Entertainment

Lester's Got a New Wife on 'Fargo,' Doncha Know

by Shay Mathews

Martin Freeman's Lester sure has undergone quite the transformation on FX's dark dramedy Fargo hasn’t he? Our once bashful, unauthoritative lead has turned into quite the aggressor. Who knew murdering your wife, masterminding a plan to implicate your brother for her murder, and dragging several others down along the way would do so much for one’s self esteem? Apparently Lester knew because in a recent flash forward on Fargo, he's got a new life and a new wife, played by actress Susan Park.

This comes about when we learn that Lester continued to triumph in the immediate year following the death of his wife. We find him accepting an award at an insurance conference with his new wife and former co-worker Linda Park, who was apparently so impressed by his takedown of the late Sam Hess’ wife Gina (Kate Walsh) that she married him.

Park really sells her brief scenes — though she gets far more screen time in Tuesday's episode — like when her impression of Lester changes as he uses a stapler to assault Gina’s two idiot sons. And after this sudden time jump, we get the sense of her life with Lester and this odd ease between the two of them. With a cast full of impressive actors delivering award-worthy performances, it’s not easy for a guest star to stick out. But here we are, wondering where else we've seen this talented actress.

Despite only being around for about four years, Park has racked up an impressive list of roles. And history shows she has an affinity for quirky characters with an off-kilter sense of humor.

She Had Skip’s Attention on 1600 Penn

Park’s character Stacey spent the majority of her time avoiding POTUS’ oldest son Skip (Josh Gad) on the failed NBC comedy 1600 Penn. The quirky mailroom clerk was a highlight, but unfortunately, elsewhere the show was pretty hit-or-miss when it came to bringing the funny.

She Was The Fa1c0n on Revenge

Going up against Emily Thorne on Revenge was never going to end well for Park’s character Edith Lee, or as she’s known in hacker circles Fa1c0n. Nonetheless, her prowess in manipulating everyone made the character, who operated in the shadows long before she was revealed, someone of interest. Park didn’t disappoint either. During her interactions with Nolan, she came off as pleasantly evil; concerned only in her own interests and always one step ahead.

She was A Doctor on The Unusuals

Fargo marks the second time that Park has appeared on a show with Adam Goldberg. She first appeared alongside the actor in the criminally underrated show The Unusuals. Despite not being the kind of medical doctor Goldberg’s character Detective Eric Delahoy needed, he continued to consult her for advice on complications with his brain tumor. Her character, like most on the show, was hilariously offbeat and just shy of straightjacket-worthy.

And appeared in a One-Woman Show.

You likely haven’t seen Diaries of a K-Town Dive unless you’re an LA local. But Park wrote and acted out the lives of five different women as they collide in a Koreatown bar looking for love and dealing with other issues back in 2010. And it seemed to go over rather well with critics.

Images: Chris Large/FX; NBC; ABC