There was so much to pack into last week’s Fargo review that I didn’t really have time to talk about the title of the premiere episode, “The Tragedy of the Commons.” If you’re unfamiliar with that phrase, it’s a concept in socioeconomics—controversial, and often used to justify some awful behavior—which suggests that public resources are destined to be misused, because it’s human nature for people to take more than their fair share, operating under the assumption that others will do the same. Keep all that in mind as this season plays out. It sounds like something Lorraine might believe.
As for this week’s title, “The Paradox of Intermediate Transactions”… well, a Google search for that phrase mostly turns up links to pages about Fargo. But the IMDb trivia page for the episode suggests a definition: “The paradox of intermediate transactions describes the effect of intermediaries, or ‘middlemen,’ on the overall economy. The paradox states that while these transactions contribute to economic growth and provide opportunities for businesses (which help the economy), they also introduce inefficiency and result in higher prices for consumers (which hurt the economy).”
So let’s talk about those intermediaries.
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