The first season of FX’s FARGO created & written by the demigod known as Noah Hawley established itself as a series unto itself, in which its sprawling several settings, deeply nuanced characters, and clever labyrinthian story arcs were a rich source for entertainment. The green light for production on Season 02 of FARGO was never in doubt from FX/MGM’s perspective; however, Noah Hawley and his creative assistants made clear that they would only proceed further with the proposed anthology series if/when they felt the material for a second season could be strong enough...
All of this is to say that Season 02 of FARGO kicked off with an (almost entirely) new cast of characters, with a setting in Space + Time that expands its own canon in ways that left the original 1996 Cohen Brother’s film in the dust, while at the same time keeping itself deftly tethered to Season 01.
With each episode in the first half of FARGO S02, (Ep.1-5), yarns were spun and rounds fired at a dizzying rate – with a confidence so earnest that as a viewer it felt like anything could happen to anyone at anytime because this show created & written by Noah Hawley had the audience in its firm, cold grip.
IF ANYONE WATCHING SEASON 02 FOR THE FIRST TIME, (ASSUMING THEY’VE ALREADY SEASON 01 OBVIOUSLY), FELT ANY UNCERTAINTY REGARDING WHETHER OR NOT THIS SECOND SEASON COULD HOLD UP TO ITS PREDECESSOR, LET THIS SINGLE EPISODE BE MARKED AS THE HOUR OF TELEVISION IN WHICH FARGO THE TELEVISION SERIES CEMENTED ITSELF ABOVE ITS PREVIOUS SEASON AND PROVED NO MATTER HOW ENTERTAINING OR CLEVER EARLIER EPISODES MAY HAVE BEEN, WE ARE CLEARLY ONLY SEEING THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG; AND THE REMAINING SECOND HALF OF SEASON 02 IS NOTHING SHORT OF MASTERFUL. BEGINNING WITH EPISODE 06, “RHINOCEROS,” THE AUDIENCE IS TREATED TO AN HOUR OF TELEVISION THAT RANKS AMONG THE HIGHEST CALIBER.
Fans of “Breaking Bad” will no doubt contend this praise, and say it’s not as good as Vince Gilligan’s series – and they’ll be wrong, and that’s okay! Only a few times have I ever seen an hour of a TV series as propulsive, as endlessly-watchable, as pioneering in terms of writing, directing, score, acting, editing, and cinematography as FARGO S02E06; the other shows that have proven capable of achieving this absurdly high status in quality before include (but are not limited to) all-time-masterpieces like, “The Wire,” “Deadwood,” “Twin Peaks,” “The Knick,” “The Americans,” and “True Detective.”
Review by oftenevilBlockedParent2020-03-31T00:30:57Z
FARGO - Season 02, Episode 06: “Rhinoceros”
The first season of FX’s FARGO created & written by the demigod known as Noah Hawley established itself as a series unto itself, in which its sprawling several settings, deeply nuanced characters, and clever labyrinthian story arcs were a rich source for entertainment. The green light for production on Season 02 of FARGO was never in doubt from FX/MGM’s perspective; however, Noah Hawley and his creative assistants made clear that they would only proceed further with the proposed anthology series if/when they felt the material for a second season could be strong enough...
All of this is to say that Season 02 of FARGO kicked off with an (almost entirely) new cast of characters, with a setting in Space + Time that expands its own canon in ways that left the original 1996 Cohen Brother’s film in the dust, while at the same time keeping itself deftly tethered to Season 01.
With each episode in the first half of FARGO S02, (Ep.1-5), yarns were spun and rounds fired at a dizzying rate – with a confidence so earnest that as a viewer it felt like anything could happen to anyone at anytime because this show created & written by Noah Hawley had the audience in its firm, cold grip.
IF ANYONE WATCHING SEASON 02 FOR THE FIRST TIME, (ASSUMING THEY’VE ALREADY SEASON 01 OBVIOUSLY), FELT ANY UNCERTAINTY REGARDING WHETHER OR NOT THIS SECOND SEASON COULD HOLD UP TO ITS PREDECESSOR, LET THIS SINGLE EPISODE BE MARKED AS THE HOUR OF TELEVISION IN WHICH FARGO THE TELEVISION SERIES CEMENTED ITSELF ABOVE ITS PREVIOUS SEASON AND PROVED NO MATTER HOW ENTERTAINING OR CLEVER EARLIER EPISODES MAY HAVE BEEN, WE ARE CLEARLY ONLY SEEING THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG; AND THE REMAINING SECOND HALF OF SEASON 02 IS NOTHING SHORT OF MASTERFUL. BEGINNING WITH EPISODE 06, “RHINOCEROS,” THE AUDIENCE IS TREATED TO AN HOUR OF TELEVISION THAT RANKS AMONG THE HIGHEST CALIBER.
Fans of “Breaking Bad” will no doubt contend this praise, and say it’s not as good as Vince Gilligan’s series – and they’ll be wrong, and that’s okay! Only a few times have I ever seen an hour of a TV series as propulsive, as endlessly-watchable, as pioneering in terms of writing, directing, score, acting, editing, and cinematography as FARGO S02E06; the other shows that have proven capable of achieving this absurdly high status in quality before include (but are not limited to) all-time-masterpieces like, “The Wire,” “Deadwood,” “Twin Peaks,” “The Knick,” “The Americans,” and “True Detective.”
Enjoy.