5 must-see moments from Fargo Season 5

The final season of Fargo ramps up the midwest weirdness in a twisted tale of a woman on the run, a righteous lawman whose badge hides a multitude of sins, buried secrets, a 500-year-old sin eater, kidnappers, cons, puppet shows, family dinners, and symbols written in blood. 

Housewife Dorothy “Dot” Lyon’s (Juno Temple) ordinary life unravels after she’s arrested during a riot at a school board meeting. The events that follow – including a kidnapping gone wrong, her mother-in-law “the queen of debt” Lorraine Lyon (Jennifer Jason Leigh) begrudgingly paying ransom, and kidnapper Ole Munch (Sam Spruell) killing a cop and shooting his partner, officer Witt Farr (Lamorne Morris) – bring Dot back into the orbit of a man she’s been hiding from for 10 years. And now Dot’s abusive ex-husband, Sheriff Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm), is dead set on enforcing “the natural order of things”. 

Binge Fargo Season 5 on Showmax now. 

Love it when Fargo gets weird? Here are five must-see moments to whet your sin-eating appetite for the season!

1. A very violent Christmas (episode 1)

In an “only in America” moment that sets the tone for the season, Lorraine gathers her family for her annual Christmas card photoshoot (in October, which is business as usual for anyone shooting promotional material). 

Lorraine wants her family looking American as all get out since she’ll be using the pics to boost her image as the billionaire CEO of Redemption Services, a nationwide debt collection agency. With that in mind, she casually calls her daughter Scotty a cross-dresser, before having her assistants hand each family member a merry, festive assault rifle for the snaps. “It’s about strength; a projection of our values as a family,” Lorraine declares. Perhaps in her book the three wise men gave the infant Jesus ammo, camo and gun oil. Bless. 

2. Home Alone-style home invasion (episode 2)

In episode 2, after she escapes her kidnappers, Dot and her daughter Scotty (Sienna King) set up Home Alone-style booby traps throughout their whole house just in case anyone else comes for Dot or her family. 

Dot’s foresight pays off in Fargo’s Halloween episode (episode 4) when Roy’s son Gator (Joe Keery) and his crew try to kidnap her while dressed as characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. But in the chaos, Dot’s husband Wayne (David Rysdahl) accidentally sets off one of the traps, electrocuting himself. Uff-da!

3. The domestic abuse puppet show (episode 7)

Dot has a dark past with Roy, which comes out in full in episode 7 as Dot reenacts her story for a group of women at Camp Utopia – a retreat for abused women run by Roy’s first wife, Linda (Kari Matchett). 

The innocence and childishness of the puppet show highlights the horror as we see puppet Roy groom, molest, batter and abuse the Dot puppet after Linda brings home 15-year-old Dot (then called Nadine). Linda seems kind, but we find out that she deliberately presented Dot to Roy as a new target for his abuse … and a new child bride … to save herself from him.

4. Roy Roy, Roy, Roy! (episode 8)

Aside from getting his hands on Dot, Roy’s chief ambition throughout the season is to win his reelection as Sheriff. Roy revels in the power the job offers him, and how it legitimises his belief that he is entitled to control everyone around him. So it’s fascinating to see his public mask of charm and control get stripped away when he finds himself on the public debate stage with three men who’re not only dressed to mimic him, but also go by the name Roy Tillman. It’s a setup thanks to Lorraine Lyon, who’s out to steal the election! 

With Sheriff Tilman already off balance, debate moderator Andrea Cordell (Chelsey Reist) doesn’t let him play the folksy good old boy for the audience. Instead she goes straight for the throat, asking him, “Given the types of criminal arrests and incidents we typically see in Stark County, how do you justify spending half a million dollars on war-grade weapons and tactical gear? Does Stark County really need a tank?” And whatever Roy answers, the three Roy replicas copycat, the way you would if you were trying to infuriate someone on the playground. While the scene is ridiculous, Roy’s reaction to being ridiculed is telling. 

5. A guy like you should wear a warning (episode 8)

As Lisa Hannigan’s take on Toxic by Britney Spears plays, Jon Hamm puts the beat into his shoulders and hips while Sheriff Roy Tillman stalks off to take out his temper on his prisoner, Dot, following his humiliation at the sheriff’s reelection debate. Throughout the season Roy embodies toxic masculinity (there are plenty of other characters who demonstrate positive masculinity so this is not an “all men suck” show). 

The camera follows Roy all the way to the barn as we see him concentrate his humiliation and rage into his body – ready to explode in an act of violence that he’ll use to make himself feel like a powerful man again. The shot takes just over two minutes as our fear about what he’s going to do to Dot ratchets up to terror.

Binge Fargo Season 5 on Showmax now.