Fargo 4.01

Welcome to the Alternate Economy

Two crime families have reached a truce in Kansas City. It isn't the first truce between crime families in Kansas City. The Moskowitz family made peace with the Milligan family. The truce lasted for a couple years before the Milligans broke the truce and slaughtered the Moskowitz family. The Milligans made peace with the next crime family to come along, the Fadda family. The Fadda family did as the Milligan family did before them and broke the truce. The Milligan family was murdered by the Fadda family.

The Fadda family still runs things when Loy Cannon comes to town in the late 1940s. He has his own crime family. He makes peace with the Fadda family, but it is a tenuous peace. The two families exchange sons, as was done in the past between the two crime families. Josto Fadda, the adult son of Donatello Fadda, the head of the Fadda family is ready for war but Donatello is not. Things change change dramatically when Donatello is shot in the neck. He is rushed to the hospital but he doesn't make it through the night.

Donatello's death is helped along by Nurse Oraetta Mayflower. She had promised Josto she would look after his father but didn't say anything about killing him. Her motivations are unclear.

Loy Cannon and Doctor Senator, one of his associates, go to one of the White banks in Kansas City. They are there to try and talk the president of the bank into partnering with them on an innovation that they have already introduced in the Black community: credit cards. The bank president isn't interested.

Ethelrida Pearl Smutney, the 16-year-old daughter of a black mother and white father, is mixed up in the middle of this story somewhere. She meets Nurse Mayflower early in the episode, before the nurse offs Donatello Fadda. Ethelrida's parents are morticians. Ethelrida gets punished physically in school for writing and saying things that her teachers don't agree with.

Thoughts

This is a tough one to summarize. I'm not sure where to place the emphasis. This season is about a gang war in Kansas City, or so I have been led to believe, but there has to be more to it than that. So far there are two things that make it more than just a story about gang warfare. The first is the fact that the two gang leaders, Loy and Josto, are played by actors (Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman) who are best known for comedy and comedic roles. The second is the presence of the Smutney family.

The one element that seems to be missing is a police officer. The prior seasons of Fargo have always had a lead character who is a police officer. So far there doesn't seem to be any such character. Maybe that will change in the next episode.

I'm curious to see how Nurse Mayflower's role in the story evolves. I have my doubts as to whether she is really a nurse. She was the angel of death which makes me think of characters like Loren Malvo from season 1. She also said at one point that she came from Minnesota.

I'm also curious to see how Ethelrida's part in the story evolves. She is the innocent in the middle of it all.

I'm guessing, as of right now, that Loy Cannon's son grows up to be Mike Milligan from season 2. They love to tie these seasons together in various ways and the name Milligan has already been used in this season so I think that this is a reasonable guess at this point.

So far I am optimistic about this season. It is a little too early to say I love it but I certainly don't hate it or even dislike it.