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Justified: The Man Behind the Curtain

"Hell is empty, and all the devils are here."

And the factions keep on coming. There are so many chess pieces on the board now that I'm having trouble keeping them all straight.

This week, we got a whole lot about the brilliant and deeply disturbed Quarles, who is in disgrace with his mob boss stepfather and exiled to Kentucky. His stepbrother Sammy Tonin is expecting Quarles to kill him, which is interesting since you'd think that would be a suicidal thing for Quarles to do.

So a sleep-deprived and extremely crabby Raylan just buddied up with Sammy Tonin and got Quarles and his clinic evicted, and all because Quarles tried to buy him away from Boyd. That was hilarious, and extremely dangerous for Raylan. Isn't he being too reckless? They haven't been showing us that poor guy chained up in the bedroom for nothing. Hey, someone we know is likely to end up that way, and I somehow doubt it'll be Limehouse. I also keep wondering how long Wynn Duffy is going to put up with this situation. I don't think he's wild about having to clean bloodstains off the walls.

Quarles just bought a sheriff, although he probably should have waited until after the election because Boyd is planning to run his buddy Shelby (Jim Beaver, and yay!). Adding two more law enforcement chess pieces just wasn't enough; Sammy Tonin was being tailed by the FBI (Stephen Tobolowsky, and yay!) who just wants Raylan to shut up and go away. Yeah, that'll happen.

Boyd just hired Limehouse to be his banker. I don't know if that was smart or not, even though I think Boyd is very smart, because I still find Limehouse scarier than Quarles. The scene with the pig hanging up and the guts all over the place just made my stomach knot. That guy with the limp -- Tanner? -- is now caught between Quarles with his bedroom of horrors and Limehouse with his meat locker, so I assume he isn't long for this world.

Speaking of which, the idiotic Gary Hawkins didn't run far enough away. As soon as Quarles and Duffy showed up, I knew the poor guy was toast. Had to happen sooner or later on a violent show like this one, I suppose. I bet Winona won't have to get a divorce now.

Bits and pieces:

-- I thought Arlo had lost his mind, but apparently, he was just off his meds. Boyd and Ava taking care of Arlo makes Boyd feel less like an enemy and more like a relative that Raylan is just annoyed with.

-- It sounds like Frances was a lot like her son Raylan: independent and "mouthy".

-- Most of this episode took place in a variety of bars and restaurants. Raylan is apparently so old that two young ladies were asking if he was born before or after disco. Were they making fun of him or flirting with him?

-- I love the stage setting in the Holler. Especially the interior of the restaurant with the street signs and license plates on the walls.

-- That was an interesting and really strange coat Boyd was wearing. The collar made me think of a smoking jacket gone very wrong. It clashed with his plaid shirt.

Quotes:

Raylan: "I don't want to go after him. I want to bury the big-tooth albino-looking son of a bitch."
Tim: "Why don't you just shoot him in the face?"
Raylan: "Does it look like I'm being funny?"
Tim: "Little bit."

Quarles: "I'm just gonna put a smile on my face, and eat a nice plate of steaming shit. Unsalted."

Tim: "So I tell you where Sammy is, and you go all Raylan on him and drag him out of some restaurant by his nutsack..."

Raylan: "I got mad ninja skills, buddy."
Tim: "Yeah. You know karate?"
Raylan: "And two other Japanese words."

Art: "Must be some sort of dick test that all the FBI agents have to pass."

Sammy: "What do you want?"
Raylan: "It's funny. I was under the impression I might have to put a horse's head in your bed. Now I'm starting to think you and I want the same thing."

Shelby: "I'm a greeter now."
Boyd: "I don't think I could say hello to that many people."
Me, either.

Another solid episode building toward what I am guessing will be a helluva climax. Three out of four smoking jackets gone wrong,

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

4 comments:

  1. I feel like I should send the Justified casting people a bottle of something to thank them for all the wonderful guest stars this season.

    Fantastic review as always, Billie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jim Beaver, and yay! It just needed to be said twice.

    I agree that Raylan is being incredibly reckless. Of course, that's not terribly unusual for him, but it is really bugging me this time. Quarles is scary. I'm afraid Raylan is getting so bent over minor things that he's going to find himself in a worse situation than "drugged and about to be harvested" in Layla's bathtub.

    Get your head in the game, Raylan! Remember what happened the last time you let Winona get you in a professional tizzy? I don't want to witness another resigned "washing of the hands" from Art!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry, but I have to say it a third time: Jim Beaver, and yay!

    Raylan is on the edge and it's a concern. He's managing to get everyone upset with him.

    Loved the scene with Boyle who told Raylan that because they both come from Harlan, he would never set him up. They really are becoming like family -- or something.

    My favourite quote: "It's dress the part; be the part." Don't know why, but that amused me no end.

    Great review again, Billie.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jim Beaver, and yay x4
    I need to find the tune that was used at the very beginning of the episode, when Arlo's wandering into Limehouse's territory and raving about Frances... it's a beautiful and slightly haunting tune. Wonder if it existed before or made for the show.
    That ending was incredibly amusing. Wynn Duffy having an opportunity to get his edge back. Oh Gary

    ReplyDelete

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