Ray is getting fizzled out with Forever living in his more successful brother's shadow, and now the Parking Lot King of Minnesota, who sees himself as an American success story will have to deal with the rivalry heat.
Watching Hawley slowly shred that veneer to reveal the ugliness below just might be the most rewarding part of visiting this fictional slice of North Dakota for a third time.
The acting here is as good as the writing, and the visuals - built, as with season one, around the isolated snow and ice of the Midwest - are like paintings that move.
With Carrie Coon leading this procession by scrupulously avoiding any cutesy line-reading or reaction, I'm thoroughly committed to the new season of Fargo, no matter where it roams.
Though there are signs the series has slipped into narrative replication, Hawley's compositional inventiveness and willingness to embrace inscrutability at times makes the third installment of Fargo a captivating and stylish addition.
