Unraveling the mystery behind ‘Fargo’ season 2
Screenwriter Noah Hawley, actors discuss important turning points of the show
Fargo season 2 revolves around a couple played by Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. PHOTO: FILE
Fargo, FX’s limited crime drama anthology series based on 1996 film of the same name, premiered for the first time in April 2014. Following the tremendous success of the 10-episode first season, Noah Hawley launched the second season which met an even better response from audience worldwide. The makers and cast of the series launched the Emmy campaign of the show with an exclusive panel discussion and screening at the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. The team shared the various dramatic twists from the season, reported Variety.com.
Following an anthology format, each season features a different cast, era, story and characters. Set in the winter of 1979, the second season revolves around the lives of a Minnesotan beautician named Peggy Blumquist (played by Kirsten Dunst) and her husband, a butcher by the name of Ed (played by Jesse Plemons) and their attempt to cover up a hit-and-run accident. During the discussion, the team revealed that the production did not start till Hawley had penned down at least half of the season. The details of the plot too were withheld from the cast members till the day they were presented with their final scripts. “Every time we’d open a script up it was full of surprises, in such a wonderful way,” said actor Ted Danson, who played Rock County Sheriff Hank Larson in the second season. Perhaps the most popular of all topics discussed during the event was the highly intense eighth episode. According to reports, this episode, which Hawley referred to as the ‘Eighth hour’, also received praises from renowned author Stephen King in the form of a tweet that said the episode “may be the best thing on TV in the last three years”.
During the discussion, the cast and creators also shared insight on the minimal exchange of dialogue that often pervaded key scenes in the season. “There’s an interesting role that silence plays,” said Hawley. “You need to cast actors that bring their own world to these roles. You never get that as actors, especially not in TV,” veteran actor Jean Smart added. “To me, pause is sometimes the most important, most effective moment in a film or play or anything.”
Cast members Cristin Milioti, Patrick Wilson, Brad Garrett, Bokeem Woodbine, Rachel Keller, Angus Sampson, Zahn McClarnon and Allan Dobrescu were also present at the event, along with composer Jeff Russo and executive producers Warren Littlefield and John Cameron.
After the immensely successful first and second seasons, Hawley has announced the third season of the highly anticipated show, which will premier in 2017. Once again, the season will see a brand new cast, setting and theme. “Suddenly we were in a cabin and two people had kidnapped another person. There were all these elements that were echoing the movie, and yet the dynamic was totally different,” said Hawley. “You know how it played out in the movie and you can’t help but think it’s going to play out that way, and then something different happens.” The screenwriter hinted at a bunch of unexpected twists and turns in the upcoming season.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2016.