Noah Hawley’s “Fargo” borrows themes and style from the Joel and Ethan Coen movie of the same name. This not-quite-true crime adventure darts through the snow-swept landscape in or near Minnesota, exploring darkly comic stories within ancient dramatic themes. But do they get Minnesota right? Welcome to Aaron J. Brown’s episode-by-episode guide to “Fargo.”
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“Fargo” Season 5 (2023)
Fargo’s fifth season pits an authoritarian sheriff played by Jon Hamm against “the tiger,” a domestic abuse survivor portrayed by Juno Temple. (FX)
Episode: 1: The Tragedy of the Commons (Review)
Episode 2: Trials and Tribulations (Review)
Episode 3: The Paradox of Intermediate Transactions (Review)
Episode 4: Insolubilia (Review)
Episode 5: The Tiger (Review)
Episode 6: The Tender Trap (Review)
Episode 7: Linda (Review)
Episode 8: Blanket (Review)
Episode 9: The Useless Hand (Review)
Episode 10: Bisquik (Review)
“Fargo” Season 4 (2020)
E’myri Crutchfield as Ethelrida Pearl Smutny narrates Season 4 of “Fargo,” a tale set in 1950 but that sprawls across generations of crime families in Kansas City. (PHOTO: Elizabeth Morris/FX)
Episode 1: Welcome to the Alternate Economy (Review)
Episode 2: The Land of Taking and Killing (Review)
Episode 3: Raddoppiarlo (Review)
Episode 4: The Pretend War (Review)
Episode 5: The Birthplace of Civilization (Review)
Episode 6: Camp Elegance (Review)
Episode 7: Lay Away (Review)
Episode 8: The Nadir (Review)
Episode 9: East/West (Review)
Episode 10: Happy (Review)
Episode 11: Storia Americana (Review)
“Fargo” Season 3 (2017)
Bridge-playing ex-con Nikki Swango (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Eden Valley police officer Gloria Burgle (Carrie Coons) find themselves on opposite sides of the law in Fargo’s third season.
Episode 1: The Law of Vacant Places (Review)
Episode 2: The Principle of Restricted Choice (Review)
Episode 3: The Law of Non-Contradiction (Review)
Episode 4: The Narrow Escape Problem (Review)
Episode 5: The House of Special Purpose (Review)
Episode 6: The Lord of No Mercy (Review)
Episode 7: The Law of Inevitability (Review)
Episode 8: Who Rules the Land of Denial? (Review)
Episode 9: Aporia (Review)
Episode 10: Somebody to Love (Review)
“Fargo” Season 2 (2015)
FARGO — Pictured: (L-R) Ted Danson as Hank Larsson, Patrick Wilson as Lou Solverson. CR: Chris Large/FX
Episode 1: Waiting for Dutch (Review)
Episode 2: Before the Law (Review)
Episode 3: The Myth of Sisyphus (Review)
Episode 4: Fear and Trembling (Review)
Episode 5: The Gift of the Magi (Review)
Episode 6: Rhinoceros (Review)
Episode 7: Did You Do this? No, You Did It (Review)
Episode 8: Loplop (Review)
Episode 9: The Castle (Review)
Episode 10: Palindrome (Review)
“Fargo” Season 1 (2014)
Molly Solverson (Allison Tollman) was the breakout star of Season 1 of “Fargo” on FX. Now we learn that Season 3 will be set a couple years after her storyline.
Episode 1: The Crocodile’s Dilemma (Review)
Episode 2: The Rooster Prince (Review)
Episode 3: A Muddy Road (Review)
Episode 4: Eating the Blame (Review)
Episode 5: The Six Ungraspables (Review)
Episode 6: Buridan’s Ass (Review)
Episode 7: Who Shaves the Barber (Review)
Episode 8: The Heap (Review)
Episode 9: A Fox, a Rabbit, and a Cabbage (Review)
Episode 10: Morton’s Fork (Review)
About These Reviews
Aaron J. Brown is an author and community college instructor from northern Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. He writes the blog MinnesotaBrown.com, a column for the Mesabi Tribune, and contributions to publications like the Minnesota Reformer and Minneapolis Star Tribune. For eight years, he hosted the Great Northern Radio Show on Northern Community Radio and co-hosted the public affairs podcast “Dig Deep.” His first book was “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” and his new book, “Power in the Wilderness” is pending publication with the University of Minnesota Press.
