The mob (from Kansas City, not Fargo) comes to town. They are their to talk the local heavies, the Gerhardt family, into selling their operation to them. The patriarch had a stroke. Floyd, his wife, does the talking. She calls her sons in after the men from Kansas City leave. She tells them about the offer on the table. Dodd, the oldest, tries to make like he is taking over. Bear sides with Floyd. Floyd sits down with Dodd and tries to talk some sense into him. Dodd doesn't seem very receptive and (after the meeting with his mother) begins to make plans but before he moves he wants Rye on his side.
Sheriff Larsson learns that one of the victims in the Waffle Hut was a judge from Fargo, ND. He shares that information with Lou. They aren't sure what it means, whether the judge was the target or just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Peggy Blumquist goes back to work the day after Ed killed Rye Gerhardt. Ed stays home to clean up the mess. He starts by cleaning up the garage and the car. There's a lot of blood and broken glass to clean up. He takes Rye Gerhardt's body into town after dark, to the butcher shop where he works. He waits until after the owner closes up for the night. He proceeds to start chopping up and grinding the body into hamburger.
Mike Milligan (Bokeem Woodbine) and his two flunkies, both named Kitchen, hang around town. They drive past the Waffle Hut. They are looking for Rye. They stopped by the typewriter store but were unable to get much out of Rye's business partner. Lou is taking another look at the crime scene when Milligan and the Kitchens drive past. Lou stopped there with Betsy and Molly. Betsy, his wife, was either coming from or headed to a chemotherapy appointment.
Lou has decided that he should take the case instead of Hank. Lou and Hank don't work for the same law enforcement agency. I think Hank is county police and Lou is state police, but that's just a guess.
Lou goes into the diner while Molly and Betsy play in the snow. He spends some time staring at the can of bug spray that judge used on Rye. Betsy spots something in a bush and reaches in. She pulls out Rye's revolver. She hands it over to Lou. It is just about then that Mike and the Kitchens drive past. Something about the car or its contents spooks him so he radios the details to Hank.
Hank gets the Kansas City thugs to pull over and get out of the car. He checks their IDs. It is a chilling scene. There seemed to be real potential for something violent to happen. Both sides seem fully aware of the potential. That night Hank meets up with Lou at the Waffle Hut. They exchange war stories. Hank's are about World War II. Lou's are about the Vietnam War.
The episode ends with another chilling encounter. Lou sees Ed's truck parked in front of the butcher shop and some lights on in the back. He knocks on the door. Ed isn't quite finished grinding up Rye. He opens up the shop for Lou. Lou doesn't seem suspicious but I've got to think he knows that something is up. He probably won't put the pieces together until an episode or two down the line. He asks Ed for some bacon. He somehow misses seeing the bits of Rye that are still intact. Ed seems very nervous.
This is another solid episode. There is so much going on. A good chunk of the thrill of a show like this is the voyage of discovery. It is about learning and watching characters in the show learn. There are definite parallels between this season and the previous one. I never liked Lester (Martin Freeman) in Season One. I don't feel quite so negatively about Ed and Peggy. They aren't inherently bad people but they are headed down a road that is making it harder and harder to see them as decent folks who have been backed into a corner.
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