East/West (Fargo)
"East/West" | |
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Fargo episode | |
Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 9 |
Directed by | Michael Uppendahl |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Featured music | Jeff Russo |
Cinematography by | Dana Gonzales |
Editing by |
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Production code | XFO04008 |
Original air date | November 15, 2020 |
Running time | 51 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"East/West" is the ninth episode of the
The season is set in
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.82 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received positive reviews from critics, with many calling it the best episode of the season; its cinematography, directing, character development, and originality were widely praised.
Plot
The episode is presented in
One day before, Rabbi is driving Satchel to safety in Liberal. They stay at a boarding house that's been divided into two sections of "East" and "West" by the two feuding sisters who own it, with Rabbi choosing the West section that abides by the New Testament. Rabbi leaves to find money he had left in town years prior, only to find that the spot has been replaced after being left abandoned for so long, thus losing all of the money he had left. In their room, Satchel finds a terrier named "Rabbit" and decides to adopt it. When Rabbi brings Satchel into town the next day, they run into a few civilians, including a police officer who almost draws his gun on Satchel, and a man who laments finishing a billboard he was hired to paint, as he will find himself jobless once he's done.
Rabbi decides that they must leave Liberal, telling Satchel he cannot take the dog with him. Satchel then complains that he wanted something for his birthday. Remorseful for not knowing it was his birthday, Rabbi decides to buy him a candy bar from a nearby gas station as a gift, telling Satchel he will be back. As a storm approaches, he arrives at the gas station, finding the dead bodies of the attendant and Aldo, along with a wounded Omie being held at gunpoint by Calamita. As the storm becomes more intense, Calamita notices Rabbi and shoots him in the shoulder. Omie hits back at Calamita, who in turn shoots him dead. Before Calamita can finish Rabbi off, they're both distracted by a large tornado that has formed nearby and is moving towards them. The tornado destroys the station and sucks Rabbi and Calamita into the vortex, killing them.
Back in the boarding house, the scene transitions to color. Satchel wakes up and finds that Rabbi has not returned. Feeling taunted by one of the guests, he locks himself in the room until the next day. When he awakens to find that Rabbi has still not returned, he decides to leave with Rabbit, armed with a revolver that Rabbi gave him. As he walks along the road, he passes the now-finished billboard.
Production
Development
In October 2020, it was reported that the ninth episode of the season would be titled "East/West", and was to be written by series creator Noah Hawley, and Lee Edward Colston II, and directed by Michael Uppendahl. This was Hawley's 32nd writing credit, Colston's second writing credit, and Uppendahl's sixth directing credit.[1]
Filming
The episode serves as a homage to
Cinematographer Dana Gonzales commented, "This season was really like the history of American photography. What we did all season was build these palettes from the ground up, together. That's how we create these defined looks, and then we do the shift to color. All of us have to work together perfectly to make the distinct look at this season is — it happened with the color, and the black and white was just another end-of-season challenge."[2]
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "East/West" was seen by an estimated 0.82 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.1 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[4] This was a 17% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.70 million viewers with a 0.2 in the 18-49 demographics.[5]
Critical reviews
"East/West" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "I don't think I was ever bored by this, and it feels a bit churlish to criticize something just because it wasn't as good as you wanted it to be. But the flaws of 'East/West' feel endemic of the flaws of the season as a whole. When it finds time to pay attention to its best characters, it works. When it aims bigger, it fumbles. 'East/West' splits the difference, for better and worse."[6]
Keith Phipps of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "In 'East/West', Omie begins the episode on a journey to make good on that promise, one that takes him to a middle-of-nowhere gas station somewhere between Kansas City and the town of Liberal, Kansas. That's a major development in this season’s storyline, but it also mostly serves as a framing device for the episode, season four's oddest episode and as wild a departure as the series has ever attempted."[9] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "'East/West' was still a fun detour during a mostly by-the-numbers season. With just two episodes left, will this be the best Season 4 has to offer?"[10] Scott Tobias of The New York Times wrote, "One of the challenges of serialized television shows, especially plot-heavy thrillers like Fargo, is that the demands of moving the various subplots forward can keep individual episodes from having their own distinct flavor. The fourth season has fallen into that mid-season trap a little, sacrificing the thematic purposefulness of the early episodes for a little too much plate-spinning. It needed an audacious, standalone hour like this week's episode to reassert itself again."[11]
Connections
Aside from the numerous connections to the Wizard of Oz,
References
- ^ "(#408) "East/West"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ a b c Travers, Ben (June 10, 2021). "'Fargo': How Season 4's Black-and-White Episode Embraces its 'Wizard of Oz' Metaphor". IndieWire. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Hibberd, James (November 30, 2020). "Fargo showrunner breaks down that season 4 finale". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 17, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.15.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.8.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Handlen, Zack (November 15, 2020). "Rabbi and Satchel end up in no place like home on a gray Fargo". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (November 15, 2020). "'Fargo' Recap: And Your Little Dog, Too". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ Schager, Nick (November 16, 2020). "Fargo recap: The future is now!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Phipps, Keith (November 15, 2020). "Fargo Recap: Under the Rainbow". Vulture. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Harley, Nick (November 15, 2020). "Fargo Season 4 Episode 9 Review: East/West". Den of Geek. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ Tobias, Scott (November 15, 2020). "'Fargo' Season 4, Episode 9 Recap: And a Little Dog, Too". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
External links
- "East/West" at IMDb