Omie, one of Loy Cannon's men, arrives in Liberal, KS. He's looking for Calamita. He's got one of the Fadda's hired guns in his trunk, alive. They stop at a gas station. The attendant is Black. He answers Omie's questions. It is Sunday and the owners are at church. Omie offers to do some work in exchange for permission to stick around. Omie and his prisoner paint the wall of the gas station. They are talking when a vehicle drives up. The Fadda man tries to make a run for it but Omie shoots him before he makes it out the door of the building. The driver of the vehicle that just arrived in Calamita.
One day earlier, Rabbi Miligan and Satchell Cannon arrived in Liberal Kansas, the pancake center of the universe. They stopped at the Barton Arms, a house with a historical marker. It was the home of the Mellon family who in the mid-1890s were suspected of murdering travelers. The Mellons mysteriously disappeared. The house is now a boarding house owned by a couple of elderly sisters.
Milligan gets a room for himself and Satchell but then takes off. He gives Satchell a knife to defend himself before he leaves. Milligan heads into town. Milligan stops where Uncle Jack's Seed 'n Feed used to be. It is now an appliance store. The owner is from Indiana. He answers some questions but then the phone rings. Milligan leaves while the owner is on the phone.
Satchell discovers that there is a small dog in the wardrobe. It's name tag reads RABBIT. Satchell opens the door and the dog takes off down the stairs. Satchell runs after it. He winds up in the reading room where he meets a couple of white men who are also staying at the house. Milligan returns while he is talking to them. He takes Satchell and the dog back upstairs to their room. He explains to Satchell that there's been a setback. They get called to dinner before he can explain exactly what he means. Milligan and Satchell return to the room after dinner. Milligan stays up after Satchell goes to sleep.
Milligan and Satchell go in to town the next day. Satchell brings the dog with him. Milligan has Satchell stay in the car with the dog. Milligan returns to the appliance store. The owner and his brother are there. They think they are ready for Milligan but he gets the jump on them. He gets what's left of the money that was in Uncle Jack's Seed 'n Feed. He left $5,000 there but now there's just a large stack of $5 and $1 bills. The brothers spent the rest of it.
Satchell is approached by a police officer while Milligan is in the store. The police officer asks him questions. He orders him to get out of the car. The police officer has his hand on his gun when Milligan suddenly shows up. He explains that Satchell is his ward and that he served with Satchell's father in the war. The police officer accepts the explanation and let's them move along after suggesting that he not let Satchell be seen in town.
Milligan and Satchell return to the Barton Arms. Milligan explains that they are going to leave the next day and that they can't take the dog with them. Satchell in angry. He explains that it is his birthday. Milligan feels bad and goes looking for a cupcake or a candy bar for Satchell. The lady at the front desk explains that there is no sugar allowed in the premises but suggests that he check the filling station 8 or 9 miles down the road.
Milligan leaves without saying anything to Satchell. He arrives at the filling station. The attendant is dead. He sees Calamita standing over Omie. Calamita hears Milligan and shoots at him. His first couple shots miss Milligan but one of his shots catches him in the arm. Calamita is about to kill Milligan when Omie shows up and shoots Calamita but it is his last bullet. Calamita kills Omie and then turns back to Milligan who has his gun raised. A tornado rips the gun out of Milligan's hand and then destroys the filling station and everything around it.
Satchell wakes up. Milligan has not returned. Satchell opens the door and goes looking for him. The entire episode was in black and white up to this point. The view outside the room is of a world in color. Satchell leaves with the dog, Rabbit. They leave the Barton Arms and start walking along the road, back the way they came. They pass the sign that was in the process of being put up the day before. Satchell stops for a minute and looks at it and then he moves on.
Thoughts
This feels very much like a bottle episode. It is related to the rest of the story but it doesn't pick up right where the previous one left off. It, instead, picks up where episode six left off. I thought that Milligan and Satchell might disappear for an episode or two. I guess I was right.
The Barton Arms felt foreign and strange to me. I think that was the idea.
I can see how some people might find this episode to be very frustrating. It doesn't advance the overall plot all that much. A few more pieces have been removed from the board but it is still unclear how the game will be resolved.
I liked how most of the episode was in black and white. The colors really popped in the last few minutes of the episode.
The scene with the cop in downtown Liberal really felt tense. The police officer's reaction to Satchell's reluctance to follow instructions felt real and disturbing at the same time. The same goes for the way the police officer's mood changed once Milligan showed up.
Calamita and Milligan must both be dead.
The dogs name, Rabbit, is almost the same Milligan's first name, Rabbi. I'm not sure what to make of that but I doubt that it is a coincidence.
There is something to the sign with the message, "The Future is Now". I liked the moments when Milligan stopped and talked to the man who was putting it up.
I've got a feeling that there are some things I missed here. Hopefully the Bald Move Fargo podcast will help to fill them in for me.
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