Fargo
Season 4
Promotional poster
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes11
Release
Original networkFX
Original releaseSeptember 27 (2020-09-27) –
November 29, 2020 (2020-11-29)
Season chronology
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Season 5
List of episodes

The fourth season of Fargo, an American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series created by Noah Hawley, premiered on September 27, 2020, on FX and concluded on November 29, 2020. It consisted of 11 episodes.[1] Set in Kansas City, Missouri from November 1950 to early 1951, the season follows two crime syndicates as they vie for control of the underground. The cast is led by Chris Rock, who plays 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. Other cast members include Jessie Buckley, Jason Schwartzman, Ben Whishaw, and Jack Huston.

As an anthology, each Fargo season possesses its own self-contained narrative, following a disparate set of characters in various settings and eras, albeit in a connected shared universe centered around Minnesota. The broader Midwestern United States features prominently and some connection to the titular city of Fargo, North Dakota runs through the series. The season was originally scheduled to premiere on April 19, 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guests

Episodes

See also: List of Fargo episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
311"Welcome to the Alternate Economy"Noah HawleyNoah HawleySeptember 27, 2020 (2020-09-27)XFO040011.22[4]
In 1920 Kansas City, Missouri, the bosses of a Jewish crime organization, the Moskowitz Syndicate, and an Irish gang, the Milligan Concern, trade their youngest sons to keep the peace. However, Milligan's son, Patrick, betrays his adoptive family, allowing the Irish to ambush and wipe out the Syndicate, with Patrick's father forcing him to personally execute Moskowitz's son. In 1934, the Milligan Concern and the newly arrived Sardinian Fadda Family go through the same peace offering, with Patrick Milligan again being exchanged. This time, Patrick betrays his Irish family and they are destroyed in a similar ambush by the Faddas. Patrick is forced to execute his father. In 1949, an African American gang, the Cannon Limited, come to power, and leader Loy Cannon trades sons with the Fadda Family. Loy's youngest son, Satchel, is exchanged for Don Donatello Fadda's youngest son, Zero. Patrick, who is now nicknamed "Rabbi," empathetically promises Loy that he will personally look out for Satchel. One year later, while at a stop sign, Donatello Fadda is accidentally shot in the jugular by children with a BB gun, and is rushed to the city's top private hospital. The hospital director, Dr. Harvard, is prejudiced against Italians and demands that they leave. Donatello's son, Josto, swears revenge. At a lesser-quality public hospital, Josto bonds briefly with Donatello's nurse, Oraetta Mayflower. Later that afternoon, Mayflower kills Donatello with a morphine injection and steals his ring. Meanwhile, bright and rebellious mixed-race teenager Ethelrida Pearl Smutny, whose parents run a funeral home, has a conversation with her father Thurman about their financial problems. For unknown reasons, Thurman has accepted a large loan from Loy which he is unable to repay. Unknown to them, Mayflower is watching them from her apartment across the street, and has taken a peculiar interest in Ethelrida.
322"The Land of Taking and Killing"Noah HawleyNoah HawleySeptember 27, 2020 (2020-09-27)XFO040020.79[4]
Bank robbers Zelmare Roulette (Ethelrida's aunt) and Swanee Capps escape prison and arrive unannounced at the Smutny house. Ethelrida's mother, Dibrell, reluctantly allows her sister and Swanee to stay. Josto, who has now assumed control of the Fadda Family, finds his legitimacy challenged by his younger brother, Gaetano Fadda, who refuses to go back to Sardinia following Donatello's funeral and immediately begins undermining his brother's authority. Further adding to his weak appearance, some of Josto's men botch a drive-by hit on Dr. Harvard, instead killing a nurse and a wealthy socialite. Odis Weff, a corrupt cop working for Josto who has numerous nervous tics, warns him to refrain from bringing any more heat on the Family. Meanwhile, the Cannon Limited decides to take advantage of Donatello's death. Before he died, Donatello was considering handing over a front disguised as a slaughterhouse to Loy. Loy and his consigliere, Doctor Senator, make a move to seize the slaughterhouse, claiming the deal had been settled. However, Gaetano then arrives at the slaughterhouse instead of Josto and tells Senator that if he finds the deal was illegitimate, there will be retaliation. Striking up conversation on their porch, Oraetta is impressed with Ethelrida's intelligence. That night, Oraetta bakes her an apple pie, but laces it with ipecac. She leaves the dessert on the Smutnys' front porch and Thurman brings it inside. A police squad suddenly raids the house, looking for Zelmare and Swanee.
333"Raddoppiarlo"Dearbhla WalshNoah HawleyOctober 4, 2020 (2020-10-04)XFO040030.72[5]
U.S. Marshal Dick "Deafy" Wickware, who has been trailing Zelmare and Swanee since their escape, arrives in Kansas City and is assigned Odis as his guide. The two lead the raid on the Smutny funeral home. Deafy questions Dibrell on the whereabouts of her sister and Swanee, but Dibrell and Ethelrida both claim they have not seen or heard from them. A search of the house and the morgue in the basement yields no results, and the police leave. Zelmare and Swanee, who hid in one of the morgue's cold lockers, promise to leave, but take Thurman's shotgun with them. Thurman smuggles them out in a casket and drops them off at their destination, not knowing that it is Loy's compound. The duo kill three of Loy's henchmen and steal $20,000. Swanee, who had eaten a piece of Oraetta's poisoned pie, becomes violently ill and vomits on the money, forcing the two to make a hasty getaway. Oraetta is fired for the unusual number of patients who have died under her care, but manages to get a new job at Dr. Harvard's hospital. Noticing Josto in his car outside the hospital, she assumes he is following her for romantic reasons, and she gives him a line of cocaine and a handjob. Gaetano grows impatient with Josto's diplomatic approach to the Cannons and begins rallying some of the Family to his side, including hitman Constant Calamita. He instructs Calamita to carry out a drive-by hit on Loy's eldest son, Lemuel, having Rabbi act as the triggerman. Rabbi, suspecting Josto did not authorize the hit, foils the attempt. Loy, confronted with the news of the robbery and the failed hit, believes Josto is behind both and wants retaliation. Doctor Senator, suspecting something is off, convinces Loy to let him investigate the situation before declaring war.
344"The Pretend War"Dearbhla WalshNoah Hawley and Stefani RobinsonOctober 11, 2020 (2020-10-11)XFO040040.76[6]
While smuggling a large quantity of rifles in a produce truck, Calamita and his driver are stopped by Loy's gang using a flaming roadblock. They kill the driver and brand Calamita's face before stealing the truck. Loy sells the guns to Mort Kellerman and the Fargo Mafia at cost, reserving a favor from them in the event that they are needed during a war with the Faddas. During a sitdown with Fadda consigliere Ebal Violante, Doctor Senator claims the heist was retaliation for the attempted hit on Lemuel. Violante's confusion confirms Senator's suspicions that the attack was a power move from Gaetano and the robbery was just a random crime. Rabbi informs Josto of Gaetano's efforts to undermine him. Enraged, Josto confronts Gaetano in front of his followers, threatening to shoot him in the genitals. Gaetano backs off, but is visibly angered. Oraetta, who has begun an intense sexual relationship with Josto, gets interrupted by Ethelrida, who has arrived at her apartment looking for a part-time housecleaning job. While alone in the apartment, Ethelrida discovers Oraetta's secret closet where she keeps various poisons, mementos from her victims, and newspaper clippings about her killings. Ethelrida steals one of the clippings and Donatello's ring. She leaves in a hurry and forgets her notebook in the closet. Zelmare meets with Thurman, giving him a bag full of her recently stolen money so he can pay his debt to Loy. Thurman, unaware that the money was originally Loy's, arrives at the latter's house, pays his debt, and leaves. Loy is momentarily happy that something went his way, but becomes angry when he notices the vomit smell of the money and realizes what has happened.
355"The Birthplace of Civilization"Dana GonzalesNoah Hawley and Francesca SloaneOctober 18, 2020 (2020-10-18)XFO040050.74[7]
Ethelrida writes an anonymous letter to Dr. Harvard detailing her findings about the many deaths of Oraetta's patients. In retaliation for the truck heist, Josto has Odis arrest several Cannon Limited men, including Lemuel. When Odis attempts to arrest Loy, he takes advantage of Odis' OCD and turns the tables on him. Odis instead confiscates the bag of money Thurman gave Loy. Loy confronts Thurman, demanding Zelmare's location and assuming control of the funeral home for use as a front. Simultaneously, Deafy interrogates Ethelrida at her school for the same information. Both Loy and Deafy head to the hotel Zelmare and Swanee are hiding out in. Loy gets there first, but rather than kill the pair, he sneaks them out of the hotel, wanting to make use of their skills. Doctor Senator arrives at the diner he and Violante regularly have meetings at, but is surprised to find Gaetano and Calamita there instead. They attempt to threaten Senator, but he rebukes the pair and leaves. Calamita follows Senator outside the diner and shoots him dead in the street.
366"Camp Elegance"Dana GonzalesNoah Hawley and Enzo Mileti & Scott Wilson and Francesca SloaneOctober 25, 2020 (2020-10-25)XFO040110.70[8]
Loy and his gang ambush Odis in his apartment and force him to flip sides. With his help, Zelmare and Swanee shoot their way into Gaetano's compound, and they subdue him and bring him to Loy, who has him tortured. Dr. Harvard brings Ethelrida's letter to Oraetta's attention. She manages to talk her way out of his suspicions, but he refuses her request to let her see the letter. Violante returns from New York City with Joe Bulo after requesting backup. New York promises to help Josto, but only if he can fix his problem with Cannon Limited within two weeks and makes peace with Gaetano. Violante suggests an exchange with Cannon Limited to get Gaetano back. However, Josto secretly orders his brother-in-law, Antoon Dumini, to kill Satchel, expecting that Loy will in turn kill Gaetano. Rabbi deduces Josto's plan and kills Antoon before he can execute Satchel, and the two go on the run.
377"Lay Away"Dana GonzalesNoah Hawley and Enzo Mileti & Scott WilsonNovember 1, 2020 (2020-11-01)XFO040060.65[9]
Oraetta feeds Dr. Harvard poisoned macaroons. As he writhes in agony, she steals Ethelrida's letter from his desk. The Faddas discover Antoon's body and surmise that Rabbi has betrayed them. Josto dispatches Calamita to track down Rabbi and Satchel. Violante intends to hand over several Fadda businesses in exchange for Gaetano, but Josto sabotages the exchange, lying to Loy that Calamita, enraged at Gaetano's abduction, killed Satchel. He instead offers Violante's promised businesses in exchange for Loy killing Gaetano and Calamita. After mourning overnight and toying with the idea of killing Zero in retaliation, Loy sees the big picture and realizes Josto is setting him up. Instead of killing Gaetano, Loy informs him of his brother's betrayal and sets him free. Loy then sends Omie Sparkman to kill Calamita.
388"The Nadir"Sylvain WhiteNoah Hawley and Enzo Mileti & Scott WilsonNovember 8, 2020 (2020-11-08)XFO040070.70[10]
Oraetta receives news that Dr. Harvard has survived his poisoning and is expected to make a full recovery. Hastily packing her bags, she finds Ethelrida's notebook in her apartment. Comparing its handwriting to the letter she pulled from Harvard's desk, she deduces that Ethelrida wrote the letter. Josto arrives at his compound and is horrified to find Gaetano there. Gaetano beats him, but then professes his admiration for Josto's attempt to have him killed and pledges his loyalty to his brother, finally accepting his leadership. Learning his plan has backfired and united the brothers against him, Loy calls in his favor from the Fargo Mafia. Deafy confronts Loy, demanding the whereabouts of Zelmare and Swanee. Loy initially resists out of obligation to his sense of honor, but Deafy mocks his code and ultimately intimidates Loy into revealing that the duo will be taking the 10pm train to Philadelphia. Deafy assembles a squad to arrest the pair. Odis, claiming to want a return to his life as a cop and be a crook no longer, accompanies the raid, but is incapacitated by his OCD when it commences. Zelmare and Swanee make a last stand, killing many cops and civilians alike. Odis finally works up the courage to enter the station, and finds Deafy just as he has cornered the outlaws. Still acting under orders from Loy, he shoots Deafy dead. He then turns his gun on the women, killing Swanee. An enraged Zelmare manages to push past Odis and escape. While visiting their mother's house, Josto and Gaetano are ambushed by Mort Kellerman and his Fargo soldiers. Gaetano manages to singlehandedly push them back, but the brothers are devastated to learn that their mother was killed in the crossfire.
399"East/West"Michael UppendahlNoah Hawley and Lee Edward Colston IINovember 15, 2020 (2020-11-15)XFO040080.82[11]
The episode is presented in black and white and told through the eyes of Omie Sparkman, Rabbi Milligan, and Satchel Cannon. Omie is traveling with Aldo, a kidnapped Fadda henchman who's tipped him off that Calamita is pursuing Rabbi and Satchel to Liberal, Kansas. At a gas station outside the city, Omie tells the owner he is expecting someone, and offers to finish painting the building if he can stay and wait. When Calamita shows up, Aldo tries to flee and Omie kills him, alerting Calamita. One day prior, Rabbi and Satchel arrive at an unusual boarding house in Liberal. Satchel finds a seemingly abandoned terrier named Rabbit in their room and adopts it, while Rabbi unsuccessfully scrounges for cash. After a day and a half, Rabbi decides they need to leave, declining Satchel's request that they bring Rabbit along. Upset, Satchel tells Rabbi it is his birthday and he was hoping to get a gift. Feeling guilty, Rabbi leaves to look for a candy bar for Satchel. As a storm builds, Rabbi travels to the gas station. There, he discovers the owner has been killed and finds that Calamita has wounded and cornered Omie. A gunfight ensues, which is interrupted when a sudden tornado sucks up the station, killing Rabbi, Calamita, and Omie. The next morning, Satchel wakes up (the episode now in color) to discover that Rabbi has not returned. Armed with Rabbi's gun, he leaves the boarding house with Rabbit and begins walking down the road.
4010"Happy"Sylvain WhiteNoah HawleyNovember 22, 2020 (2020-11-22)XF0040090.81[12]
The Cannon Limited and the Fadda Family commit to war. Several months pass, and by 1951 the violence has gotten out of control. Trying to reclaim his life, Odis arrests Josto, Gaetano, and several others. Loy, who is losing the war, seeks aid from his brother-in-law, the rural mobster Happy. But Happy and Leon quickly betray Loy, making a deal with Josto to kill Loy and run the Cannon Limited under the Faddas. Odis arrives at his apartment to find it ransacked. He tries to flee, but Josto and Gaetano corner him in his car. Unable to defend himself, he accepts his fate and Gaetano shoots him dead. As Gaetano runs away from Odis' car, he trips and falls, accidentally discharging his gun and killing himself. Josto flees the scene. Oraetta, intending to kill Ethelrida and get back Donatello's ring, sneaks into her bedroom, but the ghost of Theodore Roach appears and scares her off. She returns home to find the police waiting to arrest her based on Dr. Harvard's testimony. Ethelrida arranges a meeting with Loy to make a deal for her family's business. She presents him with Donatello's ring and evidence that he was murdered by Oraetta, claiming it will help him win his war with the Faddas.
4111"Storia Americana"Dana GonzalesNoah HawleyNovember 29, 2020 (2020-11-29)XFO040100.85[13]
Following his meeting with Ethelrida, Loy gives the Smutnys their funeral home back. Josto, drunk after Gaetano's death, vengefully murders his fiancee's father, Milvin Gillis, and a recovered Dr. Harvard. Loy meets with Violante and returns both the elder Fadda's ring and Zero. The two make a deal to end the war. Loy then has Happy and Leon killed for their betrayals. A hungover Josto is confronted in a kangaroo court by Violante and the rest of the Fadda operation, who assert that Josto has acted outside the interests of the family. Oraetta, who has been bailed out of jail by Violante, claims Josto indirectly ordered her to murder Donatello, and testifies about her and Josto's relationship after. Taking into account how Oraetta had Donatello's ring as well as Gaetano's unexplained death, Violante concludes Josto conspired with Oraetta to kill his father and brother for more power, and declares that the Faddas' days as a family business are over. With New York's blessing, Violante takes control of the entire operation, which he intends to modernize. Joe Bulo drives Josto and Oraetta to a field and executes them both. Loy returns home with his family and is overjoyed to discover Satchel has made his way back. With the war ended, Loy is shocked to discover that Violante has made "small adjustments" to their peace deal; half of the Cannon Limited's business will be under Italian control. Defeated, Loy returns home, but finds bliss with his family reunited. Lingering outside the front door as he joyfully watches them through a window, he is suddenly stabbed by a vengeful Zelmare. Satchel witnesses the attack and goes to his father's side as he dies. The episode ends with Ethelrida reciting her American history report to her proud parents. During the credits, it is revealed that Satchel grows up to become Mike Milligan, a player in Violante's new, more corporate Kansas City Mafia.

Production

The fourth season was announced in August 2018 and it was confirmed that Chris Rock was cast in the lead role.[14] In July 2019, 12 actors were announced to have been cast, including Francesco Acquaroli, Andrew Bird, Jessie Buckley, Salvatore Esposito, Jeremie Harris, Jack Huston, Amber Midthunder, Jason Schwartzman, and Ben Whishaw.[15] Midthunder ultimately did not appear and her role was recast with Kelsey Asbille for undisclosed reasons. In September 2019, it was announced that Uzo Aduba had been cast in the role of Zelmare Roulette, however, Aduba had to drop out of the role due to "some personal family issues".[16] The role was recast with Karen Aldridge in December.[17]

Production began in October 2019 in Chicago, Illinois, with Hawley directing the first block of episodes.[18] In March 2020, FX suspended production on the series for at least two weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] The original premiere date of April 19, 2020, was also pushed back due to production delays. The series completed production on eight of the eleven episodes before production shut down.[3] Production resumed in August 2020 and was completed by September 8, 2020.[20][21]

Reception

Critical response

The fourth season has received generally positive reviews from critics, though less acclaimed than previous seasons. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an 84% critic approval rating and an average score of 7.3 out of 10 based on 58 reviews. The website's critical consensus is, "Though Fargo's ambitious fourth season struggles to maintain momentum, fine performances and a change of scenery make for an engaging – if uneven – departure from the series' norm."[22] On Metacritic, it has a score of 68 out of 100 based on 37 reviews.[23]

Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for Vulture, gave the season a negative review. He criticized the writers' missed opportunity to link the season's unique premise of children swapping among gangs to its themes of immigration and culture, as well as their tendency to make subtext obvious through excessive monologues.[24]

Accolades

For the 11th Critics' Choice Television Awards, Chris Rock received a nomination for Best Actor in a Limited Series and Glynn Turman received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series.[25]

References

  1. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 10, 2020). "'Fargo' Sets New Premiere Date For Chris Rock-Starring Season 4 As FX Series Heads Back To Production". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  2. ^ Petski, Denise (January 9, 2020). "FX Sets Premiere Dates For 'Fargo', 'Mrs. America', 'Better Things', 'Devs', 'Archer' & More – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Nemetz, Dave (March 16, 2020). "Fargo Season 4 Premiere Postponed, Won't Be Eligible for 2020 Emmys". TVLine. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (September 29, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.27.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 6, 2020). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.4.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  6. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 13, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.11.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 20, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.18.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 27, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.25.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  9. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 3, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.1.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.8.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  11. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 17, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.15.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  12. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (November 24, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.22.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  13. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 2, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.29.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  14. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (August 3, 2018). "Chris Rock to Star in 'Fargo' Season 4 at FX". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  15. ^ Thorne, Will (July 18, 2019). "Jack Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Ben Whishaw Among 12 Joining 'Fargo' Season 4 Cast". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  16. ^ Ausiell, Michael (January 15, 2020). "Ask Ausiello: Scoop on Grey's Anatomy, Homeland, Schitt's Creek, Sabrina, Supernatural, This Is Us, Evil and More". TVLine. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  17. ^ Petski, Denise (December 18, 2019). "'Fargo': Karen Aldridge Joins Season 4 Of FX Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  18. ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (September 27, 2019). "'Fargo' Season 4: Noah Hawley Calls New Story "Twice the Size" of Previous Three". Collider. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 13, 2020). "FX Series 'Atlanta', 'Fargo', 'Snowfall' & 'Y' Shut Down Over Coronavirus Concerns". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  20. ^ Porter, Rick (August 10, 2020). "'Fargo': Delayed Fourth Season Gets a Premiere Date on FX". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  21. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (September 9, 2020). "'Fargo' Finishes Season 4 Production Amid Coronavirus Pandemic". Variety. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  22. ^ "Fargo: Season 4". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  23. ^ "Fargo: Season 4". Metacritic. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  24. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller (September 24, 2020). "Fargo Disappears Into Its Own Navel". Vulture. Vox Media, LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  25. ^ Schneider, Michael (January 18, 2021). "'Ozark,' 'The Crown' and Netflix Lead 26th Annual Critics' Choice Awards TV Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2021.

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