If you watch Scandal, you’ll know the phrase “white hat.”
After this week’s episode, I think I finally learned what this season of Justified is truly about: Raylan no longer wears the white hat. It’s one thing to make it so Nicky Augustine, a vile mobster, is easily murdered. But it’s another to make a child pay for the crime of another.
Raylan Wants to Destroy Daryl
The title of the episode is “Starvation.” I can only assume that means that Raylan is going to “starve” Daryl out into the open. He’s going to take away all his friends and resources to smoke him out of hiding.
Daryl isn’t hiding at first. He very much wants Boyd’s final six kilos of heroin — which he thinks he’s entitled to.
Boyd, meanwhile, is hiding. Mr. Yoon’s men very much want to kill him for his murder of Picker in last week’s episode. Wynn is willing to help Boyd hide, but only for so long. (Especially since the marshals tow away his beloved trailer home.)
With that safety net removed, Boyd reluctantly agrees to help Raylan on his quest to take down Daryl. Raylan thought Boyd finally agreed after he visited Ava in prison and tried to convince her to make up with Boyd and then convince him to help Raylan. But no, Boyd decides to help Raylan in exchange for what he calls a “clean slate.”
Vazquez is part of the team to bring in Daryl too, but he’s more than willing just to nail him on illegal drug smuggling. Tim and Raylan, however, want Daryl for the attempted murder of Art, even if Kendal falsely confessed to it.
It’s not going to be that easy for the marshals, however, since Daryl convinces Wendy to go pick up those six kilos of heroin. The marshals, who are at the pick-up spot waiting for Daryl, decide ultimately to arrest Wendy and try to exert pressure on her.
It doesn’t work and Boyd is forced into wearing a wire and, yes, trying to convince Daryl — on tape — to confess to trying to kill Art.
Before Boyd can get Daryl to do that, however, Dewey comes in with guns drawn and demands the heroin. He gets it, but he also gets arrested mere seconds after walking outside by the marshals. (And to boot, he boasts of murdering Wade on Boyd’s wire and will now get nailed for that.)
While Raylan figures out what to do next since he’s failed in every instance he’s tried to nail Daryl, he visits Ava again in prison. She’s changed her mind and offers to convince Boyd to do what Raylan wants. She’s very much afraid for her life, but Raylan doesn’t care. He tells her she missed her shot and leaves her.
Raylan’s on the war path after that. He tells Boyd they’re going to use everything in his file and convene a grand jury. Boyd, furious, brings up in front of Tim and Rachel that Raylan was party to the murder of Nicky Augustine. “I’m not implying,” he tells them. “I’m stating.”
Rachel says that was yesterday’s news, but I can’t imagine this doesn’t get brought up again in next week’s episode.
Raylan then goes in to see Wendy and Daryl. He tells them that they’re planning to charge Kendal as an adult since they can’t get Daryl. Wendy, furious, demands to know whose idea that was.
My idea, Raylan says, as he walks out and the episode ends.
Other Odds and Ends
— Dewey, after all these years, finally gets arrested. But not before giving us a ton of funny moments in the episode, like almost getting gunned down by an old lady with a shotgun. Or fighting with a “john” at his whorehouse over his beloved gator teeth necklace.
— Penny, Ava’s friend in prison, is murdered since Ava killed Judith. And I don’t care. This isn’t Orange is the New Black, folks. These prisoners, other than Ava, aren’t at all interesting.
— Jimmy is held hostage by Mr. Yoon’s men at the end of the episode because they want the six kilos of heroin. And yes, I also couldn’t care less about that plotline either.
Justified airs Tuesdays at 10pm on FX.
(Image courtesy of FX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
