Top 10 Funniest Moments on Fargo
#10: Mike Milligan’s Promotion
“Palindrome”
Nearly every scene with Kansas City gangster Mike Milligan is harrowing. His last scene, however, is deliciously tragic for one of “Fargo”’s most enthralling heavies. After helping to expand his organization’s territory, Milligan earns the promotion he’d been longing for. Alas, it turns out to be a cushy office job in the syndicate’s accounting department. It may be the worst fate for such an adventurous killer. It’s also a brilliant satire of the empty and dull gestures in moving up the corporate ladder. Even organized crime loses its excitement if you go high enough. With Milligan’s reward bringing nothing but regret, the mighty has fallen in a relatably droll way.
#9: Home Security System
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“Trials and Tribulations”
After surviving a school council riot and a kidnapping, the paranoid Dot Lyon sets up her own home security system ahead of Halloween. She may as well use the opportunity to include some mommy-daughter time. Dot and Scotty’s “craft project” involves electrifying window sills, coating a door handle with glass, and rigging a sledgehammer over the front door. The very “Home Alone” montage plays into Season 5’s running tribute to morbid holiday entertainment. The contrast between wholesome family cheer and gruesome traps is wickedly absurd on its own. Dot perfectly punctuates the gag when she casually tells concerned husband Wayne, [“Well, we talked about an alarm system.] It's not so amusing when Wayne later tries to open a window.
#8: Lester Visits Mrs. Hess
“A Muddy Road”
Lester Nygaard is already nervous when he visits Gina Hess to discuss her husband’s life insurance, since he was complicit in widowing her. The Hess family prove to be nerve-racking themselves. Gina immediately starts flirting with Lester by showing off her awkward gift of gab and equally awkward dance. That is, when her mojo isn’t disrupted by her idiot sons playing with a crossbow in the yard. When Mickey is himself distracted by his mother’s antics, he shoots his brother Moe in the backside. It’s hard to be a quintessential noir seductress with all that going on. As fun as the physical comedy is to watch, an insurance man with nothing to hide would struggle through this meeting.
#7: Don Fadda’s Health Scare(s)
“Welcome to the Alternate Economy”The Fadda Family is generally a sly spoof of gangster drama tropes. There’s no missing the joke with Don Donatello’s less-than-epic demise. His son Josto panics as the boss begins experiencing chest pains in the backseat of his car. …Turns out, it’s just gas. A huge fart joke may seem beneath “Fargo,” but this one perfectly digs at clichéd, over-dramatic movie scenes of a mob boss being taken out. If the parody is a bit under your nose, the real punchline is when Josto rolls down the window, allowing a child’s BB gun pellet to nick Donatello’s jugular. His men then rush to the hospital, where he will be murdered by Oraetta Mayflower. Leave it to “Fargo” to find poetry even in potty humor.
#6: Sy’s Parking Lot Rampage
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“The Principle of Restricted Choice”
Ray Stussy has long mooched off his brother Emmit’s success. The only thing to his own name is his prized 1977 Corvette C3. So when Emmit’s business partner Sy Feltz informs Ray that he’s cut off, he knows how to drive the point home. After the restaurant meeting, Ray watches in horror as Sy gets in his Hummer in the parking lot, then repeatedly backs into the Corvette. There aren’t many more outrageous power plays than that. Sy even clips another patron’s car in the chaos. Coen Brothers enthusiasts may cite this scene as an homage to John Goodman’s iconic car smash in “The Big Lebowski.” But Sy’s rampage stands out as a riotous escalation in the Stussy family feud.
#5: Karl Weathers at the Police Station
“Rhinoceros”
Nick Offerman was perfectly cast as philosophical shyster Karl Weathers. Karl himself wasn’t exactly the perfect legal representation for Ed Blumquist after his arrest. The situation escalates when Gerhardt enforcers arrive at the police station to acquire a colleague in custody. No matter how suspenseful this standoff gets, the inebriated and incontinent Karl keeps things surprisingly light. The Korean War vet even shows some integrity with a dramatic confrontation at the episode’s climax. But Offerman steals the whole show mostly with his flowery delivery of the most absurd lines. “Rhinoceros” may confirm the always hilarious Karl as one of “Fargo”’s most eccentric characters. He was certainly the heart of the tense episode’s much-needed comic relief.
#4: Semenchko Makes a Threat
“The Rooster Prince”
After all these years, there still aren’t many characters on “Fargo” more intimidating than Lorne Malvo. He even proves that in a wonderfully cringy encounter with Wally Semchenko, head of security for one of the hitman’s clients. Semchenko barges into Malvo’s motel room to assert his authority as their mutual employer’s fixer. Without ever changing his disturbing expression, Malvo simply wanders into the bathroom to sit on the toilet and read. The only sound he makes is an awkward splash. Semchenko is right about this response being disgusting. It still certainly puts him in his place by showing that Malvo himself cannot be intimidated. In a series full of awkward laughs, this literal potty joke still dominates.
#3: Ronald Reagan
“The Gift of the Magi”
One casting choice for “Fargo”’s star-studded second season really stood out for fans. Bruce Campbell’s Ronald Reagan was worth the wait. The actor-turned-politician stops by a rally in Luverne during his 1979 presidential campaign. Lou Solverson is working security when he encounters the man of the hour in the bathroom, hoping for reassurance of America's future. Luckily, Reagan is ready for a sweeping speech even at the urinal. This caricature barely embellishes the future President’s romanticized image. It even puts into perspective the surrealism of a Hollywood idol entering the White House. The whole time, Campbell perfectly balances Reagan’s mannerisms with his own natural charm. As much a biting satire of political grandstanding, it's just an all-around brilliant cameo.
#2: A Lyon Family Christmas
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“The Tragedy of the Commons”
Dot Lyon’s mother-in-law Lorraine is introduced with a family get-together for Christmas. The thing is, it’s late October. The head of a powerful debt collection firm, Lorraine has to set up her public image for the holidays early. The niche for that image in 2019 is established by a Christmas card photoshoot, in which the Lyons must brandish automatic rifles. This spoof of Kentucky politician Thomas Massie merely sets up a spectacularly awkward family dinner. It’s not exactly a subtle satire of right-wing corporate branding. Lorraine Lyon still makes quite the impression with her cynical, elitist clash with her meek son and daughter-in-law. As complex as this character becomes, her introduction is one of “Fargo”’s most hilariously blunt.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Budge & Pepper Get Demoted, “The Heap”
The FBI Agents Can’t Talk Themselves Out of the File Room After Encountering Lorne Malvo
Like Charlie Chaplin, “The Birthplace of Civilization”
Gaetano Fadda’s Massive Ego Takes the Most Damage from a Slip on the Ice
Malvo at the Motel, “The Crocodile’s Dilemma”
Lorne Malvo Causes Chaos by Convincing Someone to Urinate in a Motel Owner’s Car
Sheriff Tillman & the Feds, “Trials and Tribulations”
A Maverick Lawman Stands off with the FBI in So-Called “Moist Repose”
This Is Not Your Office, “The House of Special Purpose”
V. M. Varga Asserts Power Over Sy Feltz with Bewildering Metaphors & an Unfortunate Beverage
#1: Teaching Dodd Some Manners
“Loplop”
Hothead Dodd is essentially the punching bag of the Gerhardt crime family. Even Peggy Blumquist is able to overpower and bind him at her cabin hideout. Dodd still requires a painful lesson in not underestimating her. As her captive continuously runs his mouth, Peggy casually stabs him with a kitchen knife. This at least makes him polite in refusing some beans. Ed then arrives, barely able to bring his wife down from her pokey power trip. This jarring, completely insane gag not only makes the most of these characters. It encapsulates “Fargo”’s unique brand of dark comedy as a whole. Even when someone as Minnesota nice as Peggy Blumquist reaches a breaking point, the violence can be wickedly charming.
What are your favorite moments from the “Fargo” TV series, humorous or otherwise? Do some cooperation in the comments.
