Deaf hitman Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard) — he of the fringed jacket and muttonchop sideburns — is the only “Fargo” character to appear in all three iterations of the FX series, ending its third season Wednesday night.
And there’s a reason for that, says series creator Noah Hawley.
“I think Russell is such a fascinating actor to watch,” Hawley says. “We don’t get to see a lot of deaf characters on TV, and he really proved himself to me in that first season as just a really compelling and empathetic figure.”
Viewers first met the murderous Mr. Wrench and his partner-in-crime, Mr. Numbers (Adam Goldberg), in Season 1 of “Fargo.” The childhood friends communicated via sign language, which ended when Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) killed Mr. Numbers (by slitting his throat). Out of respect for Mr. Wrench, Malvo then freed the shackled, hulking hitman from his hospital bed, slipping him the key to his handcuffs.
Both Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers appeared (as children) in a flashback scene in the Season 2 episode, “Palindrome,” before the adult Mr. Wrench reappeared this season in episode seven — as the camera panned to reveal him sitting next to Nikki (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in a prison bus.
“We wanted this season to stand on its own two feet; the first and second seasons were Molly’s story and then Molly’s origin story,” says Hawley. “This season is set in 2010 after the financial crash, and as a result only a couple of characters could connect … and it felt really organic to me to say that in that seventh hour, when Nikki was at her lowest point and gets on that prison bus, and the audience thinks, ‘We’re losing Nikki and we hate this show’ — cue the sad piano music — that we track over and find Mr. Wrench and that beat kicks in,” Hawley says referring to Mr. Wrench’s theme music (a jazzy, cymbal-and-drum-heavy riff).
“It’s a sort of stand-up-and-cheer moment,” Hawley says. “Because he’s not a character who says a lot, he just becomes a presence. It didn’t feel contrived; we’ve seen [Mr. Wrench] arrested before. He becomes this very confidence-inspiring and, ultimately, avenging-angel character.”
As for Mr. Wrench’s theme music — which plays whenever he’s on-screen — Hawley says it’s got a “kinetic energy.”
“Every season [series composer] Jeff Russo writes something for each character, but [Mr. Wrench] is the only [‘Fargo’] character with a beat, you know what I mean?,” he says. “At the sound mix, I kept having them turn up the drums. I want it to literally kick you out of your seat.”
And, with “Fargo” ending its season Wednesday night, Hawley says he’s not sure if Mr. Wrench, or even if the series itself, will return for a fourth installment.
“I’m never interested in repeating myself, and if it was a world where I felt we could do something unexpected or original with [Mr. Wrench] … he’s had a great journey and most likely wouldn’t return [if the series returns], but I don’t want to rule anything out,” he says.
“I have no idea, yet, for the next installment [if it happens].”