Fargo Season 2 Report

MS2 Report

A genre convention of crime TV drama (depending on the general brand of that particular genre), visual and technical codes are very important to the aesthetic of the show. In the opening for Fargo season 2 episode 7, the actions are displayed in a montage, with non-diegetic rock music, from the show’s era, playing loudly over the scenes. This, along with the violence that occurs, highlights the black comedy aspect of the show, accompanied by the various cinematography techniques utilised throughout. The various close-ups used successfully display the emotions of each character, ranging from the ‘deep in thought’ Mike Milligan, to the juxtaposing shots of the various characters being assassinated in different, darkly comedic ways,

In the openings for both Fargo season 2 episode 7 and Breaking Bad season 1 episode 1, they initially begin with slow and what would appear to be relaxed situations, i.e the peaceful, establishing shots of the desert environment in Breaking Bad, before the speeding RV is revealed in a low angle shot. In Fargo, it starts with a wide shot of some form of business meeting, with the ‘boss’ primarily speaking, before the window cleaners interrupt with the loud sounds of gunshots, assassinating all in the office. For both, this in some way establishes the comedic elements of the show, whilst also bringing a lot of attention to the action that occurs afterwards. The sudden increase in action and tempo also represents disruption, in both openings. Breaking Bad shows the disruption of the natural landscape, whilst in Fargo, a normal business negotiation is disrupted, causing the audience to be both engaged, but also in confusion, as to either why certain actions are happening and what will follow. My audience research commented: “The peaceful environment (in Breaking Bad) grabbed my attention, but when the trousers started falling and the RV zoomed pass, I was fully invested. I wanted to know what and why.” However, when it came to Fargo, my audience research said “Fargo gave away the surprise too soon. They should have kept more of the scene in the room. I was more interested in Breaking Bad”. I therefore intend to start with an opening with relatively long exposition, before any form of action and violence