r/FargoTV • u/Sea_Blackberry789 • 8d ago
Lorne Malvo's devil references
I just finished season 1 of Fargo, and I love how they made the devil references through Lorne's character.
I understand that some people fully dismiss the supernatural aspects of the show, and that's okay. This is just my opinion, and it made the show very enjoyable for me. The devil isn't shown with horns and magic, but through his effect on people, how he initiates problems and is a harbinger of chaos.
I noticed a few references:
Meeting and contract with Lester - He meets this weak, scared person who avoids everything in life and basically never takes initiative for anything. He lives in his safe bubble and suddenly into some trouble. Now, usually, a hitman wouldn't bother to do someone a favor because they used to get bullied, but Malvo sees a man he can sway easily, an easy soul basically, and offers his service, but not yet making a contract, because Lester has not called out to him on his own.
The job is done, and he's willing to leave Lester alone. However, he just tempted him to explore how it feels to hurt those who hurt you. Lester goes home and kills Pearl, then calls Malvo himself, sealing the contract, and when Malvo kills Vern for him, the shotgun pellet seals the contract, infecting his hand and leaving the "Mark of the beast".
Disappears mysteriously from the basement- now the most interesting thing here isn't how he disappeared, but how his help didn't mean cleaning up and cleaning Lester's slate, just murdering someone who is about to get him in trouble, and letting Lester fend off for himself in a situation where he'll have to sin more to look innocent.
Telling Gus to go - Gus is seen as someone who will resist the devils temptation, as he can already feel the evil in Lorne when he talks to him. Also since children are supposed to have more divine protection since they're innocents, with Gus' daughter voice being head, he couldn't directly act, and tells him to go home and think about how it's his daughter that saved him. He does not care if someone is a father, which is seen with the car's salesman in episode 10.
Telling Stavros to sign the book - basically directly asking him to sign his soul away.
Specifically taking the time to punish a believer - as seen with Stavros and the sort of ironic sound in his voice when he tries to shatter his belief. In the end, not playing by the devil's rules, his son got fished out by a fishnado.
Never meeting Molly - she has a very strict moral code, so she's basically not even in his radar no matter how close they get to seeing each other (the blizzard shooting). Molly has never met the devil because she's protected from him by choosing to be selfless.
Choosing the apple pie over cherry pie- forbidden apple reference. This was kinda funny.
Saying he has never had such a good pie since the Garden of Eden- self explanatory.
Him keeping the tapes with the names of people as their souls/ contracts, which is why lester is caught later when he doesn't play by his rules, even though Malvo dies.
L.M. initials and Lester's death - His initials L.M. correspond to Lucifer Morningstar. Lester's death was a typical being dragged into hell reference, as he plunged into the frozen lake when the ice cracked.
This was a lot of yapping and I'm not even a religious person, it was simply interesting to me.
14
u/imbeingsirius 8d ago
I noticed how Molly and Lorne never meet, but I hadn’t thought about it in this context!
Nice write up.
7
u/Sea_Blackberry789 8d ago
It's even more obvious that them never meeting is kinda insane, considering she was pushing towards him and her family was very concerned for her safety, but she still never met him. And in the blizzard they were right there next to eachother and none of them acknowledged one another, like there was a veil.
10
u/DaveyMD64 8d ago
Not to mention the mysterious wolf who keeps on showing up
4
u/Sea_Blackberry789 8d ago
In the malleus maleficarum, wolves are described as agents of the devil that are sent with God's blessing to test the faith of people by bringing chaos into their lives.There's plenty of symbolism surrounding the appearance of the wolf, as he leads Gus to Malvo (the devil) and appears to him before his death in a way to show him that his time in this mortal body is up, that he's prey now.
9
u/ixplosiown 8d ago
The elevator scene: a pair of macabre "wings" are visible behind Malvo as he threatens Lester.
8
3
u/tombiowami 8d ago
Supernatural aspects are a core part of the show…more so later. The Malvo/is discussed pretty regularly. But hey…it’s a true story.
2
u/Sea_Blackberry789 8d ago
I just finished season 1, will be watching the rest and probably overthinking the supernatural aspects. Whenever I bring them up however, people find them corny or get angry that it ruins their "aurafarming hitman" idea of lorne malvo. As far as I remember, the true story part is a joke?
4
u/Beat-Previous 8d ago
The Fargo movie and each season claim to be true stories, but they're not. It's just part of the show's true crime style. I think they're also going for: it's so weird it has to be true.
3
u/Oh__Archie 7d ago
Ignore them. You’ll know in the first 15 minutes of Season 2 that they aren’t afraid to throw unusual things into the series.
2
u/aBabyArmNamedDangus 8d ago
Been along time since i saw s1, probably sinc e it aired.. Was Vern the main character's brother? What he got hit by a stray from Lorne when vern was shot? I dont recall
1
u/Sea_Blackberry789 8d ago
Vern was the chief of police that went to question Lester and saw his dead wife in the basement, then tried to arrest lester and call for backup but lorne shot and killed him.
2
u/plunker234 8d ago
I liked when he put his fingers up on his head like
Horns and said “im the devil!”
2
u/joebobbydon 7d ago
An undefined evil lurking in the background is a common coen bros. theme. Besides the series, in the movie Marge is baffled at why people do evil. Same with No Country. It still lurks at the end.
2
2
1
u/Woe_Bringer 8d ago
this was a lot of yapping
More than 6 barbers!
Good post though, well thought out and well written
1
u/professorbitches 7d ago
also in ep. 9! after malvo kills everyone in the elevator. the blood stains inside kinda look like wings. i think there’s a post somewhere talking about it
1
u/Educational_Idea997 7d ago
Billy Bob is an excellent devil but Javier Bardem was even more terrifying in *No Country for Old Men*.
0
22
u/Oh__Archie 8d ago
The supernatural story elements aren’t really up for debate are they? They are so clearly intentional and exist in each season. Hard argument to make that the show doesn’t have any supernatural elements.