305 - The House of Special Purpose

A_Ron_Hubbard

Director: Dearbhla Walsh
Writer: Bob DeLaurentis

Alkaid13

I don't think Sy is making it out of this alive. Great episode.

darwinfeeshy

This season has been slow to start, but I feel like Hawley has been great at gradually increasing the tension.

At this point, we're set for the second half of the season to go balls out.

GredalBee

While there's not much evidence, I'm starting to think Varga and his goons are paper tigers and like the soufflé, any kind of disturbance could bring them down.  What have we actually seen from them? It took both henchmen to throw a 70 year old man off a building and they essentially gave Nikki some harsh military hazing.  That's mostly it outside of a lot of talking.  There's the extreme nature of Grandpa Stussy's death and the beast imagery at the end of this episode, but I'm not sure that relates to Varga & co.

emnofseattle

I'm watching first ten minutes here on the west coast, I love the blackmail DVD

Stupid Sy, should've given this up

Seriously #fucksy

emnofseattle

seriously, Bob Odenkirk was a better sheriff in Season 1 then this guy who's now Gloria's boss

emnofseattle

I think the beating of Nikki was a mistake and shows how unprofessional these crooks are, they lost it because she mouthed off to them, they're used to dealing with cowards like Sy who let others walk all over them.

Seriously Sy is despicable coward, he's all for screwing people when he doesn't have to face consequences, put a little pressure he'll let people talk shit about his wife, drink piss, beat women to a pulp. What a despicable sad man. In fact he's not a man.


I'll say it again, #fucksy

darwinfeeshy

GredalBee said:

While there's not much evidence, I'm starting to think Varga and his goons are paper tigers and like the soufflé, any kind of disturbance could bring them down.  What have we actually seen from them?

Well, they have a lot people's phones tapped, including Emmet and Sy's. They also had that google link that took control of the lawyer's computer, took a photo, and then shut their network down. They also had the million dollars to loan Stussy Lots. So they definitely have some significant resources at their disposal.

However, they could still not be as big & powerful as they claim. Varga paints himself as a mover of nation-states. This could be a complete exaggeration, and a serious investigation from the police/IRS could bring them down.

Either way, I hope that Varga really is some shadowy, global force to be reckoned with. It will make his downfall all the more satisfying (much like Lorne Malvo in season 1).

Alkaid13

I mean Varga doesn't have to be an international super criminal to plausiblely control Emmit and Sy with death threats, killing a guy just for researching you isn't some small time stuff, it seems like he absolutely would kill them if he needed to. As for severely beating Nikki that's kind of just standard mob tactics, though really if you were going to go that far to get her to drop the blackmail I'm not certain if just killing her and Ray immediately wouldn't be easier, bury her in the snow somewhere then go back to Ray's house and fake his suicide. Seems easy enough to explain away that an Ex con would get in trouble and maybe killed and Ray could commit suicide after losing his job.

GredalBee

Maybe there's an organization or it could just be three dudes hanging out in that parked semi trailer, which is apparently their HQ.  I don't know, when the two goons didn't finish the job and Nikki crawled away, I laughed.  It was played as a savage moment, then there's not a visible mark on her (revealed later).  If it were Lorne or even Mike Milligan, her body would never be found.  So I'm wondering if that's kind of the point... these guys aren't the unstoppable evil.  Maybe they're closer to the socialists from Hail, Caesar!

emnofseattle

Alkaid13 said:

I mean Varga doesn't have to be an international super criminal to plausiblely control Emmit and Sy with death threats, killing a guy just for researching you isn't some small time stuff, it seems like he absolutely would kill them if he needed to. As for severely beating Nikki that's kind of just standard mob tactics, though really if you were going to go that far to get her to drop the blackmail I'm not certain if just killing her and Ray immediately wouldn't be easier, bury her in the snow somewhere then go back to Ray's house and fake his suicide. Seems easy enough to explain away that an Ex con would get in trouble and maybe killed and Ray could commit suicide after losing his job.

I don't think Vargas thugs even knew the blackmail happened or who Nikki was, or maybe they know who she is because Varga does. But I get the impression Team Varga doesn't know about the escalation in the family feud yet I think the goons were just Fucking with Sy and Nikki was wrong place wrong time wrong attitude. That being said, watching Nikki flipping shit at the gangsters that Sy is too cowardly to stand up to was amazing.

What im wondering is, neither Ray nor Nikki know who Yuri or the karate kid is, like I wonder if Ray once Nikki starts talking assumes these are just some two bit losers Sy hired to punish them for the tape, and going hands on like that to his fiancé, I mean I know Ray has a gun because he was wearing one in his office scenes, is the next step for Ray in a fit of rage to either kill or attempt to kill Sy or Emmit or the gangsters ?

Joe_Bear

emnofseattle said:

I think the beating of Nikki was a mistake and shows how unprofessional these crooks are, they lost it because she mouthed off to them, they're used to dealing with cowards like Sy who let others walk all over them.

Seriously Sy is despicable coward, he's all for screwing people when he doesn't have to face consequences, put a little pressure he'll let people talk shit about his wife, drink piss, beat women to a pulp. What a despicable sad man. In fact he's not a man.


I'll say it again, #fucksy

I think they told Sy when they got there that they were doing this for me, because he drank from the cup. They then said something like "this is what happens when you drink from the cup" right before the beating. They are just roping him in deeper. Beating Nikki is not what Sy wanted, but now he's responsible for it.

Joe_Bear

I really just don't get why Emit couldn't explain to his wife what the tape was. Is there some reason he can't just explain to the bank or the cops or his family that he has a twin brother? I think Nikki told Sy at some point that she had the testimony of a secretary (just her?) to make the tape appear as real/the truth (a big theme in this episode) but still, it seems like a weird blind spot in the plot that he wouldn't at least try to explain to his wife that his jealous, down on his luck brother is responsible for all of this.

leosmom

So I guess sy "no shackles"will never be seen?
Or will he become an unhinged psycho towards the end of the season?

KingKobra

Joe_Bear said:

I really just don't get why Emit couldn't explain to his wife what the tape was. Is there some reason he can't just explain to the bank or the cops or his family that he has a twin brother? I think Nikki told Sy at some point that she had the testimony of a secretary (just her?) to make the tape appear as real/the truth (a big theme in this episode) but still, it seems like a weird blind spot in the plot that he wouldn't at least try to explain to his wife that his jealous, down on his luck brother is responsible for all of this.

1) it was too late after she saw it. As your wife or g/f what would happen if they got a DVD of you having sex with some random woman. Then say we'll really it's my twin, but you don't know that for sure.

2) it would be a criminal investigation which would lead to further review and digging. He's trying to avoid all of that.

His wife wasn't going to listen to him and neither would most wives. It was an instantaneous reaction that was bolstered by the bribery note.


Very good episode, Vargas continues to put pressure on the bothers to get his way. He knows they are the prey and that they are wounded/weak.

KingKobra

leosmom said:

So I guess sy "no shackles"will never be seen?
Or will he become an unhinged psycho towards the end of the season?

From what was shown, I have to believe that his "tough guy"/fixer image is a charade. He wasn't tough with her, he tried to bargain with her and wasn't good my to hurt her(was just trying to intimidate). The falsehood of his image was also shown at the end in how he reacted to the bodyguards beating Nikki.

emnofseattle

KingKobra said:

Joe_Bear said:

I really just don't get why Emit couldn't explain to his wife what the tape was. Is there some reason he can't just explain to the bank or the cops or his family that he has a twin brother? I think Nikki told Sy at some point that she had the testimony of a secretary (just her?) to make the tape appear as real/the truth (a big theme in this episode) but still, it seems like a weird blind spot in the plot that he wouldn't at least try to explain to his wife that his jealous, down on his luck brother is responsible for all of this.

1) it was too late after she saw it. As your wife or g/f what would happen if they got a DVD of you having sex with some random woman. Then say we'll really it's my twin, but you don't know that for sure.

2) it would be a criminal investigation which would lead to further review and digging. He's trying to avoid all of that.

His wife wasn't going to listen to him and neither would most wives. It was an instantaneous reaction that was bolstered by the bribery note.


Very good episode, Vargas continues to put pressure on the bothers to get his way. He knows they are the prey and that they are wounded/weak.

I don't know, what's Varga pressuring Ray to do? I don't think Varga knows much about what has been happening, because there's been this escalating feud between Team Emmit and Team Ray and now Vargas goons left Nikki all beat up, that can only provoke Ray to lash out violently in a way Varga can't control. As far as Ray and Nikki know these guys are two bit thugs Sy hired off of Soldier of Fortune, and I'm not convinced these guys are even that dangerous, we haven't seen them do anything that impressive, they killed an infirm old man, intimidated a pair of cowards, and beat a woman half the weight of one of them.

I still fail to see that Varga is anyone that anybody should be concerned about. Seriously if he showed up taking over my business like that I'd come back with half the membership of my local gun club and some street toughs and kick him out.

Like for the money Sy and Emmit supposedly have they can go to any honkey tonk or biker dive or soldier of fortune and have more muscle than Varga

I'm finding it hard to keep suspending disbelief on this

Walnut Frey

Can I just say.... that this episode brought the fucking thunder!!!!! I have been growing more and more fond of this season as we get further along but this one made me really want to go back at the end and rewatch it. I love the piss cup and the look on sy's face in the aftermath as well as the whole stussy back and forth on the phone. (FX getting away with, what, five or six f bombs in the span of a minute) I honestly don't even care to see Gloria that much, probably because I already get to see her on Leftovers, but give me a second half season more like this and, well, you've got yourself a stew going, brotha!

Underwood

 "(FX getting away with, what, five or six f bombs in the span of a minute)"

I wasn't sure if it was because I watched it on demand or not but yeah, I was pleasantly surprised to hear so many fucks so quickly lol. FX really pushing it, I like it!

Alkaid13

I mean Sy and Emmit aren't the type to hire biker gangs though, killing an old man appears to be all you need to intimidate them, when Sy asked Emmit to remove the handcuffs he didn't even do anything different than normal. I don't think they're capable of even thinking of hiring some muscle to take Varga and company out they're just too milquetoast, Sy's only plan is to sell the company and wash his hands of it all. The fact that the old man who can't use computers was their main investigator really says it all, they're just way too soft to really threaten Varga.

KingKobra

Underwood said:

 "(FX getting away with, what, five or six f bombs in the span of a minute)"

I wasn't sure if it was because I watched it on demand or not but yeah, I was pleasantly surprised to hear so many fucks so quickly lol. FX really pushing it, I like it!

If the advertisers don't care, that's all that matters.

Joe_Bear

KingKobra said:

Joe_Bear said:

I really just don't get why Emit couldn't explain to his wife what the tape was. Is there some reason he can't just explain to the bank or the cops or his family that he has a twin brother? I think Nikki told Sy at some point that she had the testimony of a secretary (just her?) to make the tape appear as real/the truth (a big theme in this episode) but still, it seems like a weird blind spot in the plot that he wouldn't at least try to explain to his wife that his jealous, down on his luck brother is responsible for all of this.

1) it was too late after she saw it. As your wife or g/f what would happen if they got a DVD of you having sex with some random woman. Then say we'll really it's my twin, but you don't know that for sure.

2) it would be a criminal investigation which would lead to further review and digging. He's trying to avoid all of that.

His wife wasn't going to listen to him and neither would most wives. It was an instantaneous reaction that was bolstered by the bribery note.


Very good episode, Vargas continues to put pressure on the bothers to get his way. He knows they are the prey and that they are wounded/weak.

Right... except that I don't think this is a normal case, and I don't think that she is "most wives". She is the wife of a wealthy man whose jealous identical brother has recently tried to both get money from Emmit and impersonate him in order to steal from his bank. You think that Emmit would at least try and explain it, rather than immediately curling up in the corner and smelling her clothes, as if she had died. I loved the episode, and I'm digging this season, but this just seemed a little convenient for getting his family out of the picture. I'm sure there will be a reason for it down the line.

emnofseattle

Alkaid13 said:

I mean Sy and Emmit aren't the type to hire biker gangs though, killing an old man appears to be all you need to intimidate them, when Sy asked Emmit to remove the handcuffs he didn't even do anything different than normal. I don't think they're capable of even thinking of hiring some muscle to take Varga and company out they're just too milquetoast, Sy's only plan is to sell the company and wash his hands of it all. The fact that the old man who can't use computers was their main investigator really says it all, they're just way too soft to really threaten Varga.

Yeah like it seems to me Varga is just three people who intimidate wussies.

Like Remember Wade from the Fargo movie? Like he shot Steve Buscemi in the face, he may have died but he wasn't a pushover so you couldn't take over his business this way, I had kind of a funny thought picturing Varga lending money to Los Pollos Hermanos then trying to intimidate Gus. Like I don't get how this model is profitable for him, because there are plenty of people who won't take that kind of abuse. There is far too limited a base of people you can work like Varga is working.

And Varga seems kind of dumb, like the IRS agent his first idea is to threaten his kids, then he goes "well let's just show him the fake books" what? Why wasn't fake books the first idea? Threaten an IRS agents kids and the FBI will be breaching the door with an arrest warrant

Dee

I'm really struggling to watch this year because Varga is so disgusting. I have to turn away in this scenes - they make me feel sick. :-/

fathergeorge

Didn't see this mentioned but the closing credit song was that talented motherfucking Mr. Noah Hawley covering Ship Of Fools by the band World Party. As I started singing along with the lyrics I was sent down an 80's nostalgia wormhole. Great song!

Doctor_Nick

This is starting to get a little tiresome. These various morons tripping all over themselves is really not that amusing and is becoming frustrating to watch.