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Episode 9: "Aporia" (contains spoilers and rambling)

posted 8 years ago by Popcorn Kernel (2368)
11 replies | jump to latest

"Aporia"
This is Greek for 'impasse' and refers to a logical contradiction that allows you to go no further.
an irresolvable internal contradiction or logical disjunction in a text, argument, or theory.
"the celebrated aporia whereby a Cretan declares all Cretans to be liars"

How does it manifest in this episode?
That Emmet's confession cannot be true when another man confessed?
Or that Gloria thinks she does not exist, but if she is thinking then she must exist? Cogito Ergo Sum

And a magic hug makes her real.

This was another amazing episode, maybe my second favorite of the season. We got like a virtuoso exhibition of different kinds of storytelling.
It went back and forth between well written indoor monologues (Emmet's confession "story", Gloria telling Emmet her life story, and Gloria's final monologue in the bar.) and some gorgeous, cinematic, almost wordless scenes told all in visuals and action (the opening murder, the awesome truck hijacking) and my favorite scene of all, the cat and mouse dialogue between Varga and Nikki. And Nikki is a smart cookie who did not drink the tea! Nikki and Wrench walking out in BADASS slow motion had me pumping my fist in the air!

she better not die next week.

I've been killing him for 30 years, that's just the moment when he fell.

[–] filmtenk (765) 8 years ago

Same I loved the Nikki/varga scene. I feel like Wrench should have killed the rifleman just to be safe. Though that would have hurt negotiations. Did Nikki confess to loving Ray? I'm not quite sold on that point. It seems like she cares more about herself and the fact that she was wronged than for her lost fiancé. If her and Wrench survive then hopefully they end up together.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

Would Varga have chosen his money and passwords over Meemo's life? Not sure if killing him would have made Varga any angrier than he already was for being put in a position of weakness. Don't know how many skilled henchmen he has, but for my money it would've been better to remove one of them.

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 8 years ago

I think Nikki might have a weakness, in that she really does not want to kill anyone. Although she didn't seem to have much hesitation to drop an air conditioner on a guy. Or to saw off a guys head with a chain.
But I agree they should have killed the sniper because by the time Wrench got back down to walk out with Nikki, he could have had a second weapon or something.

I don't think she has really professed her love for Ray in this episode, she's already grieved and now she's on a mission from bowling alley Jesus.

[–] filmtenk (765) 8 years ago

Just a guess, and it's probably been brought up here before, but maybe bowling alley jesus is an alien. Same crew as the flying saucer from S2.

[–] Popcorn Kernel (2368) 8 years ago

He could be! But he recited a lot of ancient Hebrew, so would that make the aliens somehow connected to earth religions? Like early man encountered these aliens and viewed them as gods because they were more advanced and powerful.

[–] Sandoz (2021) 8 years ago

Oh Christ, I sure hope not! The one thing about season 2 I absolutely DETESTED was the UFO silliness they included in the story. I can live with him being some kind of apparition, or spirit guide, or whatever...but enough with the UFO nonsense.

[–] JohnTheHumble (107) 8 years ago

The UFO thing never bothered me in season 2. It's part of the Fargo universe to be outrageous and almost surreal but still making reference to "real" events (the inside joke "this is a true story") - so, the fish rain actually happened after a tornado hit a lake; there was a woman in real life who drove home with a guy she hit with her car stuck in her windshield... and at that time, in Minnesota, there were many UFO sightings. I'm not saying that UFOs are real (as in, alien spacecraft), but it was part of the local culture at the time that people believed in UFOs. Thus, Fargo incorporated UFOs into the story. For me, it was a masterful touch. I don't get why people get so outraged. After all, Fargo is satire. People get annoyed because they say "WTF? UFOs are not real" but "real" reality has never been a core preoccupation of the Fargo universe. It's a sort of parallel, satirical reality, with elements of "real" reality and fantastic elements. In this context, the UFOs made perfect sense.

Gloria's inability to trigger sensors is just as supernatural... and the bowling alley...

So, if these things don't bother you, why did the UFOs bother you so much?

[–] marty4650 (26) 8 years ago

The UFO arrival in season 2 accomplished one wonderful thing.

It gave Kirsten Dunst the opportunity to casually deliver that great line:

“Ed.... It’s just a flyin’ saucer. We gotta go.”

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

She kind of did when she wistfully talked about her dreams going on the bridge circuit... she doesn't just care about the money, it was the whole lifestyle and culture, including her life with Ray.

[–] daemon (13) 8 years ago

Good observations. The whole thing with Gloria and the automatic doors etc. has nagged at me since the beginning. My mind keeps going back to "The Man Who Wasn't There", for some reason. Ed (Billy Bob Thorton) seems adrift, while events unfold around him, until he becomes an active participant (won't spoil it if you haven't seen it). Maybe Gloria has been living for this one moment, where she is the only one who can see the evilness for what it is and put the pieces together (along with Winnie). This has brought about her transformation into being "real" (I can help!). Up to now, the world has kind of kept her down, raised by a stepfather (what did happen to her parents?), years with a husband who wasn't what he seemed, devoted most of her life to a department who, due to a situation outside of her control, took away her rank. Oh, and speaking of aliens, TMWWT, they did have UFOs too :).

All in all, a great episode. Absolutely loved seeing Nikki make Varga squirm. He is obviously not used to being in that position, and it was delightful. The only part I didn't really like was when Gloria talked about how she related to the robot story. I kind of enjoyed that being not so spelled out and more implied. Hard to find much fault beyond that, though.

[–] JohnTheHumble (107) 8 years ago

Good insights.

The Nikki-Varga situation also qualifies as Aporia.