At first then it appeared we were viewing a hyper-masculine awakening of the main character, Lyster Nygaard Martin Freeman and cheering him on as he committed his first acts of violence. Fargo , the black comedy from the Coen brothers, featured a beloved, innocuous female leadβa demonstrably unique, pregnant chief of police, seemingly full of Minnesotan goodwill and rural sensibilities, yet surprisingly quick and courageous.
FX decided to do a remake, and personally, when I first heard this, I felt there was no way a network spin-off could ever mimic the ingenuity of the original: it seemed like nothing but a bad idea. Within the pilot however, I had a few concerns.
Similarly, the fantastic character of a less-young female chief of police, so outside of a tough and rumble portrayal normally shown, was no longer present, it seemed. Instead, there was a traditional male police chiefβsteady, measured, respected, with a pregnant wife and a cohort of bumbling deputies. In fact, in general, Fargo is overwhelmingly a male show, playing host to a lot of casual, intense violence. The themes of savagery and aggressiveness sort of manage to double-back on themselves, however, where male characters are often referred to as predators and wolves, yet the two most savage characters are also the smallest and the most sensitive to bullying.
Breaking Bad subtly led us down the dark side over five seasons, blurring lines between right and wrong all the time. Fargo though goes straight for the jugular and within the first few minutes we see a main character fundamentally change as he commits his first act of violence. Fargo is less about exploring the grey areas and developing an anti-hero in the vein of Walter White and Don Draper; rather it takes a more literal battle between good and evil, echoing its own biblical themes and references.
So, there are obviously several straightforward evil men running around Fargo , but where are the women, I asked? But then, up came Molly Solverson and her ridiculous last name. In reworking the original, Noah Hawley has given us a new character to enjoy, but definitely evocative of Gunderson. Molly is the moral center of the show; there are no grey areas here eitherβMolly is the good guy, dedicated to peace and justice and an eye roll towards the overwhelming incompetence she encounters from the men in her office.
