Fargo issues some warning shots in “Raddoppiarlo,” which (according to Google Translate) means “double it.”
RELATED: Missed the last episode? Catch up here!
The last episode ended with Marshall Dick “Deafy” Wickware (Timothy Olyphant) leading a battalion of men on a Thanksgiving night raid of Ethelrida Smutney’s (Emyri Crutchfield) family home in search of her fugitive aunt, Zelmare Roulette (Karen Aldridge), and her girlfriend, Swanee Capps (Kelsey Asbille). This week opens with a rewind to the time following the women’s escape from prison. We follow Deafy as he tracks them successfully to Kansas City, stopping in at the local police station to get backup.
While the Chief sets Deafy up with Odis Weff (Jack Huston) and a team of support policemen, we learn that Deafy is very Mormon, that it was legal to kill a Mormon in Missouri at that time, that Deafy gets his nickname from his selective hearing and that he carries carrot sticks in his pocket.
Once their team is assembled, the men surveil the Smutney residence. We see them watching as Nurse Oraetta Mayflower (Jessie Buckley) delivers her dangerous and disgusting pie and as Thurman (Andrew Bird) takes the pie inside. (Fargo! What is your plan with this pie??) Then they strike.
Throughout the raid, the pie remains intact. The raid disrupts Thanksgiving dinner, so nobody eats dessert just then. The fugitives successfully evade capture by hiding in a mortuary drawer beneath one holding a corpse so bloated and disgusting that it deters the investigating officers (including Odis) from looking further. It’s a day later before Swanee gives in to the pie’s temptation and digs in– just before she and Zelmare leave their haven in pursuit of the goal that drew them to KC: robbing Loy Cannon (Chris Rock).
While all of this is unfolding, the power struggle in the Fadda family is taking shape. Gaetano Fadda (Salvatore Esposito) shames Josto (Jason Schwartzman) for letting the hospital admin who refused to treat their father get away. He voices doubts about Rabbi’s (Ben Whishaw) loyalty, and he makes the executive decision to have Constant Calamita (Gaetano Bruno) kill Loy’s oldest son as retribution for the slaughterhouse coup– without Josta’s knowledge.
Gaetano requires Constant to take Rabbi along as a test of loyalty. As he becomes clear about what’s happening– that Gaetano is starting a war without Josto– Rabbi warns Constant that little Zero Fadda (Jameson Braccioforte) will be the one who pays the ultimate price. Constant is unrelenting, so as they pull up alongside Lemuel (Matthew Elam) and his driver, Rabbi hesitates long enough to prevent the tragedy. The Cannon heir escapes with minor damage to the car in which he is riding, and Rabbi disarms Constant before exiting the vehicle.
Loy finds out about the attempt on his son’s life at about the same time he finds out that two women have robbed his gambling operation of $20,000. Zelmare and Swanee made it out with that much cash, killing three of Loy’s men in the process. They probably would have taken more if Swanee hadn’t started vomiting everywhere as a result of the poisonous pie. (Oh Fargo. Only you would disrupt a robbery with vomit and the threat of diarrhea.) Because nobody could identify the women, the Cannon crew needs to determine whether the two attacks were connected and coordinated.
Doctor Senator (Glynn Turman), ever the voice of reason, advises that the attack on Lemuel may be evidence of infighting amongst the Faddas and that it would be wise to know exactly what’s happening before engaging in a battle to the death. Will Loy listen? TBD.
Meanwhile, Josto has a chance encounter that will likely affect future events. After being shamed by his brother for his futile attempt at revenge, Josto goes to the private hospital that turned his father away to plot his next attempt on the administrator’s life. He’s surprised by Oraetta, fresh from getting a new nursing job in that hospital from the very same administrator.
She hops into the passenger seat of his car, sure that he’s a suitor who has followed her to her new job. Josto barely remembers her, and he definitely does not remember her name, but she dismisses his comments to the effect as playful flirting. She treats him to a bump of (probably) cocaine and a handy to the tune of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” leaving him stunned as she tells him to call her on the phone for a proper date next time.
RELATED: Keep up with our Fargo Season Four recaps here!
- WANDAVISION Finale Recap: (S01E09) The Series Finale - March 5, 2021
- WANDAVISION Recap: (S01E08) Previously On - February 28, 2021
- WANDAVISION Recap: (S01E07) Breaking the Fourth Wall - February 19, 2021
