Get ready to see a Jon Hamm you haven’t seen before.
In “Fargo,” season five, the “Mad Men” star turns up as Roy Tillman, a no-nonsense sheriff – the kind who worships at home and jiggers the reports at work.
He’s on the trail of a seemingly mousey housewife, Dot Lyon (Juno Temple), who caused a ruckus at school, was jailed, and, then, managed to thwart some pretty mean guys.
The year is 2019 (pre-COVID) and Halloween is a great time to hide out and elude authorities.
Created by Noah Hawley, the new season is among the series’ best, using wild characters and round-about storytelling to pull you in. By the second episode, you will be hooked.
Temple gets the “you betcha” “Fargo” accent but Hamm exhibits traces, too, particularly when he’s letting residents know just how serious he is about law and order. At home, it’s another matter.
His trigger-happy son Gator (Joe Keery, who’s brilliantly unhinged) keeps messing up, particularly when it comes to an investigation at a convenience store.
Dot happens by there, too, but she’s so worried folks are going to find out about her past, she’s not quite sure where to turn.
At home, she has a meek husband (David Rysdahl) and a demanding mother-in-law (Jennifer Jason Leigh). That mother-in-law, who made her millions on the backs of others, isn’t about to give up her status just to help her daughter-in-law. She has her own henchman (Dave Foley, who doesn’t look at all like you remember) and the kind of fortitude that Tillman despises.
Halloween, we discover, brings out the worst in everyone. Instead of getting treats, several baddies get tricked and the die is cast.
What surfaces – early on – is how crucial makeup and effects are to something like this. Designer Gail Kennedy manages character makeup that’s both repellant and intriguing. When a “Home Alone” subplot has consequences, she moves into action and creates the kind of looks that should guarantee an Emmy nomination.
Keery, Hamm and Rysdahl are worthy, as well. But Temple is the one who keeps this blizzard stirring. Even though she appears to be a victim, she’s capable of more ruthless behavior than even the mysterious stranger stalking her.
Like the Coen Brothers’ original, this edition of “Fargo” captures the normalcy of the world it inhabits. It’s filled with nutjobs, no doubt about it, but their everyday lives look very familiar. The upshot is getting you to think twice about that nice mom down the street or the law enforcement officer who’s maybe a little too committed to his job.
“Fargo,” season five, has many of those one-liners that made the film so endearing. While Leigh tries too hard to be ruthless, it’s Hamm’s sly approach that wins every time.
Like a car that has been sitting on a cold winter day, this “Fargo” may start slow, but once it heats up you won’t want to leave.
“Fargo” begins Nov. 21 on FX.
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