By In Culture, Film

The grace of hospitality in ‘Fargo’ Season 5

When starting Fargo Season 5, my expectations were extremely low. I had been disappointed with Season 4’s lack of biblical content, which was a departure from the first 3 seasons. Would Season 5 continue the disappointment, or would Fargo return to its former glory? It would take several episodes to know for sure, but former glory it was.

The main character is Dorothy Lyon (“Dot” for short), a housewife married to Wayne with a daughter named Scotty. Dot is being hunted by her abusive ex-husband, Sheriff Roy Tillman. The majority of the show follows Dot as she hides from Roy and defends herself against his henchmen.

Roy is presented as an arrogant, brash conservative-type. Roy says things like, “I am the law of the land” and “the Constitution was given by Almighty God” (Episode 2). He has a private chapel on his property, decorated with the American flag, where he lights candles to a large crucifix of Jesus (Episode 3). Roy talks to the crucifix and addresses Jesus as his “old friend” (Episode 4). He quotes from the book of Revelation (Episode 8); he references Lot’s wife and the walls of Jericho (Episode 9). Early on, you start to wonder if Season 5 has an agenda to paint Christians in a bad light. Thankfully, that is not the case at all.

We quickly learn that Roy is one of the bad guys and not a devout Christian. How do we know? Because he hires men to kidnap Dot and has no problem with innocent people being killed. In Episode 6, he uses Christ’s name in vain. In Episode 9, he abandons his son Gator with harsh words: “If there ever was a point to you, it’s gone now.” Most telling is Episode 10, where Roy looks upon the crucifix with disgust and spits on the floor of the chapel. All of these details expose Roy as a criminal, an unloving father, and a fake Christian.

In contrast, the Lyons (Wayne, Dot, and Scotty) are the genuine Christians of the show. Notice the following details:

  • After their home was attacked on Halloween night, Dot comforts Scotty: “The wicked stay in darkness, while we stay in the light. If you follow rules and think only good thoughts, the kingdom of heaven will be the reward” (Episode 4).
  • In Episode 7, Dot finds herself at a commune for abused women. A lady begins criticizing men and husbands by saying, “It’s kind of a death, what they do to us, our men. The way they make us feel about ourselves.” Dot responds, “No, I love my husband. It’s been 10 years of bliss. Honestly, I’m not here about him.”
  • Also in Episode 7, Scotty is with Wayne at his car dealership. Wayne decides to let a poor family trade-in their old car for a new car at no additional cost. When a salesman tries to dissuade him of this decision, Wayne responds, “A car for a car. Give a car, get a car. Each has received a gift, use it to serve one another.” He looks at Scotty, “That’s in the Bible, right?” Scotty nods her head “yes.”
  • In Episode 10, the Lyons hold hands around the dinner table and Scotty prays over the food. She ends the prayer with “through Christ our Lord we pray.”

More examples could be given, but these details establish that the Lyons are a Christian family with a desire to uphold biblical principles. Rather than being critical of the Christian faith, Season 5 is critical of false faith. It exposes the insincerity and hypocrisy of “religious” people like Roy.

If Season 5 stands against false faith, it also stands against “no faith.” One of the kidnappers hired by Roy is a man named Munch. Munch is of Welsh descent and wears a kilt. He’s a ruthless killer with a chilling presence. Munch is a nihilistic atheist who believes in “nothing” (Episode 2). Yet in Episode 3, we find out that Munch is a 500 year-old “sin-eater.” We get a flashback to 1522 where Munch performs a ritual of eating (or munching) the sins of a deceased man. The ritual then causes an evil curse to be placed on Munch. (While this may seem like a strange plot line, Fargo typically includes supernatural elements in each season.)

Most villains in the Fargo universe have some familiarity with the Bible, and Munch is no exception. In Episode 3, he eats pages from the Bible and recites Leviticus 16:21-22 in Latin. In Episode 9, he alludes to the biblical principle of eye-for-eye justice. Of course, Munch doesn’t actually follow the Bible with any intentionality or consistency. He and Roy (like Varga and Malvo before them) are serpent characters who twist scripture to suit their own desires.

But can a serpent lose its scales? In the Fargo universe, the bad guys usually stay bad. Rarely is there a redemption arc for a villain. One unique aspect of Season 5 is that there isn’t just one, but two, redemption arcs. Not for Roy, mind you. He’s brought to justice for his crimes and sent off to prison. The first villain to be redeemed is Roy’s adult son, Gator (notice the reptilian nickname). Gator follows his father’s footsteps in a life of crime, desperately seeking the approval of his father. By Episode 9, however, Gator begins a transformation. Munch captures Gator and gouges his eyes out as punishment for killing an elderly woman. As the scene ends, a gospel song starts playing with the lyrics, “Jesus, he paid the debt.” This foreshadows Gator’s redemption. With no eyes, he cannot walk by sight anymore. He must walk by faith.

In the season finale, Gator is stranded at his father’s property, groping alone in the snow. He eventually finds himself in an underground escape tunnel. When he reaches the exit, he emerges from the ground by rolling away the tunnel’s circular cover. He briefly lies in a cruciform position upon exiting. The biblical imagery is unmistakable: Jesus suffered the darkness of death, the stone was rolled away, and he arose from the tomb. Gator goes through a similar death-and-resurrection sequence. He is raised from an old life of wickedness to a new life of righteousness. He then helps the FBI catch his father, and he apologizes to Dot for causing her harm. They hug and weep. Gator’s redemption is complete.

The second villain to be redeemed is the worst of them all — Munch. The last 17 minutes of the season is dedicated to Munch’s conversion. Dot and Scotty arrive home to find Wayne sitting in the living room with Munch. Munch hopes to have a final duel with Dot. He speaks threateningly, claiming that “debt must be paid,” but Wayne is unfazed. In what should be an intimidating encounter, Wayne is his normal, friendly-self, even offering Munch a soda pop to drink. Dot maintains a friendly demeanor as well and says to Munch, “Why must debt be paid? I understand keeping a promise. But what if you can’t pay the debt? Isn’t the better thing — the more humane thing — to say that debt should be forgiven? Isn’t that who we should be?” Munch’s desire for vengeance is being challenged. This is the start of his transformation.

Dot then begins making biscuits for dinner, and she welcomes Munch into the kitchen to wash his hands and help her. He is hesitant and fearful, not sure what to make of this family’s kindness. Yet he accepts her invitation and washes his hands in the sink. The camera is intentional to focus in on Munch washing his hands, giving an allusion to baptism. This is Munch’s moment of cleansing; his sins are being washed away.

At the dinner table, Munch reflects on his life as a sin-eater. He remarks, “All that is left is sin.” Dot says, “Do you want to know the cure? You got to eat something made with love and joy, and be forgiven.” While saying this, she holds out a biscuit for Munch to take and eat. Munch takes the biscuit, eats it, and he begins to smile with joy. The curse has been lifted! Munch is restored to new life and true humanity.

Hospitality is an important theme in the Bible. In various places, we are commanded to show hospitality to saints and strangers (Romans 12:13, 1 Timothy 5:10, 1 Peter 4:9, Hebrews 13:2). Welcoming people into your home for food and fellowship is an act of service that Christians should not neglect. God uses our hospitality to give hope and healing to those in misery. The Lyons show us how to do it well, even with guests who are completely different from us. Munch’s rough demeanor was broken down by the family’s kindness. All it took was food and friendship — the best ingredients for softening hard hearts.

The ultimate expression of hospitality is Jesus’s weekly eucharistic meal. Jesus invites us into his house (the church), he washes us (baptism), and he feeds us bread (communion). If Munch washing his hands represented baptism, then eating the biscuit represented the Lord’s Supper. Once we are cleansed, we have access to holy food for spiritual nourishment. The ending of Season 5 beckons all people to wash away their sins and munch on bread from Jesus’s hand. Don’t eat the sins of deceased men. Eat the body of a sinless, ever-living man — Jesus Christ our Lord.

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