For me, it's the best season of ANYTHING I've ever watched. Amazing! Loved Oli Munch - the line “When a man digs a grave he has to fill it. Otherwise it’s just a hole.” gave me chills. The ending was great. Word has it that Oli is driving a KIA now, lol.
thank you for the analysis! I think the dark myth of The Sin Eater has haunted my psyche my entire life. This series explored that and offered redemption, not only to Ole, but also Dot. I believe she was also a metaphoric sin eater in relationship to Linda. I believe that is how they recognized each other’s pain. I also believed Dot was actually in control of that entire last scene at the house. She allowed her family to stay and offered the balm through the goofy love of her daughter and husband. She had some deep understanding of the debt and took a page from her dream vision to become Linda in the real world.
I hadn't thought of that with Dot and Linda. But yes I can see how Dot takes the place of Linda, and even though Linda dies - it does allow her to get free from the situation. It is not the ideal way to be free, but the story presents the sin eater metaphor as one way to deal with sin, but certainly not the ideal way because someone else still has to pay the debt. Dot then discovers a better way. And like Linda in her dream sequence who doesn't let Dot control the interaction, but pushes her in another way, Dot doesn't let Ole control the encounter but pushes him to do things her way.
This is a great video. The final scene is amazing for the way the writing and performances breathe life into the religious allusions. I would quibble with a few things, and that takes more words. That’ll throw the balance of this comment off, so please remember: I’m profoundly glad *someone* on this app picked up on an angle too many others seem to have missed. First, I wouldn’t make the opposition “Law” versus Grace because it sounds too much like a Tanakh/NT, supersessionist take. After all, the Torah itself established made Jubilee central to the relationship. When Lorraine talks about visiting Old Testament law on Roy, she’s one more Christian who, like so many of us, doesn’t understand Judaism as well as she thinks she does. Something your video made me think about too is how Roy misunderstands Christianity, in theory his own faith. Roy thinks of himself as the keeper of something higher than “Law”: he explains to the FBI agents at length. He thinks he’s enforcing a divine plan rather than law as such. He seems to think that on Calvary, Jesus was the one driving the nails. I think I prefer your first formulation of debt/forgiveness - I’m swayed by how in the Lord’s Prayer we sometimes say, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” as opposed to “trespasses.” Lastly, a thing I can’t help thinking is Ule came to the Lyons house *wanting*, on some level, the find a way out of his bind. By the logic of his code, he should just find Wayne and kill him. Wayne is the closest analogue to Ole’s partner whom Dot killed in S5E1. Then he would stick around and tell Dot, “I killed your husband for [reason]” because Ole just *has* to explain himself to everyone. (This itself is pretty remarkable.) Dot can reach him because he wants, without even quite realizing it, to be reached. Thank you for the video! Much to think about in this season.
Thanks for your comment I appreciate it. I'm not thinking of law vs grace as a OT vs NT thing. I'm actually thinking Luther's Kingdom of man vs. Kingdom of God, which was way too much to try and get into this video. I also saw it as a dichotomy between people who say they are for the law - like Roy - but don't really understand it or adhere to it. The law as I see it represented in Ole isn't bad, it's just unforgiving.
Also, my online community has been exploring the Hero’s Journey a lot. This is a good example of a female hero’s journey. Same general principles but from a uniquely female perspective. I don’t completely understand but I think it has to do with embodied grace more than vanquishing a foe.
But I'd say Dot is going way beyond most Christian's understanding of the NT. Because Dot says there can be forgiveness through love, no one has to die.
@@nathanwillardfilmmaker way beyond? I think Hawley uses Dot to uphold the basic teachings of Jesus. He's said in a few interviews the point of S05 is a search for a solution to the massive wedges in our society. Mainly the fact that a lot of folks are being told that it's a zero sum game...eye for an eye. It causes them to forget that one should "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Old testament is base...New teaches forgive...which is WAY harder.
There is at least a very vocal group of Christians (maybe not the majority) who believe penal substitutionary atonement is the gospel. They would believe we are forgiven only because Jesus was killed in our place - so the law of life for life still had to be satisfied. I don't see Dot saying that. But I absolutely agree we need to get past the zero-sum transactional game.
After a year Dot visits the cops grave and brings flowers. Then she asks, "Did he have a wife?" So she never read her obituary or went to his funeral after he died trying to save her? That is not realistic in North Dakota.
For me, it's the best season of ANYTHING I've ever watched. Amazing! Loved Oli Munch - the line
“When a man digs a grave he has to fill it. Otherwise it’s just a hole.” gave me chills. The ending was great. Word has it that Oli is driving a KIA now, lol.
That is a great line.
Season 5 blew my mind. Amazing actors, characters, writing, story…all A++
thank you for the analysis! I think the dark myth of The Sin Eater has haunted my psyche my entire life. This series explored that and offered redemption, not only to Ole, but also Dot. I believe she was also a metaphoric sin eater in relationship to Linda. I believe that is how they recognized each other’s pain. I also believed Dot was actually in control of that entire last scene at the house. She allowed her family to stay and offered the balm through the goofy love of her daughter and husband. She had some deep understanding of the debt and took a page from her dream vision to become Linda in the real world.
I hadn't thought of that with Dot and Linda. But yes I can see how Dot takes the place of Linda, and even though Linda dies - it does allow her to get free from the situation. It is not the ideal way to be free, but the story presents the sin eater metaphor as one way to deal with sin, but certainly not the ideal way because someone else still has to pay the debt. Dot then discovers a better way. And like Linda in her dream sequence who doesn't let Dot control the interaction, but pushes her in another way, Dot doesn't let Ole control the encounter but pushes him to do things her way.
This is a great video. The final scene is amazing for the way the writing and performances breathe life into the religious allusions. I would quibble with a few things, and that takes more words. That’ll throw the balance of this comment off, so please remember: I’m profoundly glad *someone* on this app picked up on an angle too many others seem to have missed.
First, I wouldn’t make the opposition “Law” versus Grace because it sounds too much like a Tanakh/NT, supersessionist take. After all, the Torah itself established made Jubilee central to the relationship. When Lorraine talks about visiting Old Testament law on Roy, she’s one more Christian who, like so many of us, doesn’t understand Judaism as well as she thinks she does. Something your video made me think about too is how Roy misunderstands Christianity, in theory his own faith. Roy thinks of himself as the keeper of something higher than “Law”: he explains to the FBI agents at length. He thinks he’s enforcing a divine plan rather than law as such. He seems to think that on Calvary, Jesus was the one driving the nails. I think I prefer your first formulation of debt/forgiveness - I’m swayed by how in the Lord’s Prayer we sometimes say, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” as opposed to “trespasses.”
Lastly, a thing I can’t help thinking is Ule came to the Lyons house *wanting*, on some level, the find a way out of his bind. By the logic of his code, he should just find Wayne and kill him. Wayne is the closest analogue to Ole’s partner whom Dot killed in S5E1. Then he would stick around and tell Dot, “I killed your husband for [reason]” because Ole just *has* to explain himself to everyone. (This itself is pretty remarkable.) Dot can reach him because he wants, without even quite realizing it, to be reached.
Thank you for the video! Much to think about in this season.
Thanks for your comment I appreciate it. I'm not thinking of law vs grace as a OT vs NT thing. I'm actually thinking Luther's Kingdom of man vs. Kingdom of God, which was way too much to try and get into this video. I also saw it as a dichotomy between people who say they are for the law - like Roy - but don't really understand it or adhere to it. The law as I see it represented in Ole isn't bad, it's just unforgiving.
@@nathanwillardfilmmaker Gotcha. Thanks much for expanding on your thinking for me!
Thank you for your observation/interpretation. You make perfect sense.
Much appreciate the analysis!
Also, my online community has been exploring the Hero’s Journey a lot. This is a good example of a female hero’s journey. Same general principles but from a uniquely female perspective. I don’t completely understand but I think it has to do with embodied grace more than vanquishing a foe.
That is interesting, I like that perspective
It's Old Testament [Munch] vs New [Dot]. Not understanding the difference causes a lot of problems
But I'd say Dot is going way beyond most Christian's understanding of the NT. Because Dot says there can be forgiveness through love, no one has to die.
@@nathanwillardfilmmaker way beyond? I think Hawley uses Dot to uphold the basic teachings of Jesus. He's said in a few interviews the point of S05 is a search for a solution to the massive wedges in our society. Mainly the fact that a lot of folks are being told that it's a zero sum game...eye for an eye. It causes them to forget that one should "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."
Old testament is base...New teaches forgive...which is WAY harder.
There is at least a very vocal group of Christians (maybe not the majority) who believe penal substitutionary atonement is the gospel. They would believe we are forgiven only because Jesus was killed in our place - so the law of life for life still had to be satisfied. I don't see Dot saying that. But I absolutely agree we need to get past the zero-sum transactional game.
After a year Dot visits the cops grave and brings flowers. Then she asks, "Did he have a wife?"
So she never read her obituary or went to his funeral after he died trying to save her? That is not realistic in North Dakota.
Sorry tied for *SEASON 4* FOR THE BEST? That is a WHITE HOT take. I've just finished struggling through s4 on a rewatch again
Certainly, it's very close for me with season 4
Best season? It was good, not on S1’s level.