Fargo isn't the type of show to spell everything out to its audience. Noah Hawley and his band of writers and directors use subtle techniques to inform the audience about each of the characters and their relationships to each other. However, one character seems to remain a complete mystery despite being a big part of what has been happening in the season, and that is the Gherhardts' accomplice Hanzee Dent on Fargo . In fact, if the character hadn't been the header picture of this article I'm sure you still wouldn't have had any idea who I was talking about. So let's get to know Hanzee Dent, shall we?
The character is played by Zahn McClarnon who you may recognize as Officer Mathias on Longmire, a role he's played for four (soon to be five) seasons, and if you don't recognize his face you may recognize his voice from the 2002 animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron in the role of "Little Creek's Friend." Hanzee Dent seems to be his most reserved character yet, using his words only when necessary and acting as a calm, cool counterpart to frequent partner-in-crime Dodd Gerhardt of the Gerhardt crime family. Hanzee talks very little, but his actions and flashbacks leave clues and implications to who this man could be. So, who exactly is Hanzee Dent? Here's what we know.
1. Hanzee And Dodd Gerhardt Are Besties
Hanzee has only been in a few scenes this season, and most of them are spent at Dodd Gerhardt's side. Whether it's threatening, mutilating, or burying a person alive, these two chums seem to do everything together, although it's not clear if they're friends or that Hanzee is just putting in time helping out one of the more hot-headed Gerhardts until he moves up the ranks of mid-western crime.
2. He's Not Afraid To Get Dirty
The first scene in the season in which Hanzee speaks, he does so to explain that he has cut someone's ears off. While we don't see the brutal act occur, Hanzee does not seem at all shaken by committing the mutilation. Dodd also seems to have full trust in his partner when he asks Hanzee to find his brother, and tells him that if anyone gets in his way to "kill 'em dead" — almost as if Hanzee has done that before.
3. He's Close With Simone Gerhardt
In the ever-continuing search for the missing body of Rye Gerhardt, Hanzee enlists the help of the daughter of his crime co-conspirator Dodd Gerhardt to catch anyone who may have been attempting to meet up with Rye. While later in the show Dodd scolds — hits, even — his daughter for getting involved in the business, it resulted in them getting one step closer to finding Rye. Hanzee's brain is clearly the mastermind behind Dodd's flawed brawn.
4. He's Not A Fan Of Magic
During a flashback to Hanzee's youth, we see that he is utterly unimpressed when a magician pulls a rabbit out of his hat. Hanzee remains stoic and unfazed despite the applause and wonderment of the rest of the class. Even for a thirtysomething watching a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat is super cool, but for an elementary school student to not be impressed by magic? That's a clear indication that something is wrong.
5. He Doesn't Mind Eating Raw Rabbit Gizzards
Ew.
6. His Name Is Telling
In an interview, the actor revelaed his name comes from the Lakota word aháŋzi (oh-hahn-zee) which means shadow or shade. To me this seems to match his character's personality, which is both quiet like a shadow but also a little shady.
That's all we know so far about the mysterious Gerhardt henchman, although it's likely that Hanzee will become more important as the season goes on — Why would they have a flashback for a character that doesn't end up being that important? It's hard to predict what exactly will happen with this character because Fargo is, after all, "based on a true story" and "real life" stories can be much stranger than fiction, but I'm betting that Hanzee's role in these events will only getting larger as the season progresses.
Images: Mathias Clamer, Screengrab/FX (5)
