After opening with a run of the mill hold-up (that appears as if it's setting up a one-off storyline), we find a distraught Raylan attempting to ascertain Winona's whereabouts, after her abrupt departure last week. Yost and company did a good job with the last episode of leaving just enough tension with Winona's note to not let us feel totally secure about her safety. Raylan's agitated search for the first part of the episode does nothing to alleviate that unease.
The hold-up provides a convenient excuse for Raylan to meet up with the rest of the cast, although it's not really a US marshall's jurisdiction. (Raylan himself acknowledges how odd it is for him to constantly be getting caught up in "shitkicker on shitkicker" crime).
The first bandit Raylan encounters is Arlo, who apparently is suffering from a very very sudden onset dementia. It's possible that Arlo is faking, but the way he was raving at a recently-departed Helen as Raylan approached seems to indicate that he's having trouble staying present.
Raylan then meets up with Boyd, and in his fragile emotional state, isn't in the mood to listen to one of Boyd's soliloquies. In a moment of perspicacity, Raylan bludgeons through Boyd's shield of eloquence and reminds Boyd that his criminal ways are not the fault of outside circumstances. Boyd recovers rather quickly and manages to convince Raylan to do some crime-fighting that happens also benefit the Crowder crime syndicate.
Lastly, Raylan reunites with Ava at the local whorehouse. There wasn't much to be gleaned about either character from this interaction, other than that their relationship at this point is largely professional. Ava even comments on Raylan's abruptness.
Raylan isn't the only one who makes the rounds. Boyd and Ava go up to see Limehouse twice this episode. In the first encounter, Limehouse subtly chastises Boyd for ignoring the black community in Harlan, except for when he needs them. Walton Goggins brings a good deal of subtlety to this scene, Boyd's face is pensive, but necessarily remorseful, as he reflects on his race-warring past.
(This episode actually nods toward Boyd's "racist" past a couple of times. Limehouse's patron and Raylan both reference it in dialogue, and the camera makes a point of showing Boyd's "SKIN" tattoo in some lingering shots. It would be interesting if something happened this season that showed that even Boyd Crowder can't just shed his old personas like snakeskin).
Wynn Duffy returns in a couple of brief scenes with Quarles. It's a testament to how quickly Quarles has taken over as the big man when, as Duffy enters the house, Quarles is able to send him on his way with nothing more than a point through a glass door.
When it first happened, I thought that Quarles' pleased reaction to Duffy calling him "boss" was meant to hint at some of his character's vulnerabilities. He's often seemed quite smitten with Kentucky and the relative power that he wields compared to Detroit. I was wondering if perhaps he's not quite as highly regarded back in the North.
However, the scene immediately after that quickly changed my perception. We once again saw the trussed up man on the bed from several episodes ago. Things didn't appear to be going well for him.
It seems that Duffy's "boss" served as a trigger to some kind of masochistic tendency in Quarles. Pretty unsettling, especially for Justified, a show that has, so far, shied away from anything one might describe as "fucked up."
(It could also be a way that Yost is highlighting the difference between the villains in the holler and the villains from up North. Beau, Boyd, Mags, and Limehouse may be cruel, but they aren't sadistic. Every malicious act is done with a larger intention, whereas Quarles appears to be acting out a purely evil impulse).
The story climaxes with Raylan busting up a mobile clinic and shooting another bad guy. (Raylan loves shooting bad guys).
In a bit of a nod to A Fistful of Dollars (or Yojimbo, if you want to be that guy) it turns out that neither Quarles nor Boyd are behind the hit in the cold open, rather, it was one of Limehouse's henchmen, who aimed to turn the two factions against one another and start a war. Limehouse then pledges to carry out his ambitious underling's plan.
Raylan finally finds Winona, she's fine, and everyone is back to being bored by her. I feel like the writers have always struggled to make Winona relatable and interesting, and they may have finally just given up.
It was so difficult to invest in her and Raylan's relationship that even the pregnancy subplot didn't really serve to heighten any tension. It seemed clear all along that there was no way that Raylan was going to be able to do his job (and thus, continue the show) and raise a family.
(The Wire showed us how difficult it is for an obsessive lawman to serve his duties at work and at home. Anytime Jimmy McNulty seemed like he was getting it together on the family front, things fell apart. Part of this was obviously Simon's design, but it certainly couldn't have made McNulty any easier to write for).
Anyway, this episode was largely expository, which I don't mind. I'd rather spend 42 minutes in Harlan doing relatively little than in any other place on Tuesday night.
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