Fargo returned tonight with episode 5, titled “The Six Ungraspables.” Our recap breaks down the episode that sees us at the halfway point.
This should be obvious, but this recap will be very spoiler filled.
Like the episode before it, episode 5 opens with a flashback. This time we get to see how Lester ever came to buy a shotgun in the first place. Intending to buy socks, he went into the pawn shop and came out with the gun (and the socks). This gun eventually only got used by Lorne Malvo in the murder of Chief Vern Thurman.
Flash forward to present day and Lester is where he was left at the end of the previous episode, trapped in the cell with Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench. After they painfully press his bullet wound, Lester finally gives them Lorne Malvo’s name.
Meanwhile, Molly finally convinces Bill that Lester may be involved as the pile of evidence has finally reached a height that is impossible to ignore. Luckily for Molly, Lester is in jail when she gets Bill’s okay to question him. Unluckily, he’s passed out from the pain from Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench and has to be transported to the hospital.
Unable to get anything out of him in this state, Molly decides to sneak around his house. She “breaks in” (she finds the key), and suddenly our opinions of her are tainted. Molly was the good detective that was smart enough to figure everything while always doing the right thing, but this time she didn’t do the right thing. Or did she? Is it okay for police to break the law to put away murderers? Legally, no. Morally? That’s ambiguous. And ambiguous characters are interesting characters. Especially when they swear to the mother of the child who will never meet their dad that they will put the murderers behind bars.
After his failed attempt to get Lorne locked up last week, Gus is now trying to figure out anything he can about him. After thinking for a few minutes, he connects Lorne to the place he found him: Stavros Milos’ house. Gus is still worried, however, and a neighbor comes over to help him sort through his worries. The neighbor gives him a parable that tells him “only a fool thinks he can solve the world’s problems,” to which Gus retorts that you have to try. Eventually Gus and Molly end up talking and agree to get together to compare notes. As much as Gus wants to solve the crime, it appears that he’s more interested in Molly. Is Molly as interested as he? That’s yet to be determined.
Lorne is still working the double duty of being Milos’ private investigator and actually making sure Milos has to pay the ransom. He’s finally convinced Milos that God has brought down wrath on him. He gets a police scanner (one that’s not pink) to pay attention to Gus and a walkie talkie to spy on Gus’ daughter.
Fargo is heating up, but we’re only at the halfway point. There’s still plenty of show left, and there’s promise to be plenty more twists. Will Molly and Gus outsmart Lorne (and Lester)? Will Molly do more things that make her less likable of a character? We can’t wait to see what Noah Howley has in store.