Ole Munch

Ole Munch
Portrayed by	Sam Spruell
Vital information
Alias	The Boogeyman
Occupation	Hitman
Residence	Wales (formerly)
Statistics
Age	519+
Born	Late 15th century
Status	Alive
Appearances
First seen	The Tragedy of the Commons
Last seen	Bisquik

"It tells a lot about a man what words he uses to describe a double-cross. We have heard it all. To "Welsh". To "Gyp". To "Jew". As if to steal is a man's lineage. What a man is."

―Episode 9: The Useless Hand

Ole Munch (pronounced "oo-lah moonk") is a secondary antagonist-turned-antihero in Fargo Season 5. While first appearing as an assassin paid to kidnap Dot Lyon, Munch eventually turns into her ally.

Characteristics

"Age unknown, birthplace unknown. On any given day, Ole Munch looks as though he could be 30-60. Some say he has always been here, blowing through the American landscape – the dark shadow waiting for us at the end of the hall. He’s carved from stone, relentless as the sea, the forces of physics don’t apply to him."

Munch is a middle-aged, taciturn hitman of ambiguous European origin. He wears a turtleneck and a brown union suit underneath an old tweed jacket, along with a kilt and combat boots lined with thermal socks. His hair is styled in a haphazard bowl-cut. Later in the season, he sports a red winter coat with a fur-lined hood, lent to him by Irma, an elderly woman whose house he briefly seeks refuge in. In the season finale, his outfit is dyed completely black, and his hair is a darker shade of brown.

Munch speaks with a thick Norwegian accent, alternating between half-sentences with a tenuous understanding of English, and parable-like verbosity when trying to make an important point. He often refers to himself in the third person, describing himself as "a man" or using the royal "we", and very rarely uses "I" or "me".

Munch is a formidable assassin, displaying significant physical strength, speed, reflexes, and phantom-like stealth, as well as the ability to see great distances in almost total darkness. He also describes himself as an adept tracker to the point where he can know the thoughts of others, though it is not made clear whether this is a genuine supernatural ability, or simply instinctive skill sharpened over time. Despite his menacing demeanor, he is shown to be somewhat timid and lacking in proper social skills.

History

Wales, 1522.

In rural 16th century Wales, a man who looks just like Munch is hired as a sin-eater at a funeral. He is paid to ritually eat a meal that represents a rich man's sins, in order for the dead man's sins to be absolved, typically condemning the sin-eater to a life of shame.

Actor Sam Spruell interprets the man in the flashback to either be Munch himself or an ancestor.

Episode appearances

Season 5

“The Tragedy of the Commons”

During the week of Halloween in 2019, Munch appears at the Lyon household with his partner Donald Ireland at the behest of Roy Tillman, who has paid them to kidnap Dorothy "Nadine" Lyon. They are unprepared for the ferocity with which Dot fights back, Ireland suffering third degree burns on his face after Dot defends herself with a makeshift aerosol flamethrower, and Munch a gash across his left temple after falling for her false unconsciousness, during which she slashes him with the blade of an ice skate. The two manage to corner her, and they drive off into the night.

The kidnapping is interrupted again when Trooper Witt Farr pulls them over. Munch is only able to briefly warn Dot to stay put before she escapes. He retaliates against the police with an assault rifle, killing Witt's partner before tracking both Dot and an injured Witt to a nearby gas station convenience store. Dot kills Ireland with a bag of ice and is heard unloading his gun in the restroom. Munch follows the sound and kills the clerk after evading another trap Dot sets with motor oil. He dodges shots from Witt in one of the aisles, using a hand mirror to watch for any rearview attacks. He is ultimately caught off guard by Dot, who strikes him unconscious with a shovel. After tending to Witt's wounds, she finds Munch has vanished.

Earlier in the episode, as Dot falls asleep, Munch appears briefly in her dreams.

“Trials and Tribulations”

Munch returns to the Tillman Ranch to report his failure. He claims that he was not sufficiently prepared for Dot's tactical prowess, describing her as a "tiger" instead of a mere housewife. Roy asks if she can be tracked down again. Munch confirms, but states that he's owed three times his original payment, since it was not made clear the level of danger he was putting himself in. He then asks why Roy would even want to go after someone as vicious as her. Roy explains that his actions are pure and righteous since Dot is still technically his wife, and that interest has accrued during her absence to the point where the debt she must pay surpasses monetary value. Munch is escorted by Roy's son, Gator, to retrieve his payment, but learns quickly that he's being led into a trap. He breaks Gator's wrist and uses him as a meat shield while killing the other two men before escaping.

At the end of the episode, Gator stops by the gas station convenience store while his partner refuels their truck. Munch suddenly appears and stabs him in the neck. Gator discovers the body with a piece of cardboard, on which "YOU OWE ME" is written in the man's blood.

“The Paradox of Intermediate Transactions”

Munch appears in the house of a poor, elderly woman named Irma. She discovers him in an upstairs bedroom, sitting in a rocking chair. He menacingly declares, "I live here now". A flashback to the year 1522 in Wales shows what appears to be an ancestor of Munch's being brought before a wake, where the ritual of sin-eating is taking place. The ancestor eats a plate of food off the body and is forced to say a prayer in which he pawns his own soul for that of the dead man, offering him ease in the afterlife as he "consumes" his worldly sins. Once the ritual is complete, the ancestor is sent away with two coins, satisfied with having been fed, but still staring forlornly at the house, desiring shelter and community. A present-day Munch repeats himself in a less-menacing tone. Irma decides against calling the police. He stays in the room, listening to a police scanner to keep track of Gator and Roy's activities.

Later that evening, as the Tillmans execute their next assault on the Lyons, Munch is seen preparing a ritual of his own in which he consumes a page from the Bible. He walks back to the ranch, slaughtering a goat and bringing it into the dugout to bathe in its viscera. While reciting a prayer in Latin, he cuts his wrists and rubs the goat's tallow into his eyes as the ritual reaches its climax. He is last seen creeping into the Tillman household.

“Insolubilia”

Roy follows the muddy footprints to his daughters' bedroom and finds a rune scrawled on the wall by Munch. Back at Irma's house, Munch is in the bathtub, illustrating his hatred for Roy with the violence of his impoverished upbringing. He recounts scrounging for food and shelter even as a child, claiming that the only ones who could afford to want were the wealthy. He also brings up how, in contemporary times, any wealthy individual can decree themselves a "king", and that being denied the things they want is congruous to oppression despite the fact that they maintain systematic structures of oppression and violence with their greed. Irma is confused by Munch's cryptic explanation, asking him what he wants from her. He says he wants pancakes.

"The Tender Trap"

Munch is called back to the Tillman ranch by a rattled Roy, who has agreed to pay Munch what he is owed in return for the removal of the "curse". Roy reminds him of his original duty, deciding that Dot needs to be killed instead of kidnapped. Gator waits for Munch at his car to chide him for getting away with inconsistent performance. Munch retorts by criticizing Gator's immaturity, and reminds him that the forces of nature are beyond his control. He leaves without realizing Gator has attached a tracking device to his car.

"Linda"

As Irma is being badgered by her son, Kevin, for social security money, Munch shows up to defend her, claiming that he is not a tenant, but a "guard dog". Kevin ignores him and threatens to turn him into the police unless he gives him money. Munch acquiesces on Irma's behalf, but follows Kevin outside to kill him with an axe.

Gator shows up to kill Munch with a sniper rifle and take the money back. The body that takes the bullet is revealed to be Kevin, whom Munch has rigged like a puppet to move in the rocking chair.

Irma returns home with groceries, the necessary funds implied to have been provided by Munch. She attacks Gator after catching him breaking into Munch's car, but dies of a head wound when he pushes her onto the ground. Munch discovers her body not long after, holding back enraged tears.

"Blanket"

Gator drives away from the ranch after a tense encounter with a captive Dot, unaware that Munch is hiding in the backseat.

"The Useless Hand"

Munch has taken Gator to an uninhabited ice fishing cabin, ignoring his desperate offers of contraband in exchange for freedom. Munch explains that Gator must repent for Irma's death, and carves his eyes out of his head. Later, he leads Gator along with a rope leash back to the ranch. As Roy holds them at gunpoint, Munch fully articulates his contempt for the Tillmans, and the dishonesty of the ruling class as a whole, providing a mutilated Gator as an example of the kind of lessons that must be taught. Munch throws him into Roy's arms before disappearing.

At the end of the episode, Munch comes to Dot's rescue, killing the henchmen that have cornered her in Roy's mass grave. He lets her know that she's safe, and extends his hand. Dot hesitantly accepts. They share a silent moment, in which Munch regards her with respect, before returning her hunting rifle. He tells her that the "tiger" is now free, and departs into the fog.

"Bisquick"

One year after the events of Episode 9, Munch shows up at the Lyon household, claiming he and Dot still have unfinished business now that her own with the Tillmans has been settled, and that she must pay for the injury he sustained during the kidnapping. Dot challenges him to consider the concept of debt, asking how anyone could be expected to always pay debt despite their circumstances. She then offers him a choice: help the family prepare dinner, or leave to conduct their business another time. He chooses the former, awkwardly following Dot's instructions as she teaches him how to prepare box biscuits. Dot lets him know that despite understanding where he's coming from, he nonetheless made the choice to invade her home, and that she in turn had no choice but to defend it, citing the injury as an occupational hazard. She then postulates that, at some point in his life, he had a mother who would've done the same for him, to which he responds with the idea that life is a continuous line instead of a series of recurrences. Dot disagrees.

The family is seated with Munch as Scotty leads them in saying grace. Wayne inquires further about Munch's origins. Munch explains that he truly is over 500 years old. At an indeterminate time, he traveled to America by longboat and was "paid to soldier" by the colonists. He soon abandoned them to live a nomadic and seemingly happy life among the land's indigenous peoples. Colonialism quickly overwhelmed the country, and he found himself "alone once more", taking a mournful vow of silence for one hundred years. He also explains that the sin-eating ritual cursed him with immortality, and that he's been devoid of hunger, rest, and hope ever since. Dot empathizes with him, drawing parallels between his curse and her abuse, but assures him that they do not have to "swallow" what they've been given. She forgives him, and offers him one of the biscuits he made, suggesting that the cure lies in eating something made with love and joy. Munch takes a bite, and breaks into a tearful smile.

Murders Committed

• “Iron” Mike Ox - shot
• Unnamed Store Clerk - shot
• Alvie Nugent - stabbed in the neck
• Kevin - hacked with an axe
• Bowman - shot
• 5 unnamed Tillman ranch guards

Trivia

• Munch's original name appears to have been Bryn, according to closed captioning in Episode 3. Bryn is a unisex name of Welsh origin, meaning "hill" or "mount".
• Munch's Latin prayer in Episode 3 takes verses from the book of Leviticus, specifically 16:21 to 16:22. "Cumque portaverit hircus omnes iniquitates eorum in terram solitariam, et dimissus fuerit in deserto // [...] omnes iniquitates filiorum Israel, et universa delicta atque peccata eorum". "And when the goat has carried all their iniquities into a solitary land, and has been released into the desert // [...] let him confess all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all of their offenses and sins".
• The rune on Munch's belly in Episode 3 bears a similarity to the rune Peorð from the Elder Futhark alphabet. Its actual meaning is disputed; some define it as representative of the magical unknown, while others take that definition further as an allusion to pregnancy, and the birth of something new yet mysterious.