Fargo

Narrator: And so, we come to perhaps the bloodiest chapter

in the long and violent history of the midwest region.

And here, I'm speaking of Luverne, Minnesota, 1979...

Commonly referred to by laypeople

as the massacre at Sioux Falls.

Readers will know that I've chosen

to file this case as a Minnesota crime,

even though most of the murders took place

in north and then south Dakota.

But I believe the key to understanding

this complex and nuanced crime is to look

at the butcher and small-town beautician at its center.

Ed and Peggy blumquist were just 29 years old

on the night their lives changed forever.

Not much is known about ohanzee dent.

We have no birth certificate,

no tribal or family history.

He was the Gerhardts' man.

Or he had been, until...

Dodd: Jesus Christ, mongrel.

Just shoot these two and get me to a goddamn hospital.

Jeb: So, this what all the fuss is about?

Sue: Yes, sir.

Blumquist, Mr. and Mrs.

Took flight from Minnesota two days past.

They don't look like much.

You don't look like much.

We're realized.

What... What's she sayin'?

Says she realized somethin'.

Realized what? That you're up a tree without a paddle?

It's a tri-state deal here, j.C.

We're talkin' bodies for miles.

Not just some dead hooligan in a cabin.

It's a goddamn shootin' war.

Yeah. I know. We got 'em, too.

Organized crime.

W-what the heck are you doin' here with... with that one?

The eldest Gerhardt boy... Dodd.

He came to the house after Peggy,

and she knocked him on his ass.

So, I thought maybe trade him back to the family.

Make a deal for us to go.

A fresh start.

We're on a journey.

Can we just...

While we're skippin' down memory Lane here,

it's worth notin' that the Gerhardt Indian

is out there free... probably callin' for reinforcements.

So if I were us...

I-i stabbed him. I'd get them out of here.

Or cover 'em in bacon and leave 'em for the dogs.

I stabbed him... The Indian.

He wanted a haircut,

and I stabbed him with the scissors.

In the back.

Boy, she makes us look like

the gang that can't shoot straight, doesn't she?

Our beautician.

It's worth mentionin', you know,

in the spirit of full disclosure...

uh, my plan... It worked.

I made a deal for Dodd.

With what? The Gerhardts?

No. They... they... They wouldn't.

They said they weren't interested.

That's what they... That's what they told me.

So, i called Kansas City.

You did what?

I spoke to this fella... Milligan...

And he said he'd protect us if we gave him Dodd.

So got a meeting set at 8:00 A.M.

Where?

Sioux falls.

They're comin' here?

Yes, sir... To the motor motel.

We need to get these two into custody now.

Where's the nearest precinct?

Tell 'em.

We can't vouch

for the safety of the precinct, is the thing.

What kinda chickenshit outfit ya runnin' here, j.C.?

Zip it.

I don't drive to your backyard

and talk about how all your heads are flat.

What does that mean, you can't vouch for the safety?

We got graft, I'm sayin'.

Money changes hands.

Used to be Gerhardt money. Now it's Kansas City.

Corruption?

Allegedly.

But... well, ya bring these two into custody,

can't guarantee they won't hear about it down in Kansas City.

And you know they'll send, like, an army.

So, we take 'em north,

someplace where people got their heads on straight.

My state. My prisoners.

Well, wherever we're takin' 'em, we need to go soon.

I've been under siege once this week.

Not really interested... There's a third way.

We wire the redhead.

Send him into the meeting with this Milligan fella,

get the conspiracy on tape.

If we're lucky, we bust the whole operation.

No.

Son, I'm lookin' around,

and you're outranked here nine ways to Sunday.

You can't. These two? You saw 'em.

Well, they're doin' better than us so far.

Yeah. Okay. Through blind luck.

They're not up to... Believe me, wearin' a wire?

They'll make the effort

if they think it'll keep 'em off death row.

Look, I've met this Milligan fella.

It's not amateur hour. He gets one whiff...

Ed's dead before the time it takes to blow your nose.

Thought you were Gary Cooper.

Turns out you're Betty laplage.

Say that again. Look.

You brought your shit to town, son.

I'm just trying to clean it up.

And I say we squeeze the lemons we got

and use the juice to catch these big fish.

So get with the program.

Kid, listen to me.

They're gonna offer you a deal, okay?

Son... don't take it. Tell 'em you want a lawyer.

Make them take you into custody.

What do you care? I'm responsible for you.

We don't need your conscience.

You're half the reason we're in this mess.

Look, you're not ready for this.

Trooper, not another word.

You are not up to the task.

This is a war. Don't you get it?

I'm responsible for you, and you're breathin' because of me.

I can't just leave you behind.

Son!

You're turfed.

Now pack your shit and get out of here.

Or my boys are gonna show ya

what a south Dakota necktie feels like.

I'm goin'.

You've been lucky.

That luck's gonna run out.

This is on you!

Well, that went wrong in a hurry.

You comin'?

No.

Good to have at least one grown-up here,

don't you think?

I'm gonna call my boss,

see if he can stop this madness on a bureaucratic level.

Worth a shot.

This thing's officially out of control.

You two are in the shit just about past your eyes.

Yeah?

But there's a rope in my hand.

Okay.

Do ya want the rope?

Yeah. We'll take all the help we can get.

Good.

Gonna let ya have your meetin' with Kansas City.

Gonna put a wire on ya.

What's that?

A recording device, son.

Are ya stupid? Hey!

Look, you get these Kansas City boys

to impugn themselves on tape,

and I'll talk to the d.A.

About pleadin' ya out on lesser charges.

Well, i want it in writin'.

Narrator: Meanwhile, at the crossroads

separating Minnesota from south Dakota,

a different kind of betrayal was taking place.

Yes, sir, I do think that sounds strange.

Mike Milligan, the low-level enforcer

for the Kansas City mafia, was playing a dangerous game.

Just hours earlier, he had been targeted for execution,

but he had turned the tables on his killers.

Well, they never showed up.

And now, in a desperate gambit...

I'm on my way... Me and my man...

To collect the eldest Gerhardt male.

He sought to rout the Gerhardt family

once and for all.

That's right... Dodd Gerhardt.

That's what I was thinking... Grab him up,

see if we can't end things this minute tonight

with a trade or ambush.

Well, thank you, sir.

I won't let you down.

Finished.

Uh, that's a beauty.

Go show your mom, huh?

Mommy?