‘Fargo’ Season 5 Christmas Photo Scene Draws Parallel to Controversial Real-Life Congresspeople Gun Photos

‘Tis the season! Season 5 of Noah Hawley’s popular anthology series Fargo opens with a nightmare Christmas photo scene that draws an eerie resemblance to a trend that caught momentum in 2021.

The new installment follows Dorothy “Dot” Lyon (Juno Temple) as her past comes to haunt her after she accidentally gets in trouble with authorities.

The first episode — titled “The Tragedy of the Commons” — introduces Dot as she is fighting her way through a riot that erupted during a school board meeting. As the situation worsens, she accidentally tazes a cop and lands herself in jail.

Upon her release, Dot seems dedicated to repairing her image and returning to normalcy. She finds herself visiting her in-laws, who turn out to be right-wing socialites, with her daughter Scotty (Sienna King) and her husband Wayne.

Dot’s mother-in-law, Lorraine Lyon (Jennifer Jason Leigh), is as dismissive and rude as she is influential. When she sees Scotty wearing a suit, she looks around the room and asks, “Where’s my granddaughter?” ignoring the young girl when she says “I’m here, nana.”

“How progressive,” Lorraine says. “Let’s put the cross-dresser in the center.”

As the family gathers for their Christmas photo, the mother-in-law gestures for her personnel to bring them their props, which turn out to be large, semi-automatic rifles. “What the heck?” Dot comments as the weapons are placed in their hands. “It’s about strength,” her in-law answers. “A projection of our values as a family.”

The scene should feel utterly ridiculous, but ends up being a reminder of our current political sphere and the antics that have ensued for the past few years. In 2021, there was an uptick of similarly posed Christmas photos by GOP members of Congress, amid the recent rise of gun violence. Republican representatives Thomas Massie and Lauren Boebert were among those who shared photos posing with their grinning families near a lit Christmas tree.

Tennessee representative Andy Ogles also shared a similar Christmas photo that year, which came under fire in March 2023 after a mass shooting in Nashville. “Merry Christmas! The Ogles Family,” Ogles’s post read. “The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference. They deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.”

Well, if that doesn’t leave you unsettled, I don’t know what will. Beyond the obvious satire, what purpose could the gun-laden Christmas photo play in the overall season? Fans have been bouncing around theories on Reddit, since the episode aired. “I really hope this picture becomes a plot point later, and not just a throwaway scene,” wrote an interested viewer.

A few theories suspect that a robbery will break out at Lorraine’s house later in the season, and the family will have to use the photoshoot guns to protect themselves, and another suggested that it would’ve been cool if Dot accidentally unveiled her secret past by holding the rifle properly. “I thought she was frowning because MIL was using her and her family in this bizarre ‘strength” photo,” shared a viewer. “But now I think it’s because she’s all too familiar with such weapons, and holding one is serious business.”

With Episode 4 airing later this week, viewers are getting closer and closer to learning more about Dot’s past and her oddities. Maybe the scene was just to show off what a trendsetting Lorraine is, given that the season takes place in 2019 and the trend didn’t kick off until 2021.

Fargo airs Tuesdays at 10:00 PM PT/ET on FX and streams the next day on Hulu.