“Mash a potato, you know what you get? Mashed potatoes.”
While each season of Fargo has had its own unique tone, any given episode almost always finds a way to work in at least a few laughs. The series, in fact, is often as funny as it is dark and suspenseful. In “The Law of Inevitability”, however, things feel particularly grim.
More than it moved the plot ahead, episode 7 ruminated on what has happened so far this year: Nikki is arrested in connection to Ray’s murder, Emmit is trying to play it cool (and failing miserably), and Gloria is doing whatever she can to get to the truth. Still, there are enough big moments to keep the ball rolling. While Nikki is in custody, a man dressed as a cop (played by DJ Qualls) comes into her cell and presumably tries to kill her using a syringe. Thanks to Gloria he doesn’t succeed, but he gets away before anyone can apprehend him.
The incident turns out to be exactly what Gloria needs to get the clearance to speak with Nikki. At this point, the growing number of connections between Ennis, Ray, Emmit, Maurice, and Nikki are too much for even the laziest and most inept cops to ignore. Nikki doesn’t give Gloria much, but with just a few words she essentially confirms that Ray hired Maurice to rob Emmit. But Nikki doesn’t seem to believe that Emmit was the one who killed his brother. “Follow the money,” she tells Gloria.
Meanwhile, Sy and Emmit are approached by Officer Lopez while out for dinner with Ruby Goldfarb (Mary McDonnell), the wealthy widow who they hope will buy them out of Stussy Lots, effectively dumping their V.M. Varga problem into her lap. Emmit is a mess in front of Lopez, and she eventually questions Galdfarb once the men leave. Next, Emmit questions Sy, implying that he may have been working with Ray to con Emmit – Sy doesn’t take the accusation lightly. When he gets home to his wife, he weeps. “The world is wrong,” he says. “It looks like my world, but everything’s different.”
On her way to the state penitentiary, Nikki is escorted to the back of the bus and sat next to… Mr. Wrench! I seriously had to do a double-take at first, because the reveal was so wonderfully random but also makes perfect sense. I’ve been advocating for a Mr. Wrench spinoff since way back in season one when Russell Harvard started stealing scenes as the ruthless deaf hitman who was sent to hunt Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton). While Harvard didn’t appear in season two, a much younger Mr. Wrench showed up in a brief but memorable scene that connected the first two seasons via Hanzee (Zahn McClarnon). Wrench’s appearance in “The Law of Inevitably” makes him the first character to appear in all three seasons.
The question now is whether or not we’ll actually see Mr. Wrench again. Naturally things went off the rails in the final moments of the episode: just as I thought that the hitman’s surprise reappearance was the big twist, Yuri steps in front of the bus causing it to swerve off the road and crash. We end with the bus flipped on its side, an unconscious Nikki, and Yuri making his way into the bus.
My hope is that Mr. Wrench will play a part in the final few episodes of the season, but even as a (very) brief cameo the appearance was a nice little nod to season one.
So, where do we go from here? Will Emmit go down for Ray’s murder? Can Sy weasel out of his current predicament unscathed? Have we seen the last of Mr. Wrench? Hit the comments to share your thoughts and feel free to follow me on Twitter for more on Fargo and all my SpoilerTV work.
