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Justified: Thick As Mud

"These are the end times for Dewey Crowe. The only choice I have left is how I punch out."

Poor Dewey. What a schmuck. He wasn't even planning to escape from prison in the first place. And there he was, living out the kidneyless in the bathtub urban legend, up close and personal.

About ten minutes in, I started thinking, was this just a hoax to get money out of Dewey? If so, what was in the plastic bag? That made me confused about the organ harvesting scam. The second time through, it occurred to me that Lance was probably planning to take the kidneys after Dewey came back with the money, as he was pretending to put them back in. That way, Lance gets twenty grand and the kidneys, and possibly a liver and a heart as well. Can you say "twisted and evil"?

So poor, idiotic Dewey Crowe has been cut up and shot, and is now on the hook for carjacking, assault, and at least four armed robberies. He also happened upon more than his share of self-righteous victims, too -- the guy at the strip club who told Dewey to go into rehab, and the religious guy at the liquor store. At least he still has his kidneys. Why didn't he go to Boyd? Okay, Boyd was going to kill him once, so maybe not.

Boyd told Ava the truth about killing Devil. Now why didn't I expect that? Her response, touching their corresponding bullet holes and saying, "This is the price we pay for the life we live" was remarkably romantic in a Bonnie and Clyde sort of way. She's not just his girlfriend any more. What a sweet little outlaw couple Boyd and Ava have become.

Boyd is not stupid. He doesn't think he'll succeed in defeating Mister Detroit, and he's probably right. But he's doing it anyway, probably because he doesn't think he has much of a choice. The confrontation with Mister Detroit, Quarles, was quite amusing as well as tense. Quarles looked shocked and delighted that Boyd had read Thomas Jefferson, which was a not that subtle put down, when you think about it. I loved the way Boyd also looked shocked and delighted when Quarles quoted Saul Bellow. Boyd called Quarles a carpetbagger, which is exactly what he is. Boyd certainly doesn't lack for guts. And now I'm thinking about Dewey's kidneys.

So Limehouse lied to Dickie. Why did that surprise me? Limehouse also got some mouth from his minion. (Don't be stupid, minion. Just look at your right hand.) Is one of Limehouse's supposedly tame dogs ready to bite back? It was also a surprise that Limehouse has a spy in Quarles' camp. Never underestimate young women who look like eye candy. Guess you could say the same about Layla the evil nurse. And Ava. And Winona.

Raylan is the hero of the show, so I know it's unlikely that he'll get killed, but I absolutely felt anxious when he was bushwhacked by not one but two evil nurses. And another unusual gun fight, a bathtub throw down right through Lance. This was the first time Raylan shot a woman, and it got to him, didn't it? I enjoyed Layla. She was smart and tough and funny as well as evil, and I liked her made-up story about Doctor Bl... Bosno? Was he part of the transplant ring?

Exhausted and hung over from sedatives and nearly getting organ harvested, Raylan came home and got a surprise. Did Winona just leave Raylan a dear john letter? I noticed all the boxes were missing, too. In the opening scene, Winona said that she was done trying to change Raylan. I thought that meant she had decided to accept him just as he was. She even said she knew her marriage to Gary was over as soon as Raylan walked in the door back in the pilot episode. I had started thinking that Raylan and Winona were too happy for a show like this and that they might kill her off, or something. I guess it's "something".

Bits and pieces:

-- What did the title of the episode mean? Was it a reference to stupidity?

-- Boyd was threatening that doctor by telling him details about his mother's home, wasn't he? The poor guy is between a "rock and much much harder rock".

-- (I'm assuming that wasn't the infamous Dr. Bosno?)

-- So much for Ash Murphy. Characters are dropping like flies. Although the paramedic said Layla was still alive. Let's hope she doesn't need a transplant.

-- Why did Raylan go to Layla's house with no backup? I thought he was a trained officer of the law.

Quotes:

Arlo: "Remember what your daddy used to say?"
Boyd: "Once you make up your mind to kill a man, ain't nothing left to talk about."

Cop: "You really think a male nurse can go Butch and Sundance in a motel room?"
Raylan: "Just Butch."

Raylan: "Dewey ain't the 'get the drop on anyone' type."
Rachel: "More like the 'running around with his head cut off' type."

Raylan: "Maybe Lawrence Nightingale really did take him prisoner. Get it? Lawrence instead of Florence? Lawrence Nightingale?"
Rachel: "Yeah. I got it."

Dewey: "Holy shit! You mean I had four kidneys?"

Quarles: "Boyd, have you heard the saying, 'the most successful war seldom pays for its losses'?"
Boyd: "Thomas Jefferson. (Quarles looks surprised) Prison doesn't offer much, but it does give a man ample time to read."

Art: "The human body, when you sell it on the black market like that, you're talking about a quarter of a million dollars."
Raylan: "I think this was more of a mom and pop operation."
Completely exhausted, and still punning.

Another good one. Three out of four urban legends,

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

5 comments:

  1. Layla was played by the gorgeous, awesome, beautiful Maggie Lawson, who plays Juliet O'Hara on Psych. She freaking rocks. :D

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  2. I liked this episode, but towards the end I started to get impatient. A little Dewey Crowe goes a long way.

    Then, that last scene happened, and now I think I was supposed to feel impatient. Raylan and I both didn't quite want to spend our night that way. Poor Raylan, losing Winona because Dewey Crowe's an idiot.

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  3. One thing that always bothers me in tv shows and movies: writers always think smart people know a lot of quotes and their authors. Two smart characters who want to test each other always have a game of chess or a quote-off.

    I hadn't understood what happened in the end until I read it here.

    I got a great loud laugh out of Dewey's realization he had 4 kidneys. Priceless.

    I liked the episode, but this season doesn't excite me as the last one. Then I realized what this season lacks: Margot Martindale. I have to accept she's not coming back and enjoy what we have.

    Great review for a great show, Billie.

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  4. "What a sweet little outlaw couple Boyd and Ava have become." I completely agree. There is something about their relationship that touches me in a way that Raylan and Winona's doesn't. Having said that, the final shot of Raylan was heartbreaking.

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  5. >>"Is one of Limehouse's supposedly tame dogs ready to bite back?"
    Assuming he gave Errol a choice too in picking either option, I like to wonder about whether he actually chose to get the lye treatment of his own volition... that's more disturbing than the punishment itself. To show that nothing could truly square them besides death, and the fact that he could endure it just adds to his confidence. Or something. I find it interesting, and I don't actually remember what comes of it. Maybe it's just adding some personality detail to the right-hand man. I find his 'insolence' kinda charming. It reminds me of a kid with a grumpy parent pestering them with questions.

    >>"Did Winona just leave Raylan a dear john letter?"
    God fucking bless. I hate her even more now that they teased an appearance from Carla Gugino who I accepted IMMEDIATELY. She's so good.

    >>"-- What did the title of the episode mean? Was it a reference to stupidity?"
    STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES was probably an alternate title. I guess actually including Dewey in the title would make people worry/rage-quit in advance if they thought he finally kicks it.

    ReplyDelete

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