On the first day of summer, Fargo cools us off by serving up an icy side of justice in the season 3 finale, “Somebody To Love.”

Last week, we feared this could be the series finale of Fargo as creator Noah Hawley has more than his hands full at the moment. Now, we can be a bit more optimistic thanks to a new report from Deadline.

Please don’t tell people this is the end. Right now, I just can’t point to (a production start) date on the calendar. I always agreed with FX that the only reason to do another Fargo is if the creative is there. It took 15 months to get Season 2 off the ground, and 18 months to get Season 3 on the air. I have to turn my attention to the second season of Legion and a film potentially the winter after next. We’re looking at three years from now.

This is fantastic news as the crime drama has only gotten better with time and has proven to be well worth the wait. We also have even more Noah Hawley work to look forward to including the adaptation of the Kurt Vonnegut novel Cat’s Cradle and Searchlight’s astronaut film starring Reese Witherspoon Pale Blue Dot.

“Somebody To Love” opens by perfectly setting up the dominoes before shooting them all down. As Gloria follows the money, Varga gloats over his most filling meal yet: Emmit Stussy.

“It’s perfectly natural; you see it all the time in the wild. The smaller animal going limp in the jaws of the larger, genetic instinct. On some level, food knows it’s food.”

Emmit (Ewan McGregor) panics and grabs Meemo’s gun and points it at Varga growling “I am not food!” The wolf outsmarts Stussy and disarms him. Varga wipes the place clean like he was never there and abandons the limp Emmit.

If I thought last week Mary Elizabeth Winstead ensured herself an Emmy nomination, this week she guaranteed it. Throughout the entirety of season 3, Nikki has proven herself to be even more cunning than the esteemed Varga. In “Somebody To Love” we see her fully realized as she and Wrench gut the wolf’s forces and leave him even without his trusted Meemo.

David Thewlis conveyed Varga’s true heinous nature in an exemplary matter. After leaving Meemo to die and seeing the terror on his face while he grinds his teeth in the elevator, we know he’s no wolf but instead a cowardly fox caught in a trap.

Swango and Wrench make an excellent duo and it’s really the icing on the cake for this superb episode. We return to Emmit as he regains consciousness with the infamous stamp that started it all stuck to his head (literally adding insult to injury). He returns to his office horrified that the wolf has swallowed his company and that Ruby Goldfarb (Mary McDonnell) was in cahoots with him the whole time. His company is sold for a mere $100,000 yet still owes upwards of $300 million in loans most of which lines Varga’s pockets.

“Like a fire door that leads to another fire…”

IRS Agent Larue Dollard (Hamish Linkalter) breaks it all down for Gloria (Carrie Coon) in what’s referred to as a “leverage buy out/bleed out.” As it so happens, it’s a legal procedure that an outside entity can acquire a healthy company and borrow money in its name, then undersell that debt-ridden company while pocketing the money. Stunningly, that isn’t a crime as long as the proper taxes are paid on it which is where Varga and Stussy’s illegality lies.

We interrupt this tax fraud lesson to bring you Nikki’s onslaught found by Officer Winnie Lopez (Olivia Sandoval). The security cameras caught Nikki and Varga giving Gloria proof that connects all the dots as she runs off to warn Emmit.

Nikki and Emmit’s showdown has been one of the most anticipated events of the season. Winstead and McGregor have outstanding adversarial chemistry as Nikki lays it all out for Emmit disgusted by his actions against Ray. She tells him of Ray’s new life free from the sadness Emmit caused and brings him down to his lowest self yet as he insists she shoot.

A state trooper arrives as Nikki hides her gun then slowly makes her way for it as Emmit tries to warn him. What happens next is the most revealing character moment yet in Fargo. As two blasts break the silence, Nikki and the trooper are sent flying back while Emmit cowers between them. Miraculously and to his undeserved fortune, Emmit is completely unharmed. Rather than calling the police, he gets back in his car and drives off like he was never there just like the wolf taught him.

Emmit was never really a “good” guy but at least we could say with ease that he was better than Varga. Now, I’m not so sure. He may never have intentionally bled a company dry but he has far more blood on his hands than even the vicious Varga.

Gloria arrives later on the scene with diminished spirits that it’s “all okay then” though we know that nevertheless, she will persist. Fargo’s relationship with truth, justice, and violence has always been the central theme of the crime drama series but the scene with Gloria and her son Nathan really encapsulates the essence of it all.

“Listen to me, he was one of God’s creatures, same as you and me. And what happened to him, that should never happen to anyone. And I wanna say more, I do but there’s violence to knowing the world isn’t what you thought.”

Who should know better than Gloria? Her admirable resilience and pursuit of justice this season was the crowning achievement in another exceptional installment of Fargo. My hat is off to you, Carrie Coon!

We end with two truly spectacular moments. As Emmit settles back into his old life, he reminiscences the times before Varga…until he’s found by Wrench. With a silenced bullet to the back of the head, the last Stussy falls. At the Department of Homeland Security, Gloria catches herself an elusive wolf.

The last moment of Fargo allows us to either embrace our inner Varga or Burgle in deciding the fate of our characters. In my opinion, the world is dark enough without one more Varga preying about. Even if he did get away, we all know Gloria would never rest easy until he was behind bars.

“Rikers and Snickers bars.”

The third season of Fargo was wholly extraordinary and I wish the series nothing but the best at the 2017 Emmys in September!