After four hours of slow, tense build-up, this episode explodes with action as two criminal gangs blow each other to pieces, Ed's shop burns down before he could buy it and someone's head is split open with a meat cleaver. It's a brilliant hour of Fargo, blending violence, humour and thoughtfulness into a masterpiece of an episode.
The most striking element is the focus on Charlie. He is naively desperate to be a Gerhardt himself, persuading his brother to allow him to do the killing that needs to be done. His scenes are executed with charm and humour. The first time, he makes the crucial mistake a hitman should never make: friendly conversation with the targets. You never want to humanise those you want to kill. So of course, instead of leaving having killed someone, he leaves with meat in his hand. The second attempt is a comical disaster, still failing to kill Ed but putting an end to his plans to buy the butcher shop. Even worse as comic timing, Peggy sold the car so they could both pay for what they wanted.
Charlie is the picture of a nice kid born into the wrong family. With violence treated as an honourable thing by those around him, it's natural for him to want to stop living in their shadows. The only way for him to do that in a criminal family is to show that he is man enough to do their dirty work himself. It's a tragic story, a genuinely kind-hearted youngster with his youth ruined by pointless violence.
And as well as the moments of violence, there are philosophical moments that are wonderfully performed. Reagan's conversation with Lou at the urinals is the right mix of thoughtful and funny. So is Ed and Nareen's discussion about the meaninglessness of life. This hits home given the theme of Fargo, pointless violence. Tie those two together and you get a damning philosophy: life is pointless so violence is pointless as well, as you all die at some point anyway. It's a nihilistic but unarguably sound view that Fargo takes.
The most striking element is the focus on Charlie. He is naively desperate to be a Gerhardt himself, persuading his brother to allow him to do the killing that needs to be done. His scenes are executed with charm and humour. The first time, he makes the crucial mistake a hitman should never make: friendly conversation with the targets. You never want to humanise those you want to kill. So of course, instead of leaving having killed someone, he leaves with meat in his hand. The second attempt is a comical disaster, still failing to kill Ed but putting an end to his plans to buy the butcher shop. Even worse as comic timing, Peggy sold the car so they could both pay for what they wanted.
Charlie is the picture of a nice kid born into the wrong family. With violence treated as an honourable thing by those around him, it's natural for him to want to stop living in their shadows. The only way for him to do that in a criminal family is to show that he is man enough to do their dirty work himself. It's a tragic story, a genuinely kind-hearted youngster with his youth ruined by pointless violence.
And as well as the moments of violence, there are philosophical moments that are wonderfully performed. Reagan's conversation with Lou at the urinals is the right mix of thoughtful and funny. So is Ed and Nareen's discussion about the meaninglessness of life. This hits home given the theme of Fargo, pointless violence. Tie those two together and you get a damning philosophy: life is pointless so violence is pointless as well, as you all die at some point anyway. It's a nihilistic but unarguably sound view that Fargo takes.