It’s just a flying saucer hun

So I did a brief post about series 2 of Fargo when it first started – HERE.

Now it’s ended a couple of weeks back I can finally see how it all turned out.

** THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR ALL OF SERIES 2 OF FARGO **

I really REALLY enjoyed this series. It took me a little while to get into it but  as I started learning more about the characters and remembering who was who and how they fit into things I really started to get hooked. It just felt like the tension was building and building and building and we were just waiting for something to blow up.

For me I think the highlights were episodes 8 and 9 (out of the 10). The acting was so fantastic and the characters were just so good, even if most of them were horrible excuses for human beings. I think episode 8 was completely won by Peggy (Kirsten Dunst) and her reactions to having Dodd captured and tied up.

She was the definition of ‘head in the clouds’ wasn’t she? I spent most of the episode loudly proclaiming “what on EARTH is she doing?!” I just had absolutely no idea how her brain worked. She had such a twisted idea about the world and what she wanted and what was important.

I was uncertain of the fate of Ed and Peggy (well…Fargo is definitely more a case of who DOESN’T die rather than who does) but I did feel bad for Ed in the end that he ended up on the ‘not making it’ list. I mean, apart from covering up a few murders he didn’t do anything wrong. Anyone he killed was completely self-defence and he was just trying to keep his life and his wife his future aspirations. He was very much thrown in the deep end.

Episode 9 – well. Here’s the point where I say I am rather disturbed at myself for how much I managed to sympathise with the character of Hanzee considering he certainly killed more people than anyone else in the series. But this episode (interestingly narrated like a story by Martin Freeman – though in his regular British accent so not as his character of Lester Nygaard from series 1) seemed to see Hanzee reach the end of his tether.

He sported a forever blank expression and you were never clear what he was thinking. Once or twice he exposed his more vulnerable side and we saw how badly he was treated by the Gerhardt (sp?) family. The biggest shock for me was definitely at the end of episode 8 when he stumbled upon Ed and Peggy keeping Dodd tied up in the cabin and you thought…oh goodness..Hanzee is here to get Dodd…there’s no way out of this.

What does Hanzee do? Shoots his apparent friend (well…that may be pushing it) or colleague in the face and casually asks Peggy for a haircut. I mean. *Confused but amused face*.

Then episode 9, we get to the infamous Sioux Falls (sp? – I’ve got no access to the internet while I’m writing this ha! I need to spell check). I feel like I’m going to have to go back to series 1 and take note of any mentions the older Lou makes of this event to see how it matches up. But after the incident with Dodd I spent most of this episode eying Hanzee and not trusting any move he made, which turned out to be rather justified. I’m not here to tell you the whole story but woah – what a blood bath.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more bonkers – who shows up to this massacre but a huge-ass flying saucer.

We’d had hints of extra-terrestrial activity throughout the series but we were never too sure of the reason behind it…and we still aren’t. I’m not even sure the writers had a clue what was going on there. I mean, this isn’t even a sci-fi show. Random aliens?! I was trying to link their appearances but other than them being out to distract members of the Gerhardt family in order for them to be killed, I couldn’t come up with a crumb.

Sort of sums up this show doesn’t it? Wonderfully bonkers!

The finale – episode 10. This episode did what it set out to do, which was to tie up all the loose ends and finish the story, but for me it was a little anti-climactic. I felt like maybe the events of episode 9 should have been the finale and episode 10 could have been squeezed into a much shorter time.

In terms of Lou’s family it was a very satisfying ending in that they were all lovely characters and they deserved to survive the series and they did. I’m glad that Lou’s wife’s cancer story-line didn’t have a tragic conclusion. We may know that eventually it will not end well for them, but seeing them finish off fairly content along with Hank (who we were worried about briefly after he had intimate dealings with a bullet).

I’m still having nightmares about that shot of Hanzee rounding the corner in the shop towards Ed and Peggy in the freezer, gun in hand, burnt scarred face, angry expression…*shudders*.

I’d appreciate knowing more of his story to be honest. Maybe he could show up as an old man in the next series – which is apparently set just after series 1.

Anyway, I feel like I’m just waffling now so I’ll shut up. But overall such a wonderful series! Wonderfully written and acted and lots of dark humour and twists and turns at every corner. It certainly would have had to work hard to meet the standard of series 1 in my book and, although I didn’t feel it QUITE got there, it definitely gave it a darn good go and was very close! I’ll certainly be looking forward to series 3.

Fargo is back!

Yet another phone blog so i apologise! I wish i could have thought of a more original title but there we have it…

So yey! After..is it just over a year? Since the first series we have series 2 of Fargo.

I’ve been very excited for this to return since, although i was brought to the first series because I’m a big Martin Freeman fan, the tone of the episodes and the writing and just everything was so brilliant that, even with a whole new cast, i was looking forward to more immensely.

As soon as the title music (same theme yet somewhat tweaked to start with) started up i just thought..yes, i have missed this.

It seemed to be going a little slow for a while but then, in true Fargo style, it went from 0 to 60 quickly and violently! Edging in with some dark humour, lots of snow and a nice dose of the Minnesota accent accent to make us feel fully back in Fargo-land again.

We may have a whole new cast but we’ve kept hold of a character or two from series 1. Mainly now that we’ve jumped back in time to 1979 it seems we will finally hear the story of a young Lou Solverson (father of Molly…who we see as a 6 year old) and “Sioux Falls”, mentioned briefly in the first series but was never looked at in detail.

I’m interested to see Kirsten Dunst in this show! I’ve liked her in things I’ve seen her in previously like Spider Man, Wimbledon, Elizabethtown. She has often been quite sweet and innocent and somewhat quirky so it’s fun to see that she already seems like a character that may unravel and snap fairly easily. In a way i feel she may have some of the same plot themes as Lester Nygaard in series 1 (Martin Freeman) but it seems different enough not to seem like a repeat of that.

They’ll be hard pressed to meet the standard of the first series, especially without hilariously dark Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) but it certainly looks like they’re going to try!

With great power comes great responsibility…

Okay, so that’s not technically from the version i’m talking about i just really like that quote.

Here’s another one of those films where i’m decades behind everyone else. I finally watched The Amazing Spiderman with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (not even the most recent one).

Now i’ll admit i’ve absolutely no idea about the comics (though i very much enjoyed Stan Lee’s cameo) but i do love the two Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst films. (I am aware a 3rd exists i’m just pretending otherwise….)

It was fun to see the similarities and differences in the adaptations, so i had a bit of a clearer idea what came from the original. Also i was kind of worried they would suddenly have made Spiderman all popular and cool but i’m glad that wasn’t the case too much.

That’s one of my favourite Spiderman things, he’s not a millionaire or a scientist or an alien or something he’s just a bloke who decides to do good with the power he’s given.

One thing that did stick out if the effects! They were great! Although Mr Hulk/Lizard dude had a few dodgy moments he was an interesting villain!!

Overall really enjoyed it! Shall have to get my hands on the sequel soon!