East/West (Fargo)
A black-and-white homage to The Wizard of Oz.
Judgefloro · Public domain
"East/West" is the ninth episode of Fargo's fourth season and the 39th installment overall. The episode was written by series creator Noah Hawley alongside Lee Edward Colston II, with Michael Uppendahl directing. It first aired on FX on November 15, 2020. Shot in black and white, the episode pays homage to *The Wizard of Oz*.
The season takes place in Kansas City, Missouri, from November 1950 to early 1951, following two crime syndicates fighting for underground control. One syndicate is led by Loy Cannon, a Black migrant from the Jim Crow South, whose group has a tense relationship with the Italian Kansas City mafia. In this episode, Rabbi and Satchel seek refuge in a boarding house in Liberal, Kansas, trying to avoid the hitman Calamita.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was watched by an estimated 0.82 million viewers and scored a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. Critics gave it positive reviews, many calling it the season's best. Praise focused on its cinematography, direction, character development, and originality.
**Plot**
The episode is entirely in black and white. Omie Sparkman has kidnapped a Fadda henchman named Aldo Abruzo, who reveals that Calamita is chasing Satchel and Rabbi to Liberal, Kansas. Omie stops at a gas station where the attendant says it's the only one around, meaning Calamita will eventually stop there. The attendant offers Omie a place to wait if he helps repaint the station. Omie releases Aldo from the trunk and orders him to help. During a break, Aldo tries to escape when a lone car arrives, forcing Omie to kill him. When the car pulls up, it turns out to be Calamita.
One day earlier, Rabbi drives Satchel to safety in Liberal. They stay at a boarding house split into "East" and "West" sections by its two feuding sisters. Rabbi chooses the West side, which follows the New Testament. Rabbi leaves to retrieve money he had hidden in town years ago, but finds the spot replaced and the money gone. In their room, Satchel finds a terrier named "Rabbit" and decides to keep it. The next day, Rabbi takes Satchel into town, where they encounter a police officer who nearly draws his gun on Satchel, and a man finishing a billboard who worries about being jobless once it's done.
Rabbi decides they must leave Liberal and tells Satchel he cannot take the dog. Satchel complains he wanted something for his birthday.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Fargo
- Season
- 4
- Episode
- 9
- Airdate
- 2020-11-15
- Length
- 51 minutes
- Director
- Michael Uppendahl
- Writer
- Noah Hawley / Lee Edward Colston II
- Photographer
- Dana Gonzales
- Editor
- Jordan Goldman / Curtis Thurber
- Production
- XFO04008
- Guests
- Rodney L. Jones III as Satchel Cannon / Tim Hopper as Hunk Swindell / Cedric Young as Willy Bupor / Andrew Rothenberg as Liev Moskowitz
- Season Article
- Fargo (season 4)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The episode is set in Kansas City, Missouri from November 1950 to early 1951, following two crime syndicates vying for control of the underground. In the episode, Rabbi and Satchel arrive at a boarding house in Liberal, Kansas, hoping to evade Calamita. The episode is presented in black and white and serves as a homage to The Wizard of Oz. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was watched by an estimated 0.82 million viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Reader's Guide
The episode received positive reviews from critics, with many calling it the best episode of the season; its cinematography, directing, character development, and originality were widely praised. Critics noted it as a Coen-esque departure and a standalone hour that reasserted the season's thematic purpose. The episode's black-and-white cinematography and transition to color at the end were deliberate choices by the production team, with series creator Noah Hawley stating that The Wizard of Oz was always built into the season on some level.
Did You Know?
- The episode was written by series creator Noah Hawley and Lee Edward Colston II, and directed by Michael Uppendahl.
- According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.82 million household viewers.
Creative Origins & the Coen Connection
Fargo arrived as an American black comedy crime drama that owed a significant creative debt to the 1996 Coen brothers film of the same name. Noah Hawley, who both created the series and served as its primary writer, translated the Coens' darkly comic vision of small-town violence into a serialized television format. The Coen brothers themselves remained involved on the production side, taking on executive producer credits that lent the adaptation a layer of authorial legitimacy. This collaboration between Hawley's writing and the Coens' oversight shaped the show's identity from the outset, blending irreverent humor with the grim realities of criminal enterprise. The genre label—black comedy crime drama—captures a tonal balance that distinguishes Fargo from straightforward crime procedurals, grounding its narratives in the absurdity and brutality of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances.
Premiere & Network Home
The series found its broadcast home on FX, the cable network long associated with prestige drama programming. Fargo made its debut on April 15, 2014, entering a competitive landscape of critically acclaimed television. The choice of FX as the network aligned with the show's mature, genre-blending tone, which married dark humor with the weight of crime storytelling. Launching in the spring of 2014, the series positioned itself among the wave of prestige cable dramas that had redefined what television could achieve in terms of narrative ambition and character depth. The April premiere date gave the show a full spring and summer window to build its audience before the fall season reset. For a series that would ultimately span five seasons over a decade, that initial April 2014 launch marked the beginning of a long-running franchise that would become one of FX's signature properties.
Five Seasons Across a Decade
From its 2014 debut to the conclusion of its fifth season in early 2024, Fargo stretched across an entire decade of television. The five seasons aired in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2023–24, with notable gaps between some installments that reflected the production rhythms and creative development of the series. By January 16, 2024, a total of 51 episodes had been broadcast, representing the complete body of work across all five seasons. The spacing between seasons—particularly the multi-year breaks before the third, fourth, and fifth installments—suggests a production model that prioritized careful development over rapid output. Each season carried its own distinct narrative while maintaining the show's overarching identity as a black comedy crime drama, with the 51-episode total spanning the full arc from the series' first broadcast to its final chapter.
Renewal and the Final Season
In February 2022, FX committed to a fifth and final season of Fargo, confirming the series would conclude its run. The decision to renew at that point, with the fourth season having aired in 2020, gave the creative team time to develop what would become the series' closing chapter. The fifth season premiered on November 21, 2023, bringing the long-running franchise back to screens after a gap of nearly three years. By January 16, 2024, the season had completed its broadcast, bringing the total episode count to 51 and formally concluding the series. The November 2023 premiere date placed the final season in the fall broadcast window, a traditional slot for major series launches. The fact that the fifth season wrapped by mid-January 2024 gave audiences a relatively compact window to experience the series' conclusion, capping a decade-long run that had begun with the April 2014 premiere.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is East/West (Fargo)?
East/West is the ninth episode of Fargo's fourth season and the thirty-ninth episode of the series as a whole. It first aired on FX on November 15, 2020.
Who wrote and directed East/West (Fargo)?
The episode was written by series creator Noah Hawley in collaboration with Lee Edward Colston II, and it was directed by Michael Uppendahl.
Why is East/West (Fargo) shot entirely in black and white?
The monochrome look is a deliberate stylistic tribute to The Wizard of Oz, giving the episode a distinct visual identity within the season. This choice sets it apart from the color footage used in the surrounding episodes.
What is East/West (Fargo) about?
Set in Kansas City, Missouri, between November 1950 and early 1951, the episode continues the tension between two rival crime syndicates competing for control of the local underworld. One of those organizations is led by Loy Cannon, a Black man who fled the segregated South, and his group's uneasy relationship with the opposing faction drives much of the conflict.
What season and episode number is East/West (Fargo)?
It is Season 4, Episode 9 of Fargo, which also makes it the 39th installment in the show's cumulative episode count.
More in Fargo episodes 1-24
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