One of these is Loy Cannon, the head of a crime syndicate made up of black migrants fleeing the Jim Crow South who have a contentious relationship with the Italian Kansas City mafia.
The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances and sense of closure, although some still felt that the season as a whole did not add to a cohesive narrative.
While Loy (Chris Rock) meets with Ebal Violante (Francesco Acquaroli) to return Zero and Donatello's ring, Lemuel (Matthew Elam) moves out of the Smutny residence.
A drunken Josto (Jason Schwartzman) intercepts Dr. Harvard (Stephen Spencer) and his fiancée's father, Milvin Gillis, killing them in a car and then burning it.
As he is driven in a car by Gale Kitchen (Brad Mann) to meet with Ed Blumquist in Sioux Falls, he stares out the window, remembering his childhood and everything Rabbi taught him.
In November 2020, it was reported that the eleventh and final episode of the season would be titled "Storia Americana", and was to be written by series creator Noah Hawley and directed by Dana Gonzales.
"[7] Regarding what would happen after Loy's death, Hawley theorized that the Cannons would fall under hard times without money, forcing Satchel to enter the crime business with Rabbi's knowledge and changing his last name as it felt like it wasn't safe for him.
[9] In its original American broadcast, "Storia Americana" was seen by an estimated 0.85 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
"[12] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "The anthological nature of Fargo means there's no real baggage for a hypothetical fifth season, which could still be excellent if Hawley has the right inspiration, and executes more strongly than he did here.
"[13] Nick Schager of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The chickens come home to roost in Fargo's finale, bringing to a close a season of treachery and murder.
If there's a lesson to be gleaned from the fourth installment of Noah Hawley's TV series, its that few criminals live long enough to retire — including Loy, who learns that the only thing worse than waging a gangland war is winning one.
And if the warring gang narrative sometimes felt like an excuse to parade a bunch of compelling, eccentric characters through a richly realized world, well, there are worse ways to spend 11 episodes.
"[15] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 3.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "While Season 4 was never exactly a chore, it did at times feel like a slog.
Clearly, COVID impacted the production to some degree and perhaps there was material cut or left unfilmed that would have brought more unity to the story’s overarching themes.
Ethelrida Smutny lays out those themes explicitly in the narration that opens and closes the season, every bit the good student with her thesis and concluding paragraphs.