The title refers to the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot, and to Ronald Reagan, occasionally nicknamed "Dutch", who appears via archival footage.
He has three living sons, the oldest being the fierce and ambitious Dodd (Jeffrey Donovan), followed by the calm and impassive Bear (Angus Sampson), and the indignant and impulsive Rye (Kieran Culkin).
Unaware of this event, Rye, who owes Dodd money, is tipped off by typewriter salesman Skip Sprang and follows Judge Irma Mundt to a breakfast diner in Luverne, Minnesota, and tries to intimidate her for financial gain.
Minnesota state trooper Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) receives a call reporting the shooting and investigates with his father-in-law, Sheriff Hank Larsson (Ted Danson).
Having heard of Otto's stroke, which leaves his wife Floyd (Jean Smart) and their sons dealing with a power vacuum, mobster Joe Bulo proposes that Kansas City move aggressively by acquiring or absorbing the dynasty as a part of them, or by, if needed, killing all of the Gerhardts.
The traditional song "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby" is played during the end credits, in reference to the Coens' film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, in which it was also featured.
It was applauded for the season's early storylines and character development, as well as for its performances, especially from Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, and guests Jeffrey Donovan, Nick Offerman, and Kieran Culkin.
It currently holds a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes: the critical consensus is "'Waiting for Dutch' sets up a promising second installment of the Fargo anthology with a new cast of compelling characters and enough callbacks to reward existing fans.
"[3] Ben Travers of IndieWire gave the episode an "A" rating, highly praising the writing and performances, especially from Offerman and Dunst, stating "It's a coy play on a fictitious tale that still manages to feel real, despite some truly oddball antics and extreme scenarios.
"[7] Brittany Volk of the Tampa Bay Times commented that "Noah Hawley delivered a fantastic first episode that sets a warm tone, with a bite of darkness.
[11] Scott Tobis of ArtsBeat stated "For as much as Fargo the TV show gets some distance from the Coens, Mr. Hawley seems determined to pay homage to the film with more than just callbacks.
Commenting on this, Sullivan said that "One element of the Coens’ signature character work has been finding the bitter humor in Job-like stories, tales of men and women who are tested by either the world around them or their own incompetence.