Justified: Veterans

"Arlo, use your words."

So far: Dads one, Sons zero.

If there was a common thread in this melange of drug war set-up, it was Raylan and Boyd both trying to be their own men while also trying to control their out-of-control criminal fathers. Raylan and Boyd are very much two sides of the same coin, both tough, smart and unlikely to give up. Ditto the dads. There was even a scene where Arlo and Bo sat at the kitchen table talking about how they were in control of their sons. Which they were not.

What stayed with me after I watched this one was Arlo striking Raylan in the face, and Raylan's response. As Winona observed awhile back, Raylan is an angry man, and Arlo is a big reason why. It had to take some serious control for Raylan not to respond in kind, but all he said was, "Arlo, use your words." And Arlo was waiting in Raylan's motel room at the end of the episode. Maybe it's Dads one, Sons one.

Boyd is still a very scary man, but I am now convinced that he was sincere about his conversion and the Church of the Last Chance Salvation, and that his intent in blowing up the trailer was to stop drug production. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect of helping Bo's business. It was downright twisted of Boyd to get Bobby Joe, one of his minions, to confess to blowing up the trailer, although I doubt Raylan will believe it. Boyd was about to kill Dewey for talking to Raylan, but something stopped him. Maybe he's developing a conscience, after all. A very choosy conscience.

Bo is scarier than Boyd. He's a charming, dangerous liar. He said he would let bygones be bygones, and then he had those two meth cooks killed. Interesting that he had it done the same way that Boyd killed Jared Hale on the bridge. Did Bo just set up his own son because Boyd refused to work for him?

Arlo worked for Bo, too. Geez. Everyone in Harlan knows everyone else. I'm a little confused about the money Arlo buried in the garden. Was that Bo's money? Or was it what Arlo made from ripping off the hillbilly heroin back in "The Lord of War and Thunder"? What did Arlo do with the money? (Clearly, Helen should have dug it up and hidden it somewhere else.)

Finally, Raylan and Winona in the hallway at the courthouse? Way cute. For two people who were married for six years, they were just adorably nervous and flirtatious with each other. They are so about to get involved again. Although Raylan dumping his handcuffed ex-girlfriend on his ex-wife for safekeeping might have put a damper on it.

Bits and pieces:

-- Former sheriff Mosley was saying that him taking over the drug trade kept the lid on Harlan, and crime went down. What a saint.

-- Art and Raylan had to get Tim to get them into the VFW because Arlo was there, and Arlo was drinking at the VFW because Harlan is dry. I grew up in a dry town, and they used to keep booze at the VFW there, too. Is there always booze at the VFW?

-- Raylan and Dewey together are always hilarious. Raylan thinks and talks rings around Dewey. This time, it almost got Dewey killed.

-- I was a bit disappointed that Johnny Crowder turned out to be a murderer. I sort of liked Johnny Crowder.

-- Coffin-like hideout with the guns and Bobby Joe (ick) reminded me of Helen and her buried suitcase in the garden. Two boxes of buried treasure in the same episode. And both actually pretty much empty.

-- Helen appears to be getting frustrated with Arlo. Maybe it's time to leave town. Somebody needs to leave town and Ava isn't doing it.

-- Hestler Jones, assassin and pervert. Great name, really shuddery character. I was rather glad that Raylan broke his finger.

-- Did Boyd just acquire another rocket launcher?

Quotes:

Boyd: "Well, Raylan, it seems that we are destined to be locked in an antagonistic relationship."

Boyd: "They strike the shepherd so the sheep may scatter."

Minion #1: "You strike at the shepherd that the sheep may scatter."
Minion #2: "You strike at the shepherd that the sheep may scatter."
Minion #3: "You strike at the shepherd that the sheep may scatter."
Bobby Joe: "They strike at the shepherd that the sheep may scatter."
Dewey: "You might strike out the shepherd, but us sheep, we won't never get struck out. Or scattered."
Raylan: "Or words to that effect."

Art: "It's assholes like you that give Christians like me a bad name."

Art: "Do you get snails?"
Helen: "Whole armies of the little bastards. You got a cure?"
Art: "Well, I was hoping you did. I mean, I've tried everything. I even tried crushing them and stringing them on a line as a lesson to the other snails, but they don't seem to care."
I don't know why this struck me so funny, but I must have laughed for five minutes. Honestly, I don't have anything against snails.

Raylan: "Boyd really bounced you out of there for spanking the monkey? You know, flogging the log? Polishing the German helmet?"
Dewey looked blank.

Art: "Gentlemen! This morning, we are looking for Bobby Joe Pecker."
Tim: "Packer."

Boyd: "Well, how'd he get you to talk, then?"
Dewey: "He deputized me."
Boyd: "He did what?"
Dewey: "He said he could deputize me, and then I had to talk."
Boyd: "Oh, that Raylan Givens. He sure is a clever one."

Much set-up for the season finale. Three out of four unintimidated garden snails,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

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