First off, let me begin my review by stating that the episode itself was fantastic. It employed all the brutality, humour, and quirkiness that has come to define the show in its first two seasons. The massacre at Sioux Falls was everything that the show promised, as it was exciting, brutal, and the bodies piled high.
However, I feel that I should discuss the obvious elephant in the room that has come to split the viewers: the UFO.
My personal opinion is that it had no place in the episode. While it's true that the show has maintained a supernatural, UFO motif throughout the season, that is no excuse for the blatant detour into science fiction territory that this episode took. In episode one, Rye is distracted by a UFO, but that instance could easily be chalked up to a hallucination, a reflection, or even if it just remained a mystery. Then Hanzee saw lights in the sky, and an hour passed. Again, I, and many other fans, were completely find with that. It provided an intriguing mystery that perhaps the show would never answer.
But then a literal UFO dropped into the parking lot of the Motor Motel, dripped fluid onto the characters, shone bright green beams onto them, and distracted Bear so Lou could kill him. Aside from the obvious problem of the UFO being a blatant deus ex machina, it also becomes far too far- fetched for a show generally grounded in bleak reality. Perhaps it could have been executed better, like distant flashing lights, or a sound that distracted Bear. But to have a clear UFO change the course of events during an otherwise realistic, intense, and plot-changing scene is far too much to ask for for certain viewers.
While it was still a masterpiece of television, Fargo would benefit from less "weird" and just stick to what it does best: providing us an intense hour of television that we can relate to and be shocked by. None of this UFO crap.
However, I feel that I should discuss the obvious elephant in the room that has come to split the viewers: the UFO.
My personal opinion is that it had no place in the episode. While it's true that the show has maintained a supernatural, UFO motif throughout the season, that is no excuse for the blatant detour into science fiction territory that this episode took. In episode one, Rye is distracted by a UFO, but that instance could easily be chalked up to a hallucination, a reflection, or even if it just remained a mystery. Then Hanzee saw lights in the sky, and an hour passed. Again, I, and many other fans, were completely find with that. It provided an intriguing mystery that perhaps the show would never answer.
But then a literal UFO dropped into the parking lot of the Motor Motel, dripped fluid onto the characters, shone bright green beams onto them, and distracted Bear so Lou could kill him. Aside from the obvious problem of the UFO being a blatant deus ex machina, it also becomes far too far- fetched for a show generally grounded in bleak reality. Perhaps it could have been executed better, like distant flashing lights, or a sound that distracted Bear. But to have a clear UFO change the course of events during an otherwise realistic, intense, and plot-changing scene is far too much to ask for for certain viewers.
While it was still a masterpiece of television, Fargo would benefit from less "weird" and just stick to what it does best: providing us an intense hour of television that we can relate to and be shocked by. None of this UFO crap.