Aw Jeez: A Fargo Podcast

In episode five, it's all out war -- and Ronald Reagan has arrived, just in time. Plus: We talk to "Fargo" music supervisor Maggie Phillips about the '70s, character anthems and what went into shaping the soundtrack of the show.

This episode of 'Fargo' is steeped in war with Vietnam, the war on cancer and the conflict that's about to break loose between Fargo and Kansas City. We also interview St. Paul native Rachel Keller, who plays wily Gerhardt granddaughter Simone.

We'll be back with a recap of episode 4 on Tuesday, but in the meantime we wanted to share two interviews from Southern California Public Radio's The Frame. They spoke with show creator Noah Hawley and composer Jeff Russo.

Standoffs in Fargo, crime-solving at the hair salon, black ice, black asphalt, and a dash of Camus. Plus: We hear from the real-life sheriff's deputy who had a famous encounter with a mysterious ball of light near the North Dakota-Minnesota border in 1979.

In episode two, the Kansas City mob comes to Fargo, N.D. -- and everyone might want to avoid the butcher shop for a while. We also interview NPR TV critic Eric Deggans about how "Fargo" fits into the changing TV landscape.

We recap the first episode of season two where we meet North Dakota's reigning crime family and the intrepid state troopers of Luverne, Minn. We also talk to Dave Kenney about Minnesota in the 1970s -- and how a UFO sighting at that time makes perfect sense.

"Fargo," the television show based on the Coen brothers' 1996 film, returns for a second season this Monday. To get prepared, we're studying up on season one and unloading everything we know about season two. We also talk to Rahul Hamid from NYU, who taught a class called, "The Coen Brothers: Failure and the American Dream."