Fargo season 5 episode 2 opens in North Dakota with Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm) on horseback in front of a Roy Tillman reelection billboard. In a voiceover, he talks about his family history of being sheriff, the natural order of things and the roles of men and women in marriage.
Tillman is actually giving this speech at a diner to a young couple sitting in a booth across from him. The wife has a black eye and the husband has a bad attitude. Tillman continues to talk about marital roles while a deputy puts the man in a chokehold and chokes him.
When the husband objects to the lesson Tillman is giving him, Tillman throws hot coffee in his face. Then Tillman gives the wife money and tells her to go home, make a meal and tend to her husband.
As the husband and wife leave, Roy's son Gator Tillman (Joe Keery) comes in. Gator is also a Stark County sheriff. He tells his father "they missed her." Roy goes out to a barn where Ole Munch (Sam Spruell) is waiting.
It turns out Dot is Roy Tillman's wife. Roy sent Ole Munch to grab Dot after he found her fingerprints in the police database and learned where she was. Ole Munch wants more money for pain and suffering. Roy tells Gator to pay Ole Munch. When Gator walks up behind him with a gun drawn, but Ole Munch gets the drop on Gator, breaks his arm then disappears.
Read on to go over everything else that happened in Fargo season 5 episode 2, "Trials and Tribulations." There are also some fun references to the Coen brothers1996 Fargo movie in this episode, did you spot them?
Dot's true self
Back in Scandia, Olmstead (Richa Moorjani) questions Dot (Juno Temple) and Wayne (David Rysdahl). Dot insists she was not kidnapped, even when Olmstead lists all the evidence that says otherwise. Wayne tells Olmstead to contact their lawyer if she has any more questions.
While Olmstead is questioning Dot and Wayne, Lorraine (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Danish (Dave Foley) are discussing the issue. Lorraine is convinced Dot is a con woman. She tells Danish to go talk to Wayne while she goes to see Dot.
Lorraine is sitting in Dot's kitchen when she gets home so they can have a frank conversation. Lorraine lays it all on the table, offering Dot money to leave Wayne and Scotty (Sienna King). At first, Dot sticks to her Minnesota nice persona, but after Lorraine calls her a con and makes it clear she intends to break up Dot and Wayne no matter what, Dot breaks character.
Dot's Minnesota accent disappears as she leans in towards Lorraine, telling her she has gone through hell to get where she is, so Lorraine better sleep with both eyes open because no one takes what is hers and lives.
Later, Danish goes to the dealership and calls Lorraine so she can speak to Wayne. Danish and Lorraine tell Wayne that Dot was in cahoots with the kidnappers or else is involved in some other type of con.
Sheriff Tillman meets the FBI
Back in North Dakota, Roy Tillman is sitting in a makeshift hot tub when a black car drives up to his house. FBI Agent Meyer (Jessica Pohly) and Agent Joaquin (Nick Gomez) have come to let him know they are investigating him.
Tillman tells them he is the law and will enforce what he thinks is right. Tillman stands up, naked, and slowly wraps a towel with his face on it around his waist. He gets out of the hot tub and walks away.
Home Alone Inspired DIY
After Lorraine leaves, Dot suggests to Scotty they do a craft project. It's an unusual one, with Dot and Scotty stripping wires from extension cords to make a DIY electrified barrier around all the windows. They break lightbulbs and glue the glass shards to the outside of the windows as well. Finally, Dot rigs a giant sledgehammer over the door that will drop when she pulls a cord.
Wayne decides to believe Dot's story, but when he comes home and sees the sledge hammer over the door and finds Dot Dot making a shepherd's pie while Scotty hammers giant nails into a baseball bat, he can't ignore the elephant in the room anymore. Dot manages to convince him she's just concerned about security and once again he chooses to believe her.
Gator is out maneuvered
Olmstead goes to North Dakota to see Officer Farr (Lamorne Morris), who is still in the hospital. They talk about what happened and she wants to show him a photo of Dot to see if he can confirm she was the woman with him at the gas station. But just before she shows him the photo Gator Tillman shows up. He interjects himself into their conversation to find out what Farr knows and he "accidentally" deletes the photo of Dot before Olmstead can show it to Farr.
Gator and his partner are heading back to the Tillman ranch and stop at the Gas N Go. While Gator is inside, Ole Munch sneaks up on the other officer filling the truck and jams a knife in his throat. Gator finds his friend dead behind the truck with a cardboard sign reading "You Owe Me" under the knife in the deputy's throat.
Fargo season 5 airs new episodes on Tuesdays on FX. They are available to stream on-demand on Hulu in the US the next day. The season streams on Prime Video in the UK, with new episodes each Wednesday.
