Summary
Fargo feels a little obvious and reiterative in this episode, which leans against a gimmicky narration and yields few new details.
Fargo is an unashamedly stylish and often unconventional show. It isn’t afraid to do ballsy things or have characters speak very much like characters in a TV show instead of like real people. Most of the time, I don’t mind this. In Episode 5 of Season 5, though, I found it a bit weird. The gimmick utilized by “The Tiger” doesn’t have any real utility in the narrative and has the effect of making the whole thing feel a little reiterative.
This is a bit disappointing coming after Episode 4, which capably subverted expectations and suggested that Fargo had a lot more weirdness to offer in its remaining episodes. That might still be the case, but this one, at least, doesn’t offer anything we haven’t seen already.
Fargo Season 5 Episode 5 Recap
The gimmick is a voiceover in the style of a nature documentary that constantly reiterates the idea that Dot is a slinky apex predator – a lion or a tiger or some such predatory big cat. It’s not an altogether bad idea, but it’s reiterating something that has already been vocalized and repeatedly displayed in the actual events thus far.
What defines a tiger? The capacity for brutal violence? We’ve already seen that from Dorothy. A fierce desire to protect its young? We’ve seen it. The ability to hide in plain sight, be sneaky, and disappear into the wind? All together now – we know.
“The Tiger” nonetheless reiterates this both in the narration and by having Dorothy immediately escape from a psychiatric institution that Lorraine has her committed to. It feels like this exists largely to facilitate the narration rather than to create any real tension. It relies on other characters being dumb rather than Dot being resourceful.
The Tiger Escapes Captivity
The best stuff in this episode is between Lorraine and Roy, who finally shows up in person after Gator’s repeated failures. Both are villains by definition, but they’re not united in their goals. Roy wants Lorraine out of the way so he can reclaim his “property”, and Lorraine wants Roy out of the way so her son and granddaughter aren’t made to suffer – though one suspects this is perhaps less of a motivation than simply feeding her ego.
Roy doesn’t come out of this exchange very well. Lorraine isn’t remotely phased by his bluster and deliberately belittles his worldview, equating his desire for unfettered freedom without responsibility to the desire to be a literal baby. It’s telling of how much control Roy has in North Dakota that he doesn’t see this barb coming until so far into the conversation that he can’t avoid it.
But nothing is resolved. If nothing else, Roy can’t be bought, and since Lorraine clearly can’t keep Dot contained, it seems clear that the two sides are going to be in outright opposition sooner rather than later.
How does Fargo Season 5 Episode 5 end?
The episode does end with Dot finally finding an ally in Indira, although their working relationship remains tentative at best. Dorothy doesn’t open up fully, but she does reveal just enough to justify leaving Scotty with Indira and Lars for a few days while she “handles” something, though she doesn’t go into specifics.
If nothing else, Indira has some integrity, knows something’s amiss, and can see that Dorothy – and by extension Scotty – is in real danger. This is enough for her to agree, though it’s probably a bonus to be able to annoy Lars for how much money he’s spending on golf paraphernalia.
What did you think of Fargo Season 5 Episode 5? Let us know in the comments.
