‘Fargo’: Jennifer Jason Leigh & Jon Hamm on Dot’s Worlds Colliding in Episode 5
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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Fargo Year 5, Episode 5, “The Tiger.”]
Fargo‘s latest episode, “The Tiger,” saw Dot Lyon’s (Juno Temple) two worlds collide as her abusive first husband Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm) sought help from her current icy mother-in-law Lorraine Lyon (Jennifer Jason Leigh).
Thinking he could use his powers of persuasion, the sheriff was less than productive in retrieving Dot from Lorraine’s clutches as both were unaware of the woman’s own escape attempt from the local hospital’s psychiatric ward. Setting forth the facts in his eyes, Roy tells Lorraine that Dot owes him a debt, something she should understand, and as his “property” should be returned.
Lorraine isn’t one to be metaphorically man-handled though, flipping Roy’s argument on its head by informing the sheriff that after something goes missing for seven years, it no longer has an owner, and if they’re basing things on technicalities, it would be her son Wayne (David Rysdahl) that owns Dot now.
(Credit: Michelle Faye/FX)
Needless to say, this collision of worlds is anything but smooth. When it comes to Roy’s impression of Lorraine, Hamm tells TV Insider, “I think he recognizes that she possesses a tremendous amount of influence and power, and I think there’s a begrudging respect to that place in the community and I think he understands that.”
Does that mean Roy likes her response? Not particularly as he points out in the episode, he’s just a hard-working man with his hat in his hands asking for a favor. “Lorraine’s sense of how the world works is very different from Roy’s,” Hamm continues. “And I think that those two worldviews don’t mesh at all. They are set up to be diametrically opposed and they are. And that creates some very fun friction and sets up the second half of the season for sure,” he teases.
While Roy’s visit is certainly an eye-opening experience for Lorraine, Leigh believes that the shifting worldview of her daughter-in-law began as early as Episode 2. “She realizes she hasn’t pegged her right. There’s a lot more to Dot than she ever anticipated. Even knowing what she’s discovered after the first episode, there’s so much more to it and it’s so much murkier and she’s not prepared for how much fight this girl has in her and her smarts,” the actress says.
“It’s like dealing with a whole other kind of animal, a much more feral and more dangerous [animal],” Leigh adds. “Ultimately, I think they’re kind of mirror images of one another in a certain way.” As the episode’s title indicates, the Lyon women aren’t afraid to be tigers for the people they love.
And although Lorraine can be a brutal force, Leigh points out, “she expected more from her son, wanted more for her son. He’s content with very little and he rolls with it, but she must have done something right because a very good guy. He is very loving and good and kind and he’s a good dad and a good husband. So there must be something [Lorraine did right] as a result.”
Will Lorraine’s unfolding knowledge surrounding Dot’s true background build some much-needed trust between the pair? Only time will tell, but for now, we’re willing to watch Do’s two worlds clash against one another if its Leigh and Hamm going toe-to-toe.
Fargo, Year 5, Tuesdays, 10/9c, FX (Next day on Hulu)
