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Justified: The Kids Aren't All Right

"I'm gonna let you ride the rap, lady, same as everyone."

What is Avon Barksdale doing dealing drugs in Kentucky?

This episode bummed me out. I like Loretta immensely and thought she was too smart to deal drugs again. What happened to all of Mags' money? At least she was smart enough to ask for Raylan, and principled enough to get him to save her idiot boyfriend's life. I hope Raylan is wrong that it's just a matter of time before she does it again.

I was disappointed in Raylan, too. I'm starting to wonder if his deal with Sammy Tonin to kill Nicky Augustine last season was too big a step in the wrong direction because I don't remember Raylan ever being so upfront about killing bad guys before. "This star, it's gonna make it legal." Legal to kill six people? I'd think it was just to get out of a possibly fatal situation, but like Vulcans, Raylan never bluffs. And now Art has got the scent and is investigating Raylan's possible involvement in Nicky Augustine's death. I'm apprehensive about where this is going.

I'm also apprehensive about Raylan moving into that guy Monroe's house. He'd undoubtedly be safer over the bar, even though he's already gotten into a couple of shoot-outs there. Amy Smart's character Alison feels like a wild card, too.

As the proverbial two sides of the same coin, Raylan and Boyd tend to have parallel problems on this show. This week they were both dealing with a difficult woman with an agenda of her own who ended up playing them. (Okay, Loretta might not be an adult yet, but I stand by my comparison.) Mara wants $300,000? Why does everyone on this show want $300,000? I sort of can't blame her. She's in a tough situation and could easily wind up with nothing.

Boyd doesn't have $300,000 any more, though. Or does he?

I'm enjoying Boyd and Wynn Duffy as partners. Wynn had real trouble with the distributors, but Boyd talked them down and bought them all a drink. He's better with people than Wynn is. But the Harlan drug business is getting even crazier and more deadly. Lots of bodies and Boyd still doesn't have the drugs.

Meanwhile back at Audry's, cousin Darryl arrived and Dewey did not look pleased to see him. (The Crowes moving in on Dewey at Audry's is a good use of an already standing set.) Dewey is so dense that he hasn't realized Wade is giving Boyd a cut of the take at Audry's. I'm betting Darryl figures that out pretty quickly. The revolting Wade had better be careful.

I've been sort of ignoring the exploits of Mooney the cop, even though he's the big reason Ava is in jail for killing Delroy. Mooney has it out for Boyd, and Boyd won't always luck out with a beautiful woman who wants $300,000… that Boyd probably doesn't have. Ava's trial is in ten days. I wonder what Boyd will do if he can't get Ava out of jail?

Sometimes this show makes me want to include footnotes from IMdb.

-- Hot Rod's minions Jay and Roscoe were played by Wood Harris (who will forever be Avon Barksdale to me) and Steve Harris from Awake. According to IMdb, they're real life brothers and I think they're playing brothers, too. Not very nice brothers, unfortunately.


-- Karolina Wydra (Mara) played a vampire named Violet in the most recent season of True Blood. And "Mara" was the name of Walton Goggins's wife in The Shield.

-- Xander Berkeley (Nikita, The Mentalist) played Monroe, an oppressed rich white guy with a confederate gun who did "Detroit's dirty laundry." I'm betting he'll be back, because would they hire Xander Berkeley for a five minute scene in one episode? I'm thinking no.

Bits and pieces:

-- Raylan initially let Loretta ride the rap. Riding the Rap is the title of an Elmore Leonard novel featuring Raylan Givens. I bet there have been other tributes to Elmore that I haven't noticed.

-- Candy the druggie was the hooker that Colt beat up last season.

-- It's been confirmed: Justified's sixth season next year will be its last. Apparently, the ratings are down a bit, which might have had something to do with their decision to go out while they're still a critical and ratings success.

Quotes:

Mooney: "It was Crowder, wasn't it? Skinny guy, about medium high, dark hair, wears it up all crazy? Smile that nearly blinds you? You know, Boyd Crowder?"

Ava: "It just sucks in here. Long, humiliating days."
Well put. It's got to be depressing.

Alison: "I'm Alison."
Raylan: "Raylan."
Alison: "I know. I saw your picture in the paper."
Raylan: "How'd I look?"
Alison: "Taller."

Raylan: "So he's an entrepreneur, then."
Alison: "He can't even pee over his own shoes."
Never heard that one before. Perfect description of Derrick what's his face, the idiot who kept insulting a lawman who was helping him.

Raylan: "My general rule is, you keep talking, I put you in the trunk."
Jay: "You're a lousy conversationalist."

Raylan: "You get in the weed business with teenagers and it's their fault when things go wrong? Are you the type of fella that walks under a flock of birds and is surprised when he ends up with shit on his face?"

Dewey: "Unless Hitler has risen from the grave and is in my whorehouse, go away right now, Messer!"

Just like the premiere, I was entertained and confused, but not blown away. We're still in set-up mode, though. Two and a half out of four blinding smiles,

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

4 comments:

  1. I think Mag's money was seized by the marshals along with Limehouse's at the end of season three.

    It is a shame the show is coming to an end. I don't think it has anything to ratings but Graham Yost and Timothy Olyphant wanting to call it quits before they run out of ideas. FX are happy for the show to continue but there is not much they can do when the star and head creator decided to call it a day.

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  2. This season, so far, has been confusing. A lot of new players, people we haven't seen for a while, and new players with no central storyline that I can see yet. I have faith, however, that the writers will bring it all together at some point.

    In the meantime, I just enjoy the hat...

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  3. I forgot that Steve Harris was in Awake. I always think of him as being from The Practice. (He was also on Friday Night Lights for a little while, as Jess's dad.) And I had no clue that he and Wood Harris were brothers until I heard it mentioned in some early reviews for this season of Justified. I was stunned. Really? Avon Barksdale and Eugene Young are brothers?! Wow.

    I'm with you on Monroe. No way you bring in Xander Berkeley for that little scene unless he's a bud and a huge fan that just wanted to be on the show, even in a really small part.

    Definitely an entertaining episode, but not one that felt like something special. At least we got some Tim and Rachel though. :)

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  4. As I have never seen The Wire, Wood Harris will always be Julius Cambell to me, and any time I see him do anything in a show that isn't football, it amuses me. I liked Jay and Roscoe, hope they show up again. It was amusing when they were planning the spread of their bullet groupings.

    Raylan has got ice in his veins man. You knew that even though it could very well have simply been a threat, he would follow through on what he said. I'm sure Hot Rod understood that too.

    By the way, Mooney's description of Boyd was fantastic.

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