We all know by now the world has been flipped, turned upside-down. Thanks to the pandemic that has invaded our society, we’ve gone from a civilization that thrives on social interactions to a 2-week old hermit lifestyle, confined to the boundaries of our living arrangements. Yet, in the history of human civilization, we’ve never been more prepared as a people to deal with the uncertainties born from our new reality. Video conferencing, food and grocery delivery/pickup among other tools are some of the things we are using in order to hold on to some form of order as we traverse this uncharted territory.
One thing that’s come from this situation is that the average person now has more free time available to them than they could want. If free time was water, we’d be puking from over-hydration. So many of us are finding ways to occupy our time from puzzles to video games to training for marathons and doing prison workouts. I, like millions of others, have been catching up on old shows and movies or re-visiting old content that I loved from previous years, and every now and then, I would like to make a recommendation to y’all since you have nothing better to do anyway.
Which brings me to the 2014 FX drama, Fargo. Oh geez. The fourth season of the show has had its April 19th release date postponed indefinitely but its first three seasons are available for streaming on Hulu. The show is loosely based off The Coen Brothers’ hit of 1996 of the same name only by feel and setting location. Everything else that show creator, Noah Hawley, brings to the table works as its own original stories. The seasons are barely tied together telling their own individual stories, with only the slightest connections to tie them together as an ensemble. So with that being said, I want this post to focus on the very stellar first season of the show.
The first season of Fargo was a critical success pulling themes and ideas from its movie namesake, but telling its own original story. Its wild events revolve around the age-old theme of good vs. evil, as it uses parables and mixes the mundane with the far-fetched to give the show’s happenings an everyday quality to them. Like this type of stuff happens to people everyday. Fargo is a hell of a thrill ride, making you laugh one moment and makes you catch your breath with its stunning visual direction.
So I implore you to watch the tale that takes place between the show’s three main characters, our hero, Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman), our evil villain, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton in his best role) and professional loser, Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman). It’s a great place to start if you’re looking for something to take your mind off of current events and when you’re done with Season 1, trust me. Season 2 is even better.
