Fargo Review: Storia Americana (Season 4 Episode 11)
The war between the Cannons and the Faddas ends with more of a whimper than a bang on the Fargo season finale, Fargo Season 4 Episode 11, ‘Storia Americana.”
There is no big final conflict as both of these would-be titans meet their ends rather unceremoniously. Josto at the hands of his own organization and Loy stabbed by a mourning Zelmare. For all their power and ambition they both end up footnotes in history, remembered primarily through Ethelrida’s history paper.
While not exactly the satisfying conclusion we crave from the stories we invest in, there is a sort of elegance to the final chapter of this story that fits with the overall tone of the season.
There is a feeling of inevitability throughout the episode.
Not so much because the specific turn of events are predictable but as events unfold we see that each character’s fate has been sealed by seemingly inconsequential choices they made earlier in the season.
Every decision has consequences and the choices Loy and Josto barely give a second thought to make all their big plans futile and meaningless in the end.
That feeling of inevitability makes the whole episode feel like multiple epilogues more than a culmination of a 10-week story. This is a big reason most of the episode, except for Satchel’s scenes, lacks much of an emotional punch.
This ending, and this entire season, struggles to make you care about the characters it follows.
This story has a lot to say and most of what it says is interesting, it just doesn’t have the emotional depth to make you care about the characters they use to explore the season’s themes.
The season is more an intellectual exercise than it is an engaging human story. It’s not a story that you immerse yourself in but it is one that gives you a lot to think about.
It’s a cynical story of America that paints a pessimistic picture of those that try to play within a system that is stacked against them and people like Rabbi who become collateral damage in its wake.
The season does an excellent job of exploring those themes with the nuance and complexity it often fails to give its characters and that’s at least enough to make it compelling, just maybe not as enjoyable as it could have been.
Stray Thoughts
- We never get a real answer about the Dibrell and Zelmare’s ghost. I’m not exactly sure what that plot point brought to the story at the end, other than a couple of scenes that look very cool.
- The use of blues and bluegrass as the season’s soundtrack has led to some inspired musical choices and reinforced this as a story of America.
- I’m glad that Zelmare survives the season, but I’m not sure it can be said she gets a happy ending. She is not the same character we meet at the beginning of the season.
- Relatedly, this reinforces my disappointment with Swanee’s death on Fargo Season 4 Episode 8, “The Nadir.” It turns out her death is simply in service of Loy and Satchel’s story and doesn’t even have much to do with Zelmare’s.
- Fan theories are correct, Satchel is a young Mike Milligan from season 2. It should be fun for fans to rewatch season 2 with this new information.
- I have a hard time believing that Josto would be as distraught as he seems over his brother’s death, even if they bond before Gaetano dies.
- I wonder if Lemuel and Ethelrida stay in touch after he leaves their house.
What did you think of this season of Fargo? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Fargo airs on FX.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.