This episode was crazy. The whole time I was like "what? what?!? WHAT?!?"

Last edited by Pav (May 23, 2014 8:27 am)

This is becoming too much for me.
Especially the typical american police overkilling everybody, not even opening their eyes...

And I couldn't watch that scene with Lorne and the knife...

Everytime I'm asking myself, why am I watching this?

Poor fish btw...
 

Yeah, I also don't like this strong violence, especially the way it is shown.
This is why I stopped watching Game of Thrones with my hubby.

Game of Thrones is quite graphicaly violent.   

Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing the stereotypical reputation our Hollywood has sometimes with attitude towards violence, but it struck me curious/very intriguing that a couple of you so far have thrown up your hands so to speak about the show being 'typical american style'.  Maybe not so much in certain specific ways or same style, but aren't shows in other countries like that sometimes?  I know the Brits definitely have a dark (or more dry?) humor thing going on at times and reputation for different style of tv shows, but… yeah, again, it's the way in which they show it. 

Just saying it doesn't seem purely an 'american' thing so much as also a 'Fargo'/Coen brothers thing, and just found it thoughtfully interesting people put it that way.  Depends on the person's sense of humor/okayness with it, I suppose (I mean, I enjoy the also-guilty Game of Thrones, but wouldn't watch Dexter or Hannibal).  I even found the last one a little over the top, but…  eh, we're all still watching for Martin, aren't we?   

If it makes you feel better BB this is definitely NOT a true story!! The same text was flashed up in the beginning of the film which actually felt a lot more like it might have been a true story. I felt pretty duped when I learnt that that was just a cinematic device
In the T.V series I liked the warning initially as it was a link to the film, but now it annoys me as the TV show seems more based on mythology and parable and definitely not "true".

Last edited by NotYourHousekeeperDear (May 26, 2014 7:34 pm)

Russell wrote:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing the stereotypical reputation our Hollywood has sometimes with attitude towards violence, but it struck me curious/very intriguing that a couple of you so far have thrown up your hands so to speak about the show being 'typical american style'. Maybe not so much in certain specific ways or same style, but aren't shows in other countries like that sometimes? I know the Brits definitely have a dark (or more dry?) humor thing going on at times and reputation for different style of tv shows, but… yeah, again, it's the way in which they show it.

Just saying it doesn't seem purely an 'american' thing so much as also a 'Fargo'/Coen brothers thing, and just found it thoughtfully interesting people put it that way. Depends on the person's sense of humor/okayness with it, I suppose (I mean, I enjoy the also-guilty Game of Thrones, but wouldn't watch Dexter or Hannibal). I even found the last one a little over the top, but… eh, we're all still watching for Martin, aren't we?

I agree.  It sort of makes me laugh when these kind of stereotypes pop up because people are usually looking through a very narrow lense.  I don't see American shows in this genre as any more violent/gory/shocking than shows in this genre from any other country.  You could, perhaps, make an argument about the prevalence of guns but that's really about it.  I don't think Fargo is any more violent or upsetting than what I saw of Utopia or Misfits, for example, but maybe that's just me.

I find this far more stomach turning than anything that's been on Fargo (made doubly so, since it aired a month after the Sandy Hook massacre):




I understand people having an aversion to violence when they're looking for entertainment.  Even as somebody who doesn't mind it (I like noir, detective stories, and dark humor so violence often plays a part in the things I enjoy) I sometimes find it to be too much.  But I don't understand dismissing it as an "American" thing.  Americans don't have a monopoly on violent media, and in many cases aren't even the worst offenders.

I think it's also worth repeating that there is no part of Fargo that is a true story.  At all.  It is a work of fiction from start to finish.  Enjoy it (or don't...) as such and don't worry about the real life people.  There aren't any.
 

Well I didn't watch the clip.
But the behavior of the police about the guy tucked to a gun was typically american police to me... Shoot on everything that moves, until it stops, even if it is moving because of the impact of your bullets...

Also the whole attitude of the police "investigating" is quite clichee...

tonnaree wrote:

Holy crap.  What show is that clip from?

Utopia.  It's a good show, but very intense and doesn't hold back on the violence.  Definitely not for everyone.  It's getting a remake in the US.  I don't remember what network is doing it, but David Fincher is directing so it will certainly get a lot of attention when it's released.
 

zeratul wrote:

Well I didn't watch the clip.
But the behavior of the police about the guy tucked to a gun was typically american police to me... Shoot on everything that moves, until it stops, even if it is moving because of the impact of your bullets...

Also the whole attitude of the police "investigating" is quite clichee...

I see.  Well, I'd ask for examples because if something is "typical" then providing evidence of such should be no problem, however I can already tell that I wouldn't be given any so I won't bother.  The only response I have at this point is that "shoot on everything that moves, until it stops" is absolutely not a typical American law enforcement response.  Which is why it's on television.  Because a heightened reality is the only place something that nuts would ever be deemed acceptable and because it's something that carries shock value (shocking = not typical).  I will also point out that all of the tv critics who reviewed that episode pointed to that specific scene as the most unbelievable thing that's happened on the show so far.  Including the fish.

I obviously made a mistake in thinking this was going to be a thoughtful conversation about violence in media when really it was just excuse to wag fingers at dumb 'mericans and their dumb SWAT teams.  I apologize.  Please carry on, I won't interrupt again.