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Jun. 22nd, 2017 07:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geebsTV commentary:
Fargo- So, we're getting one of those kinda endings. We end with a five year time jump, where Mr Wrench takes out Emmitt (more on that later), Varga has been on the run (more on that later) and has just been picked up by DHS, where Gloria now works. They verbally spar again, with Varga insisting in 5 minutes some guy above her head is going to come in and tell him he's free to go. Gloria is doubtful, thinking he's finally facing justice. We don't get to see if a guy comes. But for my sanity, I choose to believe Gloria wins, and Varga finally gets his comeuppance.
It is funny though, the whole bit with Larue Dollard explaining the whole scheme to Gloria at the IRS- Nikki apparently passed off the Varga info as being from Gloria with instructions to call her. So he does, and Gloria is confused at first, but once she hears about who its about, she untenders the resignation letter she just dropped on her boss' desk and heads over. But yeah, Dollard goes over the scheme, which he says is totally legal, except for the fact that they didn't pay taxes on their gains. Its funny in a cynical way that such nefarious dealings are above board, the government is just mad because they didn't get their cut.
Basically, Varga had Emmitt's company borrow a shit ton of money, with no intention of paying the loan off. The money was instead funnelled off to secret accounts for Varga, Emmitt, and Sy, Stussey lots declares bankruptcy, and is sold at a "loss" to the Widow Goldfarb (who was working for Varga the entire time!) Emmitt gets a slap on the wrist, and so he's free to reconcile with his family and live the high life, with Sy back at his side, though he's now basically a vegetable. Thinks look good for Emmitt, until Wrench offs him in the kitchen while the family is in the dining room having dinner. (I'm getting to the why soon enough!)
Anyways, onto Nikki dying. So she and Wrench set up a hand off for the drives in exchange for money. Varga brings a lot of heavily armed thugs with him. But, its an ambush. Varga only narrowly escapes because he's warned at the last minute that Nikki already gave the drives to the IRS. So he abandons his minions at the last second, shutting the elevator door on Meemo just as Wrench is about to ambush them.
So Wrench kills them all (well, we see Meemo being carted off by the paramedics later, but it doesn't look good) Nikki is waiting to shotgun Varga as soon as he gets out of the elevator, but the weasel climbs out before the door opens and escapes.
Now, here's where I think things take a turn for Nikki (though I'm entirely wrong, according to the writer). She tells Wrench she only cares about taking out Emmitt, leaving most of the money they got from Varga to him. Now, yes, Emmitt was the one who killed Ray, but I think the real bad guy was Varga. He's the one Paul Marrane wanted her to deliver justice to. It turns out Nikki though Ray poisoned Sy too. She tries to give the speech Paul wanted her to, but a random cop happens on the scene, and eventually she and the cop get into a shootout and kill each other.
To me, I read that as her losing whatever divine guidance she had watching over her- she went after the wrong target, choosing a personal vendetta over delivering justice to someone far more deserving of it. Indeed, she stumbles on the words she's supposed to say, and because of that delay that's when a cop happens by. And then when Emmitt alerts the cop to Nikki having a gun, she draws on the cop, who is innocent in all this. And so in straying from the right path, she's ultimately taken down.
But, according to the writer, he basically was trying to subvert the trope where the white hat shoots down the black hat at high noon and all is right with the world. Instead, the real world intervenes and throws a wrench in things. Basically, shit happens. And lets not forget Nikki isn't exactly a white hat. She did some pretty bad things (like murder a guy with an air conditioner, or helping Ray try to blackmail Emmitt of having an affair and blowing up the guy's marriage)
Anyways, I think Wrench finally comes for Emmitt five years later because after all this, he took the devil's deal. Like, prior to the time jump, he had been a reluctant participant in all of this Varga's business. He tried to turn himself in for Ray's death, he grabbed Meemo's gun and tried to end things with Varga. But then after Nikki comes after him and she and the cop kill each other, he doesn't stick around, he just leaves.
Now, he may have reconciled with his wife (a situation I still find ridiculous that she thought he actually stepped out on her when she knows he has a twin brother with a grudge) and seems to be living a goodly life with a loving family. But its all tainted, because he's reaping the benefits of Varga's schemes. One could argue he had no choice, Varga and Goldfarb told him there's nothing he can do, just accept it and enjoy the money. But that's BS. People like that stay in power because no one does anything.
I feel sorry for Wrench though, he looked kinda sad as he shot Emmitt, because I guess that's two partners (well, Numbers was more than just a partner, it seemed) now that he's lost.
Fargo- So, we're getting one of those kinda endings. We end with a five year time jump, where Mr Wrench takes out Emmitt (more on that later), Varga has been on the run (more on that later) and has just been picked up by DHS, where Gloria now works. They verbally spar again, with Varga insisting in 5 minutes some guy above her head is going to come in and tell him he's free to go. Gloria is doubtful, thinking he's finally facing justice. We don't get to see if a guy comes. But for my sanity, I choose to believe Gloria wins, and Varga finally gets his comeuppance.
It is funny though, the whole bit with Larue Dollard explaining the whole scheme to Gloria at the IRS- Nikki apparently passed off the Varga info as being from Gloria with instructions to call her. So he does, and Gloria is confused at first, but once she hears about who its about, she untenders the resignation letter she just dropped on her boss' desk and heads over. But yeah, Dollard goes over the scheme, which he says is totally legal, except for the fact that they didn't pay taxes on their gains. Its funny in a cynical way that such nefarious dealings are above board, the government is just mad because they didn't get their cut.
Basically, Varga had Emmitt's company borrow a shit ton of money, with no intention of paying the loan off. The money was instead funnelled off to secret accounts for Varga, Emmitt, and Sy, Stussey lots declares bankruptcy, and is sold at a "loss" to the Widow Goldfarb (who was working for Varga the entire time!) Emmitt gets a slap on the wrist, and so he's free to reconcile with his family and live the high life, with Sy back at his side, though he's now basically a vegetable. Thinks look good for Emmitt, until Wrench offs him in the kitchen while the family is in the dining room having dinner. (I'm getting to the why soon enough!)
Anyways, onto Nikki dying. So she and Wrench set up a hand off for the drives in exchange for money. Varga brings a lot of heavily armed thugs with him. But, its an ambush. Varga only narrowly escapes because he's warned at the last minute that Nikki already gave the drives to the IRS. So he abandons his minions at the last second, shutting the elevator door on Meemo just as Wrench is about to ambush them.
So Wrench kills them all (well, we see Meemo being carted off by the paramedics later, but it doesn't look good) Nikki is waiting to shotgun Varga as soon as he gets out of the elevator, but the weasel climbs out before the door opens and escapes.
Now, here's where I think things take a turn for Nikki (though I'm entirely wrong, according to the writer). She tells Wrench she only cares about taking out Emmitt, leaving most of the money they got from Varga to him. Now, yes, Emmitt was the one who killed Ray, but I think the real bad guy was Varga. He's the one Paul Marrane wanted her to deliver justice to. It turns out Nikki though Ray poisoned Sy too. She tries to give the speech Paul wanted her to, but a random cop happens on the scene, and eventually she and the cop get into a shootout and kill each other.
To me, I read that as her losing whatever divine guidance she had watching over her- she went after the wrong target, choosing a personal vendetta over delivering justice to someone far more deserving of it. Indeed, she stumbles on the words she's supposed to say, and because of that delay that's when a cop happens by. And then when Emmitt alerts the cop to Nikki having a gun, she draws on the cop, who is innocent in all this. And so in straying from the right path, she's ultimately taken down.
But, according to the writer, he basically was trying to subvert the trope where the white hat shoots down the black hat at high noon and all is right with the world. Instead, the real world intervenes and throws a wrench in things. Basically, shit happens. And lets not forget Nikki isn't exactly a white hat. She did some pretty bad things (like murder a guy with an air conditioner, or helping Ray try to blackmail Emmitt of having an affair and blowing up the guy's marriage)
Anyways, I think Wrench finally comes for Emmitt five years later because after all this, he took the devil's deal. Like, prior to the time jump, he had been a reluctant participant in all of this Varga's business. He tried to turn himself in for Ray's death, he grabbed Meemo's gun and tried to end things with Varga. But then after Nikki comes after him and she and the cop kill each other, he doesn't stick around, he just leaves.
Now, he may have reconciled with his wife (a situation I still find ridiculous that she thought he actually stepped out on her when she knows he has a twin brother with a grudge) and seems to be living a goodly life with a loving family. But its all tainted, because he's reaping the benefits of Varga's schemes. One could argue he had no choice, Varga and Goldfarb told him there's nothing he can do, just accept it and enjoy the money. But that's BS. People like that stay in power because no one does anything.
I feel sorry for Wrench though, he looked kinda sad as he shot Emmitt, because I guess that's two partners (well, Numbers was more than just a partner, it seemed) now that he's lost.
