Now that is how you make a television pilot.
I admit, I had my doubts concerning the new series "Fargo," as the original film remains one of my favourites. I didn't know if they could pull off the humour, the tone, the atmosphere, or the darkly comedic violence of the original, but to my great astonishment, it seems that they have succeeded on all counts.
THE HUMOUR
OK, so it wasn't quite as funny as the film, but give it time. There were some funny moments, such as when Lester hit his head on the window, or Lorne's deliciously creepy visit to Sam's car shop.
THE TONE/ATMOSPHERE
I think Fargo hit the nail right on the head in regards to this aspect. It's tricky to hit the right tone of the movie, as it needs the niceties and the friendly nature of Minnesota to be darkly contrasted with the sadistic violence, but I think they did this nicely. The final twenty minutes of the episode really cemented this for me, as it contrasted the beauty of Minnesota with the brutal murder of Lester's wife. I loved how these final minutes were shot – the yellow tint of the house gave it a warm, comfortable feeling, like walking into it on a cold night and basking in its warmth and the smells of dinner. But then you go downstairs and see the corpse of a woman, her head caved in by numerous smashes of a hammer. This is why Fargo (movie and series) works so well – its juxtaposition with comfort and familiarity, and the brutal, realistic violence perpetuated by its sadistic characters.
DARK HUMOUR
Again, I think Fargo nailed this nicely. Lester continuously apologizes to his wife, even as he bludgeons her head in with a hammer, spraying the walls with her blood. A cop sees the corpse, turns around, and walks back upstairs to throw up. Lester paces around the basement, avoiding the corpse of his wife, and runs head-first into a cement wall. It is is moments like this that make me feel bad for laughing, but you can't help it. That is the beauty of Fargo – it makes you laugh even in the face of brutal and sadistic violence.
The show was very well done in general. Martin Freeman's performance as Lester Nygaard was both humorous and dark and brooding. I thought he brought a deep intensity to an otherwise very nice man, and when he hit his wife over the head with a hammer, I felt scared around his character. He's a complex character – he's nice and he doesn't fight, but when he's pushed that extra inch too far, he goes full-out and hits his wife over the head with a hammer and continuously smashes her face in with it. It reminds me of a school bully victim – he can only take so much before he starts fighting back, and viciously so.
The episode also brought many surprises. When Lester hit his wife over the head with the hammer, my jaw dropped to the floor. Same as when the Chief of police took two shotgun blasts to the chest. I would have never thought that we would get so much development in the first episode, both in terms of character deaths and character development. I thought we would gradually see Lester's descent into madness, but we get it in the very first episode. I can't wait to see what else they have in store if this was what we got in the first episode alone.
Yes, there were flaws. The two sons who repeated each other got on my nerves, and while I get that they were going for humour, it didn't work. Also, some of the situations seemed clunky, such as when Lester is being bullied by Sam. I realize this sets up the events for the series, but seeing two 40 year old men act like they're in high school seems awkward. Also, while I mentioned the Chief's death as surprising, it seemed a little melodramatic considering the development we got with his character. His scenes at home with his pregnant wife regarding the nursery colour were nice in idea, but it only served to make his death that much more artificially emotional.
Overall, it was a fantastic start to the series, full of twists and unexpected developments. If this is what we get in the first episode, I can't wait to see what's in store for the other nine.
I admit, I had my doubts concerning the new series "Fargo," as the original film remains one of my favourites. I didn't know if they could pull off the humour, the tone, the atmosphere, or the darkly comedic violence of the original, but to my great astonishment, it seems that they have succeeded on all counts.
THE HUMOUR
OK, so it wasn't quite as funny as the film, but give it time. There were some funny moments, such as when Lester hit his head on the window, or Lorne's deliciously creepy visit to Sam's car shop.
THE TONE/ATMOSPHERE
I think Fargo hit the nail right on the head in regards to this aspect. It's tricky to hit the right tone of the movie, as it needs the niceties and the friendly nature of Minnesota to be darkly contrasted with the sadistic violence, but I think they did this nicely. The final twenty minutes of the episode really cemented this for me, as it contrasted the beauty of Minnesota with the brutal murder of Lester's wife. I loved how these final minutes were shot – the yellow tint of the house gave it a warm, comfortable feeling, like walking into it on a cold night and basking in its warmth and the smells of dinner. But then you go downstairs and see the corpse of a woman, her head caved in by numerous smashes of a hammer. This is why Fargo (movie and series) works so well – its juxtaposition with comfort and familiarity, and the brutal, realistic violence perpetuated by its sadistic characters.
DARK HUMOUR
Again, I think Fargo nailed this nicely. Lester continuously apologizes to his wife, even as he bludgeons her head in with a hammer, spraying the walls with her blood. A cop sees the corpse, turns around, and walks back upstairs to throw up. Lester paces around the basement, avoiding the corpse of his wife, and runs head-first into a cement wall. It is is moments like this that make me feel bad for laughing, but you can't help it. That is the beauty of Fargo – it makes you laugh even in the face of brutal and sadistic violence.
The show was very well done in general. Martin Freeman's performance as Lester Nygaard was both humorous and dark and brooding. I thought he brought a deep intensity to an otherwise very nice man, and when he hit his wife over the head with a hammer, I felt scared around his character. He's a complex character – he's nice and he doesn't fight, but when he's pushed that extra inch too far, he goes full-out and hits his wife over the head with a hammer and continuously smashes her face in with it. It reminds me of a school bully victim – he can only take so much before he starts fighting back, and viciously so.
The episode also brought many surprises. When Lester hit his wife over the head with the hammer, my jaw dropped to the floor. Same as when the Chief of police took two shotgun blasts to the chest. I would have never thought that we would get so much development in the first episode, both in terms of character deaths and character development. I thought we would gradually see Lester's descent into madness, but we get it in the very first episode. I can't wait to see what else they have in store if this was what we got in the first episode alone.
Yes, there were flaws. The two sons who repeated each other got on my nerves, and while I get that they were going for humour, it didn't work. Also, some of the situations seemed clunky, such as when Lester is being bullied by Sam. I realize this sets up the events for the series, but seeing two 40 year old men act like they're in high school seems awkward. Also, while I mentioned the Chief's death as surprising, it seemed a little melodramatic considering the development we got with his character. His scenes at home with his pregnant wife regarding the nursery colour were nice in idea, but it only served to make his death that much more artificially emotional.
Overall, it was a fantastic start to the series, full of twists and unexpected developments. If this is what we get in the first episode, I can't wait to see what's in store for the other nine.