antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.first season of the FX television series '' Fargo''. He is a psychopathic hitman who travels around
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
and
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
hunting and killing people. He is portrayed by
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker, singer and songwriter. He received international attention after writing, directing and starring in the independent film, independent Drama (film and television), drama f ...
, who received critical acclaim for his performance and was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
and a
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
, and won a
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
and a
Critics' Choice Television Award
The Critics' Choice Television Awards were accolades that were presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fou ...
.
Character arc
2006
Lorne Malvo is a hitman based in
Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
. He is hired to kidnap and presumably murder Phil McCormick. He abducts McCormick from his workplace, strips him of his clothes, and throws him in the trunk of his car. On his way to his destination, Malvo hits a deer outside
Bemidji, Minnesota
Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, Minnesota, Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. According to 2022 census estimates, the ci ...
, and goes off the road, injuring his head. The trunk pops open, allowing McCormick to escape; however, he freezes to death in the nearby woods.
While getting his injury checked out at the local hospital, Malvo meets
Lester Nygaard
Lester Nygaard is a fictional character in the Fargo (season 1), first season of the FX (TV channel), FX television program, television series ''Fargo (TV series), Fargo'' and is portrayed by Martin Freeman, who received critical acclaim for his ...
, who is waiting to receive treatment after his nose was broken during a public altercation with Sam Hess. Lester tells Malvo about how Hess was his childhood bully. Lester makes a joke about killing Hess, and Malvo takes the suggestion seriously. He asks Lester for confirmation on whether he wants Hess dead or not, but Lester gives no answer. Lester's name is called and a nurse repeatedly urges Lester to move along, which makes him rise in annoyance and yell "yeah" which Malvo interprets as an approval. Later, Malvo murders Hess at a strip club by throwing a knife into the back of his head while Hess is in the middle of having sex with a stripper.
When Lester hears of Hess's death (as his insurance company handled Hess's life insurance policy), he confronts Malvo in a coffee shop, where Malvo encourages him to take matters into his own hands. Later that night, after being aggravated by his wife, Lester murders her and calls Malvo for help. Lester plans to murder Malvo with a shotgun when he arrives and blame his wife's death on him, but the local police chief, Vern Thurman, arrives first, seeking to question him about Hess's murder. As Vern is preparing to arrest Lester after noticing a blood trail that leads to his wife's corpse in the basement, Malvo appears and shoots Thurman twice, retreating downstairs and slipping out as Molly Solverson arrives on the scene. Malvo steals Lester's car and is later pulled over for speeding in
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
, where he threatens Officer Gus Grimly, who lets him go out of fear.
The next day, Malvo visits a local post office to get a package sent by his employer which contains his new identity: Frank Peterson, a minister and respected member of his community. Malvo then meets with his next client, supermarket "king" Stavros Milos of Phoenix Farms. Malvo is hired to track down the individual blackmailing Stavros, who he later finds out to be Don Chumph, the fitness trainer for Stavros' soon to be ex-wife. Malvo confronts Chumph and takes over the blackmail operation, using Chumph as his lackey in the endeavor. At one point, Gus, who had previously let Malvo go, spots him on the side of the road and arrests him for murder and car theft. Malvo alters his look with a pair of stolen glasses and other alterations to his attire, after having arrived at the police station. He uses his new false identity as Frank Peterson to persuade the police to let him go. As a result of the arrest and subsequent misunderstanding, Gus is put on desk work and removed from the field.
Meanwhile, Malvo begins taunting Stavros psychologically, by killing his dog, replacing his medication with
adderall
Adderall and Mydayis are trade names for a combination drug containing four salts of amphetamine. The mixture is composed of equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which produces a (3:1) ratio between dextroamphetamine and l ...
, rigging his shower to spray pig's blood, and releasing hundreds of crickets into Stavros' supermarket. Malvo does this to allude to the
Book of Exodus
The Book of Exodus (from ; ''Šəmōṯ'', 'Names'; ) is the second book of the Bible. It is the first part of the narrative of the Exodus, the origin myth of the Israelites, in which they leave slavery in Biblical Egypt through the strength of ...
, a play on Stavros' deep religious views. While Stavros decides to take the blackmail money back to where he originally found it in
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
, Malvo rigs Chumph to an exercise machine and tapes a shotgun to his hands. Malvo fires a gun out of the window, shooting at passing pedestrians, to draw police attention, before slipping out a back door. A SWAT team is summoned and guns down Chumph as they make entry into the house, not noticing until too late that he has been tied up. Coincidentally, Stavros' son Dmitri is accidentally killed alongside Stavros' head of corporate security Wally Semenko when their car goes off the road in a freak storm of flying fish, completing Malvo's Book of Exodus plot.
While driving during the whiteout, Malvo's car is attacked and trapped by two Fargo hitmen, Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers, seeking revenge for Hess's murder. They then exit their cars and begin shooting at Malvo. After escaping the initial assault, Malvo evades the assailants, taking refuge in the whiteout. Malvo later deliberately cuts the top of his hand and leaves a trail of blood in the snow as bait, which Mr. Numbers follows and is subsequently caught and stabbed repeatedly until he answers Malvo's question about who hired the two hitmen. When he responds with "Fargo", Malvo slits his throat and leaves him to bleed out in the snow. Picking up Mr. Numbers' submachine gun, Malvo moves on, attempting unsuccessfully to find Mr. Wrench.
Now set on finding out who is responsible for the assault, Malvo visits his employer Mr. Rundle in Nevada. When Rundle fails to provide the information he wants, Malvo knocks him unconscious and eventually traces the source of the attack to the Fargo Crime Syndicate. With this new information, Malvo enters the crime syndicate's main base of operations and massacres 22 people within a matter of minutes by himself. Later he locates and pays a visit to Mr. Wrench, who is recovering in the hospital. When he awakens, Malvo taunts Wrench on the death of his partner Mr. Numbers. However, Malvo gives Wrench the key to his handcuffs, and tells him that he respects him for coming closer to killing him than anyone has. He tells Wrench that if he still feels raw about things after he heals, that he should track him down and try again.
2007
One year later, Malvo now lives in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
, as a dentist named Michaelson. He is there to befriend Dr. Burt Canton so that he can find and kill Burt's brother, who is in the
witness protection program
Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after trials, usually by police. While witnesses may only require p ...
. To get even closer to Canton, Malvo gets engaged to Canton's dental assistant Jemma Stalone. While staying in Las Vegas with Jemma, Canton, and Canton's wife for a night before going to meet and kill Canton's brother, Malvo is recognized by Lester Nygaard, who is in the same bar as him. Lester engages Malvo, but Malvo acts like he has never met him before and threatens him to just walk away while his group is preparing to leave. Lester refuses to pretend that he does not know Malvo and joins him and his group in the elevator. Malvo questions Lester, asking him if this is what he really wants. When Lester says yes, Malvo pulls out his gun and kills Canton, Canton's wife, and Jemma. Malvo tells Lester about how the bounty he was working on for the past 6 months is now defunct, and forces Lester to assist him in dragging and disposing the bodies in a dumpster. Scared for his life, Lester strikes Malvo on the head with his trophy and runs away.
Malvo then follows Lester back to Minnesota and visits Lou Solverson's diner, asking around about Lester's whereabouts, only to leave without the information and only moments before Deputy Molly Solverson and two
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
agents arrive to discuss how to track down Malvo himself. Meanwhile, Lester and his new wife Linda prepare to go to
Acapulco
Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
to escape Malvo and the police, but need to stop by their shop to get their passports. When Lester sends Linda, wearing his coat, to get the passports to see if Malvo is actually there, Malvo emerges from the shadows and shoots and kills Linda, thinking she was Lester.
Malvo then moves into a remote cabin listening to a police scanner to monitor Lester's interactions with the police. Malvo also breaks into the car of FBI agents Pepper and Budge to get their credentials and to call FBI headquarters to cancel their requested backup. He then visits a local car dealership and steals a car resembling the FBI car, taking the salesman hostage. Malvo then waits outside the police station and trails Lester when the agents drive him home. While Pepper and Budge stand guard outside Lester's house, Malvo's car pulls up in front of them. They go to see who is inside the vehicle and see that the salesman is driving, with his hands duct-taped to the steering wheel. Malvo then approaches them from behind, shooting and killing them both.
Malvo then breaks into Lester's home and steps on a hidden beartrap, severely damaging his left leg. Lester then fires a shot at Malvo, but misses. Lester then tries to shoot again but his gun jams and he goes back to the bathroom. Malvo then leaves, and steals the FBI's car to get back to his cabin. When he arrives, Gus Grimly, who was waiting after spotting him leaving the cabin earlier in the day, confronts Malvo and, knowing Malvo's seemingly supernatural ability of manipulation, shoots him point blank in the head, killing him.
Gus is commended for bravery for his role in bringing down Malvo. While investigating his cabin, Molly discovers Malvo's collection of tapes, which feature recorded conversations with those Malvo has convinced to commit murder. One of them is a recording of the phone call Lester made to Malvo after Pearl's murder, at long last providing proof of Lester's guilt.
Two weeks later, Lester attempts to flee the law by using a
snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow.
Their engines normally ...
in the woods. However, he crashes and attempts to run across a frozen lake, which he falls through and dies in, finally avenging those both he and Malvo killed.
Personality
Malvo is a
psychopath
Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality Construct (psychology), construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with boldness, bold, disinhibited, and egocentrism, egocentric traits. These traits are often ma ...
who takes personal pleasure in causing as much chaos as he possibly can inbetween his murders. He is able to do this as he believes all societal normality is a ruse, as human beings one day decided they were superior to the fellow animals of the jungle and then formed society. He believes people follow nonsense rules that they subconsciously inherit and remain slaves to their entire time. This way, he does not feel guilty as he believes that there is an instinctive drive to kill that he simply fulfills, in a similar way to hunting.
Reception
The character of Lorne Malvo and Thornton's performance received critical acclaim.
Alan Sepinwall
Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He ...
of ''
HitFix
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
'' praised Thornton's performance, calling it "deadpan genius", and wrote that Thornton "is always a pleasure to watch, but the understated mode he's in for this role is perhaps the best use of his particular talents and screen presence."
Maureen Ryan of ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' also praised Thornton's performance, writing that it "is fascinating from his first moment on the show and steals the entire miniseries out from under everyone. Thornton doesn’t just give one great performance, he gives a few, as his crafty character, the dead-eyed lowlife Lorne Malvo, cuts a swath of destruction through the frosty heart of Minnesota. It’s a delight to witness the restrained malevolence that rolls off Malvo. Like Los Pollos Hermanos proprietor
Gus Fring
Gustavo Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the ''Breaking Bad'' crime drama franchise. Introduced in ''Breaking Bad'' season 2, he serves as the main antagonist in seasons 3– 4 of the series, and a major char ...
, Malvo is a man who knows exactly who he is and what he wants to do, and Thornton displays a similar level of coiled yet casual mastery."