History Series / FargoSeasonTwo

* RunningGag: A series-wide one. In the first season, when things start turning bloody, a cop says, "It's Sioux Falls all over again!" as a NoodleIncident. In this season, when things start turning bloody at Sioux Falls, Ben Schmidt says, "It's Rapids City all over again!" as a NoodleIncident even further back in time.

* AmbiguouslyJewish: The Kansas City mob seems to be a multiethnic corporation run predominantly by Jews. Joe Bulo (played by the Jewish Brad Garrett) drops a Yiddish expression and seems to have a very low opinion of Germans. The Kitchen brothers wear wide-brimmed hats and beards, giving them a Jewish look. Hamish Broker is also played by the very Jewish Adam Arkin.

* KosherNostra: The Kansas City mob is an AmbiguouslyJewish crime outfit. Many of the mobsters have Jewish mannerisms and drop Yiddish phrases, and the enterprise as a whole is noticeably businesslike and profit-driven, which is reminiscent of stereotypical [[GreedyJew Jewish avarice]] above all other concerns.

Minnesota State Police trooper Lou Solverson (Creator/PatrickWilson) and his father-in-law, Rock County Sheriff Hank Larsson (Creator/TedDanson), investigate an AccidentalMurder scene left behind by the ambitious Peggy Blumquist (Creator/KirstenDunst) and her small-town-minded husband, Ed (Creator/JessePlemons). Their attempts to avoid the law end up entangling them in the middle of a turf war against the Kansas City mafia, with Floyd Gerhardt (Creator/JeanSmart) leading the Gerhardt crime family in their struggle after her husband Ottosuffers a crippling stroke.

* CallBack: In the first episode, Hank jokes he'll come to dinner "in a suit of armor," referring to Betsy's disastrous souffle. In the penultimate episode, he says he'll come to dinner "in a suit of armor," referring to [[spoiler:having just been shot]].

** The [[spoiler:UFO arrival]] is foreshadowed in a few scenes, with both Rye and Hanzee seeing strange lights in the trees several episodes before its appearance. The newspaper featuring Hanzee's mugshot includes a headline about the UFOs. The gas station by the lake has several UFO posters on its walls.

* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: [[spoiler:The U.F.O. incident]] never got written down in the Sioux Falls incident report, probably because they knew that no one would believe it.

* ShutUpHannibal: While Peggy delivers her MotiveRant to Lou, he shuts her up pretty quickly by stating something simple:
---> ''People are dead, Peggy.''

** The [[spoiler:UFO arrival]] is foreshadowed in a few scenes, with both Rye and Hanzee seeing strange lights in the trees several episodes before its appearance. The newspaper featuring Hanzee's mugshot also includes a headline about the UFOs.

* JurisdictionFriction: The crimes take place in three different states and four different jurisdictions.
** Averted with Lou and Hank. The Waffle Hut Massacre is technically Hank's jurisdiction, but he has no problem working with Lou when Lou offers to help out.
** Subverted with the Fargo PD. They cooperate with Lou as long it does not upset the Gerhardts too much and then keep on cooperating since they are desperate to stop the killing. Lou is not happy that they make a deal with Floyd, but goes along with it.
** Played straight in "The Castle" where the South Dakota cops take over and Lou's refusal to participate in their dangerous plan gets him escorted to the state border. Hank is also almost kicked out but agrees to play along. Averted with the Fargo cops, who want to get in on the possible headline news arrest, so they join in with the South Dakota plan.

* PoliceAreUseless:
** Averted with Lou and Hank, who are very competent and quickly figure out what is going on and try to stop the bloodshed.
** The Fargo police are too afraid of the Gerhardts to do anything about their criminal empire and only spring into action when they have a full-blown MobWar on their hands.
** The South Dakota cops try to avert this trope by being proactive and setting a trap for the Kansas City mobsters, but are LethallyStupid about it and it blows up in their faces. When Lou tries to warn them, they ignore him and have him escorted to the state line.

* ConspiracyTheorist: Karl Weathers.

* TheSeventies: '79, to be precise.

* [[StealthSequel Stealth Prequel]]: Aside from the obvious, non-stealthy ways in which this is a prequel to Season 1, [[spoiler:Moses Tripoli, the boss of the Fargo syndicate, is the identity assumed by Hanzee Dent at the end of the season. He also has an encounter with Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench, who are children at the time]].

** When Constance is first introduced, she surreptitiously glances down at Peggy's butt when her back is turned and then starts urging her to think independently of her husband, establishing her an AmbigiouslyGay suitor.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Constance Heck is strongly implied to be trying to seduce Peggy, though this is never confirmed. She's constantly undermining Peggy's relationship with Ed specifically and men in general. When she drives Peggy home, she invites herself in and at one point brushes Peggy's hair behind her ear, though she's examining Peggy's shiner. At the hotel room she's to share with Peggy, Constance has lit romantic candles and put Chablis on ice while wearing a robe.

* VerbalTic: Lou says "Yup" when he spots a clue.

* CallBack/CallForward:

''Fargo (Season Two)'', which aired on October 12, 2015, takes the series back to 1979 to explore the [[CrypticBackgroundReference infamous-yet-mysterious]] Sioux Falls incident that ''everyone'' insists on [[NoodleIncident vaguely recalling]] in the [[Series/FargoSeasonOne first season]]. Lou Solverson (Creator/PatrickWilson) and his father-in-law, Sherrif Hank Larsson (Creator/TedDanson), investigate an AccidentalMurder scene left behind by the ambitious Peggy Blumquest (Creator/KirstenDunst) and her small-town-minded husband, Ed (Creator/JessePlemons). Their attempts to avoid the law end up entangling them in the middle of a turf war against the Kansas City mafia, with Floyd Gerhardt (Creator/JeanSmart) leading the Gerhardt crime family in their struggle after her husband suffers a crippling stroke.

** [[spoiler:Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers]] were the kids Hanzee helps out in the 10th episode. [[spoiler:It helps that Hanzee is going to become Moses Tripoli, the mob boss of the Fargo syndicate.]]

* ForWantOfANail: To ensure that they aren't implicated in the killing, Peggy and Ed fake an accident. Which leads to Dent discovering the car in a local auto shop and tracking them down. Which also leads Lou to the same conclusion.

** In "Waiting For Dutch", the Gerhardt patriarch is threatening "I'll grind their bones to make my bread" when he has a stroke; bread is also a recurring symbol of Gerhardt family stability in early episodes. In the next episode, [[MeaningfulName Rye]] has his bones ground in a meat grinder; from then on, no bread and peace, just meat and war.

** Averted with Lou and Hank. The Waffle House Massacre is technically Hank's jurisdiction, but he has no problem working with Lou when Lou offers to help out.

** In 1979, his [[spoiler:great-grandson Rye]] was beaten, stabbed, run over by a car, bled out for several hours, and still had enough strength left in him to [[spoiler:attack Ed]] before finally being put down via yet another stabbing.

* OddballInTheSeries: Currently the only story in the ''Fargo'' canon not to have a female cop as a major character.

** It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers]] were the kids Hanzee helps out in the 10th episode. [[spoiler:It helps that Hanzee is hinted to actually become Tripoli, the mob boss of the Fargo syndicate.]]

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: Hanzee steals hydrogen peroxide to disinfect his wounds. In reality, hydrogen peroxide slows down wound healing, but is often used on wounds due to a common misconception.

* BaitAndSwitch: In episode 7, the mobsters bring in "The Undertaker," an infamous Mob "cleaner" who seems set to be the next big bad of the show. In their first meeting, Mike walks up, hand extended, and [[spoiler:shoots the Undertaker in the head.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:It's pretty apparent Lou's wife and father in law aren't long for this world, leaving him to raise Molly without them. The Gerhardt criminal empire is destroyed and all its members are dead save Charlie, who is in jail and will likely be convicted of attempted murder, ruining his father's hopes of a better life for his son. Mike is doomed to a life of mediocrity as some nameless office schmo, and Hanzee loses his entire identity, himself resigned to a lifestyle he's come to despise, and is DoomedByCanon. Ed's dead, having never gotten the simple life that he wanted, Ben and Hank are clearly affected by the events of the season, and Peggy is downright certifiable, not to mention carted off to the slammer. The body count of the season is tremendous, but even so, Lou seems to take everything in stride and [[EarnYourHappyEnding goes on to live his life, getting to see his daughter grow up and start a loving family of her own.]]]]

** [[spoiler:First season protagonists Molly and Gus, an older Lou and Greta show up in the opening of series finale.]]

* TheCloudCuckooLanderWasRight: Lou's conspiracy theorist friend Karl says that the PowersThatBe are behind the events at the Waffle Hut. Lou tells him it's just [[spoiler:a shooting]] in the middle of Minnesota, not a presidential assassination. Karl tells him to just watch, this thing is going to snowball. This being Fargo, he turns out to be right.

* DeusExMachina: In "The Castle" Lou, Ed, and Peggy are in lethal danger when all of a sudden [[spoiler:an UFO appears and hovers over the motel]]. They use the distraction to save themselves.

* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Betsy manages to see [[spoiler:her daughter as she grows old, even her child with Gus and an older Lou in the 10th episode.]]

* ForWantOfANail: To ensure that they aren't implicated in the killing, Peggy and Ed fake an accident. Which leads to Dent discovering the car in a local auto shop and tracking them down. Which also leads to Lou to the same conclusion.

** In "Did You Do This? No, You Did It!", Ed calls the Gerhardts and Mike Milligan from a phonebooth that has a game of hangman on the wall. Later [[spoiler:Dodd fails to kill him by stringing him up in a noose]]. The letters that are filled in are S_O_X F_LL_ which makes Sioux Falls the obvious answer.

** Subverted with the Fargo PD. They cooperate with Lou as long it does not upset the Gerharts too much and then keep on cooperating since they are desperate to stop the killing. Lou is not happy that they make a deal with Floyd, but goes along with it.
** Played straight in "The Castle" where the South Dakota cops take over and Lou's refusal to participate in their dangerous plan gets him escorted to the state border. Hank is also almost kicked out but agrees to play along. Averted with the Fargo cops, who want to get in on the possible headline news arrest so they join in with the South Dakota plan.

** [[spoiler:Peggy and Ed skirt the edge of escape and justice for a majority of the season, but once they flee from the Sioux Falls massacre in "The Castle," Ed ends up dead and Peggy awaiting trial]].
** [[spoiler:An interesting {{Subverted}} example ends up happening with Hanzee. As stated above, he ends up washing himself clean from any involvement in the crimes of the season in the finale "Palindrome." He also, however, adopts the fake identity of Moses Tripoli, who Malvo killed back in season one, so his ultimate fate is revealed to be LaserGuidedKarma]].

* KosherNostra: The Kansas City mob is an AmbiguouslyJewish crime outfit. Many of the mobsters have Jewish mannerisms and drops Yiddish phrases, and the enterprise as a whole is noticeably businesslike and profit-driven, which is reminiscent of stereotypical [[GreedyJew Jewish avarice]] above all other concerns.
* LastChanceToQuit: Lou offers this to the Blomquist couple in the closing minutes of "Fear and Trembling."

* LetsYouAndHimFight: [[spoiler:Hanzee]] sets up the Gerharts to start a firefight with [[spoiler:the South Dakota cops]], hoping that both sides wipe each other out and he can then [[spoiler:kill Ed and Peggy]].

* TheMountainsOfIllinois: Luverne, being in southwest Minnesota, is a prairie town in RealLife. The show, however, regularly portrays Luverne with lots of pine forests -- a feature of the northeastern part of the state.
* MuggingTheMonster: A bunch of racist barflies in Sioux Falls try to pick a fight with Hanzee. A few minutes later they, the bartender, and a pair of cops are dead or dying on the ground.

** Ed, Peggy, and Hanzee all have this reaction at the end of "Loplop", when they see [[spoiler:Lou and Hank approaching the cabin.]]

* PapaWolf: (Ironically) Bear. He was really upset when he found out Dodd sent his son to make the hit on the Butcher and then would stop at nothing to free him from jail. Ultimately, he gives in to reason when Karl convinces him that breaking him out will be much worse for him than letting him go to trial. It's obvious he does not want his son involved in the family business and will go to great lengths to make sure he accomplishes legitimate things. He also calls Simone out [[spoiler:before he executes her]] for showing no concern for her cousin's situation.

** The Fargo police are too afraid of the Gerhardts to do anything about their criminal empire and only spring into action when they have a full blown MobWar on their hands.

** It's played straight in episode 8 with [[spoiler:Dodd]] who's shot through the head, and while the exit wound is bigger than the entry wound, it's a small clean through and through.

** The Blomquists actions completely disrupt the plans of both the Gerhardt Family and the Kansas City Syndicate.
** Hanzee's scheme to get Ed and Peggy derails the police, the Kansas City Mob and the Gerhardts plans.
* [[StealthSequel Stealth Prequel]]: Aside from the obvious, non-stealthy ways in which this is a prequel to Season 1, [[spoiler:Moses Tripoli, the boss of the Fargo syndicate, is the identity assumed by Hanzee Dent at the end of the season. He also has an encounter with Mr. Numbers and Mr. Wrench, who are children at the time.]]

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: During the long awaited Massacre at Sioux Falls, [[spoiler:a FlyingSaucer appears out of nowhere directly above them, and everyone drops what they're doing. Everyone except Peggy, who says, "It's just a flying saucer. Come on, Ed, we've gotta move!"]]

* WhamEpisode: "The Castle" depicts the infamous Sioux Falls Massacre, set up in season 1 and foreshadowed all season. But even that event of huge importance is almost completely overshadowed by [[spoiler:the UFO descending above the massacre and being seen by Lou, Bear, Hanzee, Ed, and Peggy.]]

* FranchiseBlackSheep: Currently the only story in the ''Fargo'' canon not to have a female cop as a major character.

* OpeningMonologue: Slightly subverted as Freeman's voice-over narration prefaces the penultimate rather than first episode of the season.

[[/folder]]

''Fargo (Season Two)'', which aired on October 12, 2015, takes the series back to 1979 to explore the [[CrypticBackgroundReference infamous-yet-mysterious]] Sioux Falls incident that ''everyone'' insists on [[NoodleIncident vaguely recalling]] in the [[Series/FargoSeasonOne first season]]. Lou Solverson (Creator/PatrickWilson) and his father-in-law, sherrif Hank Larsson (Creator/TedDanson), investigate an AccidentalMurder scene left behind by the ambitious Peggy Blumquest (Creator/KirstenDunst) and her small-town-minded husband, Ed (Creator/JessePlemons). Their attempts to avoid the law end up entangling them in the middle of a turf war against the Kansas City mafia, with Floyd Gerhardt (Creator/JeanSmart) leading the Gerhardt crime family in their struggle after her husband suffers a crippling stroke.