In this TV series inspired by the landmark, Oscar-winning Coen brothers film (the Coens were also executive producers here), an ineffectual insurance salesman, Lester Nygaard (English actor Martin Freeman of "Black Panther" and the "Hobbit" films) is led down the road to ruin by a menacing new acquaintance in his life. That man is scummy lowlife Lorne Malvo (Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton, "Sling Blade"), a master at manipulating people. Local cop Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman, "Krampus") picks up their bloody trail.
All in all, this is very compelling television that is worthy of the Coen brothers and their brand. It's a good mixture of dark humor, violence, and drama, all directed with style by Adam Bernstein and well-written by series creator Noah Hawley. It can also be incredibly tense at times when it looks like characters are going to be caught dead to rights - only for things to get grimmer and grimmer.
Thornton is of course brilliant, playing his antagonist in the most refreshingly under-stated (and sometimes humorous) manner possible. Superb guest stars include Bob "Saul Goodman" Odenkirk, Keith Carradine ('Deadwood'), and Kate Walsh ('Grey's Anatomy'). But it was Freeman that really drew this viewers' attention, as he masterfully portrayed this character who basically *is* a loser in life, as his nagging wife (Kelly Holden Bashar) is fond of telling him. She constantly compares Lester to his far more successful brother Chaz (Joshua Close, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"), and you just feel bad for this guy. Unfortunately, when *he* tries to "man up" and stand up for himself, it only leads to disaster.
This was a fantastic 70 minutes of television that now has this viewer fully invested in watching how the rest of this story plays out.
10 out of 10.
All in all, this is very compelling television that is worthy of the Coen brothers and their brand. It's a good mixture of dark humor, violence, and drama, all directed with style by Adam Bernstein and well-written by series creator Noah Hawley. It can also be incredibly tense at times when it looks like characters are going to be caught dead to rights - only for things to get grimmer and grimmer.
Thornton is of course brilliant, playing his antagonist in the most refreshingly under-stated (and sometimes humorous) manner possible. Superb guest stars include Bob "Saul Goodman" Odenkirk, Keith Carradine ('Deadwood'), and Kate Walsh ('Grey's Anatomy'). But it was Freeman that really drew this viewers' attention, as he masterfully portrayed this character who basically *is* a loser in life, as his nagging wife (Kelly Holden Bashar) is fond of telling him. She constantly compares Lester to his far more successful brother Chaz (Joshua Close, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"), and you just feel bad for this guy. Unfortunately, when *he* tries to "man up" and stand up for himself, it only leads to disaster.
This was a fantastic 70 minutes of television that now has this viewer fully invested in watching how the rest of this story plays out.
10 out of 10.