"Trust" - Justified - 6-10

The mark of a truly well thought out and established character is when the character is able to surprise us in a convincing way.  That's Ava Crowder in "Trust". 

Ava was introduced to us six years ago as the woman who blew her abusive husband away as he sat at the dinner table eating his favorite meal which she prepared for him, calculating that that would give her the best chance to put a whole bunch of shot into his chest.

When Raylan gives away that Vasquez is putting her behind bars regardless of what she does, she knows she can't get anything out of cooperating.  Her backs against a wall, living an inescapable life, much like the one where she lives in a broken down town with an abusive husband.  So she shoots her way out.  It's not what we expected, but it makes sense, especially considering Boyd's short temper with her lately.  She has to recognize those signs, even if there's a good chance Boyd won't become Beaumon, she's going to make sure.

We're so caught up in the Raylan vs Boyd, where Raylan realizes Boyd is not going to fall for their trap at the same time Boyd is realizing Raylan wouldn't allow the money to be moved in the way he expects, that we forget about Ava. 

I've expected Ava to bite it for almost two entire seasons now.  This is the final season and nearly every episode has echoed "never leave Harlan alive" in one form or another.  The suspense builds to where you're constantly worried about these characters while also fully expected them to bite it by the end. 

• Dewey's necklace appears again, but it doesn't have the effect I expected, unless we aren't done with it yet
• Boon is a creep man.  Just as the whole series is able to create tension on a macro level about whether Raylan, Boyd or Ava are going to survive, he's able to do it on a micro level, with two characters we've never seen before.  Just when I thought we were out of ways to make a henchman unique, we have this guy.  Then again, should I have been surprised?  Elmore Leonard wrote about 100 novels.
• Speaking of Mr. Leonard, we get a call back to Raylan enjoying vanilla ice cream.  Originally an item from the books, Justified dropped it in a few early episodes, namely when Raylan stops in a conveinence store in 'Riverbrook" and when he orders it when meeting Pinter in "Fixer".

"Burned" - Justified - 6-09

Things that got burned:

• Ava as an informant
• Wynn Duffy as a long ago rate
• Avery's pizza kitchen
• Zachariah's element of surprise

Other observations

• The number of people getting killed in these hotel rooms is getting out of control.
• Best use of a rock hammer since Shawshank
• Unsure why Zachariah had to throw that other guy down the shaft to get his shot at Boyd

The Party
In television, if a party is being thrown, it has the the benefit of bringing together a bunch of characters who normally wouldn't be in the same place.  In this case we have Markum's pizza party.  RSVP-ing yes to this we have Raylan, Markkum, Katherine, Loretta, Boyd, Ava and Boon.  We've seen smaller groups of this cast but never together.

Boon brings to mind The Gunfighter from early Season Three who fought with an ice pick until Raylann hilariously defeated him.

Anyways, it seemed like there would be a big event at the party as the second act of the season draws to a close.  Something that sets things in motion for the series' final four episodes. 

It may have been as simple as the Boyd-Loretta alliance.  When Loretta got up to speak, ending with approval from her fellow Harlanians (?) one had to think of Mags standing up to the coal company in Season Two.  She made a dramatic speech to Rebecca Creskoff's character, only to take the money herself later on. 

Something tells me Loretta would stay more true to the "Keep Harlan Weird" mantra that she spouted.

"The Hunt" - Justified - 6-07

In true Justified fashion, it's all gone pear shaped for the intruders.  Markum is invoking his loyalty scheme, which mainly involves paying big bonuses to his men to sell out the others/not abandon him.  They write off Walker as lost, but with him running loose in an ambulance, he's most assuredly not done yet with our story.  Walker wouldn't have gone to all that trouble stitching himself back together just to die immediately. 

You have to admire the ingenuity of calling 9-1-1.  He needs help and can't go to a hospital.  So he commandeers the ambulance.  Giving his credit cards away was smart.  His '1212 Main Street' address is only surpassed by '123 Fake Street.'

This episode made us doubt a lot of things.  When Boyd reloads the gun, we don't know for sure what he was thinking when questioning Ava, and we really don't know what he's thinking now with a loaded gun.

We don't know if Markum did snitch on his partner.  Or who killed the U.S. Attorney.  It doesn't make sense for either Markum or Hale to have done both, the actions are at odds with each other.  Unless they thought they could snitch, get themselves free so they can mitigate their snitching, having planned it all in advance.

Raylan is walking a weird line with the baby where he does not seem entirely invested, taking the baby to the office and lying about it to Winona (and getting caught immediately) and not helping with the manhut.  He's there but he's not helping.  Rachel's contempt for Raylan is at an all time high, she seems to grit her teeth every time she talks to him.  Her question of if he asked Tim if he wanted to hold the baby made me think back to that season one or two line where Rachel asked Raylan what  he thought would happen if she was the one showing up to work in a cowboy hat.

"Alive Day" - Justified - 6-06

"They know killing, but they don't know crime."

Just as Quarles, Miami thugs, Nicky Augustine, and the Crowes found out before them, the Tigerhawk team discoveres things aren't as easy as they expect.  After all, if it was so easy, wouldn't Harlan have already been taken over by someone else by now?  It is the Afghanistan of America.  No one can get in or out.  It's difficult to take over and impossible to hold.  One may have thought these guys from the sandbox may have learned that lesson.

More callbacks to the pilot with Boyd and Raylan reminiscing about the last time they were all there for Ava's chicken.  They both posit that it would end differently, Raylan no doubt referring to killing, rather than wounding, Boyd.  And Boyd thinking he'll get the drop on Raylan this time.  Between that, Art's warning, and Boyd's callback to knowing that Raylan's on his way to Florida make us sit uneasily. 

The thing is, the Boyd-Raylan high noon showdown is completely expected at this point. And the thing Justified does best is subvert expectations.  Something needs to happen like where Quarles got his arm hacked off.  A good example in "Alive Day" was where, oh of course Choo Choo (chooooo chooooo!) is going to get smushed by the train.  It plays with our expectations when the train stops short.  Then again when Choo Choo does not get arrested but dies of his wounds.

Speaking of his wounds, the mercs are probably the best matchup Tim and Raylan have had when the numbers are close to even.  A lot of missed shots, which was not expected, but the marshals did take down a red shirt and, eventually, Choo Choo.

• Alive Day was the name of James Gandolfini's HBO special where he interviewed troops wou'd been wounded.  It refers to the day they sustained their near death injuries
• Eva and Katniss.  Neither their dads came back fromt he mine
• Raylan's asking about Dewey.  What episode does he see Dewey's necklace at Boyd's?  I'll say nine.
• Caprice, in this scenario, is a prettier, smarter Ellen May
• Carl's in the house.  Not sure how this is going to end.
• According to Rachel, the Hale case was made on the wire.  Are Katherine and Avery chasing each other when in fact it's neither of them?
• I'm reading Riding the Rap and it's clear they based the episode "Fixer" (1-03) on it, so I rewatched it.  Much more in season one was pulled from the source material in the one-off episodes.  It was far from a 1:1 remake though, moreso inspiration that was repurposed into completely new scenarios for the show. 
• Side note.  Raylan is probably the least fleshed out character of the main cast in the books.  It seems most of the time is spent with the criminals.  I mention it because this episode had a huge stretch with no Raylan.  It's an observation, not a criticism.

Today's drink: Black Saddle Bourbon Whiskey

"Sounding" - Justified - 6-05

"I got balls like Death Stars"

In some ways Raylan is a great marshal, and in some ways he is a terrible marshal.  He's an excellent marksman and quick on the draw (Do we need to explain?).  He has natural investigative abilities (Drew Thompson).  And he's able to talk to most anyone, fromt he worst crook (bail jumper) to white collar protectees (Coal Company Lady).  On the flip side, he antagonizes and escalates situations (Tommy Bucks).  He literally lost a prisoner he was transporting.  He inserts himself where he need not be and jeopardizes cases (Ava shooting Boyd).  Raylan walks and crosses a fine line between legal and extralegal, from drinking on duty, smacking around undesirables, working off the clock and under the table (bounty hunting) to straight out setting up a hit (Nicky Augustine).

So while he's not the best marshal in the world, the show has made a point to make Raylan an excellent lawman.  No coincidence that was the original title of the show.  I think the difference is that at the end of the day, Raylan stands clearly on the side of the good and the side of law and order.  He has a palpable disgust for career criminals, both the masterminds and the two bit hustlers which no doubt is born from his hatred toward Arlo.  The deputy marshal sometimes uses questionable means to justify an end.  Tommy Bucks was a bad guy.  Nicky Augustine was a bad guy.  In no scenario is the world worse without them.  On the other hand, Raylan keeps running into these situations and as Justified once said "if you keep running into assholes all day, you're the asshole."

Another important note, besides Raylan clearly picking his side, is that he does not do the things he does for personal gain or advancement.  The closest he comes to that is working side jobs for the specific goal of saving for the baby.  If he were really trying to cash in, he'd probably live somewhere besides a (possible free?) room in a bar.  He tries to set a counterfeit bill back into evidence to cover for Winona, not himself.  His set up of Augustine is in direct response to serious, immediate threats on his family where he has no other practical options.  But it is not unreasonable to say that Raylan is possibly the last person in the world who would take a bribe.

Possibly Raylan's best asset that allows him so much success in the areas he does excel at is his ability to not take things personally, and his empathy for those who did not get to go the path he did.  Criminals commit crimes.  That's what they do.  Lawmen catch criminals.  That's what they do.  If the Flintstone whistle went off in these professions, I think Raylan could have a drink with anyone on either side.  Growing up as Arlo's son, in poverty, and digging coal for a bit gives him a perspective on where these people come from.  He doesn't sympathize (he got out, after all), but he does empathize (understand and can talk to these idiots). 

Raylan somehow manages to understand that each time these crooks break the law, it is not a personal affront to him.  The relationship between him and the criminal can change as he encounters them, gets to know them, runs into them time and again because then a face is put on the law breaking/criminal catching transaction.  Most likely, Raylan states matter of factly to the criminal that they are breaking teh law or that he is going to put them away for breaking the law, and the criminal gets worked up and upset at Raylan.  Raylan stays calm and is able to separate his role as law enforcer/obstacle to the criminal from his life as Raylan Givens. 

The Episode

• Jeff Fahey, another Lost alumn, whose character doesn't strike me as someone who has a bank account
• Lost people, blowing up hatches.  Hmmm.
• Parading out the old gang who are still surviving, we get Limehouse (and Errol for that matter) and Constable Bob, and none of it feels forced
• Mike's hardward has been featured a lot in the past, from Johnny threatening Ava to Raylan trying to catch the kids who took the bag from Arlo's
• Albert Fekus is a perfect name for a little shit.  But as Tim said, he did take his medicine standing up, figuratively
• RIP Buddy Garrity
• Markham does not want your input
• Special circumstances here, but my fear of exploding manhole covers still is agitated here
• As indicated above, Raylan doesn't take things personally.  His investigative mind helps him find Ava quickly and bring the matter to a close, rather than escalate it, land her back in prison and blow their case against Boyd.
• Scrabble on both The Americans and Justified
• Bob's piece of paper is brilliant.  it says "feed hanna" which I assume is a rodent or a reptile and not a cat or dog
• Again, just like in the premiere and other spots this year, we are circling back to the pilot.  Mentions of Beaumon, Ava's cooking and "what you and me started" between Raylan and Ava
• Is there any other ending than a standoff between Boyd and Raylan?  Maybe even back at the dinner table?

This weeks drink: Bacon Bourbon, straight.  It is "homemade" meaning I bought bourbon and added the bacon aspect of it.  Starting with Jim Beam and adding a whole bunch of bacon fat.  The letting it sit in cold and room temperature areas before straining it through cheese cloth a whole bunch of times to make sure there's no solid fat floating around.  It leaves a bacon-y taste.  Stored in this jar and drank out of the mason jar in honor of the Loretta and Mags last week.

Behind that is a just finished copy of Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard

"The Trash and the Snake" - Justified - 6-04

The Homestead Act
The modern day Western is in full effect this season, much like it was in Season Four.  Taking the concept of homesteaders being run off their land and updating it for the 21st century is a perfect way to end the show.  Meanwhile, the "Black Hat" going after the homesteaders is about to get it from the law, ambitious but lower ranked criminals, and the woman he's sleeping with. It's also a good way to get Boyd and Raylan on the same side, not necessarily by having the same goal but by having a common enemy.

Avery Markum
Markum may or may not be aware of Katherine Hale's angle.  He's shown a deep understanding of the landscape in Harlan despite his hiatus to Denver.  He's familiar enough with Mags to make Loretta test the apple pie, not to mention he knows the connection between Mags and Loretta.  He's probably informed Walker of this before he goes to Loretta's house, as he doesn't drink the apple pie.  Markum also intimates unsubtly he's familiar with Raylan's shoot on sight exercise with Tommy Bucks, even after he plays a bit like he doesn't know the Givens name.  Which may of course mean he's playing Katherine Hale as well in a labyrinth of mirrors.

Come Back Shane
Oh, the places you'll go...with Wikipedia. 

Trying to recall a movie, and I know there are several, where homesteaders are intimidated off their land brings me to Shane.  Which brings me to Pale Rider, which borrows from Shane.  Which brings me to Revelations, where the Pale Horse is ridden by Death, which brings to mind the Pale Mare, or the plague in A Dance of Dragons....which brings Death!  Jeez.

Lawman
We already know Raylan will take any excuse to avoid Florida.  There will always be something going on for the marshals.  He is infinitely more lawman than family man.  And if he can use Markum, thorugh pretty solid reasoning, as a way to dig around Kentucky some more, he will absolutely use it.  His rationale is similar to Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan when he has his squad assault the German machine guns, rather than go around them.  The argument is they can still locate Ryan without the risk of taking on the guns, but Hanks refuses to leave them for the next guys.

Ditch Story
Katherine Hale tells Ava about the Clintons seeing a gas station attendant in Arkansas.  Jed Bartlet tells a similar story in "Dead Irish Writers" when he's contemplating a toast for Abby's birthday.

Hollers and Hills

• Always good to see Dickie Bennet.  Specifically, him and Raylan spitting hate at each other
• More colorful tertiary characters, RIP Wiz Fieri
• Duffy's from Hawaii?  Explains the tanning bed?
• I appreciate the girl's snake so much more because it went completley unremarked upon.
• Boyd changes his mind again about leaving Harlan.  Ava is struggling being away for one day.  Granted, she has extenuating circumstances, but still.
• After Luther takes the fall for his son, we see Raylan giving fatherly advice to Loretta.  Even though he didn't know her father, which she points out.  But Raylan is speaking as a father, taking an educated guess as to what another father might think.  Despite Raylan stomping on copperheads, he does have a pull to Florida still.
• Many simiilarities between Walker here and Wolcott in Deadwood.  Number twos, advance men for the big boss, acquiring land for the big man's purpose, whether it be gold or weed.

Next week: Constable Bob!

This week's drink: Buffalo Trace Bourbon, in honor of Walker's preference at Boyd's bar

"Noblesse Oblige" - Justified - 6-03

"I'm gonna shoot your dick off."

Season Five saw a lot of death.  Mostly anyone who wasn't Boyd or Raylan bit it and bit it hard.  From Sammy to Johnny to Picker, it was like they were clearing brush to give enough room to the two leads for their final showdown.  But the person stealing the spotlight this season is Ava who is living in limbo between Boyd and Raylan, jail and freedom, Harlan and getting out alive.  All that and she manages to bring the funny in her still drunk/badly hungover state with the marshals and AUSA Vasquez.

This week's episode was a master class in folksy, flowery, roundabout dialouge.  It could have easily been penned by David Milch.  When someone states their business is "none more lofty than to apprise you of the situation you find yourself" as a way of getting straight to business, you have to appreciate their loquaciousness.  The scene in the bar, a bar Boyd and Co badly need to remember to lock the front door to, is the early frontrunner in 2015 for best scene.  Boyd's exasperation at being bothered while the day is so early and while he is so hungover is examplified only in his tone but not his word choice or count.  Walker responds in kind, and suddently Boyd is transported to 1870s Deadwood.

Justified is the funniest drama on television.  Breaking Bad and Mad Men both punctuated their shows with occasional hilarity, but Justified brings it at a high level every week.  This was one of the best, as Boyd's crew retorts to the Buffalo Trace drinking Walker, "You best get walking...Mr.....Walker.  You and your beard."  The delivery, the dialouge and the overall low IQ of Boyd's henchmen all play into the hilarity here, as does Walker's reaction.

Another of the series' strenghts is the ability to play with your expectations.  When the two masked geniuses are going to rob their dynamite depot, it looks like it's going to end it tragedy for a decent guy.  Our expectations of the criminals being stupid and of what television tells us is supposed to happen make us brace for the nice man's unfortunate death.  It takes an immediate left turn when Raylan and Rachel are there waiting for these idiots.  It's hilarious because of course it makes sense. 

This week's drink: Wigle Rye Whiskey from Pittsburgh.  Named for one of the fomentors of the Whiskey Rebellion.  I feel like Boyd would like this.

 

 

"Cash Game" - Justified - 6-02

Boyd is robbing banks at the behest of Katharine Hale.  While I thought the ledgers were actually the draw at the deposit box, it turns out everyone is upset to have that rather than cash, about $3 million.  Katharine does raise a good point that there's little to keep Boyd from holding out on her, especially if he's looking to get out of Harlan.    

The target, Calhoun, is being approached from all angles.  There's the Tigerhawk team trying to buy up land (for whoever they report to) and the attempted robbery by Hale/Boyd/Avery/Duffy.  Meanwhile, Raylan is investigating the guy because he didn't seem too interested in the fact that he was robbed.  Poor guy, there's no way he makes it out of the season alive.

The pizza vault, and Eva's role in it, show us that Eva's not quite as under the thumb of Raylan and the marshals as we may have suspected.  I suppose the deed was being held by Calhoun on behalf of Ty, though it now belongs to Boyd.  The vault can't actually have anything it though at this point, can it? 

Curious to see how this band of thieves makes out from their pizza vault.  You have Rocky and Mugsy (Choo Choo and Seabass) doing most of the heavy lifting it seems.  Choo Choo is another great tertiary character we get to laugh at.  The entire exchange with Raylan "I'm not following you" and then his rationale for not killing the marshal are going to rank right up there with the rest of the dumb criminal exchanges from the series. 

• Raylan sharing his Florida plans with Boyd is unsettling
• Yes, go to Iceland
• Eva got some swagger back.
• Expect Dewey's necklace to come back into play, maybe as a clue to Raylan as to how to ultimately get Boyd
• Tigerhawk strikes me as both extralegal and extremely profitable
• People trying to buy land like that makes me think there's gas under there.
• Walker seemed disproportinally upset at the obstacles he encountered

Tonight's Bourbon: Bullet Bourbon, again.  1 Giant Cube.

"Fate's Right Hand" - Justified - 6-01

      Lots of "holler"ing back to the pilot in the sixth season Justified premiere.  Like a good novel, things are coming back together from how they were laid out at the start.  Justified does this better than anyone on a scene, episode, season and series level.  

Dewey pined for simpler times when he and the gang hung out with Boyd in the abandoned church as part of Crowder's commandos, as they did in the pilot.  Then Raylan came to town and since they everything's gone pear shaped.  

Dewey wasn't the only one rehashing the old times.  Boyd executed a suspected rat, as he did on the bridge in the pilot. And Raylan and Eva walked through her shooting Beaumon, which had taken place just prior to Raylan's homecoming in the pilot, and what she did to deceive him in the days leading up to it.  

But perhaps the most important conversation was between Raylan and Art, which only tacitly brought to mind the pilot.  Raylan can easily see a showdown where he shoots Boyd and heads off to Florida to see his baby girl...even if we know he's probably not going to live up to fatherly responsibilities based on the way he dodged any chance to see his daughter last season (and Winona's doctor appointments before that).

Art offered that Boyd could also shoot Raylan, but that doesn't seem likely to the White Hat.  He almost finds it comical that Boyd could draw faster than him.  So our minds automatically go to that other dinner at the Crowder house that ended in a shooting, when Raylan shot Boyd.  

So I supposed we can expect the story to come back around and culminate in one of the standoffs that Justified has been so good at.  

You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive is the refrain that's ended most seasons, and an idea that many of the characters have tried to attain.  Even in "Fate's Right Hand" we see Boyd try to get Eva to pack up and leave if, part left unsaid, he can rob enough banks to set them up for life in Costa Rica.  Each attempt to get out of Harlan has failed because it is some sort of purgatory and they haven't carried out their sentences yet.  The question remains is if Raylan's shooting of Tommy Bucks in the first scene of the first episode, the sin that placed him there, is cardinal or venial.

Look-see

• Garret Dillahunt played two different characters in Deadwood, sharing the show with TO and many other Justified personalities.  His face was oh so punchable.  And kickable.  And pistol whip-able
• Boyd's tattoo is there to remind us he's a bad guy after all
• "Stupid looking" They nailed it
• I don't even know how to type the phonetic versions of Dewey's "negligence" and "maleficence"  
• Boyd mentions that Harlan was a boomtown.  Boomtown was another Graham Yost creation that featured Quarles, from Detroit, and Limehouse, from Noble's Holler
• "What's in the box?!"  Paperwork.  The best season of Justified started with another seemingly innocuous find.  In a wall no less.  Though there were no drawers in that wall.
• Was Raylan saying the Dewey Crowe was a waterskiing Goofy at Disney World?  Orlando makes sense, but the rest?  Just plain hilarious.
• Miller's Creek is between Lexington and Harlan. 

Tonight's drink: Bulleit Bourbon - Lawrenceburg, KY with one giant ice cube

Angloshock

Angloshock
(n) The feeling upon learning an American character is played by an Australian or UK actor. 

Particularly potent when the character is from the American South.  Also known as Crowe's disease.

Examples:
Rick Grimes
Jimmy McNulty
Stringer Bell
Everyone on Nashville
House
Dewey Crowe (of Crowe's disease)

Antonym  - Knowing Peter Dinklage is American.

Restitution - Justified

No small thing, taking a life.
 
I think Season Five is going to be best viewed after we've seen Season Six.  For the first time, the overall storylines of this entire season will inform the storylines of next year.  There have been aspects in the past that carried over, such as Raylan/Augustine/Art or Mag's money or the immediate chase of the Miami crew at the end of Season One.  But this felt more like The Wire Season Four, which ended without much resolution, besides finding the bodies.

Season Five also spent an enormous amount of effort culling the herd, to the point where it was almost perfunctory when Picker got blowed up, leaving a head and a gigantic concave piece of his torso.  All the killing simplifies the cast to where it is largely only Raylan and Boyd left standing, with a few supporting players directly connected to them.  It leaves a less complicated version of Justfied to finish the story next year, which will be a nice change of pace after the multiple cities, countries and new characters we had this year. 

Justified did a lot in Season Five.  It spanned three countries and the weird world that is Florida.  Plus Tennesee and Detroit.  There was a lot going on, and while the season felt strung along in some places like "Ava's One Thing" each week, it needed the time to connect all the other business that was happening.  At the same time, much of the need to address that business was self imposed just this year.

The end result?  Boyd's not one to strike out on his own, dealing with large outside criminal organizations.  He's a medium fish in a small pond who nontheless is really really good at a few things, like blowing things up which appears to be the route he's taking next year.  So he's going to rob banks.  Raylan on the other hand is finally going to get the chance to serve justice to Boyd now that Boyd has no further use to the marshals, and has also connected himself to a crime boss who AUSA Vasquez has no love for.  Thus, the showdown.

It really did all have to come down to Raylan versus Boyd in the end, didn't it?  And this is the way to do it.

Ava's gone from self made widow to Raylan's girl to solo operation to Boyd's girl to informant.  I really thought she was going to bite it in prison, but this makes even more sense.  Placed in a holding pattern, or cell, for the entire season, she needed to be in a place where she truly, finally, absolutely had run out of options.

Raylan's running up against the cop cliche of "one last job" making plans go to Florida but putting them on hold at the last moment for Boyd's case, which he doesn't hesitate for a moment to do.

I've always viewed the "Never Leave Harlan Alive" song as more appropriate for Ava than Raylan, but it was nice to hear it come on as both Raylan and Ava leave the bridge.

Things that make it Justified

• Late night bridge meeting
• Marshals and outlaws being astonishingly upfront with each other, per Tim and Daryl's tete-a-tete
• The crux of the show is that Raylan became a lawman because he hates his father and his father is a criminal and therefore Raylan hates criminals, and it was never better said than his time with Kendall in this episode. 

The Toll - Justified

Justified
Episode 5-11
"The Toll"

Written by Benjamin Cavell of "Good Intentions" earlier this season

Directed by Jon Avnet who directed episodes of Boomtown, a cousin of Justified

Body Count
Picker, done by Boyd in the hotel room with cigarette masked bomb.  And boydid he get blowed up.  There's nothing left but a body cavity with a Picker head.  Sheesh.

Continuing to cull the herd of shitkickers, roughnecks, morons, crimelords and wannabes, something that has been a constant this season

Things

For a hot second it looks like Tim and Raylan are going to embark on an epic rogue manhunt for Darryl Jr, something that would bring to mind the great Get Drew/Decoy Western of last season.  Instead the show goes near bottle episode.  Much of the action takes place in the hotel room or marshal office.

Nothing will unite a team like a grave injury to its leader.  With all the conflict between Raylan and Art, nothing puts Raylan in his place, staying by the side of the acting marshal like his guilt and his sincere affection for Art, however deep it is buried at the time.

Art's been looking at retirement for a long time which in cop drama means he's going to get shot at some point.

Similarly, nothing is going to piss Raylan off more than Daryl making Kendall take the fall for the shooting, if that is indeed the case.  To tell the truth, it doesn't matter what the facts are because this is what Raylan believes, and he's going to take it out on Daryl, for spoiling the version he sees of himself.  Raylan doesn't even know at this point that Daryl took the Caller Number Seven money he gave Kendall.  


Ava's One Thing
For the first time she may be in a better situation than previously, as the former Christian gang pays homage via ice cream cups.  Maybe that is to lull us into a false sense of calm, as Ava has still only smuggled zero heroins into the prison.

• I can't remember what happened to the mail order Bosnian doctor wife.
• "The Toll" brings to mind "The Cost" which is a Season One episode of The Wire with a similar development to this one
• They conspicuously focus on Boyd's cigarettes, when he first gets one, when he's frisked and while he sits there so you know something's up.  With Boyd's background a bomb wasn't a bad guess.  It brought to mind the time bomb in Stalag 17
• Hoping this woman carries on through the remainder of the series

Weight - Justified

Justified
Episode 5-10
"Weight"

Written by Taylor Elmore of last season's "The Hatchet Tour" and Keith Schreir of last season's "Outlaw"

Directed by John Dahl whose done episodes for Breaking Bad, The Americans and Homeland

Easily my favorite episode of the season.

Most of the season's main aspects have been disconnected from each other which is unusual for the Justified universe.  However, the tenuous alliance between Crowder and Crowe, along with Raylan following a lead on the heroin, and the conclusion of the Mexico trip, have begun to bring the stories together for what in my opinion was the strongest episode of the season. 

George RR Martin could take a cue fro Graham Yost about bringing the different storylines together.  While they were separated by geography for much of the season, with episodes set in Detroit, Mexico, Florida, Tennesee, and Kentucky, everything always comes back to Harlan.  While we know this season will be over in a few weeks, I personally doubt GRRM is going to finish his series in the next two books, as he said he would.  I think we're in store for a third one, making eight total.

Ava's death seems as likely as ever, as she's now severed her relationship with Boyd and only finds herself in worse and worse situations, no matter how she tries to get out of them.


A few of my favorite things

• Raylan's correct use of "whence"
• Parker Stevenson sounds like it should actually be someone's name, and it is
• They brought the funny!
• "Raylandonthangupitsdickeybennett!"

Justified-esque elements

• Briefcase of money
• Subverting expectations with extreme prejudice (this week's 21 foot showdown)
• Introduction of possibly another cunning, ruthless and beautiful woman

Wrong Roads - Justfied

Justified
Episode 5-09
"Wrong Roads"

Written by Dave Andron, of many episodes, and Leonard Chang, of some episodes

Directed by Michael Dinner, also of many episodes.  Notably, he was also an executive producer on the Elmore Leonard inspired Karen Sisco who also popped up in the Justifed world.

You have to appreciate the United Nations of Assholes meeting at Audrey's.  Like the gorillas who freeze death after eating the snakes who ate the lizards who ate the pigeons, Daryl wants a meeting with Boyd, crashed by HR's guys, crashed by Raylan and Miller.

All resulting in the some quotes from King Lear, and the line of the night, possibly the season: "Raylan, can I be excused from the table?
 
Ava has her one thing per episode happen but it is a doozy.  Dr. Rowena wants her to kill the prison den mother.

Poor Dewey.  He would just be the idiot wherever he happens to be.  Here is happens to be rural racist Kentucky being a pawn with Boyd or Daryl or whoever happens to need him.  Plus he gets picked on by everyone and it sucks to be forced to be around people who simultaneously don't want to be around you, but make you stick around.  

Delayed post due to the DVR cutting off the last 20 minutes of this episode. 

The Justified-esque elements

• Using the pencil as a weapon
• The hard drinking, seemingly corrupt, DEA agent
• Paying off the 21 foot rule with a nightime showdown on the highway

Justified Season Five - Through Eight Episodes

Crowders

1. Boyd is frustrated with efforts to get Eva out of prison
2. Boyd’s supplier tries to double cross him so he heads to Detroit to confront them
3. Turns out the supplier (Sammy Tonin) operation is in disarray. Tonin is double crossed/murdered by Picker. Boyd gets picker to take him and Duffy to the Canadian wholesalers
4. Canadians offer one final shipment to Boyd. Picker to make introduction to new Mexican wholesaler for Boyd
5. Boyd visits Paxter for help with Evan, becomes enraged by him. Does the murder to him. Wife sees but they are like let’s exchange cash for a NDB here.
6. Sheriff Mooney tries to pin Paxton's beating on Boyd but Paxton's wife, Mara, purposefully does not identify Boyd as the culprit and tries to strike a deal with Boyd
7.  Still no progress on getting Ava out of prison, as the judge is not buyable or threatenable
8. Boyd quells a minor uprising by his dealers by offering free drinks and a timetable for fresh drugs, after Duffy's attempt to do so fails
9.  Sheriff Mooney tracks Mara down to threaten her into identifying Boyd
10. Boyd's shipment gets hijacked and all his people get dead. 
11. Boyd gets angry at Duffy, accusing him of stealing the shipment 
12. Paxton instructs Mooney to kill Boyd
13. Boyd and Ava have a falling out of sorts during his visit, where he's more concerned with what information Ava can provide him about the drug caravan robbery than about how they are going to get her out of prison .  She's mad he's not even giving her a "hey holding up okay?" and more or less blaming her (rightfully, but he doesn't need to say it) for the whole situation
14. Boyd and Mara get the drop on Mooney and get him to report to Paxton he killed Boyd
15. Which leads to an upset Boyd and Mara having tattoo touching time.  A reminder of Boyd's Aryan beliefs, which I'm sure he still holds but doesn't practice actively.
16. Boyd traces the hijacking to Johnny
17. Paxton apparently goes for the fake Boyd hand as proof Boyd is dead but will still proceed against Eva
18. Eva is under female guard protection at prison.  The guard gives another hack what for after getting out of line with Eva
19. Boyd, who is aware Messer is a CI, gives Raylan the phone number to track him
20.  Boyd makes Johnny an offer which Johnny rebuffs.
21. Boyd stages Paxton's suicide, getting Eva out of prison, w/ a side of revenge
22. The hack who has it in for Eva stages his own stabbing to keep Eva in prison
23. HR has it in for Johnny who turns the tables on him by giving his henchmen his own share of the hijacking
24. Boyd pays for Eva's protection in prison
25. Eva's protection double crosses her
26.  Carl is kidnapped by the Crowes
27. HR under gunpoint covertly notifies Boyd that he's under duress and the Johnny exchange isn't going to go as planned
28. After Carl makes his way back, Boyd proposes a Crowe-Crowder alliance
29. Boyd restores Eva's protection
30. Ava is pulled into the religious circle in prison as a means of protection
31. Ava gets the smuggler plumber caught w/ drugs so she doesn't have to bang him
32. Johnny and Boyd both, separately, go to Mexico to gain the favor of the Cartel
33. Cartel chooses Boyd, doesn't want dead Americans on their side of the Rio Grande
34. Danny and Dewey for some reason start a shootout in the Mexican desert, killing Johnny and his crew
35. Boyd kills Johnny
36. Boyd manages to get drugs back to USA, aware of a double cross in the works

Crowe

I think the Crowe family is working along the lines of a classic bad guy group, albeit with some combined roles. 

• Darryl: The Big Bad 
• The Haitian: The Dragon. The person Darryl directs his idiots to in order to deal with their problem.  Completely unrattled by the marshals.  Advises Darryl on their next cash cow.
• Danny: Could be The Dragon if The Haitian stays in Florida, but most likely The Brute.  If he did take on Dragon responsibilities, I get the sense he'd fail at them.  Does the dirty work taking out Dylan.  Preoccupied for much of his scenes with firecrackers.
• Wendy: The Dark Chick.  A city mouse while the rest of the family are country/swamp mice.  Resourceful (causing the car crash) and able to act like a person in order to speak to the marshals.  This is low bar, but it is relative to the rest of the swamp people
• This is Justified/Elmore Leonard so there isn't a clear Evil Genius, but it appears most of the brain power is supplied by a team effort between Darryl and Wendy (per their conversation they shooed Dylan away from)

1. Dewey: Given a settlement for being operating on and punched in the face a bunch of times
2. Dilly & associate: Kill Coast Guard Officer
3. Darryl & sister: Makes deal with marshals to end his parole and hand over the CubanSister: drives Cuban to the marshals until he takes her hostage, but causes a car accident and escapes
4. Cuban: Tries to escape, but caught up by the marshals and shot and killed 
5. Darryl's parole is lifted due to his cooperation.  Advised by Haitian to get a hand into Dewey's $300k
6. Darryl & Co. surprise Dewey by showing up in Harlan, with a reminder of Dewey's Aryan beliefs
7. Darryl eggs Dewey on to get a rebate from Boyd for Audrey's
8. Boyd turns Dewey right back at Daryl telling him to stand up for himself
9. Darryl is amused and impressed by Dewey's newfound confidence.  He side steps it though and shows Dewey he's sussed out Messer's skimming and eggs Dewey on to kill him
10. This attempt goes badly and Dewey has to hunt Messer down in the woods
11. Dewey is picked up by some hikers
12. Darryl gets Dewey and takes him to finish the job, but Messer has died and his body is found by the police 
13. The littlest Crowe is taken by Raylan to put pressure on them to leave Harlan
14. Danny takes everything in the world as an insult and sucker shoots the Haitian
15. The Crowe sister visits Harlan to help with Kendall's case
16. Raylans GF checks in on Kendall
17. GF is run off the road by Danny 
18. Danny & Dewey kidnap Carl
19. Carl is let out by Raylan 
20. Boyd and Carl come back at the Crowes 
21. Boyd Proposes the Crowes and Crowders link up rather than fight.   
22. Danny and Dewey kill a bunch of Johnny's crew in Mexico, putting them/Boyd on the bad side of the Cartel
23. Wendy neutralizes the child services threat by complaining to Alison's boss
24. Kendall calls Uncle Dad
25. Uncle Dad makes off with Kendall
26. Wendy enlists Raylan to find Kendall, promising info on the rest of the Crowes

Raylan

1. Last season, arranges hit on Augustine via Tonin/Picker
2. Goes to Florida to track down Dilly and the Cuba (and can see his kid in the process).  Casually mentions Dewey's windfall in earshot of The Haitian
3. Makes a deal with Darryl to find the Cuban
4. Talks with Sutter about how Sutter would find reasons to avoid his family so he wouldn't have to leave his family at the end the weekend (Raylan then avoids seeing his kid)
5. Goes to meet the Cuban, shoots Cuban when he tries to escape
6. Fails to mention he was in town when Skyping with Winona and the baby 
7. Art asks him about why Sammy Tonin would contact him and secretyly investigates into Sammy
8. Raylan is called to jail by Loretta and also meets her social worker.  Doesn't get Loretta out of jail.  Decides to "have a talk" with her boyfriend, Derrick
9. Raylan moves into the seized house of a Detroit money launderer
10. Raylan tries to bang the social worker
11. Raylan talks to Derrick but ultimately has to rescue him and Loretta from drug dealers
12. Raylan eggs on the money launderer, flaunting that he's living in his house and drinking his wine
13. Rachel and Raylan flip the bangmaid and get her to rile up the money launderer by telling him his gold is stolen, directing his ire at Wynn Duffy (installer of the safe which housed said gold)
14. Raylan offers protection to Duffy as he is a target, even though Raylan engineered the whole situation as a ploy to draw out the money launderer
15. Money launderer tries to kill Duffy, is shot by Mike
16. Ultimately, Tonin being dead severs the direct connection between Raylan and Nicky Augustine's death, but perhaps someone like Picker could link them and create a world of trouble for Raylan.
17. Vasquez and Art inform Raylan Messer, who is a CI, is missing, and Raylan has to track him down
18. Raylan runs across the Crowes  and Boyd in his investigation, including a 14 year old bartender at Audrey's
19. Boyd connects Raylan to Messer's phone, which has a GPS
20. Raylan connects the buzzards to Messer's body
21. Raylan's new gal pal mentions a child she had to seize
22. Raylan goes back to Audrey's to take the littlest Crowe into state custody
23. Art speaks with one of the Canadian heroin suppliers who tells him Sammy Tonin used to brag about having a "Kentucky lawman in his pocket" and directs him to Picker who is hanging with Wynn Duffy as of late
24.  A Tonin hitman takes out the Canadian who directed Art to Picker
25. Art brings Picker in, Raylan speaks with Picker, Picker directs Art to the dead FBI agent
26. Picker directs them to a warehouse where the Tonin hitman goes crazy with an automatic weapon
27. Art and Raylan catch Theo Tonin
28. Raylan has a talk with Art...all but admitting his part in Augustine's death
29. Art cannot even look at Raylan except when he is punching him in the face
30. Raylan and Rachel bond a bit.  
31. Raylan tries tracking down the Crowe who ran his GF off this road, but is blocked by a safe word
32. Art put Raylan on garbage duty
33. Raylan and Art have it out, Raylan asks for a transfer 
34. Raylan  helps Wendy locate Kendall, becomes aware of Boyd's activities in Mexico
35. Raylan gives Kendall $ 

Whistle Past the Graveyard - Justified

Written by Chris Provenzano who wrote two great Season One Mad Men episodes, "Shoot" and "The Hobo Code" (eight and nine) which is when I would say the show really showed what it was made of.

Directed by Peter Werner of last season's "Kin" which involved the hill people

I'm going to guess the goal of this episode were to figure out a way to get Raylan and Wendy together with a common interest.  Justified is pretty precise with its plotting but if there was one that ever felt like, filler is too strong a word but you know what I mean, it was this one.  Boyd and Ava both progressed, albeit at a slug like place.  It is the sort of episode that if Lost did one like it, I'd be furious for a week.

EDIT: From Yost: Once [actor] Edi Gathegi wanted off the show, and we decided to kill Jean-Baptiste in episode 5, I just looked at it and said, “Well, we’re gonna be short an episode, so we better come up with one now. Instead of trying to stretch out the last three episodes [of the 13-episode season], let’s put something in now. What can we do?” I thought it would be cool if there was something about Kendal and Wendy, and that it would be a cool idea for an episode if Raylan had to come in and help Wendy. That’s basically all I had. I came in with that on a Monday, and we broke the episode on the Monday, we wrote the outline on the Tuesday, and Provenzano started writing it on the Wednesday. We just had to really jam that in, and then we went back to put stuff into [last week's] episode 7 with Kendal calling Uncle Jack ...

Fortunately, this isn't Lost, it's Justified, which manages to churn out episodes every week that could stand alone better than any other serialized show does.

Uncle Jack, not the namesake of the Breaking Bad prison hit specialist, but an actor who also appeared on Brooklyn Nine Nine Tuesday evening, appears to be above board at first.  He drives a nice car and has a rapport with Kendall and wears a jacket.  If you ever want instant respect, wear a jacket.  It will get you picked as foreman during jury duty, or it will get you elected Tribe Leader on Survivor.*  He also has a respectable job in the energy industry.


* And also the first contestant voted out.  Go Marlins!

Except none of these things really.  Even the jacket is undercut by the ugly shirt he's wearing underneath it.  Kendall trusts him not, eventually revealing the he knows Jack is in fact his father.  This after the rest of the front dissipates, and while he's not a Crowe by blood, he acts almost like a relatively white collar version of them.

In true Justified fashion, he has zero wits about him.  After the half baked idea to take Kendall to Cedar Point (never a good idea to abduct a kid in order to take him to Sandusky) he loses him after half a second and requires Wendy to get Raylan to fix things up.  The carrot for Raylan is information about the Crowe/Crowder activities and location.

So, here we have Raylan aware of what Boyd is up to just as C&C Heroin factory are coming home.

At the end, there's a nice moment with Raylan trying to get Kendall out of Harlan alive, giving him th Caller #7 money.  Even if Raylan came by the means and the money dishonestly, and planned to spend it on himself, he ultimately uses it in the interest of a noble cause.  So maybe if they play the song again this season, it's related to Kendall, and Raylan's unique perspective on being raised by a criminal. 

And by the way, the money Raylan gave to Kendall is begging to get stolen by his Uncle Brother or something.


Justified Identifiers

• Woman shooting a long gun (Wendy with the garbage bag shotgun)
• A bag of money ($35k, now $20k after the car, makes Jack a target)
• Double cross is in the works (Crowe on Crowder)
• Lack of other marshals (Hey, Raylan is on "vacation" though)