Fargo Review: East/West (Season 4 Episode 9)

Preview materials for Fargo Season 4 Episode 9, “East/West,” promised something different from the rest of the season and it definitely delivers on that promise.

“East/West” is one of the most stylistically impressive episodes of Season 4 and perhaps one of its most confounding.

The episode intentionally takes us out of the main drama of the last 8 episodes, both in terms of plot and style. A twisted homage to The Wizard of Oz, it is an ambitious, character-focused excursion meant to be a sort of showpiece episode for the season.

With that in mind, it’s only fair to judge this episode as part of the larger Season 4 story and as a stand-alone hour separate from the narrative context it exists within.

On its own terms, the episode is a bizarre trip (literally and figuratively). I would say it feels like an inverted Wizard of Oz where the black and white scenes are the far-away land and the ones in color are familiar, predictable Kansas.

Only it would be more accurate to say the whole thing feels like a trip to Oz. 

When the episode switches back to color it’s more familiar and grounded, only because that’s what we’re used to. However, Satchel’s interactions with the other folks at the hotel quickly remind us that he is still very much in Oz and none of it is a dream. 

“East/West” is empty calories though. The experience of consuming it is fun and enticing. It keeps you hooked and feels satisfying but on reflection, you realize there isn’t much substance there.

There are more than a few times on “East/West” where the experience of watching it makes me feel like Rabbi trying to understand a billboard’s deeper meaning. It feels like something is flying over my head and maybe I’m just not smart enough to catch it. 

The truth is, though, I’m not sure there is a deeper meaning to unpack and that might be the point.

In a season where just about every character is trying to control their fate or win at some generations-long chess game, two of the show’s central characters die in one of the most arbitrary and absurd ways possible on “East/West.

There is no poetry or hidden truth. Just characters with bad luck and who’s deaths are ultimately meaningless.

Within the context of the season-long narrative, “East/West” is underwhelming.

For an episode that sees the unquestionably sensational deaths of three major characters, it’s all rather anti-climactic. Everything the season has built up over 9 episodes with Rabbi and Constant, in particular, is blown away in a random tornado. 

There is no sense of closure for these characters and it seems unlikely their deaths will even have a significant impact on the rest of the season.

They deserve more than that. At the very least we deserve something more satisfying after spending the season investing in them.

Beyond the deaths of Rabbi, Constant, and Omie, the only other part of “East/West” that moves the larger story along in a real way is Satchel setting off with Rabbit presumably to find his way home. This is the most satisfying moment of the episode both within the context of the episode itself and as part of the season’s progression. 

It sets Satchel up to make a dramatic return to his family and play a major role in the season’s climax, something I’m definitely looking forward to seeing play out.

Not much else about “East/West” is important for the rest of the season and since all but one of the characters the episode focuses on dies, what we learn about them isn’t relevant to anything likely to take place in the final two episodes.

On its own terms “East/West” is a good, if bizarre (even by Fargo standards), episode.

It is beautifully filmed with a style that carries itself despite a plot that lacks purpose. It’s not as good as it could be and most of what happens won’t matter by the next episode but it’s certainly compelling enough to make this short side trip to Oz worth taking.

What did you think of this episode of Fargo? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Fargo airs Sundays at 10/9c on FX.

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