Fargo Season 3 Is an Essential Lesson in How Not to Screw Up Sequels

Summary:

• Fargo is a black comedy television series inspired by the 1996 film of the same name by the Coen brothers.
• The series is still running and consists of 5 seasons to date. Each season is set in a new era and location.
• Many believe that season 3 is the strongest, thanks to the perfect use of the same character types and images with more nuance.

If there's one thing that's really hard to pin down, it's a sequel. Now, in the age of reboots and remakes, people don't even consider continuing the same story as a way to hurt the original, but just a decade ago, movie sequels were just as controversial as re-imaginings of the same stories are today.

Fargo may be the perfect example of both, proving to all the skeptics that even the most ingenious story can be done justice, even if it's done in a completely different style and form, decades later than the original.

Season 1 of the show could have been a carbon copy of the movie, and that would probably have been the first and last of the series. Instead of following a predictable path, the show took the tone, the mood, and the feeling that the viewer was supposed to feel, and blended it into something new, yet very familiar.

Then, season after season, exploring different time periods, locations, settings, and characters, Fargo only perfected its own formula, peaking in its third year.

Which Fargo Season Is The Best?

While some people point out the similarities between season 1 and season 3 of the show in a negative light, those similarities actually go to show the show's greatest strength. It can be shocking, it can even be thrilling, but Fargo excels at lingering and subtle discomfort that only grows on the audience with each season.

The obvious differences between the first and third seasons begin with the time periods in which they are set. Though the difference between 2006 and 2010 may feel slight, the two seasons are still set in two different decades. The vast majority of what makes season 3 so good, however, comes from the characters and their personalities.

The archetypes of what they are in both episodes are similar. Viewers are introduced to the male antagonist, the female cop protagonist, the organized crime group, and all the flaws in the system that can come to light in any crime drama. However, the personalities of the characters and the challenges they face are very different and much deeper.

The villain doesn't have to be downright scary to make the audience feel uncomfortable, just have a sharp wit and good analytical skills. The good detective doesn't have to put her whole life into the case but has to deal with her personal life on top of it. The criminals aren't always wrong.

The flaws in the system may remain the same, but even those are seen in a different light through different characters.

If you want to re-watch Fargo seasons 1 and 3 to see the comparison for yourself, you can stream the show on Hulu.