"The Birthplace of Civilization" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 35th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and producer Francesca Sloane and directed by Dana Gonzales. It originally aired on FX on October 18, 2020.
The season is set in Kansas City, Missouri from November 1950 to early 1951, and follows two crime syndicates as they vie for control of the underground. 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. In the episode, the mob war between the Cannon Limited and the Fadda Family escalates, while Deafy is closing in on Zelmare and Swanee.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.74 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the ending and character development, although some still expressed criticism for the pacing and writing.
Plot
Police officers led by Odis (Jack Huston) raid a jazz club and brutally attack and arrest many Cannon Limited members, including Lemuel (Matthew Elam). Josto (Jason Schwartzman), Gaetano (Salvatore Esposito) and other henchmen watch from the street, with Josto taking credit for the events.
After selling weapons and forming a partnership with Mort Kellerman (Kai Lennox), Loy (Chris Rock) and his henchmen are also intercepted by Odis, who wants to arrest them. Loy humilliates Odis by revealing his World War II history and how he developed his OCD, prompting him to just leave with Loy's money bag. Meanwhile, Ethelrida (E'myri Crutchfield) writes a letter to Dr. Harvard (Stephen Spencer) about all the patients that Oraetta (Jessie Buckley) killed, after confirming with Thurman (Andrew Bird) about the medication she found at her closet.
Loy visits Thurman and Dibrell (Anji White), confronting them about the money and suspecting they committed the robbery. He then takes over the family funeral home, which he will use as a front, as well as getting the location of Zelmare (Karen Aldridge) and Swanee (Kelsey Asbille). Deafy (Timothy Olyphant) questions Ethelrida at school, demanding to know Zelmare's location or he will make sure to expel her. With no option, she reveals she is hiding at the motel. At the motel, Loy and his henchmen arrive at their room, intending to force them to work for him to cover their losses. At the same time, Deafy arrives at the motel but is too late to catch them, seeing them leave with Loy in his car.
Doctor Senator (Glynn Turman) arrives at a diner for a meeting with Ebal Violante, but is surprised to see Calamita (Gaetano Bruno) and Gaetano instead. Calamita intimidates him by claiming that as he grew orphan, he is very dangerous. Senator is not intimidated by his comments, questioning their leadership, instead deeming them "boys making a mess that one day I'm gonna have to clean up" before leaving. Calamita follows him outside, killing Senator and his driver. That night, Loy and his men find the bodies and leave just as police sirens are heard.
Production
Development
In September 2020, it was reported that the fifth episode of the season would be titled "The Birthplace of Civilization", and was to be written by series creator Noah Hawley and producer Francesca Sloane, and directed by Dana Gonzales. This was Hawley's 28th writing credit, Sloane's first writing credit, and Gonzales' first directing credit.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "The Birthplace of Civilization" was seen by an estimated 0.74 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.2 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. This was a slight decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.76 million viewers with a 0.1 in the 18-49 demographics.