Fargo season two wraps tonight, and what a season it has been. Beyond the darkly hilarious dialogue, what makes this show memorable is the characters. Each of them is complex and can surprise us with their ruthlessness, loyalty or accent work. As with most FX shows, the casting choices may seem a little off at first, but after only a few episodes, the actors prove why they deserved a spot in the cold, hellish Fargo. Throughout both seasons, six actors in particular have shocked us by tackling roles very unlike those they’ve played before, making us look at them in new ways and give them their due. Let’s take a look, in no order of surprising-ness.
6. Kirsten Dunst
One of the highlights of season two has been the relationship between Ed and Peggy Blumquist. Their chemistry is perfect as the married couple on the rocks that need a good old-fashioned manslaughter and ensuing mob war to really bring them together. Ed is played by the Breaking Bad break-out Jesse Plemons, continuing his winning streak of stoic men, but Peggy is Kirsten Dunst, who has made a career playing sweet, romantic characters in films like Spider-Man, Elizabethtown and Crazy/Beautiful. She’s had some dark roles, like Melancholia, but the clever, cold-blooded, and somewhat batsh*t crazy Peggy Blumquist stands above the rest. She’s come a long way since Jumanji.
5. Bokeem Woodbine
Another highlight in a season of highlights is Bokeem Woodbine as Mike Milligan. Ever since he showed up with the Kitchen brothers, he’s been a favorite on the show, which is how he’s survived almost everyone going into the finale. Although Woodbine typically plays smaller, supporting roles, his turn as the enforcer who’s “not a crook” ensures that the actor is going to see a lot more work.
4. Brad Garrett
Everybody loves the affable giant Brad Garrett, right? If he’s not starring alongside Ray Romano, he’s voicing characters in Finding Nemo and (apparently) an “Easter Island Head” in Night At The Museum 2-3. He shook off that image, though, with his Fargo season two character, Joe Bulo. Although he didn’t make it past the first half of the season, the Kansas City mob boss made us seriously question who would come out on top in the mafia war. Right up until his head ended up in a box.
3. Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman can’t help but play the lovable dork in just about everything he does. The Office, The Hobbit and Sherlock all star Freeman as a good-natured every-man. That all changed in Fargo season one where he played Lester Nygaard, a wolf just waiting to be set free from his cage. Well, at least a weasel trying to be a wolf. He murdered his two wives, one with a hammer and one with a Lorne Malvo. He and Billy Bob Thornton made the season what it was, and Freeman earned an Emmy nom for it, with very good reason.
2. Allison Tolman
As the chief of police, Molly Solverson, Allison Tolman held her own against powerhouse actors Freeman and Thornton, which is quite a feat considering she never had a major role before then. Taking on the spiritual equivalent of Frances McDormand’s character from the movie, Tolman helped make the season memorable. Let’s hope she’s back for season three.
1. Ted Danson
There’s not much that Ted Danson can’t do. He became famous as the womanizer Sam Malone on Cheers, and in the last 10 years, continues to challenge himself with new kinds of roles in Bored To Death, Damages and plenty of other places. While it’s hard to call him a break-out star in Fargo, since he broke out a long time ago, his portrayal of Sheriff Hank Larsson gives him an emotional resonance fans hadn’t seen before.
