Fargo - Buridan's Ass - Advance Preview

Every week I sort of keep hoping that Fargo will slip up a bit, have an off-week, give me a reason to not care that we’re only getting one season of these hilariously dark and wickedly affecting characters. Well, this week certainly isn’t it. Instead Noah Hawley’s adaptation of the film continues its trend of getting better with age. I have a feeling that if this series weren’t an anthology, many of the events of tonight's episode might have been held for a season finale. In any case, props to Hawley for constantly keeping us on our feet. This is one series that I can truthfully say never makes it easy to guess what's next - and when I round each corner, I’m never disappointed.

Tonight's stories range from comically and karmically amusing to decidedly dark and deadly. The range that these actors get to play must be heaven for a thespian, and tonight Hawley’s script has our characters all over the place. Lester’s story starts as one of necessity - he needs to figure out a way to get the attention off of himself in the murder investigation, and that’s a hard thing to do with a cop keeping watch outside of your hospital room. A visit from his brother - and an awesomely convenient roommate - give Lester the spark he needs. I cheered out loud when I figured out what his plan was; it’s not only entertaining but also awesomely cathartic (I love that I’m rooting for all of the murderers here).

Elsewhere, we tread much darker territory as Lorne Malvo gets ready to carry out his master plan. This is a preview I’ll keep shorter than normal, because to spoil the final 20 minutes or so of this episode would be a crime. Glenn Howerton’s Don Chumph is one to watch, as he transitions from dim-wittedly entertaining to a tragic pawn in Malvo’s game. Howerton - best known for his comedic chops and writing on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - does fantastic with material that is way out of his norm. His scenes of banter with Malvo have been among my favorite of the past few episodes, and that remains true tonight.

Another heads up - I’ll be talking to Allison Tolman (Molly Solverson) tomorrow, and once you see how she fits into tonight's cliffhanger I’m positive you’re going to have questions for her. Leave them in the comments or hit me up on Twitter, where you’ll also get more updates on Fargo and all my SpoilerTV work.

Fargo airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX. “Buridan’s Ass” premieres tonight.