Fargo

After quite some time I decided to start watching some TV show again. Fargo had very strong reviews and it was attractive in and of itself. I know the original movie and so I was curious to see the premise stretched out into 10 whole hours. The authors managed that quite well, even though I couldn’t shake the feeling that the middle of the show was boring rather than engaging. I feel like the peak of the show were the first and the last two episodes. The middle is just a filling where you’re building relationships with the individual characters and Martin Freeman goes through a brutal character development, which is the only upside of the middle episodes. However, if it weren’t for Billy Bob Thornton, there would barely be a third of this show, maybe even fourth. He’s just absolutely amazing and his character really had his place here. Maybe the middle was so lacking in quality because he wasn’t in it a lot. The ending made up for everything and the amazing atmosphere of the snowy American countryside put a cherry on top of it all. The movie Fargo is full of elaborate little details and the show sticks by that. But I still can’t shake off the feeling that it “just” stretched the original movie out into individual episodes. But… what else could we expect? (09.03.2015)

The first episode promised a VERY funny, uncompromising and atmospheric series full of black humour. Unfortunately, in the episodes that followed Fargo lost much of that and, in particular, it delivered a lot less humour. The main storyline was a lot of fun (Martin Freeman is excellent as Lester), but some of the subplots, on the other hand, weren’t interesting at all. Things improved a little in the last two episodes, but I think it was at the expense of several weird and unjustified decisions by some of the characters. Good overall (very good, actually), but the pilot episode promised a lot more. (20.06.2014)

Because I had seen the Coen brothers' 1996 film Fargo, I was eager to watch the TV series with a similar storyline. I must point out that if the series hadn't been graced with such fantastic actors in the lead roles, it might have faded into mediocrity. Both of the main actors, Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman, improved their performances with each episode, to the point where I was almost in awe of how brilliantly they portrayed their roles. I also can’t forget the lead policewoman. The stylish music fit the story perfectly (the soundtrack can be described as divine). I enjoyed everything about the series, including the Minnesota landscape, the dense atmosphere, and the excellent ending. I'm already looking forward to the second season. Rating: 90%. (03.08.2019)

If you liked the film, you may enjoy the series adaptation. Cold days in Minnesota have their charms. But each season so far seems to be solitary and each story has its pluses and minuses. Absolutely great is Season 2 with Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. The first and third are worth your time, it's just with the fourth that I'm hesitant to even make it to the end. (14.10.2015)