18 Best TV Episodes Of 2017 (So Far)

10. The Law Of Non-Contradiction - Fargo

Fargo Season 3 got off to a bit of a slow start, which is often the show's nature, but this year felt slightly stale: like we'd seen it all before. Episode 3 was a much needed shake-up of the typical formula, with the action leaving the fictional town and heading out to Los Angeles.

It was a surprisingly welcome departure, even if the episode was technically a narrative cul-de-sac. We know that it's not actually going to go anywhere, because we have information that Carrie Coon's Gloria doesn't, yet somehow that doesn't have any negative impact on the episode, and it still manages to feel fresh and interesting.

The story can be broken up into three distinct sections, and each are wonderfully put together: there's Coon's investigation into her step-father's murder, and as ever she provides such a believable, human link to the story, and in the end her efforts may not be rewarded, but she takes more conviction to carry on; a great slice of noir-style work focused on the movie industry and the kind of people who inhabit it; and a bizarre-but-gorgeous animated sequence of one of Gloria's step-father's stories, a bold decision that pays off in how delightfully entertaining and whacky it is.

It's got all the mystery and violence you want from Fargo, but succeeds in putting them in a rather different package, and finds some heart at its core too.