Fargo Season 5 Review

Fargo (2014-)

Season 5 - 10 episodes (2023-24)
Rent Fargo on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Noah Hawley (created for television by)
Starring: Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, Dave Foley
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.

In season five, a kidnapped housewife's mysterious past leads to a variety of unsavory characters.

Verdict
This season is completely engrossing from the very first episode. There's less dark humor this season, though it may just seem that way with how depressing this season's focus is. It's quite heavy as the antagonist is a misogynist and racist, and that makes this season more contemporary. As terrible as that sheriff is, you can't help but wonder what he'll do next. First we wonder about the mystery at hand, and later in the season we wonder how these characters are going to survive. Surprisingly, this season manages to introduce a preternatural character that never seems as strange as it sounds. In context it completely works. This seasons is a return to form for the show.
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Review
This starts with a fight at a school assembly. While it looks like it's set in the past, it's just Minnesota in 2019. Dot (Juno Temple) is arrested during the fray and that's what starts this story. In the same episode, attackers break into her home trying to kidnap her. Dot has skills, fighting back and doing a good job at it despite being captured. She manages to escape and returns home, telling her husband she went for a walk. That's the first episode, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Why'd she lie? Why are people after her?

David Rysdahl, Juno Templ play Wayne Lyon, Dot Lyon

There's a lot going on this season, and the second episode lays out the characters. The feds are after Sheriff Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm), the local cops are after Dot, Dot's mother in law Lorraine (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a pill, and a mercenary Ole Munch (Sam Spruell) seems to have supernatural powers.

Most of this season is Dot on the run as Sheriff Tillman intends to kidnap her. Tillman is scary in how calm he is, using scripture to justify his crimes. He's the law in this town with no rivals. He's similar to Lorraine. Both like to get what they want and have the resources to make it happen. There's spitefulness in their desires, wanting something just so someone else can't have it.

Ole Munch is such a stranger character. You'd think he would completely demolish suspension of disbelief but somehow he doesn't. At first he seems like an inept mercenary, but we see some of his past and he keeps reappearing, seeking to collect on a debt.

Jon Hamm plays Sheriff Roy Tillman

Episode seven dives into Dot's backstory. We see it in puppet form which makes the abuse she suffered easier to watch at least. In the same episode, whatever progress she makes seems to always fall short. Tillman and Lorraine meet as both seek Dot. Lorraine has the resources and is spiteful enough to interfere with Tillman's campaign to be re-elected sheriff. Her meddling may be the funniest part of this season. That leads to an intense scene where Tillman is walking from his car to a barn where he has a captive. It's a single shot that tracks him as he doesn't say anything, but it's telling. He was embarrassed at the debate and takes it out on his captive. Tillman seems to be at least in part represent certain political zealots. He only feels powerful when he's exerting powers over others.

The final episode is a summary of the entire season. Ole Munch shows up at Dot's house, wanting a debt paid. That's how this season started, with a character wanting a debt paid. She's flippant about his demands. Dot tells Ole that wanting a debt paid instead of providing forgiveness only causes chaos. The kind thing is to forgive the debt instead of seeking evil ends. Every character this season that seeks a debt paid meets an unfortunate end. Then again, even characters that try to help often meet difficult circumstances.

This season is one of the better Fargo seasons, certainly better than seasons four and two. The subject matter is heavy this season, and this doesn't have the humor and whimsy of seasons one of three. It's an engrossing story, but at some point you feel bad for many of the characters. It's depressing, but this season also wants to be examine contemporary society through exaggeration and it definitely does that.