“Sour” may be a little harsh, because I don’t find anything taking place on FX’s new adaptation to be true heresy or tarnishing the classic picture, but some scenes on tonight’s episode just feel like pointless retooling, particularly Lester’s storyline. I guess it isn’t much of a problem if you haven’t seen the film, but then again, by naming the show Fargo it sort of seems like creators are hoping that you have. Anyway, we’ve just seen this general storyline play out in the movie; man is involved in the killing of his wife and then bumbles and poorly lies his way through questioning. Like Malvo. Billy Bob Thornton continues to make this quirky, unsettling, id-fueled schemer a complete joy to watch. Thornton couldn’t have picked a better character to make the leap to TV for, and his performance here is likely going to get Hollywood interested again. Malvo, after intimidating a mail clerk, receives a package alerting him of his next job, which sends him to the door of Stravos Milos (Oliver Pratt), a supermarket king who’s got a blackmailing problem. Pratt’s the sort of character actor that can make anyone interesting, and he makes the big shot Stravos a little more nuanced then this show’s typical bully. Stravos is being extorted and he instantly suspects his soon to be ex-wife. When Malvo checks her out, he meets her fitness instructor/lover (an almost unrecognizable Glenn Howerton, Dennis from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia) whose bronzer rubs off on Malvo’s hand and also seems to be present on the blackmail note. Before he can report his discoveries, Malvo gets a visit from Stravos’ bodyguard, telling him to hand the case over to him. Malvo doesn’t take the threat seriously, and decides to drop a deuce in the middle of the conversation. Every time Fargo creates it’s own material, not just riffing on material from the film, the show is at it’s best. Lester’s material really needs to take some sort of divergence if it isn’t going to feel like the stale story thread in comparison to the others. Fargo is still an imitation, but it can be a pretty darn fun one at times. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!
