Jay G.

The series dropped some threads as it went. We also didn't learn what happened with Gus's old neighbor.

The deaf guy escaped the law thanks to Malvo, and either let bygones be bygones, or wasn't able to track down Malvo in the intervening year.

The grocery store owner's story was basically "done" after he reburied the money and lost his son. However, this plotline belies the "true story" premise of the series, since presumably this story would've had to come to the light of the law and/or press, and none of the police seem to ever figure out Malvo's connection. Gus actually wonders aloud why Malvo was in that suburb, and both Molly and Gus went to the supermarket, but nothing ever came of it, at least on screen. Maybe something on one of Molly's boards a year later?

I think Lester was meant to have been on the lam in this scene, although the show doesn't actually show Lester doing the initial bolt, or why he would. Lester wouldn't know that Malvo had that tape. Maybe Lester thought a wounded Malvo would get caught and would turn on him?

It's possible Gus stated that Malvo went for a weapon, or looked like he was. Malvo did have the knife he used to cut open his pants, which Gus moved after shooting him. In this instance, I doubt the police dug that deep.

Lifepawn

Ha! Sorry, I had ND on my mind from something else.

DVDGamer

.... And I thought all along this was a true story. That was part of the allure for me that this could have happened. So love the show, just disappointed it was not a true story, nor even based on one. I fell for that!

What other shows say its a true story or based on a true story but is not?

Mikael79

I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, DVDGamer.

flashburn

The movie...

Jay G.

A lot of horror movies use the "inspired by a true story" line to tell a story that's only tangentially related to anything remotely true. I think this started with Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Blair Witch Project would be an example of one where a lot of people fell for it, using "found footage".

1000 Ways to Die was a show that did re-enactments of supposedly "true story" deaths, but are often altered so much they barely resembled any actual account, or were straight up urban legends.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1000_Ways_to_Die

DVDGamer

From Bustle.com site

The first season of FX’s Fargo has wrapped, but we still have a few lingering questions. Well, a lot of questions actually, but let’s focus on a major one: Is Fargo a true story? At the beginning of every episode of the 10-episode first season, there is the same disclaimer:

THIS IS A TRUE STORY. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 2006. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.

So, is this really true? Was there really a man as cold-hearted as Lorne Malvo and a husband as twisted as Lester Nygaard? Did two cops from different counties fall in love over finding clues about the same case? Hate to break it to you, Fargo-truthers, but the answer is a resounding no. Executive producer Noah Hawley explains that everything about the show is fabricated, even the “This is a true story” disclaimer. He said:

I can’t speak to the movie. But the show…It’s all just made up. The whole cloth. I didn’t go looking for true crime. It started from a character standpoint and everything grew organically out of that.

Shazam

TV has lies on it? Mercy me don't let it be true!

I really hope you don't watch Fox News.

windom

This was the one thing that bothers me about the episode. So Gus just waited at the house waiting for Malvo to come back? He had no idea how many people Malvo would kill while he was out. What if Malvo had killed Molly or his daughter during that time? He did kill the FBI agents so that one's on Gus. He should be in prison.

Mikael79

To quote one of my favorite shows of all-time, MST3K: Just repeat to yourself "It's just a show, I should really just relax"

van der graaf

The FBI agents dying is on the FBI agents. Who the fuck goes to the same side of a car when investigating??? I mean, you want all sides/viewpoints covered, right? RIGHT? They deserved to die for that idiocy alone.

Jay G.

Gus is not responsible for the FBI agent's death in any legal or criminal way. The agents already knew that Malvo was out there, and were on guard for him. If Gus had alerted authorities, the main thing that would've changed was that police would've been at the cabin to arrest him when he came back, instead of just Gus. Maybe they would've spooked him off.

It's possible that if Gus had alerted the police, they patrol cars would've known where Malvo was coming from, and one may have been able to intercept him before he switched cars. But then Malvo may have killed the police in that patrol car: would their deaths have been on Gus for alerting them?

Mikael79

I know I just got done saying this is just a TV show, and to relax - but did anyone else think the obviously digital wolf was kind of lame?

Jay G.

It didn't look like a CGI wolf to me. Do you mean that it was a real wolf, digitally inserted into the scene?

Mikael79

Possibly, but it just didn't look right to me. The movement was robotic.

van der graaf

It didn't look that way to me either, but I watched it at my girlfriend's place, and she has a pretty tiny TV.

andicus

This would be my point. They already stated/showed that there were only three roads into town. Knowing he was on his way, and from where, would have made it very easy to anticipate him and be ready.

You're right that he probably wasn't responsible in a criminal way, but morally, I think he was very responsible.

Look at it this way...

Alternate ending:

Malvo gets into town, everything transpires the same, up to the point when Lester gets him with the bear trap. Instead, Malvo misses the trap and kills Lester in his bathroom. He then goes on and kills Molly. At that point, he just leaves town, his work done. No need to go back to the cabin. Does Gus feel responsible?

That could have easily happened, based on Malvo's previous actions.

van der graaf

Just my opinion, but your alternate ending sucks.

Jay G.

Maybe they could've anticipated him coming, but I'm not sure if those cops were ready.

If the cops were already covering the 3 roads, then either they missed Malvo on his way into town, or the cabin was inside of the town area, and they would've seen him on his way out of town.

It was a bad idea for Gus to go it alone without alerting anyone from a real-world point of view. But the show wanted the final showdown to be between Gus and Malvo; if Gus had alerted someone, the show would've just had Malvo avoid/eliminate them, still do what he did, and then get to a situation where Gus and Malvo are alone.

I think the show got Gus's thinking when he was talking to Molly on the phone, and told her not to leave the station until Malvo was dead, not just arrested. Gus wanted Malvo dead, and assumed Molly was safe at the station, and his daughter was safe at home with his father-in-law. Alerting authorities may have gotten Malvo arrested, but Malvo may have been able to get himself out of it (like he did in Duluth) or simply bided his time in jail. Gus would't feel safe unless Malvo was dead. He wasn't thinking of the possible collateral damage from his decision.

As for Malvo returning, Gus probably searched the place while Malvo was out and found the briefcase of tapes, and surmised that Malvo wouldn't leave town without it. If Gus hadn't found any personal items inside the cabin, he maybe would guess Malvo wasn't returning and then alert police.

andicus

Of course it sucks, but congratulations on missing the point...

I agree with what you say, but I also still think it makes him morally responsible for the FBI agents deaths. Clearly he did what he did for the benefit of his family, but undoubtedly he could have lessened the risk to the others by letting someone know that Malvo was on his way, especially if it clued them in to which direction he would be coming from.

van der graaf

Oh, no, I got your point (I mean, your post begins with what your point is...). The ending fits. Yours sucks. That's all I'm saying.

Jay G.

That's really a personal judgement. However, in a way, you could say Gus is responsible for all of Malvo's killings since the end of the first episode, since he let Malvo go during that traffic stop. In my view, it's a bit much to call Gus a murderer for Malvo's actions, even if Gus may or may not have been able to prevent them.

If Gus had called it in, and as a result one of the local cops had located Malvo and got killed by him, would Gus then be morally responsible for that cop's death?

They knew Malvo was on his way, the FBI was specifically staking out Lester's house because they were pretty sure Malvo would try and kill him. The only thing that would've changed the FBI's fate was if someone else had encountered Malvo before he got to Lester's house, and it's not a guarantee that they would've survived the encounter. Hell, if Gus had called it in, it's possible that Molly wouldn't have been able to resist the opportunity to catch Malvo, which is what he wanted to avoid.

Jay G.

To be fair, I think andicus's hypothetical was intended to be a bad ending, to show how poor he feels Gus's decision was, not how he would've preferred the story to have ended.

van der graaf

Sure, yeah, but I don't think evil/darkness prevailing would have fit the tone of the show because of the actions of the passive (the same way happenstance allowed Odenkirk's character to randomly find his missing African son). The universe sometimes conspires against evil in favor of naive simplicity (as Lester's death, and the way he died, also illustrates). Anyway, that is why I said Andicus's ending sucked...nothing personal (and largely playing around! .

Jay G.

Again, he wasn't advocating for a darker ending. That wasn't his ideal ending, it was a worse-case scenario for Gus's not reporting of Malvo's location.