List of Fargo episodes

Fargo is an American dark comedy-crime drama television series created and written by Noah Hawley. The show is inspired by the 1996 film of the same name written and directed by the Coen brothers, who serve as executive producers on the series. It premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX.[1]

Series overview

Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 10 April 15, 2014 June 17, 2014
2 10[2] Fall 2015[3] N/A

Episodes

Season 1 (2014)

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code		 U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"The Crocodile's Dilemma"Adam BernsteinNoah HawleyApril 15, 2014XFO010012.65[4]
Lorne Malvo crashes a car on a wintry rural highway outside Bemidji, Minnesota. A nearly naked man jumps from the popped trunk and bolts into the woods. In town, Lester Nygaard runs into Sam Hess, a former high school bully who intimidates Nygaard, causing him to accidentally break his nose. At the hospital, Nygaard meets Malvo, who was slightly injured in the crash, Nygaard tells Malvo about Hess, and Malvo casually suggests murdering him, an idea that Nygaard neither approves nor rejects. Shortly afterward, Malvo kills Hess, later telling Nygaard that he never said, "No." Meanwhile, Chief Vern Thurman and Deputy Molly Solverson investigate the car wreck and find the nearly-naked man frozen to death; they also investigate Hess's murder and learn that Nygaard was overheard discussing Hess with Malvo. Thurman arrives at Nygaard's house to question him, unaware that Nygaard has just killed his verbally abusive wife, Pearl, in a fit of rage. Malvo, whom Nygaard had summoned to help, arrives and shoots Thurman, but not before the latter radioed for backup after discovering Pearl's body. Malvo disappears, and Lester intentionally knocks himself out to make the killings look like a home invasion. Later, in Duluth, Officer Gus Grimly pulls Malvo over for speeding. Malvo presents Grimly with two choices: press the issue (and face death), or allow Malvo to leave (and live). Malvo drives away as Grimly, confused, does not report the incident.
2"The Rooster Prince"Adam BernsteinNoah HawleyApril 22, 2014XFO010022.04[5]
Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench arrive in Bemidji searching for Hess's killer. Max Gold, Hess's attorney, directs them to a strip club with a description of Malvo. After abducting the wrong man, Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench drop him into an ice fishing hole. Meanwhile, Bill Oswalt is promoted as the new police chief, and he and Deputy Solverson immediately clash over suspects. She suspects Nygaard is connected to the driver in the car accident as well as the murders of Sam Hess, Pearl Nygaard, and Thurman. Oswalt believes a lone drifter was responsible. In Duluth, Stavros Milos, the "Supermarket King" of Minnesota, hires Malvo to uncover who is blackmailing him. News about the Bemidji murders reaches the Duluth Police Department, and Officer Grimly realizes the car he pulled over could have been tied to it.
3"A Muddy Road"Randall EinhornNoah HawleyApril 29, 2014XFO010031.87[6]
Deputy Solverson learns that the frozen man found in the woods had been abducted from his workplace in St. Paul, probably due to gambling debts. A still image taken from the security cameras shows the kidnapper's partially obscured face. When Nygaard calls on Gina Hess, Sam's widow, regarding Sam's life insurance policy, Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench are outside watching the Hess house. They later visit Nygaard's office, intimidating him for information, but leave when Solverson unexpectedly arrives. Solverson lets Nygaard glimpse Malvo's photo, and his reaction convinces her that he recognizes him. Meanwhile, Malvo informs Don Chumph, Mrs. Milos' fitness instructor, that he knows Chumph is the blackmailer. Malvo takes over the blackmail scheme and begins exploiting Milos' extreme religious beliefs. He kills Milos' dog, replaces his pain medication with adderall, and sabotages the plumbing system, causing pig's blood to flow out of the shower head. Officer Grimly finally admits to his Lieutenant that he let Malvo off for speeding, then he visits the Bemidji police department and talks to Solverson about the murders.
4"Eating the Blame"Randall EinhornNoah HawleyMay 6, 2014XFO010041.70[7]
In 1987, the Milos family car runs out of gas along a deserted highway in winter. Heavily in debt, Stavros Milos prays for help. Stepping outside the car, he finds a satchel filled with money buried in the snow. Nineteen years later, Chumph, disguised as a plumber, inspects Milos' plumbing system, and says everything appears normal but mentions that blood flowing out sounds similar to a biblical plague. Officer Grimly spots Malvo on the street near Milos' house and arrests him. Grimly calls Deputy Solverson, who wants to go to Duluth, but Chief Oswalt overrules her and goes instead. Malvo produces documentation identifying himself as Frank Peterson, a Lutheran minister from Baudette with a solid alibi. Solverson calls Grimly after learning Malvo's name, but Malvo (as Peterson) has just been released. Before Malvo leaves, Grimly calls out, "Lorne Malvo," to show Malvo he knows his real identity. Later, Malvo and Chumph release hundreds of crickets into Milos' supermarket, simulating a plague of locusts, to further intimidate Milos. Meanwhile, Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench kidnap Nygaard, but he escapes. Fleeing, Nygaard encounters and punches a police officer to get arrested and be taken to safety. Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench later stage a bar fight to also get arrested, and are put in Nygaard's cell.
5"The Six Ungraspables"Colin BuckseyNoah HawleyMay 13, 2014XFO010051.60[8]
In jail, Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench forcefully obtain Malvo's name from Nygaard. They are released, but Nygaard is taken to the hospital with a severe infection. A stray shotgun pellet struck his hand when Chief Thurman was shot. Nygaard had been concealing the wound, knowing it proves he was in the room when Thurman was killed. With this new evidence, Solverson convinces Chief Oswalt that the recent events are related. With Milos close to paying the blackmail demand, Malvo locks Chumph in Chumph's kitchen pantry overnight to prevent him from ruining the scheme. After Malvo drives Milos home, Malvo spots Grimly parked near the house and follows him home. Outside, Malvo is confronted by Grimly's neighbor, whom Malvo threatens before driving away.
6"Buridan's Ass"Colin BuckseyNoah HawleyMay 20, 2014XFO010061.80[9]
Malvo has Chumph call Milos, who is ready to make the ransom drop. Malvo then knocks out Chumph and duct tapes him to an exercise bench in Chumph's entryway. Malvo also tapes an unloaded shotgun to Chumph's hands, then proceeds to fire randomly into the neighborhood with a rifle. Malvo leaves before police storm the house, killing Chumph. In Duluth, Deputy Solverson and Officer Grimly are discussing the recent murders when nearby gunshots are reported. They rush to the scene and find a car wreck that Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench had staged to trap Malvo. A shootout ensues in a snowy whiteout. Malvo ambushes Mr. Numbers, forcing him to reveal who hired him and Mr. Wrench to kill him, then Malvo slits Numbers' throat. Solverson and Grimly get separated in the whiteout, and Grimly, blinded, hears shots and accidentally shoots Solverson. Meanwhile, Milos returns to where he found the satchel of cash 19 years earlier and buries the blackmail money in the snow. He believes God has now forgiven him for having taken the satchel, but while driving back, discovers his bodyguard and son, Dmitri, have been killed in a freak auto accident. In Bemidji, Nygaard sneaks out of the hospital and plants the murder weapon and other incriminating evidence in his brother Chazz's gun cabinet. He also places an unloaded handgun in his nephew Gordo's backpack, then returns undetected to his hospital room.
7"Who Shaves the Barber?"Scott WinantNoah HawleyMay 27, 2014XFO010071.52[10]
At the hospital, Officer Grimly anguishes over accidentally wounding Deputy Solverson. The unloaded handgun Nygaard placed in Gordo's backpack is discovered at the boy's school, prompting police to search the Nygaard home. The incriminating evidence Nygaard planted in Chazz Nygaard's gun safe is found. Nygaard concocts a new story for police claiming Chazz killed Pearl Nygaard during a heated lovers' quarrel. Nygaard says his hand was wounded when Chazz shot Chief Thurman and only covered for him because he feared retaliation by his hot-headed brother. Nygaard is released from jail, while Chazz is incarcerated. Solverson questions Mr. Wrench, who is hospitalized under guard, and informs him that Mr. Numbers is dead, Wrench, who is deaf, refuses to cooperate. Meanwhile, under FBI agent street surveillance, Malvo goes on a shooting rampage in Fargo, North Dakota, murdering 22 people associated with the company responsible for sending the hit men (Numbers and Wrench) after him. Nygaard seduces the money-grubbing widow Hess with promises of "greasing the palms" of the insurance agents handling her late husband's policy without mentioning it was cancelled for non-payment. Returning to Bemidji, Solverson is dismayed to learn that Chazz Nygaard was arrested for murder.
8"The Heap"Scott WinantNoah HawleyJune 3, 2014XFO010081.86[11]
Following Chazz Nygaard's arrest, Lester Nygaard consoles his sister-in-law, Kitty, who believes her husband is guilty. Shortly afterward, Lester tosses out Pearl's belongings, beginning a new life. Later, Gina Hess, accompanied by her sons, angrily storms into Lester's office, demanding payment from Sam's cancelled insurance policy and accusing Lester of duping her for sex. Lester sternly rebuffs her and her two boys, impressing his co-worker Linda Park with his new-found assertiveness. Meanwhile, Solverson returns to work and unsuccessfully attempts to reopen the Lester Nygaard investigation. At the Duluth hospital, Malvo kills a police guard then tells Mr. Wrench that he killed Mr. Numbers. Malvo gives Mr. Wrench the handcuff key and invites him to look him up later, if he "still feels raw" about Mr. Numbers' murder. In Fargo, FBI Agents Pepper and Budge, who were on surveillance during Malvo's 22-homicide rampage, are demoted to filing clerks. A year later, Grimly, now a mailman, is happily married to Solverson. In Las Vegas, Nygaard, who has married Linda, receives an award for salesman of the year. While at the hotel bar, Nygaard spots Malvo, who now sports grey hair and a goatee rather than brown hair and a full beard.
9"A Fox, a Rabbit, and a Cabbage"Matt ShakmanNoah HawleyJune 10, 2014XFO010091.90[12]
Nygaard bravely confronts Malvo at the bar, following him and his companions into the elevator, annoyingly demanding Malvo acknowledge him. Instead, Malvo kills his "co-worker," Burt Canton, Burt's wife, Louise, and Malvo's new fiancée, Jemma. Malvo tells Lester that he'd been long suffering impersonating a dentist in Kansas City, Missouri to assassinate Canton's brother, who's under witness protection. Nygaard strikes Malvo's head with the award and rushes back to his hotel room. Awakening Linda, he insists they immediately fly home. Soon afterward, reviewing surveillance Las Vegas Police Department contacted Bemidji police reporting that Nygaard may be a witness. Deputy Solverson interviews Lester at his new house, but he denies seeing anything. In Fargo, Agents Budge and Pepper act on a new tip regarding the rampage shooter and travel to Bemidji to meet with Solverson. Impressed by her evidence, they ignore Chief Oswalt's plea to drop the investigation and compliment Solverson. While delivering mail, Grimly notices Malvo driving by in a red BMW without initially recognizing his altered appearance. In Bemidji, Malvo stops by Lou's diner attempting to locate Nygaard. Lou, suspicious, shares little information. Meanwhile, Nygaard, wanting to get away, quickly arranges a trip to Acapulco with Linda. They stop by his office to retrieve their passports and cash, but Nygaard, fearing Malvo could be inside, has Linda put on his hooded orange coat and sends her into the office. He sees Malvo shoot Linda. As Malvo leaves, he glances at Nygaard's car parked across the street, but Nygaard is hiding.
10"Morton's Fork"Matt ShakmanNoah HawleyJune 17, 2014XFO010101.98[13]
Immediately following Linda's murder, Nygaard walks to Lou's Coffee Shop and orders dinner for two, pretending to wait for her. He sneaks outside to a pay phone and, disguising his voice, reports gunshots to police, then goes back in. After Linda's body is discovered, Nygaard is questioned at the police station and later released. Meanwhile, Lou informs Grimly that Malvo may be back in Bemidji. While rushing to the police station to see Solverson, Grimly spots the red BMW in a secluded driveway and suspects it could be Malvo's. While investigating, he sees Malvo exit a cabin and drive away. In town, Malvo visits a car dealership ostensibly to test drive a car, telling the salesman it looks like an "undercover vehicle". Oswalt informs Solverson that he is resigning and wants her to take over as Chief. Agents Pepper and Budge drive Nygaard home, unaware that Malvo is following them. Nygaard refuses to allow them in the house, so Pepper and Budge remain on watch outside. When a car pulls into the driveway, Pepper and Budge, suspicious, pull out their guns and approach. Inside is the car salesman with his hands duct taped to the wheel. Malvo ambushes Pepper and Budge, killing them. While Nygaard pretends to frantically call 911, Malvo breaks in and enters the upstairs bedroom. He steps on a bear trap that Nygaard hid under a pile of clothing. Nygaard charges out, shooting at Malvo but misses. Malvo returns fire, also missing, then escapes to his hideout to treat his badly fractured leg. Grimly surprises Malvo and fatally shoots him. Later, Grimly shows Solverson a briefcase containing Malvo's tape recordings, including Nygaard's phone call about killing Pearl. Two weeks later, police track Nygaard to Glacier National Park in Montana and pursue him on snowmobiles. Nygaard crashes before running onto thin ice, then falls through. Solverson receives a call at home regarding police divers searching the water. Grimly tells her that he is receiving a citation for bravery, saying she deserves the credit. She assures him it is his moment.

Season 2 (2015)

On July 21, 2014, FX renewed Fargo for a ten-episode second season,[2] which will premiere in fall 2015.[3] Randall Einhorn will direct the season's first episode.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (January 14, 2014). "FX's 'Fargo' Cast, EPs on Film Comparisons, Anthology Format, Courting Billy Bob Thornton". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bibel, Sara (July 21, 2014). "'Fargo' Renewed for Season Two & 'Louie' Renewed for Season Five by FX; 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' to Premiere in January". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hibberd, James (December 10, 2014). "'Fargo' season 2 to star Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  4. ↑ Bibel, Sara (April 16, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'The Game' Wins Night, 'Teen Mom Reunion', 'Awkward', 'Fargo', 'Dance Moms' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (April 23, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs Lead Night + 'Deadliest Catch', 'The Game', 'Tosh.0' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  6. ↑ Bibel, Sara (April 30, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs Win Night, 'Deadliest Catch', 'The Game', 'Ink Master', 'Fargo' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  7. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 7, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs Win Night + 'Deadliest Catch', '19 Kids and Counting', 'Tosh.0' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 14, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs Win Night, 'Deadliest Catch', 'Little Couple', 'Fargo', 'True Tori', 'Faking It' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  9. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 21, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: NBA Conference Finals Lead Night + 'Deadliest Catch', '19 Kids and Counting', 'Ink Master' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  10. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 29, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs Win Night, 'Deadliest Catch', 'The Haves and the Have Nots', 'Bad Girls Club', 'True Tori' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  11. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 4, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Deadliest Catch' Leads Night + '19 Kids and Counting', 'The Haves and the Have Nots', 'The Little Couple' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  12. ↑ Bibel, Sara (June 11, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Pretty Little Liars' & 'Deadliest Catch' Win Night, 'Fargo', 'Royal Pains', 'Chasing Life' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  13. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 18, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: World Cup Soccer Leads Night + 'Deadliest Catch', 'Rizzoli & Isles', 'The Haves & the Have Nots', 'Pretty Little Liars' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  14. ↑ Hibberd, James (January 6, 2015). "'Fargo' showrunner details season 2, rumored 'True Detective' rivalry". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 7, 2015.

External links