Why did Malvo help Lester? Why did he kill Sam Hess? | Fargo Explained 

Malvo gave Lester an out in the elevator. Lester chose the conflict with Malvo.

I think its a combination of two factors. 1) He sees something in Lester, not quite kindred spirits but similar kind of darkness. 2) He wants to see what happens if he helps Malvo. Malvo likes to engineer situations for his own amusement - as we are shown with his convincing the hotel employee to piss in his boss's car and then phoning her.

Malvo is meant to represent Lucifer himself. He tempts humanity to do evil. When talking to Lou he says “ I haven’t had a slice of pie (apple) since the garden of Eden” very much symbolising the devil tempting eve to eat the apple. In the elevator after he kills three people there is a shot of him between what looks like wings created from the blood suggesting he is a fallen angel. He also uses the Old Testament to persuade the supermarket king he must return the money he found. Those are just some of many examples.

Because of their interaction in the elevator I always thought that Malvo thought of Lester as something of a friend. He put months of effort into this one contract, but he doesnt seem to be angry with Lester when he ruins the plan. Instead sharing his joy about the faces people made when he killed them. Like he expects Lester to share his twisted humor. Imo he either helped Lester, because he saw in him another predator who he could free from societal norms, perhaps Malvo had to undergo something similar, so he saw something of his old self in Lester. Or he was trying to help Lester because he was subconsciously looking for a friend and because of his violent nature this is the only way he knows how to be helpful to someone else. Though the fact that he doesnt seem to contact Lester in the months after the murders and the fact that he listens to their conversations for some form of sick satisfaction makes your theory, that Lester is just another instrument for him to spread chaos, more likely.

first season's a masterpiece.

Really glad to see you exploring this series, so much to talk about. "Is this what you want, Lester?"

One of my favourite villains and delighted you've decided to delve into more detail. Thank you!

Malvo is in essence a crossroad demon. He gave Lester everything he wanted with a price. Malvo only tried to kill Lester when he tried to stand as his equal. To use the animal metaphor, Malvo is a wolf. Lester is more like a fox. Malvo took Lester's confidence as a challenge and gave him 1 last chance to turn back before the elevator murders, at which point he accepted the challenge (and Lester realises his mistake). As for a reason I think Malvo just enjoys the chase. Whether it's breaking a man into committing a crime or doing it himself it's the hunt. Could also be why he let Wrench go. Not only was it not Malvo who injured Wrench but he was a worthy advisory and was welcoming the challenge (Malvo says something to the effect of if you're still upset about your partner come get me when you're better) Awesome video mate. Some very good points made about one of my favourite villains of all time

I never paid attention to how much nuisance was in Billy Bob's performance till I watched him subtlety make his minute smile fade into something entirely more sinister at 1:22.

Because maps uses to say (There be dragon's.) Now they don't, that doesn't mean they aren't there. Best fucking line.

Season 1 is the best season. Lorne Malvo is one of the greatest antagonists in television or movie history. In my mind, he is up there with Gustavo Fring. The only villians worse than those two are Jenny Curran from Forrest Gump and Nurse Ratchett from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Malvo is a corrupting force of nature who is only as powerful as others let him. He sows discord whenever he can, but there are some who are not easily corruptible. The neighborhood watch guy manages to get Malvo to move on without incident even so much as Malvo acknowledging that he is a good man. Lou Solverson is immune to Malvo’s dark musings and taunts at the diner because he is not easily corruptible. The same can be said about Gus, who empowers himself and overcomes his intimidation by changing his life and always remaining true to the incorruptible person he is inside. Malvo is not the devil. He is a man, but one so seductive and dark that the devil does not need to come on Earth when there are plenty of people doing his work for him every day.

One thing that caught my attention was when Malvo asked Lester for a sip from a soda can. After drinking from the can, he replied, 'obliged,' indicating that he now owed Lester a favor.

I'm so happy that your discussing Fargo, such a great series with lots of interesting elemets

Malvo was just looking for side quest! :)

I always felt like Malvo was a living embodiment of evil, as if he was something similar to the Antichrist. I think he recognized that Lester was the antithesis of himself and felt that killing Hess and causing havoc would be too much fun to pass up.

Lorne Malvo is a troll. It really is that simple haha

Malvo is chaotic evil. Chaos for chaos sake

How funny! I just started rewatching season 1 of Fargo 2 days ago. I'm on episode 7 today. But I'd say Malvo loves sowing chaos. He tells the motel kid to pee in the gas tank. He tells the older Hess son that their father loved the younger one more. He saw Lester as a way to add more chaos to the world.

I feel like malvo is some sort of demon, but instead of feeding off of one's fear luke a poltergeist, he feeds off of your rage. And then exposes it to the world.

I am intrigued by your take on the tapes. I wish they would do another series on the story of each of the people on those tapes. I would love to see Billy Bob Thorton reprise his role of Malvo.

They should have had the audience not have already seen Malvo before that hospital scene. I reckon that would have been cool.

Another two signs Malvo is The Devil.... the very first scene we see of Malvo is from behind while driving the car with the guy in back.... the bottom of the screen glows red.... Malvo emerging from Hell. Also, Malvo asking for Lester's soda represents Lester trading his soul... to the devil.

You would think that because of the line of business he is in, Malvo would try to keep a much lower profile of himself. It seems he can't stop himself by sowing seeds of chaos and antagonizing people wherever he goes. It is in his very nature.

Would enjoy a comparison of some kind between Lorne Malvo and Anton Chigurh

I do think Malvo is the embodiment of evil. The only thing I'll disagree with you on is: I don't think Gus did anything wrong by killing Malvo. This dude killed without thought or remorse. He needed to be put down. Gus' motives were twofold: 1) he felt responsible for much of Malvo's crimes, bc he let him go early in the season out of fear, and 2) he wanted to protect his new family. If Malvo was the apex predator (similar to a wolf), then by his own rubric, Gus was the hunter who recognized the need to put him down. Gus is Malvo's comeuppance - he's the righteous judgement against the evil that Malvo represents. It's a common Coen Brothers' theme, similar to how the pregnant sheriff in the film Fargo was able to take down the embodiment of chaotic evil in that story - similar to how Nic Cage's goofy-and-none-too-bright thief was able to beat the demon-biker in Raising Arizona - similar to how a random car accident took down Anton Chigur, etc. and so forth.

wow im so glad that your covering this amazing show cant wait too see more

At 6:10, he spared the deaf guy because he admires hunters and predators, and he, like Malvo said himself, was the guy that came the closest to have killed him... It's easy; oh, and also because Malvo is crazy, in case you didn't notice - his actions are crazy and irrational...

Listen to the speech on the boy raised by wolves he gave to Stavros. Malvo takes some pity on the weak, the actual weak, the weaker the more pity he might take on them, he ends up psychologically torturing Stavros for this despite being hired by him. People call him Satan but if that's the case I think it's far more complex, he's the type who wants to empower those who are too weak to get angry towards others. Because that speech was about him too in the end. You don't learn the skillset he has unless you've been through a lot yourself. The moment that they get too overgrown he tries to put them down. Eventually it would cause his downfall.

I think it’s all about the tapes he has. Those are all tapes of people’s lives destroyed. He collects them and listens to them over and over for sick satisfaction. Lester was just the next mark that pleasantly surprised Malvo… until the elevator.

You're right about Malvo creating mischief for the sake of amusement. I feel like the underlying theme of the season is a little bit about masculinity. The series starts out with Hess bullying the low-confident Lester, then Malvo exploiting Lester's weakness of self-reservation. On the other side of the story, you have a strong lead woman in Molly surrounded by weaker men who kept doubting her. At the end of the tale, Malvo was taken down by the ones he underestimated - his frankenstein monster Lester, and finally by Grimley who chose to be brave to protect those closest to him.

I always just assumed that the answer was simple. He liked seeing Lesters reaction. He thought it was funny to show a man what his words truly meant if he would have followed through with them himself. A kind of teaching moment crossed with a just wanted to fuck with him moment. And maybe he just wanted to show Lester what we all are capable of, given the right scenarios. To show him that the only difference between the man that Lester thinks he is and the man that Malvo openly addmits to being is action, will power, self assurance, self respect, bravery, and Denial.

I think Malvo believed his way of life made more sense than normal people and that he hated a normal life, and saw Lester being eaten alive by that normal life, so in his own mind thought he was doing some kind of good deed to free Lester of that world. Not a good deed for Lester mind you, for himself. He was reshaping the world just a bit to fit his own values and beliefs better, playing god or the devil in a way and finding his own disciple. I also think it partially done just because he could do it, Malvo was a sick fuck and one of the greatest characters in TV history. I haven't been able to enjoy subsequent seasons of Fargo, nothing has matched season 1.

He is messing with him gets surprised by him killing his wife then he just doesn't want to leave a loose end especially after he pushes him in the elevator.

Malvo was bullied as a small boy so it's just one of his triggers

Have you watched the 2nd season yet? It’s absolutely awesome imo, one of the best seasons of tv ever, stylish asf and extremely entertaining story and characters

I’m more confused why Malvo let Lester get away in Las Vegas. And why he went after him after. He would have been better off letting him go on the run.

Malvo was, at one time, a nerdy loser like nygard. He sees himself in Nygard. He decides to make Lester into a man. Malvo is Lester’s mentor.

You’re a very good analyser!

If they take the opportunity is it truly a sick offer? They are merely following their intrinsic natures. He was merely offering options, not condoning one over the other. They made their choices after being fully informed. That is on them.

Easy. Lester was chosen to become an agent of chaos to lead the cops away from Malvos work. And that to Malvo, Lester was a test project. A fun one at that.

Is it me but Fargo S1 is already nearly 10 years old but show aged pretty well. Still, one of my favorite series especially season 1.

I also think that Malvo is either a demon or the Devil. I think what he does to people is called corruption. He is not shown as a typical psychopath that goes on rampage (Anton Chigurh for example). He has to put people in moraly unpleasent situation in which they have to decide, he can't make the decision for them, altough he can manipulate them into choosing certain option.

Malvo does indeed make us question how close we as humans really are to becoming primitive again like our brutal ancestors at the flick of a switch.

Just rewatched this season for the 39084023894th time. Don't get me wrong, I absolutly love it but everytime I wonder how Malvo could be come a dentist more or less overnight :/ I mean to pretend to be a priest, sure anyone can do that with a few days of reading, but a dentist? Hmm.

I think it’s due to the fact he had fun with the entire situation. Killing for so long bores him, it’s the power play of killing and the after effects

Madness is like gravity. All it takes is a little push.

great explanation

I'll add an additional motivation for causing small chaos as he goes. If people are stirred up a bit, doing things they usually wouldn't, then they are not paying attention to the out of town guy so much. It was part of his misdirections.

I’m a new subscriber due to your Wire coverage, and my screen says you’ve made other content regarding the Fargo tv show but that these vids are hidden? Anyway, I’d enjoy more of your commentary and analysis of this show if you ever reupload :)

Fargo is an amazing show. Definitely recommend.

This clip blew my fucking mind. I've watched all seasons (except 4) over and over and over. NICE video. :-)

This video is great. Very thought-provoking. Even on the rare occasion when you go wrong it’s still meaty. The part where you go wrong is the suggestion Malvo “spares” some people like Gus out of some sense of fairness. But he doesn’t spare them. He *shames* them. He makes Gus and the postmaster cower and forsake their obligations. It’s another part of his game. But he doesn’t win in the end. Just as the convicts on the boat in The Dark Knight prove the Joker wrong, the humans of Fargo prove Malvo wrong. Molly welds kindness to strength. (Not niceness; kindness. They are very different things.) The block warden at Gus’s apartment complex maintains solidarity in the face of Malvo’s dominance attempt. Molly clearly recognizes Gus’s conduct as a cop is shameful - it’s all over Allison Tolman’s face in the diner and in the hospital. But she recognizes he’s worthy of love, just in the wrong damn job. You’re right that Gus murders Malvo out of anger and fear, and Malvo thinks he’s won something. Gus is a work in progress. “God is not finished with me yet,” as the saying goes. But Gus has confronted his shame months prior to the cabin, surely with Mollys quiet help, and gained self-knowledge. He should be a postal worker! And it’s significant that Lester, whom Malvo has helped to become one of the most despicable characters in tv history, doesn’t just die. He literally sinks down and leaves no trace of his passing; the ice/world seals (heals) itself as soon as he goes. Those are quibbles surely. On the big stuff you’re spot on: Malvo as chaos agent; Malvo as would-be philosopher trying to prove humanity’s nature justifies his own. And the comparison to the Joker is spot on. Good stuff.

I think he’s either the Devil or the show is trying to allude to him being like the devil.

I realize they had to kill him for the story, but I would have liked it better had Malvo gotten away somehow and if Lester had been the one to the big comeuppance instead of just randomly falling through some ice.

Really brilliant.

I've had legit nightmares about Malvo lmao

Thanks for the spoiler in the thumbnail

Fargo (season 1) Malvo based on No Country for Old Men (2007) Anton Chigurh character bone fixing in Fargo and bone in the end and in bathroom is 1:1 take from Bothers Coens movie. Cormac McCarthy American Gothic literature style, is Anton Chigurh is evil spirit thus Devil in flesh, But Matrix movie rules if you die in Matrix you die in real life, thus Anton Chigurh operates on coin toss, sometimes you cought by bear trap sometimes you hunt the eat the bar life driven by random events. So even devil must operate by rules of chaos (coin toss). Anton Chigurh car been t-boned by another car on green light on cross-road random event killed Devil (injured). Anton Chigurh coldblooded calculating machine bear traped eaten by coin toss or randomness. Lorne Malvo: Did you know the human eye can see more shades of green than any other color? Devil master of deception. He tells complete lie, all predators and preys in winter change color to white green color intensity is not scientific is psychological Malvo is bullhsiting you. He tries hide his true intentions. Anton Chigurh kills many Innocent bystander that cross in his path, sometimes you can put leg into bear trap based unlucky on coin toss, but mostly Anton Chigurh and Malvo killsvery very bad people intentionally drug dealers (sometimes black raven on bridge) and high wigs in Houston skyscraper. Devil (weapon) is GOD's tool, God send Devil to thin out Warlords and assholes . You pick the one right tool. Nervous Accountant : I see. Are you going to shoot me? Anton Chigurh : That depends. Do you see me? That Anton speaks in God's language ar ghost or spirit of God tool. You pick the one right tool. Dogma LOKI (evil spirit shapeshifting Dog wolf in movie Thing Norwegian helicopter is LOKK{i}) the God's chosen tool weapon. Martin Freeman character from pussy GAINS "Killer salesman instinct" women go crazy about him and he get Oscar of salesman in Las Vegas where het met Lost Angel again (Las Vegas - Lost Varga{s}) . Rhetorical question winch gun killed Kevin Spacey it was real estate "American Beauty" - "salesman killer instinct" wife's gun. Every time you gain "killer salesman instinct" you life will go down you loose soul 6666 number of beat is A bear wearing man not devil but bear mark wearing man. Pandemics and wars is Gods chosen tool. Mad cow disease Anton Chigurch uses captive bolt pistol to kill cows. Pandemics Anthropogenic caused disease, how ironically human tool kills humans. Man who hires Wells : [about Chigurh] Just how dangerous is he? Carson Wells : Compared to what? The bubonic plague? Anton Chigurh compare to spiritual virus You pick the one right tool. Is God punishes for our greed? For our infinite growth? For our morale bankruptcy ? Anton Chigurh kills' bad but also kills' randomly very Innocent people too. People be aware bear trap it kills randomly good bad and ugly.

Fargo is great subject matter for these videos

I loved all seasons of Fargo. So much imagination and great characters. I agree Malvo (whose name contains "mal' = "bad" ) is some kind of demon. though I think he's wrong about our "seeing more shades of green than any other color," his point of our being predators is valid.

Good stuff, hoping for more

I didn't really understand at first watch why Malvo helped Lester. I imagined is was maybe a coincidence like Malvo already had a contract on the head of Sam Hess (something off screen) or just wanted to ruin Lester's life, just because...

Malvo gave me similar vibes as Woland from The Master and Margarita.

Malvo is a trickster.

Well done bro

We need a Lorne Malvo series: an prequel/origin story.

I think it was the soda…. Plus corrupting people and causing chaos is just fun for him. The apple pie, he said apples tasted better in eden

You realise your thumbnail and title are a literal spoiler advert right?

I felt Malvo saw something of what he was or wasn't in Lester

He gets off on making people commit bad deeds

Great analysis thank you

The Devil thrives on chaos, it’s that simple. He’s curious to see how far people will go.

I think Malvo sees himself as a predator and he wanted to get rid of another predator (Sam Hess)

Malvo seems to amuse himself with corrupting people i think that is why he helped lester.

It's lonely and boring to be the top of the food chain. you need challengers to keep you entertained

Don't we all need a Malvo in our live?

Why he killed him is obvious. The bigger question is why did Malvo involve himself with Hess to begin with? Fucking with him for fun? I have no idea.

Sorry to spoil the video but every Lourne does is because it’s funny. Not to us, or any audience, he thinks it’s funny. After he kills Sam Hess he calls the house and tells the older son that everything was left to the younger. This prompts the older son to beat the younger with a hockey stick in a half hearted attempt on his life. This action serves no purpose and is almost always ignored when talking about Malvo. Malvo might be the devil or he’s a guy with a real sick sense of humor and it doesn’t matter which is the truth. If he thinks it’s funny for something bad to happen he’ll make it happen, even if he doesn’t get to see it just the thought is fun enough. It’s why we fear other people more than animals, animals make sense.

Malvo is a dollar store Judge Holden

You coulda made this vid like 5 seconds long and said "he put you in a barrel and rolled you in the road"

What was Malvo doing in the police station?.

I think Billy Bob just played himself…

Lalo from BCS reminds me of Malvo

I think malvo like Lester like a friend

This is a great explanation. Malvo is the anti-christ, or the devil, or chaos, or animal nature....whatever your idea of evil nature is

He"s a auto sales office manager.

Good job

Decipher the name, Lorne Malvo = malevolent

Did it help Lester at all?? Or did he jist give Lester the nudge to roll downhill.

Q-why then, if you're correct, do we enjoy seeing Hess die so much? if Malvi is so deviant and sociopathic, and all?

Love fargo season 1

Malvo = Midwest Ralph

The thing about sheep is that where there's sheep there's also rams- and a ram doesn't suffer wrongs lightly (or at all) and will never give up. Anyone who remembers Rambro the Angry Ram (R.I.P.) knows what they're capable of and the depth of their hatred for all living things.

These are just games. Such people live for games which they think are very secret. The lack of insight cripples them. There's not much mistery about them at all.

Leave poor little Lester alone ay!

Because some men just want to watch the world burn.

Aces! 😁👉🏼👉🏼

He's like Johan Liebert

Fargo season 1 is 10/10