The Rooster Prince (Fargo)

"The Rooster Prince"
Fargo episode
Sent by Fargo to take care of the situation, Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard, left) and Mr. Numbers (Adam Goldberg, center) are about to get rid of an unfortunate witness (Paul Braunstein).
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 2
Directed by	Adam Bernstein
Written by	Noah Hawley
Featured music	Jeff Russo
Production code	XFO01002
Original air date	April 22, 2014 (2014-04-22)
Running time	51 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Bob Odenkirk as Bill Oswalt Keith Carradine as Lou Solverson Oliver Platt as Stavros Milos Gordon S. Miller as Dmitri Milos Allegra Fulton as Helena Milos Adam Goldberg as Mr. Numbers Russell Harvard as Mr. Wrench Glenn Howerton as Don Chumph Joey King as Greta Grimly Rachel Blanchard as Kitty Nygaard Joshua Close as Chazz Nygaard Spencer Drever as Gordo Nygaard Peter Breitmayer as Ben Schmidt Barry Flatman as Wally Julie Ann Emery as Ida Thurman Brian Markinson as Bruce Gold Tom Musgrave as Bo Munk
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Crocodile's Dilemma" Next → "A Muddy Road"
Fargo (season 1) List of Fargo episodes

"The Rooster Prince" is the second episode of the FX anthology series Fargo. It was written by series creator and showrunner Noah Hawley and directed by Adam Bernstein. The title refers to the Jewish parable of the same name.

In the episode, the Fargo mafia sends two hitmen, Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard) and Mr. Numbers (Adam Goldberg), to find the man behind the murder of Sam Hess; the man in question, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), is hired by "Supermarket King" Stavros Milos (Oliver Platt) to find the author of blackmails he received. Meanwhile, Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman) heavily suspects that Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) is closely involved in the murder case, but his unable to convince new police chief Bill Oswalt (Bob Odenkirk) of it.

"The Rooster Prince" was acclaimed by critics, and was seen by 2.04 million viewers. It received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie.

Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers are two hitmen sent from Fargo to Bemidji looking for Sam Hess's killer. An associate named Max Gold points them to the strip club where he was killed and a dancer gives a description, and they abduct a man matching it. When they are later told he is not the one, they kill him by dropping him into an ice fishing hole. Meanwhile, Bill Oswalt becomes the new police chief, and he and deputy Molly Solverson differ on suspects in Thurman's death. She believes Lester Nygaard is connected to the frozen man at the car accident and the killings of Sam Hess, Pearl Nygaard, and Thurman due to the fact that he was seen talking with Malvo about Hess. Bill believes that it was a drifter who killed Hess, Pearl and Thurman during a home invasion. They interrogate Nygaard who claims that he does not remember, and Bill, a childhood friend of his, refuses to believe that Lester is capable of something so despicable. Nevertheless, Solverson continues to investigate Nygaard in his personal life over the matter and is removed from the case as a result. In Duluth, Malvo is hired to find out who is blackmailing Stavros Milos, the "Supermarket King" of Minnesota. Milos believes his soon-to-be ex-wife might be the culprit. Malvo notices traces of tanning spray on the blackmail note, leading him to believe that the ex-wife's current boyfriend Don Chumph is the culprit. News of the events in Bemidji reach the Duluth Police Department, where Grimly realizes the car he stopped matches the one stolen there. Unsure of what to do, he converses with his daughter over a school assembly, where she says she would do anything to help, and Gus smiles and says he is proud of her.