Martin Freeman in FX's "Fargo"

[Convict13]

They showed the first two episodes here in Australia the other night, it was really good, but it took a while to get used to Martin's American accent, and his voice seems to have gone up a pitch or two, maybe necessary for the accent I'm not sure.  

 

Really enjoyed it and looking forward to next weeks episode.  

[Carol the Dabbler]

The individual-episode downloads claim to have closed captioning, but apparently it works only on certain devices, and apparently an actual computer isn't one of 'em.  Presumably a DVD would have English subtitles, so I'm hoping there will be a DVD.  (Nothing on Amazon yet.)

 

I'm enjoying the episodes nevertheless.  (And Alex has now upgraded them to "interesting.")

 

One quibble on Episode 5:  The neighborhood-watch guy uses the word "casserole."  Now, maybe he just moved there from Des Moines.  But I've never heard a Minnesotan say "casserole."  They say "hotdish."  That's as well known as a Canadian's "eh?".  Surely someone writing a ten-hour screenplay set in Minnesota would do a bit of vocabulary research, and that's about the first thing that would turn up.  So did someone make a deliberate decision to say "casserole" anyhow?  Did they think no one outside Minnesota would understand the word "hotdish"?

 

Somehow that strikes me as the weirdest thing in this show.

 

[Caya]

Fargo has fun with a little actor allusion (pic in spoiler tags because I don't know if it is one):

 

 

 

 

(source)

[Carol the Dabbler]

I'm guessing that's from last night's episode (which I have not yet seen), but I don't think it's a spoiler if you've seen last week's episode.  Cute -- I'll watch for it!

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

I must say that episode six ("Buridan's Ass") is not my favorite.  (The tone has suddenly changed, and I sure hope that's just temporary.)  But Martin Freeman continues to shine.  Here's a review written by someone who really appreciates his contribution.

 

[Rose Tyler]

Caya thank you for pointing that out! Brilliant!

[aaronnz]

Martin is simply amazing in this show. I couldn't picture anyone else in the role.

[Convict13]

I must say that episode six ("Buridan's Ass") is not my favorite.  (The tone has suddenly changed, and I sure hope that's just temporary.)  But Martin Freeman continues to shine.  Here's a review written by someone who really appreciates his contribution.

 

 I agree, I said to my partner that it was different and a little darker than the previous episodes. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yes, precisely.  It sounds a little silly to say that it was darker, since the whole series has been pretty damn dark -- but that's been dark whimsey, and Episode 6 was not whimsical.  At all.  I guess they just needed to get from Place A to Place B in that episode, though, because (fortunately!) they were right back to the dark whimsey in Episode 7.

 

I agree with you, Aaron -- Martin Freeman is simply amazing in this.  It's rapidly becoming one of my favorites of his.  I just came across an interview done on the set of Fargo, and while the interview itself is well worth reading, I was even more intrigued by the interviewer's observations while waiting for a break in the filming:

 

In the initial take of the scene ... Freeman seems to be under no real pressure. It's a straight-forward and solid reading of a potentially emotional scene and, if you didn't know better, you'd think it was just fine. After a brief conversation with "Fargo" series creator Noah Hawley, Freeman settles in and although his scene partner delivers a performance that's nearly identical to the first take, Freeman's reading is now completely different. It's not just that the emotion has been dialed up, though. Emphasis has been put on a different assortment of words and without changing a breath of the dialogue, Freeman has shifted the heft of the scene. The camera and lighting set-ups change and, again, Freeman's co-star remains consistent -- And really good, don't get me wrong -- but Freeman again steps up the emotion and punches a different assortment of words, highlighting a different potential meaning.

 

As I learned on the set of a different Freeman production last summer ... this is what the "Office" veteran does. He starts off with the basics, but builds with each take and tries to give directors as many choices as possible, tries to give himself as many choices as possible. After watching many actors on many sets, I can assure you that this isn't the case with everybody. Freeman is notable both for how responsive he is to direction, but also for the variations he imposes on himself.

 

I had heard that Freeman does each take differently (and had even witnessed that on North Gower Street last May, in a brief scene with no dialog for John), but I had assumed that it was a matter of nuances.  I had no idea that the differences could run that deeply.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

How did I forget to post this -- Fargo has five nominations (one more than Sherlock) in the upcoming Critics' Choice Awards:

 

Best Mini-Series:  Fargo

 

Best Actor in a (Television) Movie or Mini-Series:  Martin Freeman -- against Benedict Cumberbatch for Sherlock

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Billy Bob Thornton

 

Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series:  Colin Hanks (Gus Grimly) -- against Martin Freeman for Sherlock

 

Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series:  Allison Tolman (Molly Solverson) -- against Amanda Abbington for Sherlock

 

You can read more about all this on the Radio Times website.

[Arcadia]

Martin vs. Benny, oh noes!

[Rose Tyler]

I just got caught up (9) and atm I would have to give it to Martin. I am in shock and awe at how much I hate Lester and want to punch him in his sweet little Martin Freeman face.

 

Over and over and....

 

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[Carol the Dabbler]

Isn't he terrific?  Though I must say that so far (through episode 8), I am fascinated by Lester, even rooting for him in a way.  Of course I"m also rooting for Molly, and I doubt that they can both win.

 

By the way, it's a nice little nod to the movie that

Molly is now pregnant.

 

 

I'll presumably be able to watch episode 9 this weekend -- then we'll see whether I want to join you in the punch-his-face camp!

 

[Rose Tyler]

Bet you will

 

Molly is actually my fave ~ I call her Supergirl Detective or Supercop Molly.

 

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[Carol the Dabbler]

I really like Molly.  And I'm really glad that (as of episode 8)

Gus is now working for the Post Office.  I suppose it's probably because he "failed" his hearing, but he never really wanted to be a cop in the first place, so I think he'll probably be happier in the long run this way.

 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

OK, we watched episode 9 tonight.  It's another not-really-funny one, but it nevertheless strikes me as whimsical (rather than grim like #6).

 

Still can't exactly say that I hate Lester, Rose, more like viewing him as an amazing natural phenomenon -- though I did find myself yelling "You goddam filthy son-of-a-bitch!" at the television during one scene (and you know which one).  On the plus side, you gotta admit that he has a strong sense of self-preservation, and has finally become one with his inner weasel.

 

On the minus side, what kinda total idiot is he, to

walk right over to Malvo in the bar like that -- any sane person woulda snuck out the back door!

 

 

[Rose Tyler]

Yes I know which one you mean My anger has settled a bit, managed to watch part of The Worlds End without screaming obscenities at poor, talented Martin.

 

The fact that this is all based on a true story is what really gets me I think. I don't like to admit people like Lester exist. People who on the surface seem like decent enough human beings but inside are....horrible.

 

Funny, cuz I'm always telling my hubby that people just suck

 

Loved Molly at the house

 

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[Carol the Dabbler]

I can perhaps alleviate some of your angst by pointing out that Fargo is NOT really based on a true story.  To quote screenwriter Noah Hawley (from this interview):

 

... we're saying it's a true story, which it isn't, but it's following a  certain true story logic....

 

The movie apparently made a similar claim, and that was mere hype as well.  Of course that doesn't prove people like Lester Nygaard (and Lorne Malvo) don't exist -- who knows?  But at least Lester himself is (like his counterpart in the movie) just fiction.

 

While watching episode 9, I noticed that Lester seems to be touching up his hair now.  I'm guessing that actually started at the "one year later" point in episode 8, but I failed to notice it then.

 

Well, the final episode airs in the US tomorrow -- and a couple days after that, the Critics' Choice Awards will be announced.  The ceremony is being broadcast live on the CW network, and those of you in the US can find your nearest CW station here.  According to our local affiliate, the awards will air this Thursday from 8 to 10 pm, Eastern time -- though one west-coast station shows it running from 6 to 8 pm, which may be a tape delay.  So you better check your local station's schedule.

 

[Rose Tyler]

I so need glasses to read script on the tv, probably missed the disclaimer part of that

 

Missed the hair too! Though I remember thinking he looked younger.

 

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[Carol the Dabbler]

I don't believe there is any on-screen disclaimer.  Presumably the "true story" claim is considered to be part of the story, and therefore does not need to be true (if you can read that without getting dizzy).  But the exposé is all over the internet -- if you Google fargo "true story" you'll find a whole bunch of articles, some relating to the movie and some to the show.

 

[Rose Tyler]

I do remember something on the first episode about changing the names of the innocent but not the guilty but the tv was soooo far away and the type so small I had my hubby "translate" just hype like you said I'm sure.

 

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[Carol the Dabbler]

Oh, I see, you really couldn't read the fine print (I sympathize!).  Hang on, somebody's bound to have the whole thing posted online.  Yup, here it is on Snopes:

 

The 1996 movie Fargo begins: "This is a true story. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred."

Great opening. And not a word of truth to it.

 

Snopes also points out that the movie ends with the usual "no resemblance to any persons living or dead" disclaimer (so you were right about that, at least for the movie, and maybe for the tv show too -- I never thought to look at the end).

 

As for the wording at the beginning of the television program, I believe it's exactly the same except for the year.

 

[Caya]

The Telegraph agrees:

 

Fargo made its TV debut in the same way as it did on cinema screens in 1996: with the words, "This is a true story". The Coen brothers' modern classic [i.e., the movie] certainly has a plot that is stranger than fiction - pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson stumbles upon a criminal stuffing his partner's body into a wood chipper while investigating five murders that stem from a ransom-raising kidnapping gone wrong. But that is all it ever was: fiction.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Carol the Dabbler
Clarified that the quote refers to the movie, not the TV show

[Rose Tyler]

Got up close and personal with the tv and it says "the events depicted took place in Minnesota in 2006. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead the rest has been told exactly as it occurred"

 

Who knew you couldn't believe everything thing you read

 

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[Carol the Dabbler]

Shame on me for not posting the results of the Critics' Choice Awards: three wins for Fargo -- Best Mini-Series, Best Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series (Billy Bob Thornton), and Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series (Allison Tolman).  Unfortunately, Mr. Thornton and Martin Freeman were entered in the same category, so only one of them could win -- though Mr. Freeman absolutely deserves major recognition for his performance here.

 

Episode 10 has now aired in the US, Australia, and the UK, but there may be other places where it hasn't (and perhaps other people like me, who are relying on Amazon downloads and/or hoping for a DVD), so let's continue to hide any actual spoilers for a while.

 

I'm generally pleased with how the series turned out, but of course I have a few questions and comments -- Note: Major spoilers:

 

 

1.  Why wasn't Gus at least detained on suspicion of murder or manslaughter?  Even an active police officer (which he no longer is) isn't supposed to kill someone just because he's a suspect.  Under the circumstances (i.e., Malvo killed people as casually as most folks eat peanuts, yet seemed to be made of Teflon), I can understand why they'd have found some loophole so that Gus wasn't actually charged or convicted -- but a commendation?

 

2.  I'm surprised (but gratified!) that they decided to kill off Malvo -- I was expecting to see him continue to elude capture, wandering off in search of fresh mischief.

 

3.  Wonder what became of the deaf hitman?

 

4.  The tape that Gus found amounts to a confession from Lester, so his brother is surely off the hook for murder.  But will his wife want him back?  For all she knows, Lester killed his first wife because she was having an affair with his brother.

 

5.  Poor Lester -- I wouldn't wish that death on anyone.  Besides, I was hoping the series would end with him in jail (and more great reaction shots from Freeman).  What we did get was kinda brief!