‘Fargo’ season 2: same accents, more polyester

CALGARY – The second season of “Fargo” inhabits the same sparse, snow-swept universe as the first — except with more shag carpet and polyester.

The new season is set in 1979, with a whole new cast and different horrific events at the centre of it.

The award-winning FX series, filmed in and around Calgary, borrows the deadpan tone, sing-songy accents and wintry esthetic from the famous 1996 Coen brothers movie of the same name.

Actress Kirsten Dunst said that while the high-waisted pants she wore for her role could be uncomfortable, the period garb was a lot of fun.

“Cute” little wardrobe touches — like a beret or earmuffs — serve as a contrast to the grisly events in which her character, Peggy Blumquist, finds herself embroiled.

Peggy is a hairdresser dreaming of a bigger life outside her small town.

“When you see Peggy, you just giggle a little bit to yourself. Not at her, but with her,” Dunst, clad in a fur-trimmed corduroy coat, said during an interview.

Cristin Milioti — who plays Betsy Solverson, mother to young Molly and wife of state trooper Lou — said the retro clothing had an almost subconscious effect on her when she put it on.

“Some things just start happening. I just started doing something with my arms immediately when I was in this wardrobe that I’ve never done and now it’s just become a part of her.”

While the second season is its own self-contained story, it intersects with the first in some spots.

Viewers meet a younger version of Lou Solverson, the grizzled diner owner with an uneven gait played by Keith Carradine in season 1.

Patrick Wilson plays young Lou, a state trooper who works a case in ’79 that will shape the rest of his life.

Lou has a daughter, Molly, a central character played by Allison Tolman in season 1. In season 2, Molly is a little girl.

“We know that Molly has a dad, but what happened to Mom?” said writer Noah Hawley.

“It really is the Molly origin story.”

Calgary is a modern city filled with sleek, glass architecture that doesn’t fit the look of 1979. So the production team had to go further afield to shoot some scenes. For instance, scenes involving the main street of Luverne, Minn., were shot in Fort Macleod, about two hours south.

Achieving the right look for the sets meant scouring thrift stores and hunting online for period-appropriate tchotchkes. On the upper level of a warehouse-turned-studio in a Calgary industrial park, shelves are piled high with the kinds of knick-knacks you’d find at a garage sale — teacups and saucers, ash trays and needlepoint pictures.

The filming also required scores of vintage cars, many of which producers were able to track down locally.

With the production rooted in the Calgary community, people were eager to offer up their old items.

Some interactions were more interesting than others, said producer Kim Todd.

She recalled one fellow who photographed himself playing dead in front of his vintage car in the hopes it would stand out enough to be chosen for the show.

“I don’t know if we followed up with him.”

“Fargo”‘s second season premieres on FX Canada on Monday.

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