Fargo season 3, episode 6: Who died in ‘The Lord of No Mercy’?

By Hector Cruz | May 25, 2017

A lead character faces a bloody end in “Fargo” season 3, episode 6.

Fargo had its most tense and well-crafted episode of season 3 last night in an installment that saw Ray Stussy bleeding out on his carpet in front of his brother by the end of “The Lord of No Mercy” after he was hit in the head with the item that he sought all season long.

The series provided a great fake-out in convincing viewers that it was Nikki Swango who would meet her demise at the hands of Varga’s henchman, Meemo, but instead, it was her fiancée who died due to his own stubbornness while he was retrieving the cash he stole from his brother. However, the bridge-loving ex-con may be the one who takes the fall for Ray’s death as Varga uses Nikki’s beating by his own thugs in “The House of Special Purpose” to his advantage.

It all started when Ray and Nikki fled to a motel after getting a visit from the police. Unfortunately, not only were they being trailed by Meemo, who was ordered by Varga to execute the couple, but Ray also forgot their getaway money back home.

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Unbeknownst to him, Emmit was waiting for his younger brother back at his place so they could finally squash their years-long rivalry. The “Parking Lot King of Minnesota” seemed genuine in his desire to patch things up, recognizing that things got way out of hand after learning that a homicide had been committed during a botched robbery that he was the target of. He also lamented the fact his own brother seems to be the only person in the world that hates him.

But Emmit’s sadness was met with continued anger from Ray, who rebuffed his attempt to give him back the framed stamp that he coveted all season. Soon, a brief scuffle turns deadly when Ray accidentally gets hit over the head with the frame, causing him to be stabbed in his jugular by a shard of glass.

In the moment, the former parole officer stubbornly goes against his brother’s advice to leave the glass in place. Instead, he takes it out and slowly bleeds out as his brother looks on in horror and disbelief.

Emmit could accurately tell the cops that the whole thing was an accident, but instead,

he decides to cover it up with the help of Varga, who quickly dispatches Meemo to the scene, allowing Nikki to live another day. Ray’s death comes hours after Emmit was interviewed by Gloria Burgle and Winnie Lopez about the brothers’ dysfunctional relationship, so it’s easy to see why Emmit would fear that he would be suspected of plotting to murder his younger sibling.

Nikki staying alive allows Varga to come up with the idea to pin Ray’s death on her. He theorizes that the police will believe that Nikki killed Ray due to his alleged abusive behavior after they see the bruises on her that were left by Meemo and Yuri’s vicious beating. But the wildcard in all of this is Gloria, who’s seen racing back to Ray’s house at the end of the episode.

Next: Fargo season 3 ratings sink to new series low for episode 5

Next week, Nikki is taken in for questioning and is later put behind bars, while Sy continues to struggle with the new normal.

Fargo season 3 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.