Fargo Series Review (Season 1)

Back in 1996, a little film named Fargo became an overnight success, while also establishing the Coen brothers as master craftsmen in film. Nearly twenty years later and the film and its creators have made a comeback, this time debuting on the smaller screen. With an unpredictable plot, deep characters and strong ties to its source material, Fargo stands as one of the best crime dramas to come out in recent years.

Fargo’s structure is based on an anthology with a different story each season and the first of these surrounds Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman), a relatively unsophisticated and lowly man. Despite having a fairly solid livelihood, Lester can’t help but fell dissatisfied; he’s beaten down in both his work and free time and even his wife sees him as a spineless man with little to offer. A chance meeting with the sinister Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) compels Lester to do something wild and thus begins a winding tale of foreboding twists and turns that eventually sees the entire police force getting involved. Fargo boasts one of the most unpredictable plots ever seen in a crime drama; although the series does hold some parallels with the 1996 film that preceded it, you never really know just what is going to happen next. Will Lester get out of the mess he finds himself in? Will Malvo get his due? Who else has a role to play in this story? These are just some of the questions that will keep you guessing all the way to the end. The other big strength of Fargo as a TV series is that it all feels plausible and realistic; it’s a fictional tale, and yet the superimposed text at the start of each episode “This is a true story” can easily dupe the audience into suspending their disbelief. Fargo does what any good TV series should; it keeps the audience invested, tells an unpredictable yet coherent story and also stays true to the film it is based on.

The characters of Fargo have their own ties to the original film but manage to set themselves apart with their varied performances. Lester is such a sneaky, slimy individual; something which only continues to grow and expand over the course of the series as he hides behind his conscience and deceives others. I found him similar to Frank Underwood from House of Cards in this regard; you loath him at many points, but it’s always unclear just what kind of sneaky deed he’s going to commit next. Lorne Malvo is a strong counterpart to this; someone so cold, calculating and ruthless that he fully commands every scene he’s in. Standing on the opposite wavelength are our protagonists Deputy Molly Solverson and Officer Gus Grimly, played by Allison Tolman and Colin Hanks respectively. What makes the protagonists so memorable in Fargo is their perseverance; suffice it to say, they go through a lot in order to unravel the mystery, making the audience root for them the whole way through. Each and every one of the characters goes through believable and detailed journeys over the course of the series. Not only that, but they also feel just as authentic and fleshed out as the plot; there isn’t a single weak link and they all play their roles with equal range and gusto.

While it may have been swept under the rug by other popular shows, Fargo is a dark yet fantastic programme that entices and engages its audience across its ten episodes. It’s a perfect fit for the small screen, forming strong ties with its source material while taking it in surprising and unexpected new directions. If you’re a fan of the Coen brothers and their work, the series is a must, but it still carries more than enough to satisfy the common viewer sparingly. (Just be sure to watch the original film first!)

Rating: 5/5 Stars