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Fargo Ep. 1.08 “The Heap” another brilliant hour of FX’s dark masterpiece

Fargo Ep. 1.08 “The Heap” another brilliant hour of FX’s dark masterpiece

fargo 1.8

Fargo Season 1, Episode 8 “The Heap”
Written by Noah Hawley
Directed by Scott Winant
Airs Tuesdays at 10pm ET on FX

The sorities paradox – otherwise known as “the paradox of the heap” – asks us to consider a heap of sand, consisting of grains that are individually removed. Once a single grain remains, the paradox asks a simple question: Is it still a heap? Of course, if 1,000 grains of sand make a heap, than a single grain would – and by the same token, no grains would. In short, removing pieces from a puzzle doesn’t revoke its status as a puzzle: just as removing Lester’s brother from the picture doesn’t do anything to change the conspiracy board Molly’s gathered over the past few weeks (plus one year, by the end of the episode) about Malvo, Lester, and their connection. No matter how many people die, how much time passes, or how many good things happen in her life, Molly is still stuck on the death of her boss, a grain of sand that can never be re-inserted into the “bloody sand” (to borrow the title of Lester’s drink, though snow may be a more accurate term) of Fargo and its neighboring cities.

Although “The Heap” most obviously expresses itself in Budge and Pepper’s conversations about the purgatorial file room they’ve been placed in (following their failure at Malvo’s climatic, 22-man murder spree), the idea of removing a single sliver of the Fargo prism from each character’s life, examining what remains pops up all over the episode (for many characters, it’s been happening all series). And the biggest of these grains – the grain of time – is taken from them all (and us), when Fargo ingeniously pushes forward a year unexpectedly in the middle of the episode. Gus has the job (and the woman) he wants, as does Lester: but for all the change brought to these character’s worlds, things are definitely still the same, even when they appear to be different.

Molly’s still obsessed with the case, even a year later (and wicked pregnant, I might add: Gus and Molly must make a fertile couple); Budge and Pepper are still on shit detail; and even though Lester looks and sounds like a different man, the events of a year ago still weigh heavy on his mind (he even mentions his personal tragedy in his acceptance speech, in a way that almost feels prideful of what he catalyzed by allowing Lester into his life, however briefly). And what else is a great reminder of who we really are then the return of the Devil? His hair is a different color, and he goes by a different name: but like the stubble that he now shaves off his cheeks and the sand in the grass, the Devil remains the Devil, even when he doesn’t quite look how we remember him.

And considering there’s blood in all this sand heaping around Minnesota and Fargo, the last few minutes of “The Heap”, is an ominous reminder that things are most likely still going to end unpleasantly for our characters. Lester’s never going to be as free as he wants to be, especially when the Devil returns to claim your soul, as it appears Malvo is back in town to do (also, did anyone notice he was talking to Stephen Root in that bar scene? Please tell me Root will in the last two episodes!). Time (and many characters) may have moved forward, but under the surface, the stink of death festering under the surface like the shotgun pellet in Lester’s finger in earlier episodes. Lester may be enjoying “all good things”, but all is gold is not meant to last – and it appears that one way or another, his goose is about to be cooked in a very Biblical way, a way that might give the still-absent Stavros a little peace of mind.

 

Other thoughts/observations:

– Lester’s new “sleek” glasses crack me up – great costume design right there.

– Budge interrupts Pepper’s musings to ask an important question: “What’s for lunch today? Pizza… or is it meatloaf?”

– ‘Shippers, eat your motherfuckin’ hearts out: Gus and Molly are just as awesome as a couple as we thought they would be, effectively completing Molly’s journey to become the modern Marge.

– Mr. Wrench lives! Let’s hope him and Stavros make appearances in the last pair of episodes.

— Randy

[wpchatai]