Do you think that Ole Munch was actually hundreds of years old? Or do you think he was just some guy that had some kind of mental illness and believed something that wasn't true? Let me know your thoughts below!
Hard to say really. I know it's fiction, but we can't really say what effect on our mental health would living for 500 years cause. I can imagine that a 500 year old human would be very different from an ordinary, average Joe.
Agreed. I've been keeping an eye on all the awards (sag, globes, etc) and was disappointed to see no noms for sam spreull. Yes, the character is a carbon copy of Coen baddys (Anton chigurh, Lorne malvo, geared grimsoned) but spreulls portrayal of a soul hell bent on destruction is amazing, perfectly tied up in the end
He is indeed 100's of years old. I think that is what the writers of this show wants the viewers to believe. The series has something in that...SEEMS unbelievable.....like Hanzee being Tripoli, or Aliens, and some say Malvo is the devil. Munch is 100's of years old.
That or he has mental health issues dreaming of Viking grandeur yada yada yada. In episode 2&3 you see him covered in black goo roaring like a beast was all his imagination. Every season has a weirdo character but Ole definitely takes top prize. He's basically Anton in no country for old men.
@@jonfreeman9682 Anton had no mercy for anyone. Munch believed in a fair fight as witnessed by letting the "tiger" out of the cage and revenge for the old lady.
I think Olé Munch was hundreds of years old. At the end he confesses the truth ( without going into detail) and Dot says " you need to eat something made with love and your sins will be forgiven. With that, Dot gives him the bisquit (bread) to eat as communion. He took in the body of christ and felt the holy spirit and that is why he was so happy at the end. He thought he was beyond redemption and the lord forgave him and granted him peace.
I liked the Ole Munch character a lot because he was so mysterious. Whenever he appeared in a scene, I could feel the tension, but never knew what was going to happen. The idea of Ole Munch being mentally ill never entered my mind for some reason, but it makes sense. He could be a deranged, university history professor, but I think I prefer never knowing the answer, for sure.
same! I agree...the series seems to have things in it that seems supernatural or unbelievable.....like Malvo being the devil, the aliens, Hanzee becoming Tripoli....It is a series that doesnt take itselt seriously, while taking itself seriously.
You forgot to mention that the man never appeared in security footage from the gas station. Not to mention how quick he disappeared when he wants. So i guess he’s trully what seemed to be the mythical demi human character in Fargo series that connected to the bible, folktale or some shits just like Malvo
I like the idea that he is a mix of a reincarnation of himself since the day of his original “curse”, paired with some obvious mental illness because how could you not be mentally deranged when you are stuck reliving centuries of that horrid past over and over again. Most importantly he serves as the living embodiment of debt and he behaves accordingly. An eye for any eye regardless what your reasons may be. That is, Until Dot breaks his curse with a biscuit made with love basically getting through his rigid code and reaching his long buried humanity and thus he comes full circle. so hopefully this is the last reincarnation cycle he has to live through and he can eventually die in peace?
Ole had my attention the whole season but as with any Cohen brothers production, it begs the question “What does it mean and who cares?” Sam Spruell was phenomenal. I hope he gets bigger parts after this.
You didnt cover anything about the old alcoholic woman. He protected her from her abusive son and she was a big part of his motivation for what he did to tje sheriff's son.
He was also Brenin Llwyd, a mythical welsh figure that was surrounded in a cloaked mist and preyed on unwary travelers. Just as he did in the final episode, appearing and dissapearing at will from the mist. I believe he was also a black dog, both malevolent and protector, in exchange for his board he protected the elderly woman. He sold his soul for the meal, allowed himself to become demonic, he wandered the earth making deals as the devil, and in the final episode he regained his soul and humanity. Lorne Malvo was the devil, he enoyed inflicting suffering on others and enjoyed trickery. Munch lost his humanity and soul and became a demon, in the end he was able to regain his soul.
For our purposes I'm not sure it matters if he's really supernatural or just delusional because HE believes in his curse. This was his reality & Dorothy found the puzzles solution with human kindness....
This season of Fargo was brilliant with richly drawn characters from top to bottom. Not unlike other seasons the supernatural nature of Munch added to the richness of the story.
Ole Munch is such a great written character played by an amazing actor & the ending for me was incredibly funny to me. Imagine to live that long and never have a honey drop biscuit. 😂
Nice presentation, but I wouldn't reduce Munch to psychology and mental illness. It's also not hard to believe that, given his sin-eating history and rigid code that had no room for forgiveness, he could wander the world for centuries without ever experiencing "normal" socialization. I see him as S5's supernatural component, a vehicle through which a refreshingly non-nihilistic, traditional (even religious) message could be conveyed at the end. Sometimes Minnesota Nice is exactly that.
Another thing you forgot to mention is that he said he came to this new land on a boat with 12 people using oars, it rained so hard that most of them drowned where they sat, he didn't though, he survived like always, just like when the tribes were wiped out he witnessed the deaths but survived, he is immortal.
One correction. I don’t think he cared for money, as he left the bag of cash in the car. I imagine his interest was originally that he believed Roy that Nadine owed him due to vows and such. I think learning Roy’s nature made him change his interest in the ordeal.
Could it have more about his self proclaimed “code”? He didn’t care about the $ or the people, but he did have a “code”: a debt owed, must be a debt paid.
@labethspain7936 that’s the only explanation that holds water. He doesn’t live with any need for money or possessions. He just exists with his code. He enforces his balance- more like a force of nature than a person.
@@Killthebatman87 I watched "reservation dogs" before watching all of fargo and the actor plays a sheriff deputy that is the exact opposite of hanzee. Weird to watch him play something so different back to back. He did a great job though very intense
Consider this linkage: Munch was modeled in some degree after Gaer Grimshue in the movie. That actor was Peter Stormare. Peter Stormare also played in another Cohen Brothers movie called the Big Lebowski. His character in that movie was named Ole Kunkel, and he was a nihilist. There are also elements of the character Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. That movie was also directed by the Cohen Brothers…
Good commentary. I wouldn't think we'd be shown a "flashback" to Munch's life in the 1500's if it were just his imagination. Dot's dream which seemed real at first became increasingly surreal even with the addition of puppets and waking up in the diner made it clear it was imagination.
In terms of Munch not moving on with the times "There's a .38 in the glove compartment" and then he racks a submachine gun. He is contemporaneous with those things he needs to be. He can drive a car.
There was an episode of The Twilight Zone about a sin eater. Apparently it was something people actually did. He was 500 years old but didn't look a day over 400 😉
I interpreted the flashback as an ancestral figure. By the way, in his final scene, it bothered me when he acted like he had never eaten before. During his stay with the old lady, he specifically asked her for pancakes. It's a small inconsistency, but it did stand out to me.
I agree, no 'joy.' Although, when Munch calls the old lady 'mother' and kills her son to defend her and blinds Joe to avenge her, was that not love? The old lady also fought off Joe for breaking into Munch's car. I respect your interpretation though. ♥
Though there are cases of sin eaters eating the sins of the rich for money, there was also a tradition of the closest relative of the deceased eating their sins so he could come from a long line of sin eaters. He also felt at home with the Native American tribes he mentioned because they also practice something very similar to Welsh sin eating. It’s just brilliant writing and research to take little quirks from history and turn them in to a fully rounded character
I've met a guy similar to him. Actually he's still here in my hometown in Eastern Macedonia in Greece. He was around during the Ottoman occupation of Greece. I know it's impossible to believe me cause i, myself find it impossible. Nevertheless it's true.
To me, being Eastern European, Ole Munch character in Fargo S5, is like a fine seasoning in a tasty dish. I subscribed to Hulu just to watch this series and it was damn worth it. A man likes what he is seeing. Hopefully season six is in the making. I'm hooked.
I think he was indeed 100s of years old. Seems he got accidentally possessed at this sin eater gig. I think it was same deal with Malvo from season 1. Except ole was just isolated and lonely. He seemed to just want to be part of a group. But felt scared because he tried before and everyone always dies but him. Like I think he actually showed up at Dotys after so long because he just wanted to check on her. I think the interactions with the Roy group was the longest human interaction he had in a long time. He prob didn’t even realize it himself. Malvo seeming had been consistently interacting because he thought hurting humans was fun. Feels like if they were both possessed in some way Malvo seeked out his demon Ole was duped.
I saw a video the other day where this guy from New Zealand has been living in Japan for the past 60 years. I thought it was interesting because his English still sounded like he was from the '60s. So I can see that being the case for this guy if he hasn't had that much human interaction over the centuries.
I love that there was a bit of Jack Torrance to this man. They played some music from The Shining in episode 2, a man who slowly decends into madness and murder along the way. But unlike Jack he was mysterious. He also had a slight of Lorne Malvo in him, a man who might not be a man but a demon or devil who goes around causing destruction and death along the way. However, what is unique is they redeemed Ole Munch which I thought was a fantastic new direction in Fargo.
He had lot of similarities with Yuri Gurka and V.M. Varga from season 3 : mystery character that feels like a fantasy villain. All those were of course inspired by Anton Chigur from No Country For Old Man.
I seem to be running across this question a lot lately in books and film and TV. Does it matter really whether he is or isn't? It's kind of a beautiful commentary on the world we live in right now. Post factual. We all can't agree on whether the earth is round or not. How can we agree on anything? 2 + 2 = 5 if you believe it firmly enough. Heh. Fargo holds up a mirror to our own lives and insecurities, like all good art. Loved the season.
I realized watching this that Dot went from being Munch's victim to being his true savior as she gently guided him away from his brutal demands and allowed him to forgive the debt and his own sin. He began as a sin eater and was reborn when he washed the blood from his hands and ate the bread of love given to him by dot. I loved how as Munch got wound up about his mission someone in the family would distract him with some happy little comment or anecdote. It was quite charming and beautiful.
This is Fargo where we have an assassin who is akin with the Devil in season 1, a UFO in season 2 and a ghost in season 4. The great thing is all these supernatural visitations are hinted at and are complimentary to the plot. Just go with the flow. Looking forward to season 6. I only wish they could loosely tie season 6 to a previous season or the film.
I think he’s a great parallel to Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character, who too takes on peoples debts, but in a modern way and giving her power, not being crushed by it. Hmmmmm
I believe he was a viking, 100s of years old. Fargo always has a character or happenening that is greatly out of place. Lorne Malvo, Varga, the guy with the kitten in the bowling alley, the aliens. Theres always a crazed character out of place in some way.
The last scene has a lot of parallels with Catholic Sacraments, he even eats the Communion bread. In the Wales flashback a priest curse him with eating sin, and in the end Dot saves him by eating love.
I love the fact that the creator of the show came out and said that he actually is immortal and didn’t take the “he’s just crazy” safe route. I love when a show allows itself to be weird and makes its own rules…which is kinda the Fargo thing so idk why anyone would assume different tbh
I'm writing as a big fan of the Fargo and as a Scandinavian. I find the TV show both entertaining and enriching. Unfortunately, I don't think your interpretation of Ole Munch hits the mark entirely. Ole Munch is placed in Fargo to be able to tell on a meta level about some very fundamental existential issues. About guilt and redemption. Concepts deeply rooted in Christianity, but playing different roles at different times. Fargo is also a comedy and freely relates to the real world. Don't get me wrong, Fargo is entertaining whether you look at the meta-narrative or just follow the drama. That's what makes me love the show. When Ole Munch talks about his voyage to the new world in 'longboats,' the script is playing with the idea that he lived in prehistoric times. I believe that's just part of the play and the comedy. The first name Ole is a historically Danish name and the last name Munch is to day most known from (anxiety) 'the scream,' 😱a work by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. I interpret it as the series' playful game with references on a relatively high abstract level! I am so pleased 🤩
If I have to be honest the way he talks in episode one is not the same as the rest of the season. Also he was never hired at the beginning by Roy or Gator. That was the guy in the toilet he just brought him along to help.
There are two points of comparison that I'd like to point out. Firstly, there are a number of similarities between Ole Munch and Anton Chigurh from "No Country For Old Men". Chigurh moves through that world as if he were the Angel of Death, espousing a nihilistic ethos of time & chance ("If the rule which you live by brought to this end, of what use was the rule?"), described by Carson as having no sense of humor. Both men sport odd haircuts, strange & indistinct mannerisms of a vaguely European origin, and speak as little as possible. They are also ruthless killers who stubbornly survive repeated brushes with death. But where Chigurh meets his match in Carla Jean Moss, he simply kills her to settle his account with Llewellyn; while Ole Munch quickly comes to regard Dot Lyon as a worthy adversary and openly aids her. And that brings me to the other reference that stood out to me. Moreso than anything else, Fargo Season 5 reminds me of the old Icelandic Sagas, especially the Brennu-Njál, the Story of Njall Burnt Alive. A local dispute spirals into a vicious bloodfeud, climaxing in the murder of the titular Njall and sparking all out war across northern Europe. At the end of the saga, the last two members of the feuding parties encounter one another when taking shelter from a bad storm: wordlessly, they stay up all night, but they silently break bread. By sharing the basic hospitality of food and shelter during a snowstorm, they have wordlessly forgiven one another, the war is over and they can both arrange for a final settlement. Dot's little final speech about the biscuit reminds me of how the Brennu-Njál ends: "It feels like that, I know. What they do to us, make us swallow. Like it's our fault. But you want to know the cure? You got to eat something made with love and joy, and be forgiven."
What Noah Hawley and the other writers for the series have done is brilliant. They draw from the well of the original movie. Characters from the original became archetypes for characters in the series. Ole Munch is the analog of large, blond partner to Steve Buscemi's "funny looking" criminal. This is the comedic genius of the writers: Peter Stormare, who played the original, is a Swedish actor who cannot shake his accent like his fellow Swedish actors can (the Skarsgards to name a few), and they wrote in an origin story for the accent. Wales, by way of Norse lands. Munch recalls coming to the New World on a long ship with men toiling at the oars. Such a wonderful character.
He was V.M. Varga's son who suffered from delusions nothing more. Great season would love to see Jennifer Jason Leigh win an emmy for this as well as this Ole Munch character, my two favorites this season.
Physically, obviously he cannot be over 100 y/o, but even if he has a mental illness, I'm very happy that Dot and family gave him the resolution / salvation that he seeks. The shared bread / meal at a proper table, the prayer, the handwashing, the soda in glass bottles and clinking them - all are symbols that give him peace.
We need one more episode on this. Wink has been dead about 4 months, ostensibly from alcoholism. Lorraine goes to Wayne and Dot's for Sunday lunch. She meets Ole Munch. She wants to be repulsed by his haircut, his manner of dress, his speech habits... Lorraine wants to slash Ole with her venomous tongue but instead she offers him a job as the new chief of collections. That evening Lorraine ask Munch to see her to the car because she heard there was once a kidnapping in this neighborhood. Inside, Dot and Wayne are snickering with each other because they recognized Lorraine's sexual tension. Lorraine has coaxed Ole Munch into the backseat and they're making out like freshmen...
“An ominous dark edge” 😅 You could say that about most comedians. Munch was at least a murderous sociopath who killed to send messages and struck out gators eyes while he pleaded and screamed. His code had some balance so I’d say - an extremely dark character with a neutral edge. And what about his ritual? It seemed like he thought he was made invisible. And it worked. No one saw him enter or leave. ? Madness or genius? Was he a Druid? Last thought. He was extremely skilled with weapons and strategy and wasn’t killed. If he had delusions of grandeur he would have been hopeless.
I think the pancakes “mama” made him were made with fear because if they were made with love, like the biscuits he and Dot made, he would’ve been set free already. That, or she didn’t make him the pancakes.
Couldn't place his modern day accent in the show, but it's interesting that his character in post-medieval Wales had a Welsh accent. (I mean if we ignore the idea of people in rural Wales in 1522 speaking English...) I guess it's possible there's a Connor McLeod thing going on - lived in so many places that the accent is a bit screwed up.
Great video. One thing I don’t get is why Ula made himself available as a hit man for hire before the story begins. Maybe he has accepted he’s a bad person because (at least in his mind) he’s been carrying the sins of others for centuries. I don’t get how Roy’s crew found Ula and hired him. Did Ula put an ad in Craigslist? Not likely.
The answer is simple and quite obvious if you think about it. Moonk is a Hilander😅 Come on. It's been staring us right in the face. He's got a kilt for God's sake.🤣
Male aggression being subdued by the “mother”. Man destroys and woman creates and nurtures. What a beautiful, metaphorical ending. Gives one hope for the future, methinks.
One thing that stands out to me is a little unclear is how Munch murdered innocent people in this season, and that doesn't seem to be part of his code. So why is he so dogmatic about it later in the season?
I believe Ole Munch was centuries old because of clues in his background. He has a generic Germanic name and accent. The English and Spanish did not row to North America, but the Scandinavians (Vikings) did. It seems like he outlived other whites and lived among Natives. The tribal names he gave were very widely dispersed but most were in the deep west way farther than whites would go for hundreds of years. My evidence for this is that he was here before the musket, but the Europeans came here with matchlock muskets. This means he was in the Americas long before the Columbus expedition and therefor means he could only have been a Viking. I have no idea how he ended up back in Britain, but he was wearing a kilt and we must remember that there was a lot of ibtermarriage between Norwegians and Scots. Several Scottish clans were even founded by Viking men and names like Norris are Norse. I can imagine he went back to Norway and found himself in Scotland. Scotland and Wales often ended up with each others outlaws, so this is plausible - especially since it was outlaws that were often sin eaters. Then somehow he ended up back in America. Really his life could be a story by itself.
I think the actors interpretation (that there isn't one Munch, but a long line of Munchs) best explains Munch's belief in repaying debts/what he symbolizes as a character. Insurmountable generational debt causes the people born into it to internalize that debt is their fault and must be repaid, even if they had nothing to do with it. Munch believes he is Munch Prime (MP), because the system of debt that controls MP considers his descendants as essentially MP as well, so Present Munch (PM) takes on the belief of the system that he is MP, and he uhhh umm thinks he has the memory of every Munch because the Munch before him taught PM the Munch History (MH) but fuck uh PM doesn't remember that Munch because he sees himself and every one in his family as MP. Check and mate Mr. Hawley
Ole was a time traveler. Either he walked through a time warp or was kidnapped by higher intelligence and placed in the future. Think of the TV show Outlander.
Where in the KJV Bible does it say eye for an eye? Matthew 5:38-40 KJV Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Your over thinking it. He was 500 yrs old, his life sleepless, no dreams, he had no hunger, no death. Until he was shown and tasted love. It fiction, not a therapy session.
I think we need to take what the show says at face value, in regards to these weird, supernatural-type scenarios. It's not as if supernatural things are alien to the series. Both Malvo and Varga might be the devil in human form, for instance - they are at the very least the embodiment of pure evil, but the show does imply that they are something more than just bad men. In season-2 a UFO appears. In season 3, there's a dude who might also be immortal, who walks the earth delving out righteous judgment to bad people in bowling alleys, and giving advice to good people.
Do you think that Ole Munch was actually hundreds of years old? Or do you think he was just some guy that had some kind of mental illness and believed something that wasn't true? Let me know your thoughts below!
Yeah that dude was def a 500 year old sineater not some wacko
@@gerryfegan3608 the wiki has not confirmed that he is immortal? 4:20
@@filmunion8194 were going by wiki facts?
Hard to say really. I know it's fiction, but we can't really say what effect on our mental health would living for 500 years cause. I can imagine that a 500 year old human would be very different from an ordinary, average Joe.
100's of years old.
A man watches Fargo and enjoys it very much.
Haha!
😂😂
A man is very grateful.
🤘🤘💪💪
He didn't Twilight Zone and teased, butchered, and deserted it. I watch very infrequently and unsubscribe on the reg.
"Have you seen a guy walking around here wearing a dress with a three stooges haircut?"
Great line lmao. Also love Hamm asking “is that even really his name? Ole Munch?”
It’s a kilt. Scots don’t play.
@@kisslena You really shouldn't be commenting if you haven't watched the episode where that line was said.
Best line ever, still laughing about it days after , brilliant writing.
Munch was brilliantly performed by Sam Spruell - an actor I hadn’t come across before. Deserves a good few awards.
Yeah he was one of the best things about this season!
Agreed. I've been keeping an eye on all the awards (sag, globes, etc) and was disappointed to see no noms for sam spreull. Yes, the character is a carbon copy of Coen baddys (Anton chigurh, Lorne malvo, geared grimsoned) but spreulls portrayal of a soul hell bent on destruction is amazing, perfectly tied up in the end
He was good in luther aswell
@@Igottape3 That’s good to hear. I haven’t seen Luther.
his character was so layered and rich and interesting. and the way he truly had respect for Dot, was a beautiful thing.
Yeah he was such a well written character!
Yeah right up to the point he wanted to kill her to complete the contract 😀😀I liked his character.
@@trkyrk he felt it his duty to finish the job, until Dot explained there was another way. I don’t feel he really wanted to kill her…
He's a copy of Anton in no country for old men. Complete with the bowl haircut but spouts more weirdo jibberish.
@@jonfreeman9682+1
Love this character, he’s such a classic F A R G O wild card
He is indeed 100's of years old. I think that is what the writers of this show wants the viewers to believe. The series has something in that...SEEMS unbelievable.....like Hanzee being Tripoli, or Aliens, and some say Malvo is the devil. Munch is 100's of years old.
Theres more evidence pointing to him being insane, a person who lived through time wouldn’t look at new age technology so weirdly
That or he has mental health issues dreaming of Viking grandeur yada yada yada. In episode 2&3 you see him covered in black goo roaring like a beast was all his imagination. Every season has a weirdo character but Ole definitely takes top prize. He's basically Anton in no country for old men.
@@jonfreeman9682 Anton had no mercy for anyone. Munch believed in a fair fight as witnessed by letting the "tiger" out of the cage and revenge for the old lady.
Your American brain cant comprehend.. medievel times were in 1000 - 1400 AC .. he is literally more than 700 years old .. if not older
@@xRob 700 years is 100s of years. 100s of years means 200 - 900 .
I think Olé Munch was hundreds of years old. At the end he confesses the truth ( without going into detail) and Dot says " you need to eat something made with love and your sins will be forgiven. With that, Dot gives him the bisquit (bread) to eat as communion. He took in the body of christ and felt the holy spirit and that is why he was so happy at the end. He thought he was beyond redemption and the lord forgave him and granted him peace.
Yes!
I liked the Ole Munch character a lot because he was so mysterious. Whenever he appeared in a scene, I could feel the tension, but never knew what was going to happen. The idea of Ole Munch being mentally ill never entered my mind for some reason, but it makes sense. He could be a deranged, university history professor, but I think I prefer never knowing the answer, for sure.
the rage he expressed when discovering his landlady died was CREEPY. i hope this guy gets an award. my favorite character this season, easily
Interesting theory but i think he is the super natural element to which makes Fargo the great quirky show that we love. Great video BrainPilot !
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video!
same! I agree...the series seems to have things in it that seems supernatural or unbelievable.....like Malvo being the devil, the aliens, Hanzee becoming Tripoli....It is a series that doesnt take itselt seriously, while taking itself seriously.
@@Mercenary-1914 exactly 👍
Starting with the caged lion....
Other than S2 what super natural elements are you talking about?
You forgot to mention that the man never appeared in security footage from the gas station. Not to mention how quick he disappeared when he wants. So i guess he’s trully what seemed to be the mythical demi human character in Fargo series that connected to the bible, folktale or some shits just like Malvo
I think he is the supernatural element in this season. There is always one, right?
Is there? I don't recall one in the others?
@@BlackburryTVufo in season 2, ghost pirate guys season 4
@@calvin9630 I gotta go back and look at those
Not just supernatural, Hanzee is Tripoli. I have also heard Malvo is actually the Devil.
@@BlackburryTV season three had the Devil speaking to that girl in the bowling alley/diner. I forgot who that actor was.
I like the idea that he is a mix of a reincarnation of himself since the day of his original “curse”, paired with some obvious mental illness because how could you not be mentally deranged when you are stuck reliving centuries of that horrid past over and over again. Most importantly he serves as the living embodiment of debt and he behaves accordingly. An eye for any eye regardless what your reasons may be. That is, Until Dot breaks his curse with a biscuit made with love basically getting through his rigid code and reaching his long buried humanity and thus he comes full circle. so hopefully this is the last reincarnation cycle he has to live through and he can eventually die in peace?
That's a cool way of looking at it!
Good analysis 👍!
The never ending cycle. Forced to be reincarnated and to hold those memories forevermore.
Ole had my attention the whole season but as with any Cohen brothers production, it begs the question “What does it mean and who cares?” Sam Spruell was phenomenal. I hope he gets bigger parts after this.
You didnt cover anything about the old alcoholic woman. He protected her from her abusive son and she was a big part of his motivation for what he did to tje sheriff's son.
Wondered that too ~ @ 1st thought he may have been his mother, but realized she was only a “symbol” of her
This. That breaks his entire narrative.
Yes, it seems each character is either abusive, dismissive or takes advantage of women all or 3. OR they work to protect women.
Amazing performance by Spruell. Totally captivating, single focused and intense.
Yeah he was so good! Hopefully this elevates His career even more
I want to see Spruell meet with Anthony Hopkins and Javier Bardem. The bad ass actors trifecta right there.
He was also Brenin Llwyd, a mythical welsh figure that was surrounded in a cloaked mist and preyed on unwary travelers. Just as he did in the final episode, appearing and dissapearing at will from the mist. I believe he was also a black dog, both malevolent and protector, in exchange for his board he protected the elderly woman. He sold his soul for the meal, allowed himself to become demonic, he wandered the earth making deals as the devil, and in the final episode he regained his soul and humanity.
Lorne Malvo was the devil, he enoyed inflicting suffering on others and enjoyed trickery. Munch lost his humanity and soul and became a demon, in the end he was able to regain his soul.
He was literally a sin eater, which was a normal job in medieval times 😂
For our purposes I'm not sure it matters if he's really supernatural or just delusional because HE believes in his curse. This was his reality & Dorothy found the puzzles solution with human kindness....
Ole Munch & V.M Varga.. The most mysterious characters on the silver screen🤌🏽
These are tv shows
Ole is a Danish form of Olaf, from Áleifr, meaning "descendent of the ancestors", from anu, "ancestor", and leifr "descendent"
This season of Fargo was brilliant with richly drawn characters from top to bottom. Not unlike other seasons the supernatural nature of Munch added to the richness of the story.
Ole Munch is such a great written character played by an amazing actor & the ending for me was incredibly funny to me. Imagine to live that long and never have a honey drop biscuit. 😂
Such an amazing character
my favorite character in all of the Fargoverse.
Yeah he was great!
Mine is probably V.M Varga. But I love them all .
@@mrdeathamoregod Varga gives me nightmares still 🤣
He's a character who should be showing up in other series
Yeah I'd love that, if he was the connection moving forward
That last 20 minutes was the best 20 minutes of television that has ever been aired.
Best Fargo season yet.
Yeah this was a great season of Fargo!
He pronounced his name "O-lah Moonk".
Nice presentation, but I wouldn't reduce Munch to psychology and mental illness. It's also not hard to believe that, given his sin-eating history and rigid code that had no room for forgiveness, he could wander the world for centuries without ever experiencing "normal" socialization. I see him as S5's supernatural component, a vehicle through which a refreshingly non-nihilistic, traditional (even religious) message could be conveyed at the end. Sometimes Minnesota Nice is exactly that.
Another thing you forgot to mention is that he said he came to this new land on a boat with 12 people using oars, it rained so hard that most of them drowned where they sat, he didn't though, he survived like always, just like when the tribes were wiped out he witnessed the deaths but survived, he is immortal.
We’ll never know about Ole, but his ending was beautiful, so it doesn’t matter to me.
That's fair! It's a nice way to put it
One correction. I don’t think he cared for money, as he left the bag of cash in the car. I imagine his interest was originally that he believed Roy that Nadine owed him due to vows and such. I think learning Roy’s nature made him change his interest in the ordeal.
Could it have more about his self proclaimed “code”? He didn’t care about the $ or the people, but he did have a “code”: a debt owed, must be a debt paid.
@@labethspain7936 aye like he wanted a transaction more than anything
@labethspain7936 that’s the only explanation that holds water. He doesn’t live with any need for money or possessions. He just exists with his code. He enforces his balance- more like a force of nature than a person.
@@stairmasternem 👍
@@mattcheshire2002ify 👍
He is a truly complex and interesting character. I wonder how he would have fit in in other seasons? Like him vs Lorne Malvo.
or go up against V. M. Varga
or Hanzee Dent
I would like to see him and Mr wrench
@Killthebatman87 oh yes, Varga the man whose gluttonous vs Munch who is forced to be a sin eater and can't enjoy food otherwise.
@@Killthebatman87 I watched "reservation dogs" before watching all of fargo and the actor plays a sheriff deputy that is the exact opposite of hanzee. Weird to watch him play something so different back to back. He did a great job though very intense
Sam Spruell definitely deserved/deserves a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination for supporting actor. Great performance!
Yeah he was so good in this role!
Excellent
Nah
every season of fargo has a weird elemento or a strange character that doesn't make any sense but at the same time provides a cool twist
Yeah! Ole was definitely an interesting one!
In episode 3 we can see Ole Munch reading and eating a page out of the Bible which means that he did have some familierty with it.
Yeah digesting the pages of something will certainly give you familiarity with it. 🤔
Consider this linkage: Munch was modeled in some degree after Gaer Grimshue in the movie. That actor was Peter Stormare. Peter Stormare also played in another Cohen Brothers movie called the Big Lebowski. His character in that movie was named Ole Kunkel, and he was a nihilist.
There are also elements of the character Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. That movie was also directed by the Cohen Brothers…
Yup
Good commentary. I wouldn't think we'd be shown a "flashback" to Munch's life in the 1500's if it were just his imagination.
Dot's dream which seemed real at first became increasingly surreal even with the addition of puppets and waking up in the diner made it clear it was imagination.
In terms of Munch not moving on with the times "There's a .38 in the glove compartment" and then he racks a submachine gun. He is contemporaneous with those things he needs to be. He can drive a car.
True true, that's fair
Which could mean he is a modern person who knows modern things and behaves like an anachronism. @@BrainPilot
There was an episode of The Twilight Zone about a sin eater. Apparently it was something people actually did. He was 500 years old but didn't look a day over 400 😉
I don't remember that one and I'm a big TZ fan. Was it in the original series or one of the sequels?
@@angelaraber I'm not sure now. It was about a sin eater who died and they convinced someone to eat the sins of the sin eater. It was heavy!
@@angelaraber I was wrong. It was an episode of Night Gallery.
I interpreted the flashback as an ancestral figure. By the way, in his final scene, it bothered me when he acted like he had never eaten before. During his stay with the old lady, he specifically asked her for pancakes. It's a small inconsistency, but it did stand out to me.
He had never eaten anything that was "made with love and joy" he believed he was cursed from eating "sin" hundreds of years ago.
I agree, no 'joy.' Although, when Munch calls the old lady 'mother' and kills her son to defend her and blinds Joe to avenge her, was that not love? The old lady also fought off Joe for breaking into Munch's car. I respect your interpretation though. ♥
Though there are cases of sin eaters eating the sins of the rich for money, there was also a tradition of the closest relative of the deceased eating their sins so he could come from a long line of sin eaters. He also felt at home with the Native American tribes he mentioned because they also practice something very similar to Welsh sin eating. It’s just brilliant writing and research to take little quirks from history and turn them in to a fully rounded character
Ole: Old Testament. Dot: New Testament (kick ass version).
I've met a guy similar to him. Actually he's still here in my hometown in Eastern Macedonia in Greece. He was around during the Ottoman occupation of Greece. I know it's impossible to believe me cause i, myself find it impossible. Nevertheless it's true.
To me, being Eastern European, Ole Munch character in Fargo S5, is like a fine seasoning in a tasty dish. I subscribed to Hulu just to watch this series and it was damn worth it. A man likes what he is seeing. Hopefully season six is in the making. I'm hooked.
Each season has a supernatural, Munch was the one for this season.
The flashback scene might be showing that sin eaters exist not just himself
Very true! More out there
I think he was indeed 100s of years old. Seems he got accidentally possessed at this sin eater gig. I think it was same deal with Malvo from season 1. Except ole was just isolated and lonely. He seemed to just want to be part of a group. But felt scared because he tried before and everyone always dies but him. Like I think he actually showed up at Dotys after so long because he just wanted to check on her. I think the interactions with the Roy group was the longest human interaction he had in a long time. He prob didn’t even realize it himself. Malvo seeming had been consistently interacting because he thought hurting humans was fun. Feels like if they were both possessed in some way Malvo seeked out his demon Ole was duped.
I saw a video the other day where this guy from New Zealand has been living in Japan for the past 60 years. I thought it was interesting because his English still sounded like he was from the '60s. So I can see that being the case for this guy if he hasn't had that much human interaction over the centuries.
I love that there was a bit of Jack Torrance to this man. They played some music from The Shining in episode 2, a man who slowly decends into madness and murder along the way.
But unlike Jack he was mysterious.
He also had a slight of Lorne Malvo in him, a man who might not be a man but a demon or devil who goes around causing destruction and death along the way.
However, what is unique is they redeemed Ole Munch which I thought was a fantastic new direction in Fargo.
Loved this episode and your explanation. He was nearly 600 years old in his mind. Who is to say he wasn’t?
Thanks! And yeah it's true. Thought I'd put an alternative option in the video as well as it could well be a possibility!
He had lot of similarities with Yuri Gurka and V.M. Varga from season 3 : mystery character that feels like a fantasy villain. All those were of course inspired by Anton Chigur from No Country For Old Man.
I seem to be running across this question a lot lately in books and film and TV. Does it matter really whether he is or isn't? It's kind of a beautiful commentary on the world we live in right now. Post factual. We all can't agree on whether the earth is round or not. How can we agree on anything? 2 + 2 = 5 if you believe it firmly enough. Heh. Fargo holds up a mirror to our own lives and insecurities, like all good art. Loved the season.
Chill lol it’s a tv show
I realized watching this that Dot went from being Munch's victim to being his true savior as she gently guided him away from his brutal demands and allowed him to forgive the debt and his own sin. He began as a sin eater and was reborn when he washed the blood from his hands and ate the bread of love given to him by dot.
I loved how as Munch got wound up about his mission someone in the family would distract him with some happy little comment or anecdote. It was quite charming and beautiful.
This is Fargo where we have an assassin who is akin with the Devil in season 1, a UFO in season 2 and a ghost in season 4.
The great thing is all these supernatural visitations are hinted at and are complimentary to the plot.
Just go with the flow. Looking forward to season 6. I only wish they could loosely tie season 6 to a previous season or the film.
I think he’s a great parallel to Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character, who too takes on peoples debts, but in a modern way and giving her power, not being crushed by it. Hmmmmm
Yeah definitely!
I believe he was a viking, 100s of years old. Fargo always has a character or happenening that is greatly out of place. Lorne Malvo, Varga, the guy with the kitten in the bowling alley, the aliens. Theres always a crazed character out of place in some way.
The last scene has a lot of parallels with Catholic Sacraments, he even eats the Communion bread. In the Wales flashback a priest curse him with eating sin, and in the end Dot saves him by eating love.
I love the fact that the creator of the show came out and said that he actually is immortal and didn’t take the “he’s just crazy” safe route. I love when a show allows itself to be weird and makes its own rules…which is kinda the Fargo thing so idk why anyone would assume different tbh
I'm writing as a big fan of the Fargo and as a Scandinavian. I find the TV show both entertaining and enriching. Unfortunately, I don't think your interpretation of Ole Munch hits the mark entirely. Ole Munch is placed in Fargo to be able to tell on a meta level about some very fundamental existential issues. About guilt and redemption. Concepts deeply rooted in Christianity, but playing different roles at different times. Fargo is also a comedy and freely relates to the real world. Don't get me wrong, Fargo is entertaining whether you look at the meta-narrative or just follow the drama. That's what makes me love the show.
When Ole Munch talks about his voyage to the new world in 'longboats,' the script is playing with the idea that he lived in prehistoric times. I believe that's just part of the play and the comedy. The first name Ole is a historically Danish name and the last name Munch is to day most known from (anxiety) 'the scream,' 😱a work by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. I interpret it as the series' playful game with references on a relatively high abstract level! I am so pleased 🤩
If I have to be honest the way he talks in episode one is not the same as the rest of the season. Also he was never hired at the beginning by Roy or Gator. That was the guy in the toilet he just brought him along to help.
There are two points of comparison that I'd like to point out. Firstly, there are a number of similarities between Ole Munch and Anton Chigurh from "No Country For Old Men". Chigurh moves through that world as if he were the Angel of Death, espousing a nihilistic ethos of time & chance ("If the rule which you live by brought to this end, of what use was the rule?"), described by Carson as having no sense of humor. Both men sport odd haircuts, strange & indistinct mannerisms of a vaguely European origin, and speak as little as possible. They are also ruthless killers who stubbornly survive repeated brushes with death. But where Chigurh meets his match in Carla Jean Moss, he simply kills her to settle his account with Llewellyn; while Ole Munch quickly comes to regard Dot Lyon as a worthy adversary and openly aids her.
And that brings me to the other reference that stood out to me. Moreso than anything else, Fargo Season 5 reminds me of the old Icelandic Sagas, especially the Brennu-Njál, the Story of Njall Burnt Alive. A local dispute spirals into a vicious bloodfeud, climaxing in the murder of the titular Njall and sparking all out war across northern Europe. At the end of the saga, the last two members of the feuding parties encounter one another when taking shelter from a bad storm: wordlessly, they stay up all night, but they silently break bread. By sharing the basic hospitality of food and shelter during a snowstorm, they have wordlessly forgiven one another, the war is over and they can both arrange for a final settlement.
Dot's little final speech about the biscuit reminds me of how the Brennu-Njál ends: "It feels like that, I know. What they do to us, make us swallow. Like it's our fault. But you want to know the cure? You got to eat something made with love and joy, and be forgiven."
What Noah Hawley and the other writers for the series have done is brilliant. They draw from the well of the original movie. Characters from the original became archetypes for characters in the series. Ole Munch is the analog of large, blond partner to Steve Buscemi's "funny looking" criminal. This is the comedic genius of the writers: Peter Stormare, who played the original, is a Swedish actor who cannot shake his accent like his fellow Swedish actors can (the Skarsgards to name a few), and they wrote in an origin story for the accent. Wales, by way of Norse lands. Munch recalls coming to the New World on a long ship with men toiling at the oars. Such a wonderful character.
A man is grateful that the writers didn’t forget about their pen.
A man hopes that the writers find their pens soon and create season 6.
I feel like they will!
My fav season ... thanks for sharing your opinion
Mine too!
He was V.M. Varga's son who suffered from delusions nothing more. Great season would love to see Jennifer Jason Leigh win an emmy for this as well as this Ole Munch character, my two favorites this season.
Physically, obviously he cannot be over 100 y/o, but even if he has a mental illness, I'm very happy that Dot and family gave him the resolution / salvation that he seeks. The shared bread / meal at a proper table, the prayer, the handwashing, the soda in glass bottles and clinking them - all are symbols that give him peace.
I'm sure he based his voice on Werner Hertzog .....great character.
We need one more episode on this. Wink has been dead about 4 months, ostensibly from alcoholism. Lorraine goes to Wayne and Dot's for Sunday lunch. She meets Ole Munch. She wants to be repulsed by his haircut, his manner of dress, his speech habits... Lorraine wants to slash Ole with her venomous tongue but instead she offers him a job as the new chief of collections.
That evening Lorraine ask Munch to see her to the car because she heard there was once a kidnapping in this neighborhood.
Inside, Dot and Wayne are snickering with each other because they recognized Lorraine's sexual tension.
Lorraine has coaxed Ole Munch into the backseat and they're making out like freshmen...
He was the Wanderer but how they hired him as a killer is still a mystery.
thanks for the video
“An ominous dark edge” 😅
You could say that about most comedians.
Munch was at least a murderous sociopath who killed to send messages and struck out gators eyes while he pleaded and screamed. His code had some balance so I’d say - an extremely dark character with a neutral edge.
And what about his ritual? It seemed like he thought he was made invisible. And it worked. No one saw him enter or leave. ? Madness or genius? Was he a Druid?
Last thought. He was extremely skilled with weapons and strategy and wasn’t killed. If he had delusions of grandeur he would have been hopeless.
A very interesting character! He did like to eat as he asked that older lady to make him something (pancakes?). As to his age, who knows.
I think the pancakes “mama” made him were made with fear because if they were made with love, like the biscuits he and Dot made, he would’ve been set free already. That, or she didn’t make him the pancakes.
I live here now! Fantastic line.
One of the most iconic in the season!
Couldn't place his modern day accent in the show, but it's interesting that his character in post-medieval Wales had a Welsh accent. (I mean if we ignore the idea of people in rural Wales in 1522 speaking English...)
I guess it's possible there's a Connor McLeod thing going on - lived in so many places that the accent is a bit screwed up.
Great video.
One thing I don’t get is why Ula made himself available as a hit man for hire before the story begins. Maybe he has accepted he’s a bad person because (at least in his mind) he’s been carrying the sins of others for centuries.
I don’t get how Roy’s crew found Ula and hired him. Did Ula put an ad in Craigslist? Not likely.
They didn't find him, they found his partner (the one who was burned and eventually killed by a toilet), now how they found him idk lol
He was the Highlander and the biscuit was the prize allowing him to be mortal.
I think he’s a metaphor for what it’s like when you can’t let go or move forward. You are just stuck waiting for a debt to be paid.
That's a cool way to look at it!
Ok but where are the spoilers?
The answer is simple and quite obvious if you think about it. Moonk is a Hilander😅 Come on. It's been staring us right in the face. He's got a kilt for God's sake.🤣
Exactly. A sin-eater scene is in one of the Outlander (Scottish culture) books.
Male aggression being subdued by the “mother”. Man destroys and woman creates and nurtures. What a beautiful, metaphorical ending. Gives one hope for the future, methinks.
He's a Highlander! There can be only one!
One thing that stands out to me is a little unclear is how Munch murdered innocent people in this season, and that doesn't seem to be part of his code. So why is he so dogmatic about it later in the season?
What's a series without a dozen plotholes today!
@@docmccoy9813that’s not a plot hole. Learn what words mean
Ole Munch was a supernatural version of Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men).
I believe Ole Munch was centuries old because of clues in his background. He has a generic Germanic name and accent. The English and Spanish did not row to North America, but the Scandinavians (Vikings) did. It seems like he outlived other whites and lived among Natives. The tribal names he gave were very widely dispersed but most were in the deep west way farther than whites would go for hundreds of years. My evidence for this is that he was here before the musket, but the Europeans came here with matchlock muskets. This means he was in the Americas long before the Columbus expedition and therefor means he could only have been a Viking. I have no idea how he ended up back in Britain, but he was wearing a kilt and we must remember that there was a lot of ibtermarriage between Norwegians and Scots. Several Scottish clans were even founded by Viking men and names like Norris are Norse. I can imagine he went back to Norway and found himself in Scotland. Scotland and Wales often ended up with each others outlaws, so this is plausible - especially since it was outlaws that were often sin eaters. Then somehow he ended up back in America. Really his life could be a story by itself.
Best season ever of a top show.
I think the actors interpretation (that there isn't one Munch, but a long line of Munchs) best explains Munch's belief in repaying debts/what he symbolizes as a character. Insurmountable generational debt causes the people born into it to internalize that debt is their fault and must be repaid, even if they had nothing to do with it. Munch believes he is Munch Prime (MP), because the system of debt that controls MP considers his descendants as essentially MP as well, so Present Munch (PM) takes on the belief of the system that he is MP, and he uhhh umm thinks he has the memory of every Munch because the Munch before him taught PM the Munch History (MH) but fuck uh PM doesn't remember that Munch because he sees himself and every one in his family as MP. Check and mate Mr. Hawley
Ole was a time traveler. Either he walked through a time warp or was kidnapped by higher intelligence and placed in the future. Think of the TV show Outlander.
Pass the joint bro
Did you see how he killed Roy’s henchmen? That was some supernatural ish the way dude flew back towards him. He clearly isn’t just mentally ill imo
This is a true story…
They just say that bc it’s Fargo it’s not actually
@@calvin9630 that’s very disappointing
@@tiffangel420😂😂😂
For the record - "Eye for an eye" is from the Old Testament Hebrew bible, has nothing to do with Christianity.
Eye for a eye is old then that.
Odin would like that
Where in the KJV Bible does it say eye for an eye?
Matthew 5:38-40 KJV
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Your over thinking it. He was 500 yrs old, his life sleepless, no dreams, he had no hunger, no death. Until he was shown and tasted love. It fiction, not a therapy session.
Can you do Roy?
Pam sure can
I think we need to take what the show says at face value, in regards to these weird, supernatural-type scenarios. It's not as if supernatural things are alien to the series.
Both Malvo and Varga might be the devil in human form, for instance - they are at the very least the embodiment of pure evil, but the show does imply that they are something more than just bad men. In season-2 a UFO appears. In season 3, there's a dude who might also be immortal, who walks the earth delving out righteous judgment to bad people in bowling alleys, and giving advice to good people.
Fargo always nails that one character
100%! And this one was just perfect!
It would be interesting to start to connect the seasons together . Like season 1 and 3 with key characters.
Yeah that's true!
Fargo= One of the best series ever! 😎
And it's a great movie!
If it's possible that Ole was immortal, then there have to be more people out there like him.
That's true! I didn't think about it like that
"You would have imagined that he would have moved with the times, and not been stuck how he was"
Counterpoint: Any old person ive ever met lol.
I don’t know but he’s one of my favourite characters