Fargo season 5 episode 6 recap: Dot's backstory is revealed

Jennifer Jason Leigh and Richa Moorjani in Fargo
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Richa Moorjani in Fargo (Image credit: Michelle Faye/FX)

As the beginning of Fargo season 5 episode 6, Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm) is still seething after his meeting with Lorraine (Jennifer Jason Leigh). He waits outside a strip club called The Tender Trap in North Dakota. Vivian Dugger (Andrew Wheeler) and a couple of his friends stumble outside after a night of partying. Roy accosts Dugger and tells him he is not to sell the bank to Lorraine or even return her calls. Scared of Roy, Dugger agrees.

In Scandia, Olmstead (Richa Moorjani) makes breakfast for Scotty (Sienna King) while a voiceover of credit collection calls she keeps receiving plays. She opens the garage door where her husband Lars (Lukas Gage) is sleeping on the garage floor after practicing golf all night. When Olmstead tells Lars he needs to watch Scotty, Lars tells her he's unhappy; he wants a wife who will coddle him and take care of him, cooking and cleaning. She points out she works all the time because they're in debt so he can follow his dream, but that doesn't change his opinion. Olmstead just tells him to watch Scotty and leaves. 

Goodbye Seymore

At the Tillman Ranch, Gator (Joe Keery) steps out of a shack for a smoke. Inside, Roy's men are beating the stuffing out of Jordan Seymore (Steven McCarthy), thinking he's Wayne Lyon. 

In the main house, Roy sits in the kitchen, watching Donald Trump on the news as Karen (Rebecca Liddiard) cuts his hair. A commercial for Lyon Motors comes on, which features Wayne Lyon (David Rysdahl). Karen accidentally cuts Roy's ear, for which he backhands her across the face.

Gator comes in to tell Roy they have Dot's (Juno Temple) husband and he's ready to talk. Roy reminds him though that he is Nadine's husband. Roy goes out to the shed and sees Seymore, beaten to a pulp, yelling they got the wrong guy. Roy, instantly realizing Seymore is not Wayne, shoots him in the head. Bowman (Conrad Coates) and Gator argue over who is to blame for the mistake. Roy, irritated, tells Gator to get in the truck. They're going to pay the bogeyman, Ole Munch (Sam Spruell).

Connecting the dots

At the hospital, Olmstead takes a missing person report on Seymore. She notices Wayne's nametag on Seymore's door. The nurse tells Olmstead the FBI are downstairs questioning Wayne. Olmstead goes down to find agents Joaquin (Nick Gomez) and Meyer (Jessica Pohly). 

The agents question Wayne about Dot and the night of the fire. They tell Wayne Dot isn't who she says she is; she was married before. They say her husband was a bad man, so she ran away and then she found Wayne and married him. Wayne is having trouble processing what they're saying. Olmstead appears and tells Meyer and Joaquin she needs to speak to them about the case.

Over coffee, Meyer and Joaquin give Olmstead Dot's file and explain they want to use Dot to flip some of Roy's men so they can bring him down, so they need to find Dot. Olmstead says she will help them but only if they help Dot, the victim in the case.

Breaking the curse

Jon Hamm and Sam Spruell in Fargo

Jon Hamm and Sam Spruell in Fargo (Image credit: Michelle Faye/FX)

In North Dakota, Roy meets Ole Munch at a stockyard where he's buying some cattle. Gator wants Roy to solve the problem with a bullet, not a payoff, but Roy is convinced Ole Munch's curse is causing all his problems, from the election and what he will have to do to get Dot. So Roy pays Ole Munch what he wants so he'll lift the curse.

When Munch walks back to his car, Gator is leaning on it. Gator taunts him, trying to bully him. Gator puts a tracking device on Munch's car so he can hunt Munch down later.

Lorraine learns Dot's story

Back at Olmstead's home, Lars leaves Scotty alone while he goes to meet his "physical therapist." When Olmstead gets home and realizes Lars left Scotty alone and didn't feed her all day, she tells Scotty to get her stuff and takes her to Lorraine's house.

At her office, Lorraine receives a dress shirt with a "VD" monogram along with a silver star and a note that says, "Not on my watch." Lorraine instantly realizes the deal with Dugger is off because of Roy. 

When Olmstead brings Scotty to Lorraine's she gives her Dot's file. Olmstead stops holding back and calls Lorraine out for victim shaming Dot. Lorraine, who knows Olmstead is deep in debt, wants Olmstead to quit the police and come work for her.

At The Tender Trap, Dugger is getting a lap dance when Danish (David Foley) appears, handing him a phone with Lorraine on the other end. Lorraine tells Dugger she is bringing the full weight of the government down on him. His bank accounts are frozen and the SEC is raiding the bank as they speak. She also had his son expelled from college. She tells him death isn't the worst thing that can happen to him. Danish hangs up the phone and leaves.

Back at the house, Lorraine looks through Dot's file, which shows graphic photos of Dot beaten within an inch of her life. Lorraine is visibly shaken by what she sees. Will this make her more willing to help Dot? 

Fargo season 5 airs new episodes on Tuesdays on FX. They are available to stream on-demand on Hulu in the US the next day. The season streams on Prime Video in the UK, with new episodes each Wednesday.

Sonya Iryna

Sonya has been writing professionally for more than a decade and has degrees in New Media and Philosophy. Her work has appeared in a diverse array of sites including ReGen, The Washington Post, Culturess, Undead Walking and Final Girl. As a lifelong nerd she loves sci-fi, fantasy and horror TV and movies, as well as cultural documentaries. She is particularly interested in representation of marginalized groups in nerd culture and writes reviews and analysis with an intersectional POV. Some of her favorite shows include Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Sandman.