I’ve watched Fried Green Tomatoes too many times to not be unnerved by Limehouse and his BBQ. As per usual, Boyd recognizes Ava’s charm and worth and sends her, the perfect envoy, to set up a meet with Limehouse. When they do meet, on the bridge, Limehouse wastes no time in addressing the elephant swastika tattoos in the room. Also, apparently not even a cast iron frying pan can knock sense into Devil and Arlo.
James LeGros returns as Wade Messer, providing some excellent, sniveling comic relief. (Trivia: Don’t know if we covered this last season, but LeGros was the first actor to play Raylan Givens in a 1997 TV movie. His presence is as much of a nod as Gugino’s.)
Speaking of returning comic relief, the TV gods seem to be granting us plenty of Dickie Bennett this season and Jeremy Davies is not wasting a minute of it. (“A rouusse”…”Ho-ho-hold your horses.”) Also, we get a new player in the race for Mags’ money in that venal prison guard. And, do we think Dickie is making a run for the “best hair” crown? Watch out, Crowder.
The episode is jam packed with great character actors and I can’t neglect Pruitt Taylor Vince as “Mr. Pawn Shop Guy,” Glen Fogle. Though that game of Harlan Roulette came awfully quick on the heels of Mr. Nix’s quickdraw schtick, there were enough twists in the scene to keep me tense.
Some of you were asking last week (as Devil did at the end of the episode) exactly which Boyd Crowder we were dealing with and what he believed in. He said it himself, and I believe him, that he and his gang were “In the service of the almighty dollar.”
We get further insight this week into Robert Quarles’ plan for Harlan County and the Oxy trade. Like the man himself, the plan is pretty tidy. As he tells Wynn Duffy. “You see, Wynn, that is why they call it organized crime.” Also, Quarles’ kid either has terrible hearing or is used to the muffled protests of his daddy’s victims in the background of their friendly father/son phone chats.
Nice nod to the competition: “If I ever break bad, I will keep that in mind.”
And though Quarles is a tidy thinker, it’s Boyd who always has the bigger picture in mind. He demonstrates this both when he explains to Devil the consequences of not burning the weed and in the way he takes back Cousin Johnny’s bar. The bartender may have brought more than a baseball bat to a gun fight, but Boyd had a second wave of henchmen. Elegantly done.
There was a lot of comedy this episode with snappy one-liners including: “The greater Lexington Area of kiss my ass.” I had to look up Frankfort on the map. It’s northwest of Lexington, whereas Harlan is, surprise surprise, deeper south. Apparently Frankfort is where Wynn Duffy parks his trailer.
And inside Duffy’s trailer, Raylan pulls off plenty of swagger. (“Next one’s coming faster.”) But Quarles’ calm cool collected response throws Raylan a little. And that’s always fun to watch.
Carnage:
Oxy-head JT. (Cause of Death: A Nasty Game Of Harlan Roulette.)
Glen Fogle and Oxy-head Beckett. (Cause of Death: Refusing To Listen To Raylan When He Said, “Put The Guns Down.”)
Deputy Marshall Rachel Brooks and Deputy Marshall Tim Gutterson Line Count
Rachel=0
Tim=0
Winona B*tchwatch
Minimal Winona this episode but a complete 180 from her on Raylan and his Marshall duties. “Go do your job! It’s your job!” What a supportive thing to say. 0 b*tch points for Winona this week.
Favorite Line:
“Shame of it was wasting all that ham.”
“Me and dead owls don’t give a hoot.”
The Gist: This episode made a huge leap in quality. Makes sense that the first few episodes would drag a little as the writers introduced new players and lined them up on the board. But now the plot, thick and juicy as one of Limehouse’s steaks, is cooking. I complained last week that we didn’t spend enough time in Harlan and this episode proves that it’s the deep fried Southern crime that makes “Justified” the most fun. And though this was one of the funnier episodes in recent memory (seriously, how great was James LeGros?), it reminded me more of “The Wire” than any episode or season previously. Here we get to see the variegated levels of crime, the hapless actions of the addicts, and the clever deductions of the law. Just like in “The Wire,” we, the audience, are a step or two ahead of the law, and it delights us to see Raylan circle in on his prey. (He may not have your number yet, Quarles, but he’s got your photo.) But at the center of everything this season, I would argue, is Boyd’s seductively persuasive, canny and prudent leader. Raylan better stop thinking about his boots because Boyd is already ten paces ahead of him, and he won’t be easy to stop.
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another great episode I thought. Honestly Boyd is more interesting to me than Raylan. Also how does Dickie even lift food to his mouth with those tiny arms?
Posted by: logan at February 1, 2012 12:52 PM
I just started watching the show this season. I'm not sure why I didn't jump in earlier given pajiba's good track record. After this episode I'm beginning to see what the hype was about. These people don't fuck around. And Olyphant is compelling doing almost anything.
And yet chasing down fugitives is a significant part of a US Marshall's job
2. DIckie is making a valiant play but no way is he ever going to match the magnificence that is Boyd's Ernie hair.
3. Raylan in rolled up sleeves. Yummy!
4. Does anyone else think that Olyphant has a really strange walk? Back in the Deadwood days I thought it was a character thing related to having a holster strapped to his leg, but he does it on Justified also and I rewatched Perfect Getaway recently and he's doing it in that also.
Posted by: PaddyDog at February 1, 2012 1:47 PM
The violence. So much violence. I've been trying to figure out why this show jars me so much. I know I have a lower tolerance than some, but I've watched other violent shows and thoroughly enjoyed them, so why does this one rankle? I loved The Wire wherein the violence is often heartbreaking, I love Breaking Bad where the violence is explosive and based on self-preservation. I think it bothers me in Justified because they are distinctly sadistic acts of violence and the show seems to revel in them in a way the other two don't:
a. Some guy is just tied up in a room waiting to be tortured? I don't care if they show it or not, he is seen, a door closes, and his torturer reappears with his tie loosened and wiping his hands.
b. Playing Harlan Roulette for your drugs? Yet another point blank shot to the head? Taunting and teasing and torturing (oh my).
I want to watch the show, I try to watch the show, and by the end, and at least once before, I am either cowering or finding something else to do at the same time because I find it overwhelming. Is it just me? Are they using the vile acts as a cheat to quickly establish just how bad these people are? Is it a statement of nihilism? Is Raylan's effort an act of futility as each head he cuts off grows 3 more with nastier teeth? I understand that such people exist. I understand that for the purposes of the show everything is amplified, but it's just too much and, for me, it undercuts the otherwise exemplary writing and acting.
Posted by: Mrs. Julien at February 1, 2012 1:51 PM
That guy was waiting to be tortured?
I thought it was some captive sex thing.
Posted by: PaddyDog at February 1, 2012 2:01 PM
If it was a sex thing, I would have expected different business from the actor as he left the room. And a calmer response from the victim when Jere Burn's angry eyebrows opened the door.
Posted by: Mrs. Julien at February 1, 2012 2:04 PM
I just assumed it was the owner of the house that they were looking to take over.
Posted by: Ginger at February 1, 2012 2:07 PM
Listen, if the violence is too much for you and you don't want to watch, then I'm not going to stop you. But I don't think you can call sadistic violent a "cheat" to show how vile the Dixie Mafia et. al. are. There's a line here. Mags didn't kill for fun, she killed because she felt she had to. And she did it relatively gently and somewhat tenderly. She was her own kind of monster. In the pilot Boyd killed a henchman because he wanted to but he didn't have much reason beyond that. But the Boyd now? The Crowder he's become? I can't see him killing in a whim. The fact that Fogle killed for fun informed his character. That he enjoyed toying with his drug-enslaved crew. I don't think that's a cheat. I think that's effective and compelling story telling. You're free to disagree, of course, and to choose something else to watch on Tuesday nights.
Posted by: Ginger at February 1, 2012 2:37 PM
I'm open to any and all opinions, including the one that it's probably best that I don't watch the show. I'm trying to understand why I find the violence on this particular show so bothersome and I thought it might create some interesting conversation.
I will miss Raylan talking smack though. The writers do such a great job with it.
Posted by: Mrs. Julien at February 1, 2012 2:45 PM
I sort of assumed the tied up guy was the homeowner, and that Quarles had just home invasion'd his ass. Regardless, I'm LOVING Neal McDonough's turn as the big bad this season. He's going to be an EXCELLENT foil for Raylan, maybe almost as good as Mags.
Mrs. Julien, does your aversion to televised violence come more from a moral standpoint, or from a "this will give me nightmares" sort of thing? I'm really only asking out of curiosity. I'm surprised you find the violence on this show worse/harder to view than on the others you mentioned, Breaking Bad in particular. And yeah, I think you're right in saying on Justified, the violence is illustrative of the lowdown, dirty nature of the criminals. Take Quarles' shooting of what's-his-face in the first ep of the season. Whereas most of the crime in Harlan is vile and stupid (Harlan Roulette, the mutual murder of Fogle and Wally), Quarles execution of that rich guy (whose name is totally escaping me) was based on business, and done in a quick and almost gentlemanly manner with a distinct weapon your common addict could never afford, much less understand how to use. Similarly, Mags, as the mother hen of the holler, used poison to gently move people off this mortal coil. So I think the TYPE of violence might be related to the character type using it.
Paddydog Olyphant does move strangely, it's one of the things I find most compelling about him. Sometimes it's sexy as hell and sometimes its strange, and so I keep watching trying to figure out which it is. That said the man leans, in the sexiest way humanly possible.
The best thing about this show is trying to figure out which lines are the ones that flag something seemingly innocuous and end up being really important later.
Also I think our hero may be wounded and weekend this season, not just from the shooting but also from the emotional complications with Winona.
Posted by: catagisreading at February 1, 2012 2:59 PM
Sorry, weakened not weekend.
Posted by: catagisreading at February 1, 2012 3:02 PM
Mrs. Julien
I propose the following:
Turn your TV on to FX in the background so that you'll hear the dialogue.
Take up a book, crossword, or something else you want to spend some time on.
I will text you to look up at the good bits (naked Raylan, Raylan doing the Bullock Clench, adorable Boyd and Ava together, Boyd's Ernie hair stealing the scene, etc.).
P.S. if you decide to go with the crossword option, maybe save the Sunday one for Tuesday nights. The Tuesday puzzle is too easy to take you through the full hour.
P.P.S. Yes, I would be willing to do that for you, even if I don't understand your lack of love for Ed Harris.
Posted by: PaddyDog at February 1, 2012 3:03 PM
catagisreading
You're right. It is sexy as hell. I'm intrigued by what it's from, whether it's an acting choice or a hip defect.
Posted by: PaddyDog at February 1, 2012 3:05 PM
I thought he was just knock-kneed.
And, JustBill, it's the sadistic violence that bothers me. The two guys simply shooting each other doesn't irk. The slow torture does: the pill game, that guy with the ice pick. Maybe it's just too scary for me.
Posted by: Mrs. Julien at February 1, 2012 3:10 PM
Paddydog I have no idea the cause but I celebrate it nearly as much as I celebrate the Bullock clench.
Mrs. Julien I find the violence hard to watch sometimes too but not nearly as much as on the CSIs of this world. I agree with Ginger & JustBill, the type of violence used on this show is not just for its own sake. It's messy and has unintended consequences for most of the perpetrators and tells us more about the world we are watching. In those other shows the violence is much more photogenic and is clean and clinical, and that creeps me out far more.
Posted by: catagisreading at February 1, 2012 3:32 PM
Oh, I don't watch any of those other shows. No procedurals, no CSIs, no Law and Order SVU: Everyone Gets Raped, none of the shows with the prurient reveling in violation. I watch shows like this for the writing and the characters, such as the phenomenal Mags. Looking back, Rome was too much for me as well. Being uncomfortable watching sadistic behaviour, or productions that seem to revel in all that is hateful about humanity (often with some sort of pseudo-humanity redeeming coda *coughBatmanmoviescough*), seems to be my own line in the sand. I can live with that.
I'm taking Paddy up on her suggestion.
Posted by: Mrs. Julien at February 1, 2012 3:47 PM
Seriously, to each his/her own, but Mrs. J I wish you didn't sound so superior about it.
Posted by: Ginger at February 1, 2012 3:49 PM
I don't think she sounds superior, perhaps just telling us what she can't watch on a screen. I get it. I'm one of those hypocrites who can watch any level of violence against humans without flinching (I famously ate two boxes of nachos during Schindler's List) but have to look away when even a hint of animal cruelty pops up (My Dog Skip almost sent me into therapy and the worst that happened was the kid kicked at the dog). I can't explain it, there's no logic to it, but it's where my line is drawn. And I don't think it makes me or anyone else superior to anyone else, it's very simply that we all have a comfort line.
Posted by: PaddyDog at February 1, 2012 3:59 PM
I don't mean to Ginger. I really don't.
Posted by: Mrs. Julien at February 1, 2012 3:59 PM
I am a sap, can't do animals either. I wasn't allowed watch Lassie as a kid because I got so upset when the dog left. They weren't even hurting it.
Posted by: catagisreading at February 1, 2012 4:04 PM
I really loved Pawn Shop Guy, he was a fun one but I actually loved the ending.
Was I the only one somewhat fucking AMAZED to see Johnny Crowder? Not displeased, because if I have to admit he's secretly become one of my favourite characters, but like, didn't he get EXPLODED?
Posted by: Nadine at February 1, 2012 4:34 PM
Yes, Nadine. I also thought Johnny Crowder had joined Daddy Crowder in the afterlife and probably already had St. Peter on the payroll looking the other way as they brought their goods past the gates and sipping apple pie with Mags.
Posted by: PaddyDog at February 1, 2012 4:43 PM
I was hoping pawn shop guy would stick around longer, I really like the guy who plays him.
The show is pretty violent, but it doesn't bother me yet. It's not disgusting (the violence, I mean) like "Sons of Anarchy."
And I am enjoying how they're setting up a showdown between blonde guy from Detroit and Boyd. I mean, it's gotta be Boyd who prevails, but it should be fun to watch it play out.
What I like about this show overall is how the action is in podunk USA. Not NYC or Los Angeles, etc. There is crime in other places besides giant cities, unfortunately. People in small towns aren't really nicer or more decent.
Posted by: Slash at February 1, 2012 5:46 PM
Right after the explosion there was a shot of Johnny rolling out of the shed several feet away from the house. I'm pretty sure that's the last time we saw Johnny.
I'm really looking forward to how the Raylan vs. Quarles dynamic is going to play out. This is the first time that we've seen someone in Kentucky that might actually have Raylan beat in the quick-draw area (albeit with the help of a nifty gadget). So where Mags was a threat because of her intelligence and guile and had her sons for muscle, and where Boyd is, as Joanna pointed out, playing the long game (superbly), Quarles is a threat who can be his own muscle. I just have to decide now whether I want to see an actual shootout between the two or if I want to see Raylan come up with an alternate way to beat him (it should be simple and elegant like how he beat Icepick Nix.)
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Posted by: Douglas at February 1, 2012 6:29 PM
PaddyDog, I'm the same exact way. I can watch any number of violent horror movies and laugh it off with the knowledge that it's all artifice. But violence towards animals gets under my skin like nothing else. To this day, I've never seen Cannibal Holocaust, largely considered THE original found footage horror film, because it supposedly contains real animal deaths.
Mrs. Julien, kudos for sticking by something you believe in. I can't say I understand how you differentiate what you will and won't watch, but the beauty is...it doesn't matter if I do or not. You like what you like, and so long as you know what makes you happy and what doesn't, more power to you.
I'm with u Nadine...so happy to see ole Johnny! Likable bad guys make the show enjoyable.
Posted by: Beautiful girl at February 1, 2012 8:06 PM
WTF's up with the umlauts on the spamböt?
Posted by: Salieri2 at February 1, 2012 9:14 PM
Was it just me, or did anyone else thoroughly enjoy when Quarles paused slightly, and then gave that proper grin for his up-close-and-personal photo op?
More Neal McDonough badassness, please.
Posted by: Doomus at February 2, 2012 3:49 AM
I love the format of your recaps.
I loved this episode. Every second.
So much love.
Posted by: SBrown at February 2, 2012 8:36 AM
Doomus: I rewound and watched that entire scene again. The look on Raylan's face when Quarles turned around and grinned. Then that little "oh what the fuck is this now?" smirk Raylan gave as he walked out of the trailer. How Olyphant continues to get passed over for Emmys is beyond me.
I think it bothers me in Justified because they are distinctly sadistic acts of violence and the show seems to revel in them in a way the other two don't:
Dear Mrs. J:
Maybe it's this. Violence and sadism are accepted and expected in Justified-world. They are unpleasant, perhaps, but just part of how things are.
/Musing ...
The "heroes" occasional violence and sadism are accepted as inevitable and a choice, not a mortal sin. Indeed, in Justified-world, declining to do the hard, less-evil thing may have consequences worse than noble restraint. What's the fallout from a couple guys Raylan didn't kill? What's the fallout from Art's beating the information he needed out of a prisoner?
In Justified-land, the bad guys just are that way. There's nothing exceptional about them. The good guys have limited means to make things less wrong. This is everyone's life there - limited means to deal with inevitably present evil. There's a note of fatalism in the fine Harlan-stew. The people who live there are OK with this - the pervasive violence & the ecstatically evil evil folks. They'd not choose a world that way, but in the really real world they inhabit, this is how it is.
There's an ongoing theme of calibration, too. These people trying to get by with limited means in hard circumstances think in terms of what's Justified.
Some people like us relatively well-off viewers are more comfortable thinking of violence as an exception, if only we can erase some last, egregious provocation. We're more comfortable with violence, horrifically undertaken at tragic cost. Just the way things are - that's disturbing.
Posted by: BierceAmbrose at February 2, 2012 11:44 AM
That was totally cool.
Posted by: Mrs. Julien at February 2, 2012 2:26 PM
Loved every minute of it. Nary a mention that Pawn Shop guy was Otis in Walking Dead??
another great episode I thought. Honestly Boyd is more interesting to me than Raylan. Also how does Dickie even lift food to his mouth with those tiny arms?