Rules of Life

"I never wanted to be the type to think big thoughts about the nature of things. All I ever wanted was a stack of pancakes and a V8." — Bill, "Fargo"

There is a moment in "The Dark Knight" that I've always found fascinating. The Joker and Batman are having a discussion about life in an interrogation room. The Joker is an anarchist, he doesn't believe in rules or an order. Batman is the opposite. The Joker looks at him and says, "You have these rules, and you think that they'll save you."

Batman responds he only really has one rule. The Joker then says he'll have to break that rule — or let go of any sense of order to the universe — if he really wants to win.

That reminds me of "Fargo." Lester Nygard was a put upon man. He didn't like his life, he wanted to make something better, but he couldn't figure out how to do it. Life, you see, had rules. Lester couldn't see how to step outside that order — until he met a man, Lorne Malvo, that told him there was no rules. Lorne lived his life free of the order, and he seemed to be happier. So Lester decided to step outside the order, and for a time he was happier, too.

I think most people life according to the rules because they're afraid of the consequences. But the truly scarier people are the ones that throw the order and rules away. They are free of the order that holds most of polite society, so you never know what they're going to do. Lorne Malvo was such a person, and soon Lester became that kind of person, too. And for a time in "Fargo," you thought they'd both get away with it.

But if you really want to have hope, you have to believer there is a natural order to the universe. And if that's true, then actions have consequences. That's what the finale of "Fargo" was all about — consequences and order.

In the end, neither Lester or Malvo was able to escape. Both were trapped by the order they eschewed in favor of doing what they wanted. It was a fascinating, and fitting, end to one of TV's most unique journeys, and one the Coen Brothers would be proud of, too.

The Coen Brothers understand all too well the penalties of eschewing the natural order in favor of criminal pursuits. It's the subject of many of their films, and one that never ends well for those involved. Much like in the movie, "Fargo," it doesn't end well for Lester and Malvo, either. And the audience is better for it.