There have been subtle shots of green light, pictures/drawings of UFOs, and camerawork suggestive of an omnipresent observer throughout the season.

Two of the biggest that haven't really been commented on are, the time lapse when Hanzee was inspecting the headlight fragment he found in the road at the Waffle Hut [a still is below, but in the scene, the shadows of the trees shift as if hours passed, reinforced by the time disparity between Hanzee's pocket watchand the clock in the Hut], and the pan out from the butcher shop when Ed was grinding up Peggy's mess. Also, the crank at the gas station when Lou refilled the prowler.


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Ok, so a couple interesting things:

1. In case you missed it, the narrator last night was season one's Martin Freeman(Lester Nygaard)

2. Looks like Hank's character is based off of real Minnesota cop Val Johnson, who had several alleged encounters with aliens in 1979.

Part of the greatness of the show to me is that sometimes you have to dig deep, either factually or metaphorically, to fully get it.
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OK, in this season we've seen direct references to Coens [of course], Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, and Tarantino. Will the finale give us a reference to


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Unless we get a reasonable explanation, the UFO thing is unnecessary and silly. I've thought about it, and I don't like it at all. It would have been fine if it was more clarified, and maybe they will do that in the season finale.
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I think the show is playing with the idea that it's a retelling of a true story, and in a true story the reasons some things happen can be unknown. They sort of put a button on that idea right before the UFO appears, talking about why Hanzee might betray the Gerhardts. I think the UFO is a deus ex machina to fill in the blanks in the "true" story, like why Rye Gerhardt wandered into the middle of the road, and how Lou managed to survive the massacre and how Ed and Peggy got away from Hanzee.

I definitely see how that could seem like bullshit storytelling to some people, since the story is actually fictional, but I kind of like it.
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I completely agree. I already didn't like it when Rye saw the damn thing. but this latest event was just too much. hell Lou's life was basically saved because a flipping UFO distracted Bear from choking him.

it's almost like....they took one of my favorite things and crapped on it. :-)
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Haha yeah, I read an article where they interviewed the writer and basically he said everybody he talked to, and everybody at the network asked him why he put in the UFO...he was basically just like because I can and it's funny. They even asked him to take it out but he refused lol
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Anyone got a link to this weeks episode? I missed it and can't find a repeat on cable.

TIA
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That's how I see it. It's like they're admitting that the UFO is des ex machina, whether it was "really" that or something else that the storyteller doesn't know in detail.

Also, South Dakota DOES have a lot of UFO sightings. :-)
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I didn't mind the obscure references. THE UFO as deux ex machina front and center was dumb, but I'll overlook it as the rest has been so great. I love the wit and humor.
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Long live this show
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I have a long-time interest in UFOs and even I was like WTF?!

I hope they go back to all the shit in Danson's house, the walls covered in weird script. But guess they won't if he and Betsy are both dead.

Still a great ep, regardless of the weirdness.
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I REALLY want him to live. Love both Danson and his character.
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4 things about the UFO

1. It was a big part of the zeitgeist in the late 70s, even the then president Jimmy Carter claimed to have seen one.
2. They've effectively been blurring the line between the spectre of a UFO observer and us the audience as observers throughout the season if you pay close attention. ie, a lot of the camera work placed us in a metaphorical UFO watching events as outsiders. This is heightened strangeness of the time and place.
3. Even though we strongly sensed it would be coming, it still managed to surprise and delight. Additionally we knew Lou had to survive, yet the show put him in an inescapable position. Even then, it wasn't until the object showed up that it all clicked.
4. They executed it expertly. No ambiguity, yet no answers. Yes, that's a UFO, but what are we to make of it, or do about it? 'Forget it Ed, we gotta go.'
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Reagan had two UFO sightings, as well.
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