There’s something to be said about the kind of methodic lunacy Noah Hawley stuffs his show with. It’s not the usual, very obvious kind, of course, considering that’d so not sit well in the belly of the treacherous monster that is Fargo—wearing the skin of chaotic normalcy only to reveal its deranged realities later. Fargo is allergic to normalcy. So why should you expect this season’s tigress to not have to maul more than one skilled hunter?
Spoilers Ahead
How Does Dot Avoid Capture?
It would’ve been a bit too tacky if the Home Alone tactics worked against the weasels sent by the big Roy. Dot doesn’t need all that jazz to be who she is. Not that the makeshift weaponry doesn’t come in handy from time to time. But you have to admit that it’s Dot’s quick-as-a-cat reflexes that win her freedom. It all could’ve gone down smoothly had Wayne not done the one thing that no husband of Dot should ever do—not listen to her clear commands in a dicey situation. Now, electrocuted, bruised, and with just about half his vocabulary intact, the poor guy swoons over his wife as Indira and Witt go a step ahead in catching up to her. Not if Lorraine’s business of harassing debtors has anything to say about it! She’s not exactly impossible to locate. Yet, much like her other “husband,” who now cocks his gun at the thought of blowing Munch’s head off, the cops in the town could not be further away from getting their hands on her.
What Are The Bigger Lyons Up To?
Somebody should’ve told the bankers who they were dealing with when they were sitting before the terrifying Lyon matriarch. Nothing says calmly aggressive intimidation like a bottle of fancy wine and some burgers. Debt and credit both? Leave some money for the rest of Minnesota, ma’am! While usually no one is a match for Dot, what can she really do when she’s cornered by Danish and two bulky “nurses” ready to whisk her away to the psych ward? Heading to the Lyons’ mansion was a bad idea, something Dot only realizes when she’s strapped to the bed. If Lorraine can’t tame her fierce and, frankly, a tad crazy daughter-in-law, she’d rather have her locked away until she can come up with a plan. But it takes more than pros to keep Dot locked up. And as she unsurprisingly gets herself free, we really see why we root for this woman. Sure, her wildly erratic yet skillful exhibition of her survival instinct was cool enough to cheer for her. But we needed to see this forgiving, nurturing side of Dot to truly absorb how bad it must’ve been for her. No one just wakes up and decides to hone their skills at avoiding death or capture in terrifying situations.
Does Dot Have A Plan?
Dot can take on more than her fair share of adversaries should bad luck remain obsessed with her like it once was. But don’t forget that the people after Dot aren’t just nobodies. And when there are too many predators close by, a war between them is bound to be on the cards. Munch wants what he’s owed. And no matter how relieved Roy may be at the sight of weird sigils on the wall and his twins still intact, it’s just the start of Munch’s reign of terror. I mean, the man demanding pancakes from his mom right after a nihilistic monologue does in no way mean that he’s soft.
But you have to acknowledge just how much guts it took for Roy to sit in front of a rabid man, an abuser he’d thrown hot coffee on for speaking over him. It’s the same confidence that he exudes as he finds a way to trigger the man’s rage just so that there’s a shootout and he can put a bullet in him. Too many eyes are on the man. Agent Joaquin and his partner, for starters, are in no way about to give up on their mission to put a stop to the Tillmans’ generational terror. Roy can’t afford to have another investigation invite more trouble to his doorstep. If he has to pass off the man he’s just killed as Munch, so be it. At least that goes far better than his meeting with Lorraine, who may just be the first one to ever cut him down to size. Has Roy met his match?
Lorraine’d surely put up a fierce fight against the man claiming the love of her son’s life as his property. If not for love, she’d try to destroy Roy just to prove who’s boss. But there’s one possibility that can’t be ruled out: Lorraine wouldn’t die of a broken heart if Dot were out of the picture. If Roy can help her achieve what she really wants and throw in a free treat at the same time, what’s stopping Lorraine from joining hands with him? Dot’s still in one piece. If a woman can sweet talk her way into incapacitating a man, knock a patient out with a pillow to pass him off as Wayne, and fool two FBI agents, there’s not much she can’t do. What the ending sequence gifts her, however, is a chance to seek and accept help in a world where terrifying people are out for blood.
As long as she has survived, especially when life has been nothing but a minefield of loss, tragedies, and abuse, it’d be safe to say that Dot can read people. She bet on Indira’s kindness, and lucky for her, the cop drowning in debt and stuck in an awful marriage holds humanity above the law. Scotty’s safe for now. But what Dot would do after retrieving the childlike Wayne from the hospital bathroom depends on a lot of factors. All the people after her have people after them. The prolonged infighting only gives Dot more time to devise a plan to escape not one but two enemies with unfathomable power and influence.
