Gator (Joe Keery) and his three minions make their move as FX’s Fargo season five episode four, “Insolubilia,” gets underway. The foursome splits into two twosomes and enters the Lyons’ home. Are they surprised to find the doors unlocked? Probably, but it’s impossible to tell because of their Nightmare Before Christmas masks.
Armed with tasers, knives, and guns – and half a brain between them – they slowly make their way through the house. Smoke pours out of the oven and Dot (Juno Temple) watches from inside a closet, waiting to launch her attack.
The tension ratchets up along with the action as the lights go out, a smoke alarm sounds, and a strobe light flashes. It turns out the strobe light’s coming from a plastic jack-o-lantern with a maniacal laugh. While one intruder’s distracted looking at the pumpkin, Dot moves in and sprays him right in the eye with pepper spray. (Her aim is incredibly accurate!) She pushes him down the basement stairs.
His cries of pain draw the attention of Gator and his two other buddies. As they’re distracted looking out the front door, Dot pulls the chain and the sledgehammer swings down and knocks one out as she races past him into the street.
Gator almost takes out one of his own thugs by pushing her down the front stairs while ordering her to chase Dot. He then drags the sledgehammered dude back inside as Dot returns through the back door, grabs the Lyon’s version of Negan’s zombie-killing bat, and takes a swing at his head. Unfortunately, she misses and the bat gets stuck in the wall.
Gator removes his mask, and Dot looks at him in anger and disgust. She shoves him, saying, “Shame on you, Gator. There’s a baby in this house!” (It doesn’t matter that Scotty’s way too old to be considered a baby.)
A brief argument over whether Dot’s coming peacefully ensues, and Dot – of course – isn’t about to get into Gator’s van without putting up a fight. Go, Dot!
Dot grabs Gator’s broken arm and pushes him away before locking herself in the basement.
Gator sends the guy who was in the basement but has now made his way back upstairs to go to find the husband and Dot’s kid. Gator removes the cause of the smoke from the oven and takes the zombie-killing bat to the annoying smoke alarm, shutting it off forever.
Dot’s using a ladder inside a laundry chute to climb out of the basement as Gator busts through the basement door. Two of his recently injured minions make their way through the house. Gator whips out his gun with a flashlight and whistles for Dot like you’d whistle for a dog. Apparently, Gator forgot the lesson Ole Munch learned the hard way – Dot Lyon’s a tiger.
Gator discovers how Dot escaped the basement just as the pepper spray dude pulls on the attic chain. The stairs stream down and pin him to the floor, holding him in place by his neck. Dot attacks the lone female intruder, wrapping her in a sheet, knocking away her gun, and pushing her down the stairs. Gator’s bad timing causes him to be on the stairs while his friend’s falling down, and both end up in a clump on the living room floor. (Stair-pushing is a recurring move in this fight.)
Scotty (Sienna King), who is in fact in the attic with her dad, calls out for her mom. Wayne (David Rysdahl) has absolutely no idea what’s going on but is smart enough to follow Dot’s orders. He stands on the ladder and keeps pepper spray dude pinned down while Dot fetches a toilet lid and slams it into the guy’s head.
“Go, mom!” says Scotty with a huge smile. Wayne’s less enthusiastic and really confused as to why their attacker is calling his wife Nadine.
Dot orders Wayne and Scotty down the laundry chute as she grabs a gun and fires at Gator who’s back on his feet and heading up the stairs. But Wayne calls an audible and wants to go out the bedroom window instead, unaware of all of Dot’s booby traps.
Dot follows him into the bedroom, but she’s too slow and can’t stop Wayne before he’s knocked unconscious from being electrocuted. The wires cause the curtains to catch fire and soon the bedroom’s in flames.
With Scotty’s help, Dot lifts Wayne’s limp body out the window and onto the roof. All the while Gator’s pounding on the bedroom door, trying to break in.
Dot scans the neighborhood, looking for the best escape route. Scotty heads down the trellis and runs away, but Dot has no choice but just to push Wayne off the roof as sirens are finally heard in the distance.
Dot climbs down the trellis as Gator frees the guy who didn’t die from being hit with the toilet lid. They grab their friend who was hit with the sledgehammer (he’s in worse shape than toilet lid guy) and walk away as emergency crews arrive.
Dot pulls Wayne away from the house and can only watch as her home goes up in flames.
The Dot vs Gator and Friends battle took up the first 15 minutes of the episode and was worth every minute devoted to the fight.
Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm) arrives home after spending time alone in the chapel to discover bloody footprints in his foyer leading up to the second floor. He grabs a shotgun and quickly enters his twins’ room. They’re asleep and don’t seem to realize someone has drawn a strange symbol on the bedroom wall between their beds.
Over at the hospital, Dot and Scotty wait for news on Wayne’s condition, and Dot makes Scotty promise she won’t talk about the intruders. If she does, they’ll return – and no one wants that. Instead, they’re going to stick to a faulty wiring story. Any scratches are from falling into the bushes, and the fire was because they plugged in some lights.
Poor Dot, it’s obvious she doesn’t want to lie to her daughter or force her daughter to lie. It’s also obvious she knows it’s best to keep her daughter away from the truth as much as possible.
North Dakota Deputy Witt Farr (Lamorne Morris) shows Scandia Police Deputy Indira Olmstead (Richa Moorjani) security tape from the gas station. There’s no way around it – the video shows Dot was the kidnap victim who helped Witt survive the gun battle. The video makes Dot’s story even more difficult to understand. She’s a victim and a hero yet denies ever being held against her will.
And now, a five-alarm fire destroyed the Lyons’ home. Both Witt and Indira have no idea what the heck’s going on.
Meanwhile, Lorraine Lyon (Jennifer Jason Leigh) sits for a semi-contentious interview with a reporter from Forbes about her company, Redemption Services. Lorraine claims they’re attempting to help those who’ve gotten themselves in debt. The reporter points out it’s Redemption that calls people during meals demanding money.
Lorraine insists her employees are professionals who offer solutions, including payment plans, to those who need assistance getting out from under their bills. Wrapping up the interview after learning her son’s been hurt, Lorraine says that Americans want to fix things for themselves – and that’s what Redemption Services offers. (If you believe that, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Nebraska I’d like to sell you.)
Lorraine gives Dot two seconds of her time in the waiting room before insisting Danish Graves (David Foley) call a hospital board member and demand Wayne receives the Saudi package. Dot attempts to calm her down, but Lorraine’s on a roll, demanding special service from a nurse. She doesn’t receive the preferential treatment she believes she deserves and immediately instructs Danish to have the nurse fired.
Dot’s day goes from horrible to whatever comes after horrible with the arrival of Indira and Witt. Witt insists he recognizes Dot, even though she denies knowing him. Also, there’s video footage of her at the gas station.
“With all due respect, we’ve got our own reality,” says Danish, and Witt reminds him alternate facts aren’t a thing.
Lorraine doesn’t even attempt to act like she likes her daughter-in-law, wondering if they’re on welfare when Dot suggests Scotty get something from the vending machine. Lorraine wouldn’t do something as déclassé as carry money, so she has Danish hand Scotty cash to get a Snickers bar.
Witt asks about the kidnappers, and Dot looks to Danish for rescue. Fortunately, Dot’s called away to see Wayne before she needs to answer Witt and Indira’s questions.
While heading to Wayne’s room, Dot makes note of the patient across the hall.
Wayne calls Dot “Nadine” and then breaks out in a loopy smile as he recognizes her. He’s drugged up and doesn’t remember what happened, so she “reminds” him he touched a wire. Poor Wayne can’t stop smiling when he calls her his wife, and Dot promises she’s going to fix everything.
Dot gently crawls into bed with her injured hubby, carefully placing one of his wrapped arms around her as they spoon.
Elsewhere, FBI agents Meyer and Joaquin don’t receive any backing from the judge when they inform him that Roy Tillman’s reported weapons are missing and that he gave them to Odin Little and his militia. Their informant disappeared, one of Roy’s deputies just died in a mysterious car crash, and two of Roy’s wives have gone missing.
The agents are up against a brick wall with this judge. He refuses to do anything about Roy and instead just hopes he won’t get reelected.
Although the judge is a huge disappointment, the agents score a win with the discovery that Nadine’s been found – thanks to her fingerprints. She’s changed her name and is now Dorothy Lyon. (Oh no, this absolutely can’t be good for Dot!)
Roy stews over Ole Munch invading his home. Miles away, a filthy Ole Munch (Sam Spruell) delivers a lecture to his mom while soaking in a bathtub. She hasn’t a clue as to why he’s in her home and begs him to tell her what he wants.
Ole Munch replies, “Pancakes,” which, when you’re in a tub covered in blood, is definitely a very bizarre answer.
Morning arrives, and Roy visits the young couple he recently counseled. He quotes the Bible and attempts to assess whether the husband, Joshua, has been doing right by his wife, Lenore, since their last meeting. A fresh bruise on her wrist as she pours Roy’s coffee confirms Joshua hasn’t changed his abusive ways.
Joshua draws on Roy, shaking while holding the sheriff at gunpoint. Roy doesn’t panic; in fact, he barely reacts. Joshua finally pulls the trigger but Roy’s faster and a better aim. Roy’s bullet hits Joshua in the neck, while Joshua’s bullet puts a hole in the window two inches from Roy’s head.
Gator barges in as Joshua’s gulping for air. Roy realizes Gator didn’t grab Nadine, and Gator confirms Dot is indeed a tiger.
Roy’s going to cover Joshua’s death by saying that he’s Munch, the cop killer from the gas station. Lenore’s not given a choice except to back up Roy’s story, which leaves Roy free and clear to “settle his differences” with Munch and Dot in private since outsiders in law enforcement will be told the case is closed.
Roy promises Lenore that he’ll provide her with monthly payments if she doesn’t tell anyone the truth.
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- Fargo Season 5 Episode 1 “The Tragedy of the Commons” Recap
- Fargo Season 5 Episode 2 “Trials and Tribulations” Recap
- Fargo Season 5 Episode 3 “The Paradox of Intermediate Transactions” Recap
- Fargo Season 5 Episode 5 “The Tiger” Recap
- Fargo Season 5 Episode 6 “The Tender Trap” Recap
- Fargo Season 5 episode 7 “Linda” Recap
- Fargo Season 5 Episode 8 “Blanket” Recap
- Fargo Season 5 Episode 9 “The Useless Hand” Recap
- Fargo Season 5 Episode 10 “Bisquik” Finale Recap
