Lester has undergone the biggest transformation, and has finally made the leaps and bounds that bring him closer to the monster that Malvo envisioned he could be. Planting evidence in Chas’ house last week was one thing, but the interrogation scene at the start of the episode was something else entirely. Bob Odenkirk’s bumbling moron of a police chief is given an incredible chance to shine, falling for every single lie and deception that Lester throws his way.
I loved how Lester infused parts of the truth with the lie, simply substituting his name with Chas’. Martin Freeman was excellent here, and as his story went on I could practically see the relief washing over him. Lester was confessing, in a way, and in doing so absolved himself of any sins he’d been carrying with him. That icy smile that comes across his face as Chas yells his name from behind bars was creepier than any horrible action we’ve seen Malvo commit.
If you pay close attention, you’ll see that his hand is still bandaged during that scene, but afterward the bandages are completely gone. His festering wound had acted as a reminder of his evil deeds, and now that those have been washed away, it’s like the wound was never even there.
Similarly, Lester finally decides to try to get the blood stains removed from his house, and decides to go back to work. It’s like an enormous weight has been lifted and he’s ready to continue with his life, leaving the past behind him and approaching the world with a new sense of confidence and invulnerability. He feels like nothing can touch him, as evidenced by the way he lies to the Widow Hess and sleeps with her, merely as a means to get back at Sam Hess for years of abuse. He’s not just turned on by her sexually; he gets off on staring at the picture of Sam above the dead man’s bed. Lester walks into that house as half man, half beast, and will walk out of there a monster.