I think I speak for a considerable amount of people when I say I was apprehensive about a new season of Fargo after the disappointment that was season 4. For me, S4 fell flat even at its premise of dueling gang families. I came to love Fargo because it showed somewhat ordinary people getting wrapped up in some pretty horrid things, with varying degrees of culpability. S4 didn't feel that way much at all. There are plenty of other faults with season 4, but I'm not here to go through all of them. I don't bring it up because I want to bash it with all of my might. I bring it because after watching the premiere of Season 5, I feel confident that S4 was a small misstep in an otherwise incredible series, and we are right back to the quality of the first 3 seasons. Obviously, time will tell how well it holds up, but I am excited.
Coming off just watching Ted Lasso, I was curious what I'd think of Juno Temple in a more serious (but still at times comedic) role, and so far she is killing it. As a matter of fact, I'm digging every performance so far. Jennifer Jason Leigh is snide as ever, and Jon Hamm (fake nipple piercings included) has already set his character up to be a memorable one. And Joe Keery plays an annoying little brat too, I wonder what fate his character will meet when these 10 episodes wrap up. Beyond the set up and characters, the action sequences are fantastic in this first episode. I mean that gas station sequence - goddamn!
All in all, this first episode has quelled my fears that Fargo had lost its magic for good. I'll admit, it's been a while since I've watched a new season broadcast of anything on cable. Tuesdays typically don't excite me but boy will I be looking forward to Tuesday for these next few months!