"Welcome to the Alternate Economy" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 31st overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Noah Hawley. It originally aired on FX on September 27, 2020, airing back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "The Land of Taking and Killing".
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.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.22 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the cinematography and production design, although some expressed criticism for the pacing, over-abundance of characters and lack of character development.
Plot
In 1950, Ethelrida Smutny (E'myri Crutchfield) narrates the history of organized crime in America as part of a school report. In 1920, the Jewish crime organization, the Moskowitz Syndicate, and an Irish gang, the Milligan Concern, meet to settle their feud. To maintain peace, the bosses trade each other's sons.
In 1928, Milligan's son, Patrick, betrays his adoptive family by allowing the Milligan Concern to wipe out the entire Moskowitz Syndicate, with his father forcing him to kill Moskowitz's son. In 1934, the Milligan Concern goes through the same peace process with the newly arrived Sardinian Fadda Family, with Patrick once again being exchanged for Donatello Fadda's son. This time, Patrick allows the Fadda Family to kill his own family. Donatello (Tommaso Ragno) has Patrick kill his own father, who curses him and his children. With the Moskowitz Syndicate wiped out, Donatello adopts Patrick as part of the family. In 1949, the Fadda Family go through the same peace offering trade, now with an African American gang, the Cannon Limited, led by Loy Cannon (Chris Rock). Loy's son, Satchel, is traded for Donatello's son, Zero. A grown-up Patrick, now known as Rabbi (Ben Whishaw), promises to look after Satchel.
Back in 1950, Loy and Donatello meet in a park to momentarily see their kids play. Donatello's son, Josto (Jason Schwartzman), almost gets into a fight with some of Loy's criminal partners. As they drive back, Donatello reprimands Josto for his attitude, also informing him that his brother Gaetano is coming over to visit. While waiting at a stop sign, Donatello's henchmen are alarmed by a possible attack, but it turns out to be false. Donatello appears to have a heart attack, although this turns out to be nothing but an enormous fart. However, he is accidentally shot in the jugular by a bunch of kids with a BB gun. Josto and his henchmen hurriedly take him to the nearest private hospital. However, the director, Dr. David Harvard (Stephen Spencer), refuses to help due to their Italian heritage and orders them to leave. They are forced to take him to the public hospital St. Bartholomew's, while Josto threatens Harvard for his negligence.
Loy and his consigliere, Doctor Senator (Glynn Turman), meet with a powerful banker to propose an investment idea: credit cards. The banker refuses to invest in the idea, feeling that his customers won't be interested. At St. Bartholomew's, Josto is informed that Donatello is in a critical but stable condition. He meets a nurse, Oraetta Mayflower (Jessie Buckley), and they bond by using drugs. Josto laments that he does not like seeing Donatello like that and asks her to take care of him. Later, with guards sleeping, Oraetta visits Donatello and injects him with morphine, killing him and stealing his ring.
Ethelrida finds that her mixed-race parents, who run a funeral home, have been talking with Loy for the past days. That night, as she sits outside her house, she is joined by her father Thurman (Andrew Bird). Thurman explains that he met with Loy for help with money problems, having accepted a large loan from Loy which he is unable to repay. As they go inside, Oraetta is revealed to have been watching them from her apartment across the street.