‘Fargo’ Season 3 Ends With a Cliffhanger, but Will the Show Return?

FX original series “Fargo” aired its season finale. In typical “Fargo” fashion, very few characters made it out of the season alive, as their various plans for revenge, justice and wealth went terribly awry. The wonderfully executed show ended with a cliffhanger that could potentially serve as the rumored series finale.

As a whole, the third season feels very complete. Ewan McGregor served up fantastic dual performances as Emmit and Ray, who couldn’t have been more opposite of each other. Both characters felt authentically complete and very seldom like caricatures. The broad spectrum that the actor displayed this season is unprecedented in his career thus far. But the surprise comes from Mary Elizabeth Winstead, whose vengeful Nikki actually took the spotlight – accent included. Her arc followed her transformation from femme fatale to vengeful renegade. It appeared, at least for a minute, that she might be able to enact her revenge, as she was successfully able to take out V.M. Varga’s (David Thewlis) men and track down Emmit (McGregor). But fate intervenes, and as soon as she can give Emmit what she believes he deserves, she is shot dead by a random police officer.

Nikki’s fate feels a bit cheated, as it would have been fulfilling to see her carry out her master plan. The fact that an irrelevant character shoots her seems unfair – but the world of “Fargo” is unfair. As a result, Emmit makes it out incredibly wealthy, until he’s met with a bullet in his head. The moment, surprisingly administered by Wes Wrench (Russell Harvard), serves as justice in its own right.

The season ends in the interrogation room with Varga and Gloria Burgle (Carrie Coon,) leaving viewers unsure whether or not Varga will make a much talked about escape. A final close-up on the interrogation room door suggests that only time will tell, although viewers might never truly get that answer.

The overall presentation and character arcs in season three were on par with the high quality exhibited in the series’ first two seasons. However, if the June 21 season three finale turns out to be the series finale, it will feel slightly less than. Season three gave another glimpse into the “Fargo” universe as a whole – seeing the return of Wes Wrench (Russell Harvard) from previous seasons. Much like FX’s other anthology series, “American Horror Story,” everything within the universe is slowly starting to cross over. The characters, stories and now the season three cliffhanger that have been laid out in front of the audience are starting to take shape into something greater. For loyal viewers, it is rather satisfying – so it would be a shame to see the series end just short of that.

Fargo” season 3 is available for streaming on FX.com.