Floyd Gerhardt

"A deal is always better than war"

- Floyd Gerhardt "You think you know someone, but what do you know, really?"

- Floyd being interrogated Floyd Gerhardt is the matriarch of the Gerhardt Crime Family, wife to Otto Gerhardt and mother of Elron(he died in Vietnam), Dodd, Bear and Rye. When Otto suffers a stroke that leaves him unable to speak or move, he takes control of the family and enters a war against the Kansas City Mafia. She is one of the main antagonists (later secondary antagonist) of the second season of the television series Fargo.

She was portrayed by Jean Smart.

Taking control of the Family
"Dodd: Boss can't be a woman Floyd: Who says?" After his husband Otto, boss of the Gerhardt Crime Syndicate suffers a stroke, she takes control of the Family, even though her eldest son, Dodd was the next in the list, Dodd claims his place as leader of the family but his brother Bear and Dodd's daughter Simone support Floyd, she talks to Dodd telling him his moment will come one day, Dodd then sends Hanzee, his personal bodyguard and assassin to find Rye and make him support his position. However what the family doesn't know is that Rye was ran over by Peggy, a hairstylist from Luverne and stabbed and killed in self defense by her husband Ed, the local butcher's assistant.

Kansas City
When the rival mafia from Kansas City hears of Otto's stroke they plan on negotiate with the Gerhardts for the control of their territory as they secretly send Mike Milligan and the Kitchen Brothers to go find Rye, they present the offer to Floyd, she, her sons and the family stakeholders talk about it, while Dodd wants to start a war, Floyd convinces everyone to make a deal with Kansas City.

When Floyd and Joe Bulo a high-ranking member of the Kansas City Mafia meet to make a deal, Kansas City meanwhile has sent Milligan and the Kitchen brothers to kill Gerhardt's men while they were taking Otto to the doctor, they however leave Otto alive, Floyd presents a counteroffer to Bulo but he refuses to accept it and threatens to kill everyone unless they yield

The Mafia War
When Hanzee eventually finds out Peggy and Ed killed Rye, he informs the Family, Floyd and Dodd thinking Ed is a hitman sent by Kansas City, they start a war against Kansas City and swear revenge against Ed. Dodd sends Bear's son, Charlie without his consent to kill Ed, but Charlie fails and accidentally burns the butcher shop and gets arrested, meanwhile Joe Bulo, the Kitchen brothers and other men are hunting deers when they are ambushed by Hanzee and other Gerhardt's men, after a shootout in the forest, 6 men of each side die, including one of the Kitchen brothers and Joe Bulo, both killed by Hanzee who later sends Joe Bulo's head to Mike Milligan. Mike who has been sleeping with Simone, uses her as a mole in the Family.

Charlie and Ed
When Bear finds out Charlie got arrested, he beats up Dodd but is stopped by Hanzee and as Dodd was about to whip him up with his belt, Floyd stops them and orders Dodd to go kill Ed while Bear rescues Charlie, Dodd and Bear leave the Gerhardt farm with most of the men, Simone informs Milligan about this who after a while ambushes the house and with his men shoot at it, killing some of the men and Otto, Floyd and Simone miraculously survive.

Meanwhile Ed has been taken to the police station where Charlie also is, Dodd tells Hanzee to go look for him there while he looks inside Ed's house where he is knocked unconsious and tied up by Peggy, Lou Solverson a State Trooper sneaks Ed out of the Police Station while Carl, Charlie and Ed's lawyer negotiates with Bear and convinces him of leaving, however Hanzee follows Lou and Ed and after Ed escapes from Lous, Hanzee follows him home.

Dodd
After Otto and Rye's two days after the shooting and Dodd's disappearence, Lou and Ben Schmidt a Fargo detective take Floyd under custody after she has an argument with Simone, who leaves the farm to go see Mike, Bear follows her and deduces she is the mole, Floyd is interrogated but doesn't give any information, however after a while whe makes a deal with the police, she gives information about Kansas City in exchange of the police protecting her sons. Meanwhile Bear has taken Simone to the forest and killed her, in revenge for Dodd getting his son arrested.

Dodd meanwhile has been taken by Ed and Peggy to a shack in Sioux Falls in the middle of the forest, Ed tries to make a deal with the Gerhardts but Bear has ordered the men to ignore any information that may appear of Dodd's whereabouts as he prefers him dead, Ed finally makes a deal with Mike Milligan in exchange for protection, Hanzee has followed them and when he finds them, Hanzee bursts into the cabin and surprisingly betrays Dodd and kills him, Lou and sheriff Hank Larsson arrive in that moment after a call from a man who saw Hanzee (who is now wanted) and he is forced to escape, the South Dakota police then decide to use Ed and Peggy as bait for Mike Milligan regardless of Lou's complains, so they take them to the Motor Motel where Ed agreed to meet Milligan.

Sioux Falls Massacre
Hanzee follows the police to the Motor Motel and spies on them, then he calls the Gerhardts telling them he found Dodd alive, Floyd answers the phone and Hanzee lies to her telling her Ed gave Dodd to Kansas City and now Mike Milligan has them, unaware of Hanzee's betrayal, Floyd tells him everyone in the Gerhardt's farm will go, including her.

That night, the police officers dress as civilians including Hank, Lou has secretly returned to Sioux Falls (as the South Dakota sheriff ordered to take him out the state) as he has a bad feeling about this, he sees Floyd and his men driving towards the motel, he tries to call the officers there but they had turned off the radio, the Gerhardt's arrive and meet with Hanzee who takes care of Floys while the men led by Bear look for Dodd, a shooting ensures in the motel and when they find out they are cops, Bear and Floyd realize Hanzee's betrayal, Floyd turns at Hanzee who then stabs her in the ribcage twice killing her slowly, Bear sees this and lunges towards Hanzee but Lou shoots at his ear, Bear then lunges towards Lou instead and even though he keeps shooting him, Bear driven by rage tackles Lou and chokes him, a UFO suddenly arrives, distracting Bear, Lou takes advantage and shoots Bear in the head as Peggy and Ed escape followed by Hanzee leaving a massacre behind as Floyd's dead body lies on the sidewalk.