Fargo’s ongoing season is arguablythe most unique seasonof them all and the latest addition toNoah Hawley’s genius is him just casually playing withNightmare Before Christmasmasks by making the kidnappers wear them and giving it a backdrop ofSonny & Cher’s“I Got You Babe,” in episode four. It sets up a vibe that’s fun, and scary, and has yourooting forJuno Temple’s Dorothy Lyon, who is cornered and yet will do anything she can to protect her husband and daughter. Now here’s where it gets even more fun —Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington in Netflix’sStranger Thingsand Gator inFargoseason 5— gets the hang of his iconic baseball bat loaded with nails and uses it to break a door. Almost the same-looking bat that he uses inStranger Thingsto kick a demogorgon’s assand save Nancy.
It’s these subtle and little things apparently but they only make the installment far more enjoyable for anyone who recognizes these fun little easter eggs. In an interview with Collider’sChristina Radishearlier last month,Hawley himself backed up his witty waysand thanked Disney andTim Burtonfor having his fun in his own signatureFargoway, in the following words:
“I had to getTim Burton’s permission. Yeah, you could wear any Halloween mask and it might be creepy, but why that one? Why is there so much Nightmare Before Christmas in this season of Fargo, I think is a great question for the audience to puzzle over. Also, what’s amazing is that the Disney corporation will spend all this money to allow me to do something that I think is funny. How whimsical is that? As long as I feel like I’m getting away with something, I think we’re making the right show.”
Noah Hawley Blended ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ With ‘Fargo’ Because of a Family Tradition
Nightmare Before Christmasis a classic and like many other families, Hawley’s family loves it too! He’s alsofond of pulling inspirationfrom his feelings and experiences and that’s where theamalgamation between two classicscomes from. “My kids, my family, really love that movie. It’s a yearly movie to watch. It’s a Halloween movie about Christmas, and Fargo is a winter show where we always hit Christmas,” Hawley revealed the inspiration behindNightmare Before Christmasmasks. “There just felt like a bit of an overlap in my mind. I like the idea of bringing that other story into our story on some level,” he added.
So while this was going on for Gator and Dorothy, the rest of the episode circledRoy Tillman (Jon Hamm)and his questionable ways of governance and the police trying to get more facts out of Dorothy. Wayne was injured and hospitalized but Dorothy made sure that he stayed delusional for his own good. The house that theblood-soaked Ole Munch (Sam Spruell) got into?Well, that was Roy Tillman’s house and he went in there to threaten him and his children. But there’smore to his supernatural side than we know.In hindsight, a lot is going on and a lot more will be revealed in the upcoming episodes.
The next episode ofFargo, Season 5 Episode 5 is titled “The Tiger” and will be released on July 29, 2025.
Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.
Watch ‘Fargo’ on Hulu
