The tide has turned against Jon Hamm's despicable Sheriff Roy Tillman in the heart-pounding penultimate episode of "Fargo." Written by series creator Noah Hawley and directed by Thomas Bezucha ("Let Him Go"), "Fargo" Season 5, Episode 9, aptly titled "The Useless Hand," offers up a blend of revenge, redemption and political satire with ticking-clock urgency.
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In a bizarre twist, Donald Trump plays a pivotal role in Dot's rescue attempt. Roy rallies a militia to combat "deep state" forces just as he battles the greatest force this season: a 500-year-old sin-eater with an equally biblical sense of justice. Actor Sam Spruell told Wide Open Country that Munch is an "Old Testament kind of spirit" who "reflect[s] [Roy's] crimes back to him." We saw Munch's retributive justice—and mercy—on full display this episode.
Below, we recap every beat of "Fargo" Episode 9, touching on some illuminating literary references you might have missed. Then, we predict what will happen in next week's season finale. Will Dot make good on her vow to kill Roy? How is her relationship with Gator central to the season? And whose name is written all over that underground bunker? Read on for our thoughts.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Fargo" Season 5, Episode 9, "The Useless Hand."
An Eye For an Eye
The episode with Ole Munch holding Gator (Joe Keery) hostage in an ice shanty in the middle of nowhere — revenge for the murder of "Mama," he says: "An old woman watches young man play a game. She drinks because her own son has spit the nipple from his mouth. She bothers no one. And yet, you killed her." Quoting the ancient (and Old Testament) concept of an eye for an eye, he cuts out Gator's eyeballs with a hot knife.
Sam Cooke's "Jesus Paid The Debt" plays as we return to Dot (Juno Temple) trapped in Roy's cabin of horror. She kicks through the floorboards and hides in the crawl space beneath, using a stray nail to open her handcuffs. Meanwhile, a desperate Roy (Hamm) knows the tide has turned against him. The governor isn't taking his calls, he's going to lose the election and Gator's missing.
He calls upon Odin's militia to fortify the ranch, which he compares to Masada, the legendary mountaintop from which ancient Jews made their last stand against the Romans. On Roy's orders, ranch foreman Bowman (Conrad Coates) goes to the cabin to kill Dot, only to find that she's escaped.
Lorraine Calls Up Donald Trump
Back in Minnesota, Lorraine (Jennifer Jason Leigh) goes nuclear when she learns that Danish went missing from the Tillman Ranch. She orders her new head of security, Indira (Richa Moorjani), to call in a favor from none other than President Donald Trump, whom she calls "the orange idiot." (Remember, the show is set in 2019). Indira then calls Witt (Lamorne Morris) with news of the impending FBI raid on the ranch.
On a livestream, Roy issues a call-to-arms to "all patriots" to aid him in the upcoming "military ambush" at his ranch. He compares himself to Ammon Bundy and LaVoy Finicium, far-right militants who led the 2016 occupation of Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge."YMCA" plays as the militia gathers at Roy's ranch and Karen (Rebecca Liddiard) sends their daughters away to safety.
After escaping the cabin, Dot sneaks into the main house and tearfully calls Wayne (Dave Rysdahl) and Scotty (Sienna King) from the master bedroom. She only gets a few words out until Karen pulls a shotgun on her, at first refusing to let her escape ("So you can have us all arrested and make orphans out of my girls?"). Dot tells her they can "end" Roy's abuse together. Karen looks momentarily moved, then pulls the gun again. Dot snatches it and knocks her unconscious, stealing her cell phone. She turns on the gas stove and flees the house.
Dot and Lorraine's Mother-Daughter Moment
Later, Roy gets one whiff of gas and knows Dot was inside the house. He doesn't even stop to check on an unconscious Karen and is dismayed to find the money he paid Munch sitting in Gator's closet. We cut to Munch leading a bloody and blindfolded Gator through the frozen landscape.
Dot calls Indira from Karen's cell phone, and Lorraine is devastated to learn that Danish was murdered. Dot is moved to tears when her mother-in-law finally cracks: "No daughter of mine is going down on the one-yard line." They tell her to stay hidden until the Feds rescue her.
Federal and state forces, along with Agents Joaquin (Nick Gomez) and Meyer (Jessica Phly), arrive at the Tillman Ranch. Armed with Dot's cellular location, Witt joins the rescue team. On the other side, Odin (Michael Copeman) questions whether this is the beginning or the end for Roy ("You Hitler in the Reichstag, or Hitler in the bunker?"). Totally convinced of his cause, Roy rides out and threatens the Feds to leave lest his forces make mincemeat out of them: "This is the path I'm on," he says. "Go and live or stay and die. It's up to you."
Ole Munch Sets Dot Free
Roy rides back and puzzles it out with Bowman in a scene that perfectly encapsulates the humor of this very dark season of "Fargo." He figures Lorraine weaponized "the deep state" to enact "justice for the suits and ties." Little does he know she actually called in a favor from Trump. The two men set off in search of Dot.
In the grave by the windmill, Dot hides next to Danish's dead body. Meanwhile, Roy checks the "dugout," the hovel where Ole Munch performed his goat sacrifice in Episode 3. He lights up the underground bunker within "just in case" he has to escape. Then, Munch arrives with a blinded Gator in tow — a lesson for Roy not to "double cross" people: "When a man gives with one hand and takes with the other, he breaks his promise," Munch explains. "The hand he steals with must be cleaved from him and returned — still a hand, but now without function. Here's your hand." He throws Gator into Roy's arms and disappears.
To be fair, Roy didn't order Gator to steal back the money Munch was rightfully owed. "If there ever was a point to you, it's gone now," Roy tells Gator, leaving him to find his way back to the house alone.
Bowman and the other ranch hands discover Dot hiding in the grave, but Munch shoots and kills them before they can harm her. He helps Dot climb out and hands her a shotgun for battle. "To fight a tiger in a cage is not a fair fight. Now the tiger is free," he says, walking off as The Allman Brothers' "Whipping Post" plays.
Finale Predictions
FX
- Dot will rescue Gator and kill Roy. Linda Tillman was a mother to both Gator and Dot. They'll team up to defeat Roy as a means of avenging her. Dot has demonstrated her unwillingness to kill throughout the season, but we think she meant it when she promised Roy she'd end him.
- Indira will protect Wayne and Scotty. Really hoping Roy's rebellion doesn't reach far enough to endanger the Lyon family, but Indira coming to their aid seems like a fitting end to her arc.
- Karen will end up in that bunker. TV rules dictate that if we're introduced to an object or a place, it has to crop back up. As for who will live long enough to take shelter in the underground tunnel... our money's on Karen. She's horrible, but she's also a victim here.
- Death watch for Witt. We're nervous for our guy. He owes Dot his life, and in a season so preoccupied with debt, here's a repayment that might be given willingly.
- We'll get only a brief glimpse of Munch. Maybe he'll shape-shift into some other creature. Maybe he'll time-travel, ride off into the sunset or vanish into thin air. Whatever we get from Munch in the finale, it'll be short-lived and haunting. What happens to the spirit of vengeance when everyone's been avenged? It's anyone's guess!
The season finale of "Fargo" premieres Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 10 p.m. ET on FX and streams the following day on Hulu.
