FARGO Goes Back On Its Return

 Article first published as TV Review: FARGO Season 4 on Seat42F.

After a more-than-three-year drought, FARGO returns to FX for a fourth season. The latest installment in the anthology drama goes back to 1950 and is set in Kansas City, an oft-mentioned place in previous seasons, though not explored all that deeply. The story centers around two rival gangs, one African-American, one Italian, both considered minorities by the rest of the locals, as they try to gain control of illegal activity in the area.

As usual, FARGO’s season is in no hurry to get started, though the fourth season premiere provides quite a bit more historical exposition than previous openers. This may or may not be necessary, we’ll see as the rest of the run unfolds, but really sets up context for where this gang war comes from and how it might play out. Having glimpsed what the dominant faction becomes decades in the future, viewers will feel plenty prepared to get going by the time the title makes its appearance, about a third of the way into the premiere.

The gangs are stocked with plenty of familiar faces, as well as a few less so, as is FARGO’s custom, introducing us to new, terrific performers alongside talented veterans. Comedian Chris Rock (Saturday Night Live) heads one side as Loy Cannon, a family man whose people are not going to be pushed around anymore, and has ideas for legitimate business success if only a funder would take a chance on him. On the other side is Josto Fadda (Jason Schwartzman, Bored to Death), son of the long-time ruler who, at first glance, appears to be unable to live up to his father’s legacy, though he likely will surprise us. Standing out among the rest are Ben Whishaw (No Time to Die) as an Irishman who works for the Italians and Glynn Turman (House of Lies) as Loy’s elder advisor.

While gangsters are a staple of FARGO, three other types of characters usually make up the universe, as well. There’s the hapless person who sees themselves as good, but gets roped into the evil. This seems likely to be filled by mortician Thurman Smutny (musician Andrew Bird), though his daughter, Ethelrida (E'myri Crutchfield, The Kicks), has a larger part thus far, a rarity for a minor in the franchise. Second is the kooky weirdo, which is brillianty filled here with Nurse Oraetta Mayflower (Jessie Buckley, Chernobyl). And third is the noble member of law enforcement, which is completely absent from episodes one and two, though Marshall Deafy (Timothy Olyphant, Justified) may take up that mantle in the third hour.

By leaving out the cop, the fourth season of FARGO feels drastically different. The closest thing we have to a hero at the start is Ethelrida, but she’s not taking an active role in anything, and certainly won’t be solving any big cases. Funny that in a period piece, it’s this missing element that stands out more than sets or costumes as moving FARGO in a different direction.

I love the FARGO formula, and adored the first three seasons. I’m not sure it needed a shakeup, but perhaps creator Noah Hawley disagreed, as they really did follow the same pattern (delightfully) thrice. However, given the quality delivered previously, I’m excited to see what they’ve come up with this for the senior round, and hope for more in the future.

Only two and a half hours in (I plan to watch more as soon as possible), I am digging the differences and the tale unfolding. There are lots of interesting personalities, and while one major arc may be clear, there are undoubtedly many others slowly simmering that haven’t fully revealed themselves yet. The ending is only sort of known, given this year’s general tie-ins to other seasons, and it should be a fun ride.

FARGO returns Sunday, September 27th on FX and streaming the next day on Hulu.

The Hour returns for another bout

As BBC's The Hour begins its second season (recently released on Blu-ray and DVD), it has been over a year since we last left the characters. It's 1957, and in Freddie's absence (Ben Whishaw), Bel (Romola Garai) struggles to keep the show within a show living up to its potential, mostly failing, as even she will admit. Her mission is complicated by the fact that Hector (Dominic West), the face of the broadcast, has let his celebrity go to his head, and has become notoriously unreliable.

Luckily, it isn't long before Freddie is back in town, and a new scandal involving a crime syndicate in Soho, where Hector hangs out, is enough to get the team engaged in real news again, climbing out of the rut they are mired in.

It's funny how The Hour continues to be as relevant today as it would have been in the time it took place. It excels in illustrating that as much as things change, they also stay the same. Hector's behavior is obviously easy to draw parallels to with modern celebs and scandals, and the fight between being journalists over addressing commercial concerns is still current, as cable news goes after ratings and ad money, sacrificing reliability and thorough work.

There are plenty of similarities between The Hour and HBO's effort The Newsroom. Both are inspiring tales that make journalism sexy and something to root for. They build up the people behind a program, casting them as heroes in the fight against the powers that be. It's a trend I'd like to see more of. Forget cops and lawyers and crime scene investigators; we've had enough shows about them already. This decade is about the reporters!

The Hour is very character driven. The relationship between Freddie and Bel, complicated when Freddie comes home with a wife, Camille (Lizzie Brochere, American Horror Story: Asylum), continues to be one of the catalysts that moves the plot along. The actors have fantastic chemistry, and The Hour does as all dramas do, throwing stumbling block after stumbling block in their way, keeping the friction between them alive, and allowing the simmer to propel the plot. I want to see them get together well before the series ends for good, but for now, the dance between them is delightful.

With no Bel to pursue anymore, since they didn't work out as a couple, Hector has to give his time over to other pursuits. It saddens to see his character lose his way, but, on the other hand, it's much better that he sticks around The Hour post-relationship, rather than disappearing from the cast. It gives West the chance to milk the pathos and personality of a larger than life man who just isn't finding his place and purpose in the world, an intriguing concept, to be sure.

I really like the new addition Randall Brown (Peter Capaldi, Torchwood: Children of Earth, The Thick of It) as the boss. He is someone who not only proves worthy of matching wits with the employees under him, our protagonists, but his secrecy and the way he clouds his motivations make him interesting in of himself. He's a good wrench to throw at our main characters, and he keeps things interesting at the news station, providing the internal pressure to balance out external concerns.

Sadly, the special features on the Series 2 DVD comprise a single behind-the-scenes featurette. With the historical context, this season featuring Caribbean immigrants and the Space Race as plot points, one wishes there were something to explain the choices of tying certain real events into this fictional world. There is not.

Aside from that, though, the episodes are solid, and the performances continue to deliver. I would definitely recommend checking out The Hour 2, available now.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first posted on TheTVKing

Blu-ray Review: The Hour

     BBC's The Hour is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. The two-disc set contains all six episodes of the first series, which also recently aired in the States on BBC America. A second series has been commissioned, but this DVD does not say "Complete First Series" or anything to that effect on the packaging.

     It's 1956 when The Hour begins, and throughout series one, the story unfolds against the backdrop of the Suez Crisis. Freddie Lyon (Ben Whishaw, Criminal Justice, Layer Cake) and Bel Rowley (Romola Garai, The Crimson Petal and the White) are growing more and more frustrated with their jobs working on inane newsreels for BBC. A glimmer of hope shines, as they interview for Clarence Fendley (Anton Lesser, Primeval), who is putting together a more serious news program called The Hour. Bel is awarded the producer role, and Freddie is forced to settle, after much consideration, with riding the Home Affairs desk. But a chance encounter with an old friend (Vanessa Kirby, Love/Loss) draws Freddie into a much bigger story. Not to mention the whole team will soon become entangled in the Suez story.

     It's hard not to compare The Hour to Mad Men, as many have done, because of the time period. Even though The Hour takes place in 1956, it feels more like the 1960s, and some mistakes, such as 1960s telephones, contribute to that. Yet, overall, with the authentic period stage, and the manner of the performers, the effect is a good one. The tone is slower and darker than Mad Men, and the action more plot-driven than character-driven, so it's certainly not a copy. As the hours unfold, the characters, a bit thin at first, become much better defined. As they get swept up in events, they begin to show their true colors. So it does start to resemble Mad Men slightly more, but it's still its own beast, despite the surface similarities.

     Freddie is drawn into a conspiracy plot by his aforementioned friend. The first clue, involving an academic murdered by a mysterious man (Burn Gorman, Torchwood) whom the academic sought to kill is pretty interesting. But Freddie, the main character in solving the plot, is abrasive and stubborn, which make him a little hard to like. He almost passes up a job at The Hour just because he can't take the position he wants, in front of the camera. Never mind; he will get to keep working with Bel, whom he adores, and have the freedom to pursue the types of scoops he likes. Freddie is definitely his own worst enemy.

     Bel is a much better character, daresay, the best one in The Hour. She is kind and tough. It's a bit refreshing, though odd, that in 1956 Bel is treated just like any other professional, other than the fact that she isn't allowed to gather in the brandy room after lunch. The impression is quickly given that Bel can handle her job, and will prove herself without making unnecessary waves.

     Of course, this being a drama, Bel is also caught in a romantic triangle between Freddie and Hector (Dominic West, The Wire, 300). Yes, Bel has a boring banker boyfriend when The Hour begins, but only Freddie and Hector seem to actually engage her in a way that she likes.

     Hector Madden is the playful anchor hired for The Hour. Hector's first appearance on screen is loathsome in the way that he treats Bel, but once viewers realize he is simply messing with her, it's hard not to be won over. Plus he has absolutely the right look for the role. The thing about Hector is, as he grows likeable, both to viewers and Bel, he begins to cheat on his wife. His reasons are complicated, but when doing something so mean to someone, can he ever truly be considered a good man?

     Those three carry the series, but they aren't alone on screen. A smattering of colorful supporting characters raise the overall quality of the series several notched. In particular Anna Chancellor (MI-5), Joshua McGuire, and Lisa Greenwood stand out. Which is why it is nice they all get to speak in the extras. 

 

     The features on this set are sparse, but valuable. Two featurettes, comprising approximately half an hour, go into the design of the series. Specific characters are discussed, and what drives them. It's a look behind the scenes with the cast and producers that really explains just what they were trying to do. Overall, they succeed.

     The Blu-ray version of The Hour is presented in 1080i High Definition, with a 16:9 picture ratio. The audio is Stereo 2.0 LPCM. What this means is, although the series is set long ago, it looks crisp, clean, and new with a perfect picture. Heavy Blu-ray users and spoiled Americans may miss the surround sound aspect, reduced merely to a two speaker system for this series. Because this isn't a big action piece, that's fine, but one does wish the newsroom scenes were a little more complete, from an audio standpoint. Who wouldn't want to be surrounded by the busy work sounds, immersed in such an otherwise rich world?

     Buy The Hour on Blu-ray today.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: The Hour on Blogcritics.

The Hour ticks away

     It's 1956 when BBC America's The Hour begins. Freddie Lyon (Ben Whishaw, Criminal Justice, Layer Cake) and Bel Rowley (Romola Garai, The Crimson Petal and the White) are growing more and more frustrated with their job working on inane newsreels for BBC. A glimmer of hope shines, as they interview with Clarence Fendley (Anton Lesser, Primeval), who is putting together a more serious news program called The Hour. Bel is awarded the producer role, and Freddie is forced to settle, after much consideration, with riding the Home Affairs desk. But a chance encounter with an old friend (Vanessa Kirby, Love/Loss) draws Freddie into a much bigger story.

     It's hard not to compare The Hour to Mad Men, as many have done, because of the time period. Even though The Hour takes place in 1956, it feels more like the 1960s, and some mistakes, such as 1960s telephones, contribute to that. Yet, the tone is slower and darker, the people less defined, and the action more plot-driven than character-driven, so it's certainly not a copy. Overall, the first hour is intriguing, but pacing needs to be ratcheted up, and viewers must be made to care about the characters more, if the series wants to truly succeed.

     There's nothing wrong with a conspiracy plot that will span the season, and Freddie is drawn into the plot by his friend. The first clue, involving an academic killed by a mysterious man (Burn Gorman, Torchwood) whom the academic sought to kill is pretty interesting. But Freddie, the main character in solving the plot, is abrasive and stubborn, which make him a little hard to like. He almost passes up a job at The Hour just because he can't take the position he wants, in front of the camera. Never mind; he will get to keep working with Bel, whom he adores, and have the freedom to pursue the types of scoops he likes.

     Bel is a much better character. She is kind and tough, though the series doesn't focus on how unusual it is for a woman to rise to such a high ranking position in a 1950s newsroom. Was it that different in England than in the states? Anyway, it's a bit refreshing, though odd, that in 1956 Bel is treated just like any other professional, other than the fact that she isn't allowed to gather in the brandy room after lunch. The impression is quickly given that Bel can handle her job, and will prove herself without making unnecessary waves.

     Joining Bel and Freddie is Hector Madden (Dominic West, The Wire, 300), a playful anchor. Hector's first appearance on screen is loathsome in the way that he treats Bel, but once viewers realize he is simply messing with her, it's hard not to be won over. He seems like a decent human being, if a bit ornery. He has the right look for the role, and should provide a good third angle in the Bel/Freddie love triangle. Yes, Bel has a boring banker boyfriend, but only Freddie and Hector seem to actually engage her in a way that she likes. She will dump her beau soon enough.

     With a great cast, it is up to the writers to make The Hour worth watching. The seeds are planted for a very interesting, somewhat original show. But the plant is far from sprouted.

     Watch The Hour Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on BBC America.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter!

     Please click here to watch streaming episodes or preorder The Hour on Blu-ray and DVD.

Article first published as TV Review: The Hour - "Pilot" on Blogcritics.