Ed Blumquist

Last updated
Ed Blumquist
Fargo character
Ed Blumquist Season 2.jpg
First appearance"Waiting for Dutch" (2015)
Last appearance"Palindrome" (2015)
Created by Noah Hawley
Portrayed by Jesse Plemons
In-universe information
Occupation Butcher
Spouse Peggy Blumquist

Ed Blumquist is a fictional character and one of the lead protagonists from second season of the FX produced television series, Fargo . He is created by Noah Hawley and portrayed by Jesse Plemons, who was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for this role. [1]

Contents

Character overview

Ed is a butcher and the devoted husband of Peggy Blumquist. They live together in their hometown of Luverne, a small city in Minnesota. Ed is perfectly content with their life and believes that he is tracking well, with plans to buy the butcher shop where he works. Peggy, however, is unhappy with their life and feels that it is mundane. These feelings drive her towards psychosis which she displays subtly.

His name seems to be based on Todd Alquist, Plemons' previous role in Breaking Bad.

Storyline

On a fateful day in 1979, Ed returns home to his wife making dinner and a noise coming from the garage. He discovers the car's windshield is cracked, and his wife Peggy tells him that she hit a deer on the way home. He then finds a badly injured man, Rye Gerhardt, in the garage. Rye is delirious and attacks him, leading Ed to accidentally kill Rye in self-defense. This is where he gains the first insight into his wife's mental issues. He asks her why, after she hit Rye with her car by accident, had she "brought him home, made dinner Hamburger Helper?" instead of reporting the incident. [2] Without a sufficient answer, he continues to fulfill the role of the faithful husband and the two begin to plan a cover-up for the accident and disposal of the body.

Ed and Peggy decide to crash their car to explain the damage to the car and have Ed dispose of the body after hours at the butcher shop. Sheriff Deputy Lou Solverson walks in on the body grinding process but he doesn't put together what is going on. Later, when Lou begins to put the incident together, he goes to visit and question Peggy and Ed. He also informs them that Rye Gerhardt is a member of the Gerhardt family, the most powerful crime syndicate in Fargo, North Dakota. They deny having anything to do with Rye's death and stick to their story despite Lou's offer of police protection. Following this conversation Peggy tries to get Ed to leave town and move to California with her, but Ed refuses to uproot the life that he works so hard for.

Ed is informed that the butcher shop is going to be sold to someone else if he doesn't have enough money by the end of the week. Soon after, he is attacked by two members of the Gerhardt family in the shop. He kills one of them with his butcher's cleaver, and the other one, Charlie, is hit by a ricocheted bullet and is badly injured. The shop was set on fire in the fight, and Ed carries injured Charlie out to safety. After making sure that the butcher's assistant can recount the events to the police, Ed rushes home to Peggy. Upon returning home, Peggy informs him that she sold her car so that they can pay for the shop and stay in Luverne. Ed tells her what happened and that there is no more shop. They know they will soon be pursued by the Gerhardts and the police, and opt to make a run for it.

Before they can flee, they are confronted by the police. Dodd Gerhardt, a main member of the Gerhardt family interceded before the police take any action. A skirmish ensues resulting in the incapacitation of the present police officers. Peggy is approached by Dodd but she manage to subdue him and takes him captive. Ed seizes this opportunity and devises a plan to trade him for their freedom. Ed and Peggy take refuge in a remote hunting cabin with their captive. After some failed negotiations with the Gerhardts, they set to meet a rival crime family from Kansas City to trade Dodd for a promise of protection and elimination of the Gerhardts. Before the meeting, Ed returns to find Dodd has escaped his binding, and Peggy is lying on the ground, injured. Dodd attacks him and hangs him nearly to death before Peggy manages to save him. Dodd turns towards them again to kill them, but Hanzee, a Gerhardt who was sent to save Dodd but went rogue bursts in and kills him. The police arrive immediately after and Peggy stabs Hanzee in the back as he escapes. The police take the couple into custody.

The couple are offered a deal by the South Dakota State Police where they receive reduced jail time and protective custody in their imminent trial. In exchange, Ed must follow through with the Kansas City meeting and wear a wire. While the police are holding the Blumquists in protection at the hotel, the Gerhardts attack, mistakenly thinking that Dodd is being held there. During the shootout, Ed and Peggy escape and Ed sees a UFO while they are running. Hanzee pursues them and shoots Ed. They keep running and lock themselves in a grocery store's cooler room. Ed sits in anguish and tells Peggy that he can see her problems clearly now and that their relationship is over, even though he still loves her and the idea of their life together. He then succumbs to his wound.

Production

Ed's character (Plemons) and Peggy (Dunst) were the first two characters to be cast for the season, with the announcement made in December 2014. [3]

Plemons had to style his appearance in many ways to fit showrunner Noah Hawley's image. He had already gained weight for his role in the film Black Mass , and he was instructed to keep it on against his wishes for Ed's character. [4] [5] The middle hair part that is an iconic element of Ed's appearance was also conceptualized by Hawley. [4] He has since married his costar, Kirsten Dunst. [6]

Reception

Plemons' performance as Ed Blumquist was widely appreciated by audience and critics alike. Plemons won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries. [7]

Plemons was additionally nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for 2016-2017 which was awarded to Sterling K. Brown for his role in FX's The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story . [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirsten Dunst</span> American actress (born 1982)

Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the anthology film New York Stories (1989) and has since starred in several film and television productions. She has received several awards including nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golden Globe Awards.

On October 26, 2001, twenty-five-year-old nursing assistant Chante Jawan Mallard murdered 37-year-old Gregory Glenn Biggs, a homeless man, with her automobile, in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The force of the crash lodged Biggs into the windshield. Mallard then drove home and left the man lodged in the windshield of her car, parked in her garage. He died two to three days later, according to police. Mallard was convicted and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment for murder, but will be eligible for parole in 2027.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Plemons</span> American actor (born 1988)

Jesse Plemons is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and achieved a breakthrough with his role as Landry Clarke in the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights (2006–2011). He subsequently portrayed Todd Alquist in season 5 of the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad (2012–2013) and its sequel film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). For his role as Ed Blumquist in season 2 of the FX anthology series Fargo (2015), he received his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination and won a Critics' Choice Television Award. He received a second Emmy nomination for his performance in "USS Callister", an episode of the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror (2017).

<i>Fargo</i> (TV series) American black comedy-crime drama television series

Fargo is an American black comedy-crime drama television series created and primarily written by showrunner Noah Hawley. It is based on the 1996 film of the same name written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coens, whose other films also heavily influenced the series, were originally uninvolved with the series, but joined as executive producers after being impressed by Hawley's script for the first season. The series premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX.

<i>Fargo</i> season 2 Second season of the American television series

The second season of Fargo, an American anthology black comedy crime drama television series created by Noah Hawley, premiered on October 12, 2015, on the basic cable network FX. Its principal cast is Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Jesse Plemons, Jean Smart, and Ted Danson. The ten-episode season's finale aired on December 14, 2015. As an anthology, each Fargo season possesses its own self-contained narrative, following a disparate set of characters in various settings in a connected shared universe.

"Waiting for Dutch" is the premiere episode of the second season of the FX anthology series Fargo, and the eleventh episode of the series overall. It was written by series creator and showrunner Noah Hawley and directed by Michael Uppendahl and Randall Einhorn, making it the only episode in the series with two directors. The title refers to the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot, and to Ronald Reagan, occasionally nicknamed "Dutch", who appears via archival footage.

"Before the Law" is the second episode of the second season of the FX anthology series Fargo, and the twelfth episode of the series overall. It was written and directed by series creator and showrunner Noah Hawley.

"The Myth of Sisyphus" is the third episode of the second season of the FX anthology series Fargo, and the thirteenth episode of the series overall. It was written by Bob DeLaurentis and directed by Michael Uppendahl.

"Fear and Trembling" is the fourth episode of the second season of the FX anthology series Fargo, and the fourteenth episode of the series overall. It was written by Steve Blackman and directed by Michael Uppendahl.

"The Gift of the Magi" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 15th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producers Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi and directed by Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on FX on November 9, 2015.

"Rhinoceros" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 16th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and directed by Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on FX on November 16, 2015.

"Did You Do This? No, You Did It!" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 17th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and consulting producers Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi and directed by Keith Gordon. It originally aired on FX on November 23, 2015.

"Loplop" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 18th overall episode of the series and was written by Bob DeLaurentis and directed by Keith Gordon. It originally aired on FX on November 30, 2015.

"The Castle" is the ninth and penultimate episode of the second season of the FX anthology series Fargo, and the nineteenth episode of the series overall. It was written by series showrunner Noah Hawley alongside Steve Blackman and directed by Adam Arkin.

"Palindrome" is the tenth episode and season finale of the second season of the American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 20th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and directed by Adam Arkin. It originally aired on FX on December 14, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Blumquist</span> American tv character, created 2015

Peggy Blumquist is a fictional character in the second season of the FX television series Fargo and is portrayed by Kirsten Dunst. Dunst received widespread critical acclaim for her performance, which was widely lauded as one of the best performances of 2015. She won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries, and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Solverson</span> American tv character, created 2014

Lou Solverson is a fictional character in the FX television series Fargo. He first appeared as a supporting character in the first season, played by Keith Carradine, and then as a main character in the second season, played by Patrick Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floyd Gerhardt</span> American tv character, created 2015

Floyd Gerhardt is a fictional character in the second season of the FX television series Fargo and is portrayed by Jean Smart. Smart received widespread critical acclaim for her performance, winning the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers</span> Fictional character

Wes Wrench and Grady Numbers, mostly known as Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers, are fictional characters of the FX television series Fargo, most prominently appearing as antagonists in the first season. The characters, portrayed respectively by Russell Harvard and Adam Goldberg, were often highlighted as one of the stand-outs of season one by critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanzee Dent</span> American TV character, created 2014

Ohanzee "Hanzee" Dent is a fictional character in the FX television series Fargo, appearing in the second season, played by Zahn McClarnon. Initially a tracker and enforcer for the Gerhardt crime family, Hanzee serves as eldest son Dodd's right hand man for much of the season. However, he eventually turns on the Gerhardts, personally killing Dodd and setting up the rest of the family to be killed in a shootout with the police. In the season finale, it is revealed that Hanzee gets extensive plastic surgery and a new identity, becoming Moses Tripoli, who appeared as a minor character in the first season, played by Mark Acheson.

References

  1. ↑ "Complete list of 2016 Emmy nominations and winners". Los Angeles Times. 2016-09-18. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  2. ↑ "Peggy Blumquist (Character)". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  3. ↑ Weinstein, Shelli (2014-12-10). "Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons Join 'Fargo' Season 2". Variety. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  4. 1 2 "Fargo Stars Talk Gaining Weight, Growing Beards and More For Season 2". E! News. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  5. ↑ "'Fargo's' Jesse Plemons on His Weight Gain, Ed's Commitment to Peggy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  6. ↑ "Kirsten Dunst Says She's 'Very Happy' with Jesse Plemons — but 'Not in Any Rush' to Plan Their Wedding". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  7. ↑ "Jesse Plemons". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  8. ↑ "Nominees/Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.