the fact that season four was one of numerous shows that began filming but was shutdown due to the COVID outbreak may have something to do with it. Salvaging a show with new health restrictions because of COVID could definitely put a crimp in a smartly-plotted show. But fans may be holding out hope for season five, which has already been cast and is reportedly set for release later this year.
All episodes are streaming on Hulu.
—Eric Beach