Fargo, Year Two, Blu-ray (2016)

by | Mar 28, 2016 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

One reviewer says it’s an insult to call this a TV series; it’s a great ten-hour movie.

Fargo, Year Two, Blu-ray (2016)

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Keith Carradine, Ted Danson, Jesse Plemmons, Kirsten Dunst, Jean Smart
Studio: 20th Century Fox, 3 discs, 10 episodes (2/23/16)
Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 1080i color
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Dubbed: Spanish
Extras: Skip Sprang TV commercial; The Films of Ronald Reagan, “Waffles and Bullet Holes: A Return to Sioux Falls;” “Lou on Lou” – Conversation with Noah Hawley, Keith Carradine and Patrick Wilson; more…
Length: 572 min.
Rating: *****

The general feeling is that the first season (which we haven’t seen) was even better, but this is a great series nevertheless. Each season is a different story (and stands alone) that has some connections to the feature film (the wood chopper for example is replaced by a meat grinder). This one is about a war brewing between a drugs gang from Kansas City (representing the corporate world) and a family operation run by the Gerhardts out of Fargo, North Dakota. It runs completely out of control after an innocent couple, the local butcher Ed and his wife Peggy accidentally kill one of the Gerhardt sons, who has just killed three people.

Minnesota State Trooper Lou Solverson and his father are left to investigate and find those responsible. Lou runs into serious flack from other higher-ranking law officers, who are eventually killed in a bloody massacre by the Gerhardts in a motel. The story is basically a war story about a clash for territory and control between the Kansas City mob and the Gerhardt family. The violent foul play starts at a South Dakota Waffle Hut. Jesse and Kirsten are perfect in their parts and they are really at the center of the story, which is full of dark humor amidst perilous and gruesome circumstances.

This is the time of the early candidacy of Ronald Reagan, and Bruce Campbell plays that terrific role in some of the episodes. Nick Offerman is also great as the sometimes inebriated town lawyer. This season is more violent than the first but in many ways just as good. The Coen Bros. are somewhat involved in the series. Some viewers wish there were commentary tracks for some of the episodes, but the making-of featurette is quite interesting. This is high-quality filmmaking for sure. You betcha.

—John Sunier

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