Fargo – Chapter 2, "Before The Law" – Advance Preview

“Isn’t that a minor miracle? The state of the world today - the level of conflict and misunderstanding - that two men could stand on a lonely road in winter and talk, calmly and rationally… while all around them, people were losing their mind.”

Okay – the premiere was great, but can Fargo season 2 really live up to the greatness of season 1 and the film that preceded both? Based on the first several episodes, you betcha. The second instalment of season 2 is as wryly funny and amusingly dark as the premiere, with added punch as the story builds and continues to twist. In ‘Before The Law’, the Gerhardt family has a decision to make, while Ed and Peggy Blomquist struggle to keep their secret.

Like last week’s episode, there’s a meticulous slow burn to the story here. The Gerhardt family is feeling heat from Joe Bulo (Brad Garrett) and his Kansas City cohorts. As the family faces a major decision, with patriarch Otto unable to lead, there’s an internal struggle brewing – mainly between matriarch Floyd (Jean Smart) and her eldest son, Dodd (Jeffrey Donovan). But every member of this family feels like they have something to prove – or something to lose. The intricacies of their relationships feel authentic, and they’re endlessly amusing.

Meanwhile, Ed and Peggy Blomquist (Jesse Pelmons and Kirsten Dunst, both fantastic here) are struggling to keep up appearances. Ed stays home from the butcher shop to clean up the mess left in their garage from Rye’s bloody death, while Peggy tries to act like everything is normal at work. Little do they know; the situation they’ve created is drawing heat all around them. Between the Gerhardts, the Kansas family, and the police, everyone is on the hunt for Rye. So how long can Ed and Peggy keep their secret, and how far will they go to do it?

There’s a particularly fantastic scene that caps off the episode, as Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) notices a light on late at night inside the butcher shop. When he knocks, Ed is forced to answer – and attempt to keep a lid on what exactly he’s chopping up behind closed doors. There's more tension in this single scene than most series can pack into an episode.

It’s impossible to list everything I love about this show here. Like I said last week, Fargo is the type of series that thrives on long-form storytelling; each episode adds meaningful layers and reveals more about these fascinating, oddball characters and how they connect – “Before The Law” is no exception.

Aw Jeez: The Best Bits

• All of the stories set up in the premiere start melding together here; Mike Milligan (Bokeem Woodbine) has charged interactions with both Sheriff Hank Larsson (Ted Danson) and Skip (Mike Bradecich), the typewriter salesman who sent Rye after the judge.

• Speaking of Bradecich – in a cast full of big name heavyweights, Bradecich (who you might recognize from a myriad of popular ads) steals scene after scene. His squirmy, scheming Skip provides some of the most memorable lines throughout the next several episodes.

• Betsy (the infinitely watchable Cristin Milioti) finds evidence that helps Lou with the case at the diner. What’s so great about this show is that I can’t decide who the hell I’m rooting for; the police? Peggy and Ed? The criminal but endlessly enjoyable Gerhardts? They’re all so fun to watch.

"Before The Law" premieres Monday at 10 on FX. Hit the comments and let us know what you liked last week and what you're looking most forward to this season. For more on Fargo and all my other SpoilerTV work, feel free to follow me on Twitter.