Entertainment

Solverson Should Just Go Rogue

by Kristie Rohwedder

Lorne Malvo isn't the only tornado monster rampaging through Fargo (and Duluth and Bemidji and Reno and lord knows where else. Hello, FBI agents Pepper and Budge. You've jumped into a royal mess. Welcome to the fold). Lester Nygaard has also been bitten by the tornado monster bug. (Yes, it is contagious.) Tuesday night, Lester continued to tear down everything in his path, all while maintaining that saccharine smile and chilling "shucks, I'm just a nice guy who loved his wife" persona. I know this isn't an earth-shattering observation, but Lester is a nightmare of a sociopath. Oswalt might not pick up on it, but the crime scene cleanup crew sure as shoeshine did.

It's especially evident when juxtaposed with the intrinsically good disposition of Molly Solverson. Lester will ruin his brother's life to spare his own without giving it a second thought, whereas Solverson will tell the person who shot her in the spleen to "keep [his] chin up." What a saint. She might be my favorite character on TV right now and I might've had an actual panic attack last week at the thought of losing her.

(Oh, right! Solverson is alive. She spends some time hooked up to an IV and is grey in the face, but she's alive. YAAAAAAAS. We can toss out my “Molly is a ghost for the rest of the season and haunts the case” theory.)

Granted, the person who shot Solverson in the spleen was Gus Grimly and said shot was entirely accidental. Sweet, sweet Grimly is a mess over it. Solverson forgives him. There isn't the slightest hint of anger or resentment. Shit happens. She's happy to be alive and she's happy to see her friend. She tells Grimly not to worry about it and jokes that he can buy her a new spleen. Without hesitation, he says he will. Adorable.

The next day, Grimly brings her flowers. And what do they do? Discuss the case. Everything is as it once was. A bullet wound cannot come between them. A bullet wound cannot slow Solverson down. Hot dog, we're back in business. "We're winning this thing," Solverson tells Grimly. "Don't you forget." They will solve the case. And all roads point back to Lester.

Years ago, a friend of mine spilled soup all over the passenger seat of my car. I was furious. Sure, it was an accident, but I was livid. For, like, a month. I can’t imagine how I’d react if a friend accidentally shot me in the spleen. Just add this reason to the “Solverson is a better person than I’ll ever be” list. It's a long list.

What's Solverson's "WELCOME HOME" present from the Bemidji Police Department? Her colleagues think Chaz Nygaard is the murderer. They've nabbed him. They're celebrating. Solverson is only out for a few days, and they arrest the wrong Nygaard. Dangit.

What would become of the town if she were ever to go on sabbatical? I assume Lester and Lorne Malvo would manage to frame every person in Bemidji for crimes they didn't commit. The entire town would end up behind bars. NEVER GO ON SABBATICAL, SOLVERSON!

It'll be a few days before she can go back to work and set Oswalt & co. straight. She has to recover, gosh darnit! The bullet didn't kill her, but waiting to get back on the case just might. So what'll she do? I've brewed up a few potential options: She will A) talk to Oswalt in a calm and rational manner and do her best to fix the situation (most likely), B) give up on the case completely (least likely), or C) go rogue (ASDFGHFHJKDKW).

If Solverson goes with option C, Lester and Lorne Malvo better watch out. If Oswalt isn't there to tell her what she can and can't do, she could very well solve this mess on her own. She has the savvy. She has the skills. She's almost figured out the case. Would it be legal? Eh. But whatever. She should cut the dead weight (BPD) and do her own thing. And yes, Grimly can come along too. As long as he keeps that gun pointed away from Solverson, of course (too soon?).

While posted up in her hospital bed, Solverson woozily recounts shooting the bazooka-toting Mr. Wrench in the blizzard and then asks Grimly, "How the heck did I do that?"

"Cause you're you," Grimly replies.

They sure do make a nice team.

Images: FX (2)