Fargo – Season 5 Episode 4 “Insolubilia” Recap & Review

Insolubilia

The opening sequence of Fargo Season 5 episode 4 is almost 15 minutes long, entirely set in Wayne and Dot’s home. Gator and his troupe, wearing masks and armed with non-lethal weapons, enter the house from either side. Dot casually puts food in the oven and vanishes. The masked assailants start looking around the house for the trio. Dot hides in a cupboard, waiting for her moment to strike. Due to the masks and lack of light, the assailants have trouble seeing. Dot has set up little traps all over the house, most of which haven’t been triggered yet.

She finally kicks into action when an alarm kept in a pumpkin at the entrance of the basement blares a warning. Dot uses pepper spray on one of the kidnappers and pushes him down the stairs. After that, she unhooks the sledgehammer near the entrance door and runs outside. Another of the kidnappers falls flat on the floor. She comes back inside through the side glass door and charges at Gator with a baseball bat. Dot misses and only realizes it is her son when he takes off his mask. 

He remarks that they have come to take Dot back to where she belongs. But Dot makes it clear she doesn’t want to go back. She is once again able to run away from the scene, going straight into the basement. Dot uses the laundry shoot to climb up to the first floor, something that none of the kidnappers know. The kidnapper who was pepper sprayed indicates to another that he thinks Wayne and Scotty are in the attic. He pulls down the ladder but it hits him in the face and traps him around the neck on the deck. Dot charges at the other kidnapper and pushes her down the stairs.

Gator charges upstairs but Dot does enough to allow Wayne and Scotty time to go down the chute. However, at the last minute, Wayne decides to use the trill outside the bedroom to climb down. He has no idea that the window sill is electrified. Dot is too late to tell him and he gets a nasty shock. Wayne is knocked unconscious and the curtains catch fire due to the spark. Dot and Scotty muster the courage to soldier on and climb down the trill. Dot throws Wayne from the roof since she has no other option. 

The trio escape but their house burns down. As he hears the sirens, Gator takes his troupe and escapes. Roy has an insightful “showdown” at the local church across his house with Jesus. He prays that God protects him from spirits and evil, like He did on an occasion before. Roy is alarmed when he sees the porch. He takes out a rifle and follows Munch’s bloody footsteps upstairs. The twins are alright and are awoken by the noise. Roy looks on in horror as he sees a Biblical sign painted on the wall of their room.

While awaiting word from the doctors, Dot convinces Scotty to lie about what happened. They settle on faulty wires for the fire – purely accidental. Witt and Indira have joined forces to solve Dot’s puzzling actions. Video footage from the Gas n Go proves Witt’s version of events. They visit the hospital to sit down with her when Captain Muscavage reveals that the Lyon house burnt down last night.

Indira is pestered by calls from the debt collection agency, showing her financial plight. Her predicament is beautifully intertwined with a snippet of Lorraine’s interview with a Forbes reporter. With a straight face and the most positive spin one could give to her business, Lorraine declares her company’s intention to “help” Americans buried in debt. Jerome interrupts her “holier than thou” reassurance and informs her about the fire. Lorraine shuts down the interview and leaves with Danish for the hospital. Indira and Witt also show up, putting Dot in a tricky situation. She plays coy and refutes Witt’s version of events. 

Danish is at hand to wade off the officers and handle everything. Wayne finally wakes up and Dot gets an opportunity to get away from it all. Since he is on heavy medication, Wayne isn’t able to confront Dot about the recent events, although it is asserted he remembers Dot being referred to as Nadine. For now, Dot wants her husband to be alright and climbs into bed with him. She dreads the moment he comes back to his senses and demands answers.

Meanwhile, Agents Meyer and Joaquin approach a judge to rule against Roy. They’re desperate to see the man get the justice he deserves. However, the judge rejects their request, using the metaphor of a food chain to demonstrate Roy’s unseen significance. He refers to the great Chinese famine and how the extinction of sparrows, perceived to be Mao’s biggest achievement, brought it about. But luckily for the agents, they get news that Dot’s fingerprints have shown up in the system. Soon, she will be paid a visit by them.

Munch, sitting in a bathtub at the house in Bismarck, remarks how freedom cannot come for free. It must always come at a cost and must be repaid in the form of the taking of a life. Roy’s wife, Karen, is missing. In the chilling climactic sequence, we see Roy visiting Lenore and Joshua, the couple from Episode 2. Roy has gone to check in on Joshua’s promise not to hurt his wife. When he asks Lenore if she has been doing her part, she quietly nods her head.

Joshua, though, isn’t ready to accept Roy’s morally virtuous attitude. When Roy sees marks on Lenore’s wrists, he whispers to himself, “I tried.” He calls Joshua a “waste of skin” and proceeds to berate him even further. Joshua pulls out a gun from his pocket and aims it at Roy, who remains unfazed. Joshua doesn’t back down, forcing Roy to pull out his firearm and kill him. Lenore stands in the kitchen and watches all of this unfold. Gator comes inside with his gun, drawn.

Roy inquires about what happened with Dot and isn’t disappointed Gator couldn’t do the job. As he leaves, he tells the version of the story that is to be followed. He asks Lenore to testify that Joshua came to the house a few days back, bragging about killing a State trooper. He wants Joshua to be indicted for Munch’s crimes so that he can settle the differences personally with him.

The Episode Review

Fargo’s stellar run continues to gather momentum with Episode 4. Once the ball was set rolling in the doubleheader, the following episodes have both done a great job of further expanding the scope of the story. Although I am not too impressed by the opening sequence – given the lack of shape to the choreography – it is in line with the show’s brand of realism. Dot’s non-lethal plan might not have crazed fans but it is an important part of her character development.

The fire in the house is an easy segue for the story to connect the dots and move into the next phase. Fargo had enough going on to have avoided this plot progression. The interest of the Federal agents marks a triple whammy of misfortune for Dot. The humour in Episode 4 is sharp and precise. Its surprise timing in the most serious of moments is an ode to the cinematic brand of Fargo. 

Roy’s legend continues to grow at a pace that threatens to outrun the rest of the story. Jon Hamm is outstanding as the imposing sheriff, adding another layer of mystique to his persona. His showdown with Munch will be a spectacle. My favourite moment from the episode is the scene where Indira gets a phone call from the collection agency. Kudos to the creators for masterfully crafting the sequence in a question-answer-type rhythm that is not only efficient but is also drenched in irony.