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Nygaard Family & Associates
Lester Nygaard
Lester Nygaard
Played By: Martin Freeman
"You know, you can go through your whole life without a care, and one day it all changes. People die. They lose their homes. They go to prison. It's calamity, huh? I know it, 'cause I lived it. And if this year has taught me anything — and believe me, I've seen it all — it's that the worst does happen. And you need to be insured."
In his hometown, Lester is widely known as a polite but awkward insurance salesman who always follows the rules and would never hurt a fly. In reality, Lester is a ticking time-bomb consumed by bitterness after enduring years of abuse from an emasculating wife, a successful brother, and a sadistic high school classmate who bullies him well into adulthood. With a little inspiration from a stranger by the name of Lorne Malvo, Lester stops pretending and embraces his darker impulses.
- Accidental Murder: He didn't intend to kill his wife, at first. He hit her on the head in a joking manner and immediately regretted it upon realizing the wound was serious. He chose to finish her off by beating her to death with that same hammer to make sure she was dead before desperately covering his tracks.
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: Getting away with murder really goes to his head.
- Animal Motif: Fish, specifically koi fish as shown by his red parka sharing the same colour as a fish on his motivational poster. His arc into a villain references the Japanese legend of the koi dragon; a story about a group of fish fighting the tide to climb a waterfall, all but one fish gives up. This fish garners the attention from a local demon, who increases the height of the waterfall to mock it, but the fish is eventually able to climb the waterfall, causing the gods to reward the fish by turning it into a dragon. In the series, Malvo is a manipulator who intimidates Gus by comparing himself to a dragon, he also manipulates Lester by convincing him to start abandoning his morals, and Malvo uses the tide as a metaphor for pushing back against abuse. Fittingly, Lester ultimately dies by falling through ice and drowning.
- Apologizes a Lot: He's very prone to stammering over himself and apologizing. Even when he's beating Pearl to death with a hammer, he can't stop himself from apologizing the whole time.
- Asshole Victim: After everything he's done, by the time Lester dies, he's thoroughly unsympathetic.
- Bad Liar: It's a wonder he wasn't caught when he couldn't even piece together an alibi that didn't immediately contridict itself. He rivals Lorne in his deceptive ability by the end of the season.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Initially, Lester is pleasant and trampled on. People roll right over meek little Lester without the slightest concern; his wife, his brother, his old schoolmates, his co-workers... they all see him as a pushover, and they're not wrong. Even his wife just laughs at him when he picks up a hammer to hit her with. She stops laughing when he actually does hit her. As the series progresses, he becomes an increasingly coldhearted and depraved individual who will go to any lengths to get what he wants.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Even as he becomes more and more despicable, he still maintains the persona of an innocent, friendly man.
- Bludgeoned to Death: How he kills his wife.
- The Blue Beard: He murders his first wife with a hammer, and doesn't directly kill his second wife, but knowingly sends her to her death just to save his own skin.
- Body Horror: A shotgun pellet wound up embedded in his hand, growing steadily worse to the point where he nearly lost the hand.
- Butt-Monkey: He's berated by everyone around him, though it all changes when Lorne kills Sam and he finally kills his wife. And then he frames his own brother for it.
- Bullying a Dragon: His insistence on having Malvo acknowledge his success post-timeskip backfires on him spectacularly, and sets in motion the series of events which lead to his death. Subverted in that he actually outsmarts Malvo and severely injures his leg in a snare trap, ultimately leading to the latter's death as well.
- Call-Back: He has his nose broken in both the first and last episodes.
- Cartwright Curse: A different example than most. He's directly responsible for both Pearl and Linda's deaths.
- Character Catchphrase: "I'm the victim here."
- Cheshire Cat Grin: Seen forming one at the end of "Buridan's Ass".
- The Chessmaster: He proves himself to be a very skilled one.
- Darker and Edgier: Compared to Jerry Lundegaard. As greedy and selfish as Jerry was in the film, he never got his hands quite as dirty or fell as deep into the Moral Event Horizon as Lester.
- Dirty Coward: When he suspects that Lorne set up an ambush to kill him, he instead sends in Linda to test if the area is safe. He even makes sure that Linda is wearing his trademark jacket with its hood up so that Lorne will think that it is Lester. It's his most despicable action as, unlike most of his other victims, she's never been anything but nice to Lester.
- Disappointing Older Sibling: Chazz mentions that he sometimes states that Lester died years ago, and he makes it very clear that he views Lester as a loser who he is genuinely ashamed of.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Chazz is condescending and cold, but framing him for Pearl's murder and destroying the lives of his family is extreme.
- The Dog Bites Back: His arc is shaping up to be this. Best exemplified when he manages to get Sam Hess' wife to have sex with him in exchange for her insurance money, all while smiling smugly at a picture of the dearly departed. And to top it all off, he denies her claim, anyway!
- Even Evil Has Standards: He's quite willing to frame his brother and ruin the lives of his family, but when he plants a gun in his nephew's school backpack as part of his plan, he makes very sure it isn't loaded.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: By the back-end of his Character Development, he's fallen so far into darkness that he no longer thinks of anyone but himself. When Molly tries to tell him a story about being basically decent without any benefit to yourself, he just doesn't get it.Lester: You know, I'm not sure what you've had against me since day one. But I'm not the person you think I am, this, this kind of monster.
Molly: There was a fella once. Running for a train. And he's carrying a pair of gloves, this man. And he loses a glove on the platform. But he doesn't notice. And then later on, he's on the train sitting by the window, and he realises that he's just got this one glove left. But the train's already started pulling out of the station. So what does he do? He opens the window and he drops the other glove on to the platform. Now whoever finds the first glove can just have the pair.
Lester: So, what are you telling me?
Molly: ...goodbye, Mr. Nygaard. - Evil Wears Black: After Lester crosses over entirely to the dark side, he starts wearing dark, sharp suits to go with his new confident image.
- Extreme Doormat: It comes with being the Jerry Lundegaard Expy. Lester is completely trampled over by Sam Hess, his highly successful younger brother, and a nagging passive-aggressive wife.
- Face–Heel Turn: Lester starts off as a meek, law-abiding man who is too much of a doormat for his own good, and he's genuinely horrified by Sam Hess's death even though the man relentlessly bullied him. Malvo's influence corrupts him into a vicious, narcissistic murderer who is incapable of caring about anyone but himself.
- For Want Of A Nail: If Lester hadn't been so insistent on having Malvo recognize him and his successes after running into him in Las Vegas, he might have continued to walk away with no one the wiser. As it stands, his bloated sense of entitlement starts a chain of events that lead to him getting implicated for his crimes, and eventually, his death.
- Freudian Excuse: Lester's actions were the result of years of being trampled on and abused by everyone around him and living a life he absolutely hated with a wife who treated him like dirt. He's still a reprehensible coward, but it's not hard to see how Lester turned out the way he did.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: From meek insurance salesman to wife murderer, to be exact.
- Grew a Spine: Deconstructed; after being steamrolled by everyone in his life, Lester decides to take the initiative to fix the problems plaguing him. However, after being berated by Pearl, Lester kills her and frames his brother Chazz for her murder. Lester grew narcissistically overconfident and caused his own death when his crimes catch up to him.
- Hate Sink: What he becomes. While he's a saint compared to Malvo, he's stil a cowardly, snivelling backstabber who will ruin the lives of anyone to save his own hide. While Jerry Lundeggard was too incompetent and pitiful to be completely loathesome, Nygaard is conniving enough to knowingly inflict harm on innocents.
- Iconic Outfit: His bulky, orange parka. Exploited: putting it on Linda successfully fools Malvo into thinking it's him.
- Ignored Epiphany: After bludgeoning pearl with a hammer, Lester is momentarily horrified... and then keeps hitting her until her face is a bloody mess.
- It Gets Easier: He finds it easier to kill his wife because he thinks he's already responsible for the murder of Sam Hess.
- It's All About Me: While it's hard not to find him at least somewhat sympathetic due to his unhappy background, it becomes increasingly apparent as the story progresses that no one takes precedence in Lester's mind over himself.
- It's All My Fault: Lester blames himself for Sam Hess's murder for not explicitly declining Malvo's offer. Unfortunately, this — and a little manipulation from Malvo — makes it easier for him to rationalize murdering Pearl.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: After killing Pearl in a moment of anger, Lester becomes much more comfortable with other stuff he previously wouldn't have dreamed of.
- Karmic Death: Having been on "thin ice" since killing Pearl and constantly skirting the edge between getting caught and getting away, how does Lester die? He falls through a sheet of thin ice and drowns. Especially fitting since that's the fate he barely avoided meeting at the hands of Wrench and Numbers.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: After the Time Skip, it seems Lester has successfully shaken further investigation from the authorities, but running into Malvo again triggers a set of events that ultimately lead to both of their demises.
- Kick the Dog: Whatever sympathy might have been left for Lester disappears when he sends Linda to be murdered in his place.
- Manipulative Bastard: Part of his Protagonist Journey to Villain arc involves Lester gradually becoming more manipulative, quick-witted, and ruthless. He's able to play Bill Oswalt and Bo Munk very well, and soon he manipulates the entire situation to his advantage, successfully fooling everyone… except Molly.
- Motifs: Lester's life is symbolized by a washing machine. He is introduced by a broken washing machine as it shows his lifeless & loveless marriage. Before he murders his first wife, he tries to manually repair the machine, but his wife berates him for failing. When he finally gets a new washing machine, it shows that he finally gained courage and control of his life at the cost of his humanity.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After learning of Sam's death and after he killed his wife. He very quickly pushes it aside to focus on saving his own ass.
- Nice Guy: Deconstructed. Lester is initially a meek but polite and amiable man who is nothing but pleasant to those around him, which results in him being pushed around and abused by his family and Sam Hess. However, it's clear very early on that his lack of a backbone is mostly responsible for his niceness, and that his demeanor masks a lot of bitterness and anger issues. Ultimately flat-out subverted when he's revealed to be a Jerkass Manipulative Bastard who's a slimy little worm and a Dirty Coward who places his life at a far higher value than everyone else's.
- Oh, Crap!: Before he falls through the ice in "Morton's Fork".
- Protagonist Journey to Villain: He starts off as a kindly, downtrodden Extreme Doormat. Beating Pearl to death starts his downward spiral in earnest.
- Rage Breaking Point: After being pushed around and abused his entire life and being manipulated into feeling responsible for Sam Hess's death, Lester snaps when Pearl begins to berate him once more for accidentally breaking the washing machine and beats her to death with a hammer.
- Red Right Hand: A shotgun pellet embedded in one of his hands is evidence that would contradict his testimony concerning Pearl and Thurman's deaths. Him hiding it causes the wound to fester, symbolizing his descent into evil.
- Run for the Border: Lester tries to snowmobile his way across the Montana border into Canada after being implicated for Linda's murder, only to get caught by the border patrol, and drowns after trying to flee through running across a frozen lake.
- Socially Awkward Hero: Lester is initially a polite and amiable man who is terrible when it comes to making conversation, which hinders him greatly since his job as an insurance salesman requires him to be slick and charismatic. Of course, he stops being a 'hero' after murdering his wife…
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: A highly insecure doormat whose bitterness drives him to Jump Off The Slippery Slope. Just like Jerry Lundegaard from the original movie.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: The moment he actually decides to become The Unfettered comes when his brother tells him "You're not right in this world". You can see from his expression the precise second he realises that his brother is actually right, so he decides to go all the way.
- Took a Level in Badass: Lester becomes more resourceful (as well as more criminal and psychopathic) with each episode as he tries to stay a step ahead of both law enforcement and other criminals. He manages to get away from Wrench and Numbers, and in the finale, he tricks Malvo into walking into a bear trap and then would have killed Malvo if his gun did not jam.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: After the Time Skip. Granted, he was already starting to develop this early on in the series.
- Too Dumb to Live: Antagonizing a ruthless killer who makes it very clear that they would rather not talk to you is not a smart move by any means.
- The Unfettered: After completely abandoning his moral compass, he is willing to do absolutely anything.
- Villain Protagonist: But A Lighter Shade of Black than Lorne.
- Would Hit a Girl: Specifically, his wife.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: After hearing Molly storm his house, he pulls one by ramming head-first into a brick wall to knock himself out and look like a victim. It works.
- You Are What You Hate: By the end of the series, he's effectively a carbon-copy of his narcissistic brother, Chazz, but is far worse with all the blood on his hands.
Chazz Nygaard
Chazz Nygaard
Played By: Joshua Close
Lester's younger and more successful brother.
- The Ace: Chazz is successful, rich, a good cook, and seems to have a healthy marriage… all in contrast to Lester.
- Asshole Victim: Averted. Chazz is definitely not a nice person, but he did try to reasonably console and provide for Lester after Pearl's death and did nothing to warrant what Lester does to him.
- Berserk Button: Do not damage or even break his guns.
- Big Little Brother: Chazz is the younger brother by two years, but he towers a head over Lester.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Not unlike Lester, Chazz seems like a very charming person, but is capable of being exceptionally cruel at times.
- Frame-Up: Lester ends up putting the blame for Pearl's murder on Chazz by planting the weapon and some steamy photos of Pearl in Chazz's armory.
- Gun Nut: Has an affinity for guns, and practically worships his brand new M249 SAW. This later bites him in the ass when Lester plants a gun in his son's backpack, giving the police cause to search his gun collection for the murder weapon Lester had also planted there.
- Happily Married: To Kitty until he's framed for adultery/double murder and she instantly turns on him.
- It's All About Me: Chazz shows far more interest in his own personal hobbies than he does in his own family. Upon learning that his son has been discovered with a gun at his elementary school, he's far more concerned about the police breaking into his armory than his child's well-being.
- Jerkass: He's an unpleasant jerk who is openly contemptuous of Lester.
- Kick the Dog: He tells Lester he's ashamed of him and sometimes tells people he's dead.
- Lack of Empathy: While not a major character, Chazz is largely portrayed as a shallow and coldhearted individual whenever he appears on screen. When Lester Nygaard accidentally drops his prized machine gun, he cruelly tells Lester that he is ashamed to have him for an older brother and wishes he was dead.
- Mistaken for Cheating: The result of the Frame-Up above is that the police believes Chazz to have killed Pearl in a passion-related crime, despite having never gotten involved with her in the first place.
- Parental Neglect: He spends far more time fawning over his impressive gun collection than concerning himself with the disturbing fact that his son displays glaring signs of a mental disorder.
- Pet the Dog: He does try to console and provide for his brother after Pearl's death, unaware that Lester is the one who killed her.
- Say My Name: He screams Lester's name when he realizes that his brother probably has a part in his incarceration.
- Uncertain Doom: A non-lethal version. While any charges related to Pearl’s murder are most likely dropped after police find out the truth about Lester, Chazz could still be prosecuted for the illegal gun.
Kitty Nygaard
Kitty Nygaard
Played By: Rachel Blanchard
The wife of Chazz and mother of Gordo.
- Happily Married: To Chazz until he's framed for adultery/double murder. She turns on him pretty quick.
- It's All About Me: After Chazz is framed and she believes that he cheated on her and killed his lover and the police chief, the main thing that horrifies Kitty is that he would cheat on her. After all, she's Miss Hubbard County.
Linda Nygaard
Linda Nygaard (nee Park)
Played By: Susan Park
Lester's sweet, naive second wife after the Time Skip.
- Asian Airhead: As lovely as she is, Linda isn't that smart.
- Boom, Headshot!: Her death at the hands of Malvo after the latter mistakes her for Lester when she was wearing his trademark jacket.
- The Ditz: She's not especially bright.
- Good Is Dumb: She's extremely sweet but naive, which Lester exploits mercilessly.
- Hidden Depths: Despite her ditziness, she has enough brains to go along with Lester's Vegas story as well as saying it was her idea to leave when questioned by Molly.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Oblivious to Lester's true nature.
- Kill the Cutie: Sweet, innocent, naive, and right before she died, she even compared her life to Cinderella.
- Nice Girl: Compared to the ball-buster that was Pearl, Linda is as sweet as can be. Which makes Lester using her as Malvo bait all the worse.
- This is foreshadowed early on, when she is shown to be very admiring and compassionate towards Lester following Pearl’s death.
- Unwitting Pawn: Of Lester's.
Gordo Nygaard
Gordo Nygaard
Played By: Spencer Drever
The quiet son of Chazz & Kitty Nygaard.
- Axes at School: Lester plants a pistol in his backpack, which leads to Gordo getting arrested.
- Silent Snarker: When he opens the door to see Lester and Pearl, he immediately shuts it.
Pearl Nygaard
Pearl Nygaard
Played By: Kelly Holden Bashar
Lester's nagging, passive-aggressive first wife.
- Asshole Victim: She did very little in the pilot beyond nag and berate Lester, so it's no surprise that he eventually kills her.
- Awful Wedded Life: She seems to hate being married to Lester just as much as he hates being married to her.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Pearl is an expert at masking insults towards Lester with a sweet, seemingly harmless tone.
- Bludgeoned to Death: By Lester.
- Domestic Abuse: Of the emotional abuse variety.
- Establishing Character Moment: Pestering Lester over breakfast with thinly-veiled insults usually rounded off by a laugh that's intended to be jovial but comes off as bitter. She compares him to his brother and says she 'married the wrong Nygaard'.
- Jerkass: She's an unpleasant nag who treats Lester like dirt.
- Karmic Death: She's done in by Lester after one insult too many.
- Really Gets Around: Bill has heard 'rumors' and Sam Hess had a sexual encounter with her at one point. The implication is that before she married Lester (and maybe even after) she got around a good bit.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She dies in the first episode, but the circumstances of her death set off Lester's character arc.
- Sugary Malice: She's a master at deploying this towards Lester, able to make insults and abuse sound like idle banter.
- Tempting Fate: When Lester grabs the hammer, she replies with "What're you gonna do? Hit me with that?"
- Trophy Wife: It's hard to imagine Pearl as anything but a dream come true in high school gone sour in adulthood. Lester must have thought he scored the grand prize when they married.
