TV Review: Fargo: Season 2, Episode 4 (SPOILERS)

November 2nd 2015, 11:41pm

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Season 2, Episode 4: Fear & Trembling

SUMMARY: New alliances are made as the conflict between the Gerhardts and the Kansas City mob heats-up. Meanwhile, Betsy (Cristin Milioti) and Lou (Patrick Wilson) get some dire medical news.

REVIEW: Aw geez, there are some real shady doings goin' on this week in Fargo. Fresh off last week's episode, which promised some fireworks with the Kansas City mob, this episode opened in a spectacular fashion with a bloody flashback to Dodd's (Jeffrey Donovan) childhood. We see his father (Michael Hogan) have him kill-off a rival mobster, sowing the seeds for the psychopath we see pop up each and every week in this amazing second season.

What's really interesting about this episode is how quickly both Dodd's henchman Ohanzee (Zahn McClarnon) and Lou are able to figure out exactly what happened to Rye Gerhardt by little more than a quick look at Peggy (Kirsten Dunst) and Ed (Jesse Plemons)'s damaged car. But, with it now being so obvious, as Lou's already confronted them and Ohanzee has more than enough proof to bring the Gerhardts down on them, what's going to happen?

With it not even being halfway through the season's run, obviously Peggy and Ed are going to somehow maneuver their way out of trouble, but how? It looks like the only way would be if they somehow cut a deal with Ohanzee, who – so far – seems like a loyal soldier. But, now that the Gerhardts are fully at war with Kansas City, maybe he's going to try and get out when the getting's good. We'll see.

What's clear is that Peggy and Ed are only a piece of what's going on this season, with the war between the Gerhardts and Kansas City seeming like the real focus. It's certainly fun to see the Machiavellian way the mob, led by Brad Garrett's brilliantly deadpan Joe Bulo and Bokeem Woodbine's ice-cold and hilarious Mike Milligan, are working their way into sowing seeds of discomfort in the clan's ranks. The big shocker this week is that Dodd's neglected and abused daughter has now taken up with Mike, to the point that she's doing bumps of coke off his shoulders and telling him how to get to her father. Certainly things aren't going to end well for Dodd, with him once again coming into conflict with his stony mother (the amazing Jean Smart) – although who knows? Fargo is nothing if not unpredictable, but that's most of the fun.

Another important bit this week is Betsy's grim cancer prognosis, with the cracks starting to show as the gravity of her situation starts to hit her and Lou. Knowing Lou's widowed status in season one, it's not hard to guess where this is going, but fingers crossed she survives the season, as her and Lou are such a likable pair.

Again, this episode of Fargo was another stunner, with some jaw-dropping moments, including the opening shoot-out, Floyd's negotiations with Bulo and finally, Lou's attempt to reason with Ed and Peggy, who still think they can wrangle their way out of trouble. Like each and every episode leading up to this one, I was on the edge of my seat throughout, and I'll be counting the days and hours until my next Fargo fix.