Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: 'Justified' - 'Outlaw': You're all alone now, Givens

Arlo runs into trouble, and Boyd moves against his rivals

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:00 PM

Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) and Shelby (Jim Beaver) in "Justified."

Credit: FX

Are you a fan of Justified?

Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.

A review of tonight's "Justified" just as soon as I plan to make it rain at the Lobster Box...

"Kiss my ass." -Arlo Givens

This is a time for complicated parent/child relationships in cable drama. You have the Gallagher kids and Frank on "Shameless," Tywin and Tyrion Lannister on "Game of Thrones," Archie and Dick Whitman on "Mad Men," and, of course, Arlo and Raylan Givens here, among others. (And that's not even bringing in past shows like "The Sopranos.") Though maybe the relationship between these two isn't all that complicated, given that it largely boils down to bone-deep hatred, with the occasional moment where Raylan finds that, despite himself, he still thinks of this old sonuvabitch as his father.

And because Raylan's feelings for Arlo are so outside the norm for what we expect between sons and fathers, it makes some sense that Arlo's death would occur in something other than a Very Special Episode of "Justified" — like, say, season 2's "Reckoning," where Raylan was responding to the death of a parental figure he genuinely cared for.

So I get what Yost and company were going for with "Outlaw," in which Raylan did his best to keep working the Drew Thompson case while lots of subplots and guest characters whizzed past. They were preparing us for that moment in the office near the end where Raylan casually mentions that Arlo died an hour ago so that we'd be as thrown by the news as Art, and so that we could then be sucker punched by that great moment from Timothy Olyphant where Raylan finally lets himself feel something as he stands at the elevator.

I get that, but I ultimately think the show did itself and its main character a disservice by having the death of Arlo — the man who made our hero what he is today, to the great irritation of both father and son — get swept up in the usual chaos of Drew Thompson, Theo Tonin, Shelby, Ellen May, strip-searching drug dealers, etc. "Reckoning" had a fair amount of plot movement for Mags and Dickie, but it was always primarily about Raylan's reaction to the murder of Aunt Helen where this was... an episode of "Justified," and one where it was very easy at times to forget that Arlo was circling the drain.

I have, for the most part, been in favor of the Drew Thompson/mystery spine to this season. It felt like the show needed to try something different this season, and it's mostly worked. But the last couple of weeks have felt too busy, even compared to that point late last season where Quarles, Limehouse, Boyd, Dickie and Wynn Duffy all seemed to be pursuing separate villainous agendas. There can be such a thing as too much plot (it's one of the more frequent missteps on "Sons of Anarchy"), even on a plot-driven show like this one, inspired by the writing of a man who loves juggling multiple characters and stories at the same time.

Not only did the rest of the material get in the way of Raylan processing Arlo's impending death (even though he very clearly wanted to be distracted), but this business with Boyd, the local rich guys and a new Dairy Queen franchise is spinning away from the Drew story, even though it began with Boyd investigating these guys as possible Drews (see below), and even though Boyd's new alliance with Theo Tonin advances Boyd's own story arc. Maybe it's just, as I said in my brief review last week, I don't like the idea of some kind of hillbilly Illuminati who have secretly been running everything in Harlan while we and Boyd weren't paying attention.

Olyphant gets some fantastic moments in this episode — in addition to Raylan at the elevator, there was that amazing grimace after Raylan realizes that even in his father's last moments, all Arlo has for him is contempt — and though I didn't need an hour of crying Raylan (which would have been wildly out of character), I wanted the moment to feel bigger than it did.

Then again, given that each episode this season seems to be taking place on the day after the previous one, maybe next week is all about Raylan taking the day off he promised Art and making funeral arrangements? "Justified"/"Six Feet Under" mash-up. Make it happen, people.

Some other thoughts:

* A few of you assumed my reference last week to the Sam Anderson character being Drew was a spoiler, when in fact it was inartfully-written speculation. I had only seen up through that episode at the time, and haven't seen any past this one as yet. (In general, FX parcels out episodes one at a time, and I try to avoid jumping ahead this late in the season even when I get more.) I just liked the idea of Anderson (an actor I've always liked, going back at least to his days on "ER" as Susan Lewis-hating Dr. Kayson) turning out to be Drew, but we know nothing yet. And, frankly, at the moment my money would be on Shelby, whose interest in the case is starting to get really intense, and whose now-constant stories of his early career, failed marriage, etc., play like the words of a man who wants you think of him as someone with a real history and a real identity, and not someone who assumed that identity 30 years ago. A line like Shelby's "I think if you pretend to be something long enough, it's not pretending" in the middle of this particular story arc isn't there by accident. (Though it could be there as a red herring.)

* Raylan's interview with Hunter (played, as usual, by Brent Sexton, one of this show's army of "Deadwood" veterans) not only featured yet another "Deadwood" reference — Raylan tells Hunter he might be able to transfer to the prison in Yankton, which was the Dakota city constantly causing trouble for Swearengen and Bullock — but offered one of the more succinct analyses of Raylan's character: "You're only a lawman when it suits you, Raylan. Gives you cover to do things you would've done anyway."

* I wasn't crazy about the previous appearance of Tim's addict buddy Mark, but at least now things are going to more explicitly tie Tim and Colton together, since Colton appears to have left evidence (the cigarette butt and the bullet casing) to the murder of Mark and Blossom's older brother.

* I'd like to think that the recent Raylan/Shelby conversation about how long it had been since Raylan killed anyone was put there to prime us for back-to-back episodes where Raylan puts many, many, many bullets into bad guys (first Jody, now the hitman from Detroit).

What did everybody else think?

Alan Sepinwall may be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: Justified, Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Graham Yost, Elmore Leonard

Next 163 Comments

sam_hough

My assumption about the Harlan illuminati is that they function like the Council of Conservative Citizens did when they were the White Citizens Council: they get involved in legitimate businesses. They're involved with Boyd because it suits them but they're just successful businessmen in a small town which means an inordinate amount of power and influence
February 27, 2013 at 12:09AM EST Reply to Comment
- TheFatFilmGuy From a pure speculation point of view I thought that the Harlan Illuminati, like the real illuminati, was simply full of shit. They were pretending they had been running things, been controlling Boyd's daddy, had the power to destroy Boyd's existence, just to get what they wanted while in truth it was all a big lie. They may have been vain enough to think they could make good on their threats but they had never actually exerted that control at any point previously. Like I said, just a guess, but if they really were as powerful as they claimed their power sure was taken away with ease.
  February 27, 2013 at 1:46PM EST
- Slam Those rich guys who told Boyd they run everything; they're busy making REAL money and people like the Crowders are free to run their own scams as long as they don't mess with those Country Club guys. They told Boyd they call the shots, but that's just their egos and their way of trying to get the upper hand. And Boyd knows they dont run the show.
  
  At least that's how I read it.
  February 27, 2013 at 3:42PM EST
- svetlana Does anyone know the name of the song that was playing while boyd was talking to Ron Elderd at the bar? It was the same scene where he first got the text from Ellen may. I tried using shazam but it just came up as justified.
  February 27, 2013 at 6:41PM EST
- Hemude Svetlana: I believe it's "No Big Deal" by Bar 61. There's a link to the band's iTunes page in the episode guide section of the official Justified website. You can hear a short preview of the song right there, too. (But the song itself is not on their iTunes page.)
  February 28, 2013 at 1:43AM EST
- svetlana Hemude, thank you so much!!
  February 28, 2013 at 2:18AM EST
- Angela @ Hemude, Svetlana, I think there were two great songs in this episode, both of them in the bar, and I didn't know where to find out what they were either, so thank you from me too.
  March 3, 2013 at 10:51PM EST
alynch

"And, frankly, at the moment my money would be on Shelby, whose interest in the case is starting to get really intense, and whose now-constant stories of his early career, failed marriage, etc., play like the words of a man who wants you think of him as someone with a real history and a real identity, and not someone who assumed that identity 30 years ago."

It's either that or "I'm two days from retirement" syndrome. Neither one one is a good prognosis for his long term health.
February 27, 2013 at 12:12AM EST Reply to Comment
- TheFatFilmGuy Shelby's interest in wanting to see the widow seemed like the giveaway to me at the time but the more I think about it the more I think that Yost and company want us to put our money on Shelby when in truth Drew Thompson is going to be someone completely unexpected.
  February 27, 2013 at 1:50PM EST
- PotatoSolution I think it has to be Shelby.
  
  Why would Mosley be the one who knows who Drew Thompson is? Because Mosley is an ex-cop, and so he knows the secrets of other cops (like Shelby before he was elected Sheriff).
  February 28, 2013 at 2:26AM EST
Tony M

Once again, this show throws out great scene after great scene, great line of dialogue after great line of dialogue. Arlo's "farewell" was great and perfectly in keeping with his character. Boyd turning the situation into his favor was great. While I felt last week was a little disjointed, I thought this was a great episode and has set us up nicely for the home stretch.

So in short, I'm borderline shocked that you had issues with it.
February 27, 2013 at 12:14AM EST Reply to Comment
- Bob7 If he was the only one who had issues with it. Not to beat a dead horse, but I think I've written on here before that preference--what you want to happen--isn't really possible because you're not the writers of this show. The writers are and they know what they're doing, they have a plan, each choice can mean something thematically or just within the context of the episode. Unless its bad writing, like the Walking Dead, where characters become new people to move the plot along. Quality of what you see in front of you is not the same as preference, what you want to see. A review that only one critic feels while others feel the opposite isn't useful to the audience.
  February 27, 2013 at 4:31AM EST
- Darkdoug I wonder if the big fuss about Arlo's death is due further down the road, either from Raylan's repressed feelings coming back to bite him at a more crucial juncture (although that would be awfully trite), or else they are saving it for Raylan to learn of his role in Arlo's death. It was thanks to his attempts to pressure Hunter that the hit went down, unless it is a coincidence and Hunter is also in Detroit's pocket.
  February 27, 2013 at 9:42AM EST
- sepinwall "A review that only one critic feels while others feel the opposite isn't useful to the audience."
  
  A review that only one critic feels is useful to the audience if it's how the critic genuinely feels. If the critic is trying to shape his opinion based on a guess of how the audience is going to respond, then he's completely useless. A critic's value doesn't come only from when you share an opinion with them, but from when they write in a way that makes you think about something in a way you hadn't before, or even when they make an interesting argument that's contrary to your opinion. Some of my favorite Pauline Kael pieces, for instance, came when she was trashing a movie I loved, or praising something I didn't enjoy.
  
  You may not feel I made my argument well here, or that it wasn't a well-written review, but it's how I genuinely felt about the episode. If I tailor my opinion to how other people feel, it's time for me to pack it in and do something else.
  
  February 27, 2013 at 9:55AM EST
- Bob7 @Alan: Not tailor your review to an audience but don't see things other people don't see and don't fail to see what other people see. As in not valid opinions not based on the text and completely in your head--subjective. I agree that part of a critic's job is to engender new ways of thinking, but those ways of thinking must have a basis in the text. I still don't know how two or more people can have contrary opinions on the same thing. A car is the same car with the same features for everybody. If you want a different car with different features, that's preference or taste, not judging quality. I'm not saying you did that; it's startling other critics do.
  February 27, 2013 at 1:02PM EST
- TheFatFilmGuy I loved this episode too and felt like it had maybe three or four of the best Raylan moments of the year, but I don't get how anybody can be surprised or think it is invalid that another person found this episode disjointed tonally and too full of plot. Alan is far from the only reviewer to point out that we are at the point of the season where Justified has a tendency to really stuff a lot of moving pieces into each episode so that they can get us close enough to the end of the story that they can actually wrap things up in the finale (last season felt even more that way than this season does). While I happen to love that pacing I can certainly see how another would feel like, particularly when dealing with the death of one of the shows central characters, that it didn't leave enough room to deal with that death in an entirely satisfying manner. And as a reviewer I am not sure what else anyone would expect Alan or any one else to do but to honestly assess what he watched
  February 27, 2013 at 2:03PM EST
- Slam This season isnt as good as the Margo Martindale or last season with Quarles, and there are too many moving pieces and too much plot and subplot, but I still LOVE this show.
  February 27, 2013 at 3:51PM EST
- Jonas.Left If a review has only objective descriptions and lacks subjective opinions and interpretations of the work being reviewed it ceases to be a review. It becomes a pointless summary of things the audience already knows. People who complain about the reviews they read not agreeing with them need to evaluate just what they want from criticism. An intellectual analysis of a work of art or validation of their own opinion. If its validation you seek, why? Your opinion is yours no matter what. You don't need permission to like or dislike something. And a review not sharing that opinion is not saying you are wrong.
  February 27, 2013 at 3:58PM EST
- Jonas.Left If a review has only objective descriptions and lacks subjective opinions and interpretations of the work being reviewed it ceases to be a review. It becomes a pointless summary of things the audience already knows. People who complain about the reviews they read not agreeing with them need to evaluate just what they want from criticism. An intellectual analysis of a work of art or validation of their own opinion. If its validation you seek, why? Your opinion is yours no matter what. You don't need permission to like or dislike something. And a review not sharing that opinion is not saying you are wrong.
  February 27, 2013 at 3:58PM EST
- Jonas.Left Sorry about the echo.
  February 27, 2013 at 3:59PM EST
- Bob7 @Jonas.Left: Not a summary or recap. But you hit upon the right word--interpretation. As in finding the point of the work, what it does, and how it does it. When I say subjective I don't mean having opinions is bad. No, having opinions can demystify and elucidate the work because you're engaged in watching it and you can write how it worked on you--letting you have the emotions it wanted you to have--or how it didn't work on you--failing to achieve what it wanted to achieve, or failing to have any interesting elements, failing to get across its ideas, or just being bad. These all come from the text. What I'm objecting to is something like a fundamentalist Christian reviewing Darwin and saying its a horrible book because it doesn't agree with the reader's subjective worldview. Or someone hating The Great Gatsby because he doesn't want to read about 1920s bootleggers, or, more insidiously, hates how it ended.
  
  I know this is blindingly obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people--critics and regular people--engage in it. They fault the work for having unlikable characters or not ending the way they want to, forgetting that maybe unlikable characters was what the artist was going for, to make a artistic point, and that artists don't know the mind of the readers and so can't write only for them, to make them happy.
  
  Now this is TV, and you can say, "but it's just entertainment after a long work day" but TV can be art, as proved by the Wire, Deadwood, Mad Men, Fringe, countless others. And writers and producers spend the majority of their days creating, writing, talking about each story and character point of the series (unless they're from the Walking Dead. Zing!) so, if they're good, they know what they're doing, and have thought about things deeply. So who are we to judge them after a first reaction? I guess I still operate my critical perspective from books. An author spends years writing something; you're not going to get it on first viewing. TV is different of course, and Justified may have no other ambition but to entertain, but its the general principle I'm talking about.
  February 27, 2013 at 7:28PM EST
- Bob7 @The FAtFILMGUY,@ SLAML Too much plot seems like a conscious choice the writers made, and to me, a matter of taste. But I get people liking or disliking stuff for different reasons; I just don't want people to miss and appreciate a great work because of trivial reasons.
  February 27, 2013 at 9:05PM EST
- Jonas.Left BOB7 I think there's a difference between the ideas and themes that a work of drama is exploring and "the point of a work" as you put it. Ultimately, the point of a novel or a film or television show is to affect the audience, to make them care about characters, to laugh with them or fear for them or cry for them. A story is meant to be plotted in a way that makes its events feel real to the audience, as if each character's choices were consistent with who they were and each event leading to the next all the way to the conclusion so that it feels as if it couldn't have happened any other way. Now, that doesn't mean an entire work is ruined by a few flaws, but that's what the creators of a work are supposed to strive for. I agree that its not fair or reasonable to criticize a comedy for not being a drama or a romance for not being a sci-fi epic, but other than that the creator's intentions are mostly irrelavant. All I, as a consumer of a work of storytelling can measure is how the story affected me. Was I invested in a character enough to care when he suffered? Were there lapses in logic that prevented me from suspending my disbelief? Were the ideas and themes evoked through the narrative or lost amidst unclear execution. If a batter strikes out his intention means nothing to the crowd at baseball game. His team's fans are going to be disappointed. If a work of drama does not satisfy a critic he can't base his evaluation on the creators' intention to do good work. If that were the case every review would have to be positive.
  February 27, 2013 at 9:13PM EST
- Bob7 @JONAS.LEFT: Actually, no, the point of a novel or movie or any work of art isn't to affect the audience, at least not emotionally. Theodore Roosevelt, playing art critic, hated Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase because it meant nothing to him and he didn't get this new style. .Finnegan's Wake is very hard to read, but is still considered great art. Art doesn't have to affect you emotionally to be art and good. It just has to communicate the artist's reason for making it or deep enough that it can support interpretations not intended. If the artist isn't going for emotion in his audience, then that's a deliberate choice he made and is successful at.
  
  And of course the creator's intentions don't matter if he can't successfully communicate them, which is what I said in the sentence before this one. Art is judged on whether it achieved what it set out to do, or achieved some idea or commentary of the world, even if not intended; it's not on the reader's response (I don't like reader-response criticism) that can involve reactions immaterial to the merits of the work, and have nothing to do with the work itself but with the whims or patience, immaterial thoughts, and taste of the reader. Like TR not getting Duchamp, because he didn't like this new form of art, but now that painting is considered a classic.
  
  There's a scene in Mel Brook's History of the World movie. A row of cave men sitting in a cave, starring at the wall. One gets up and draws an animal on the wall. Caption pops up, "The First Artist." Another cave man goes over to the wall and pees on it. Caption: "The First Critic." More and more, with bad reviews (not Alan's though he's not immune, to be honest) I empathize with this scene.
  February 27, 2013 at 11:07PM EST
- Bob7 @JONAS.LEFT: Also for it to communicate what it wants to say, you have to be open to it, accept the story and the way it's told. Like Jose Saramago is a great novelist who won the Nobel Prize, but he has a specific style of not using quotation marks and having long sentences that should not be considered a flaw in what he ultimately says in his work. In fact, the style helps him and his meaning as his voice is digressive and philosophical and he can put a lot of his concerns in a sentence. Same with Pynchon.
  February 27, 2013 at 11:25PM EST
- Jonas.Left BOB7 Art can engage intellectually as well as emotionally and the best art does both. However narrative art cannot be judged the same way as a photograph or a painting. There are standards of form that narratives need to be narratives. I would prefer if Cormac McCarthy used quotation marks, but his stories aren't ruined by their lack. I suppose you can give examples of avante garde films that are barely comprehensible as a story and say on its own terms its good. Maybe it is. Maybe not. There are different target audiences with different standards. If Faulkner were a children's author he would be a complete failure as an artist. Obviously, his work was intended for readers with tastes that aren't mainstream. That doesn't mean the experience of a reader that scratches his head and says, "huh?" is wrong. Hemingway thought Faulkner's writing was terrible because his style was so confounding. What is the point of communicating something if you deliberately obscure your own meaning? Saying something is art doesn't put it off limits to the audience saying its good or bad. Even bad art is art.
  
  I would agree a reader or viewer needs to be open to experiencing the work. I also think its the responsibility of a storyteller to make their work welcoming and accessible. Otherwise what's the point of it except to proclaim that you as an artist are on a level above the rabble that can't comprehend your greatness.
  February 28, 2013 at 12:03AM EST
- joel "I still don't know how two or more people can have contrary opinions on the same thing."
  
  This is the very essence of critical thinking. Critical thinking is not about divining absolute truth. It's about deriving a POV on something and then encapsulating that viewpoint in words, written or spoken, for others to digest. If all critics are expected to come to the same conclusion then we'd only need one critic for everything, but that's not how it works. And thank god.
  
  I typically read 3-4 different TV critics and a dozen film critics. The best ones don't necessarily agree but they all make me think and their opinions and interpretations engender lively discussions. Just saying, but your expectation of criticism misses the whole point of criticism.
  February 28, 2013 at 2:48AM EST
- Bob7 @JOEL: Excuse me, I should have been clearer. I don't mean everyone having the same critical thinking capability and seeing the same things in art; I mean using that critical thinking ability to uncover more meaning and interpretations that are supported by the text, or even aren't but are a good jumping off point to discuss some problem in the world or some experience the reviewer had that he saw mirrored in the art, and so can comment on how to live, for example. The best art is layered with meaning, ideas, concerns, social commentary. Many critics are needed. Like you would need a feminist critic to talk about the women in Shakespeare because the old white male critics might not see it.
  
  What I object to is a criticism without evidence, based on the irrelevant thoughts of the critic and not supported by the text. For example--Andrew O'Hehir of Salon hated Django Unchained. He failed to find anything of value in it. He thought it was too loud and pulpy. Yet QT made the film that way, and tried for something deeper about slavery and violence other critics picked up on. Now, O'Hehir might not like this type of movie, but that's his taste, and he shouldn't let it dictate his observation of the work so that he can find value in it. And critics can misread and be wrong.
  
  That's the critic's job in my opinion: to see if there's value in something. Not to see if you will be entertained on a Friday night, not arbitrary "I liked this; I didn't like that" based on personal preference, but a consideration of the work as meaning and as having an authorial intelligence that wants to say something. You know, Kafka had no choice but to write. He called reading unlocking the great sea within us. If I'm applying the urge to state something done by book authors to TV in which the entire point may be just to entertain, fine, but TV can be great art as well.
  February 28, 2013 at 6:13PM EST
- Bob7 @JONAS.LEFT: See, I have this romantic notion that artists are not creating art for an audience, or a specific audience, but creating it to sooth something in themselves or get something out of their minds that's been in there for a while and cannot be let go except through the valve of art. Sure, there are artists who just want to entertain and write books for specific people--being the tortured artist and the commercial crowd pleaser are not mutually exclusive. Shakespeare just wanted to put on a play to have his theatre company make money, but there's no denying that he wrote true literary beautiful art commenting very well on the human condition, that is studied now and will be studied as long as humans walk the Earth. So you don't have to be tortured to produce great art. As for reading it, even the airport thrillers have an artistry to them that should be picked up on if one is a critic.
  
  See, a critic is really an impossible but very important job. He must be familiar with so many disciplines in the humanities--fine art, photography, film, novels, history, philosophy, poetry--because the art he's reviewing can be informed by the river of art and knowledge.
  
  Tangent aside, Hemingway was not a critic, good thing. He failed to find the value in Faulkner but that doesn't mean there isn't any. This is what I mean by subjective taste blinding people to the quality of the work. A critic since he has taken up the responsibility to educate people on what is good and how to read things, ought to be catholic in his tastes, always accept the new, always think anew, and always consider beyond the first reaction, the first thoughts, and reread, spend time contemplating the text. No critic can do all of that; it really is an impossible job; but there are critics who don't even do the bare minimum and make a living at it.
  February 28, 2013 at 6:29PM EST
- HISLOCAL BOB7 - I'm utterly baffled at your idea of what a critic does. They're supposed to tell you if they liked something. Then, over time, you find critics whose taste most closely resemble yours, and then you take their word as a suggestion of whether you'd like it.
  
  The idea of a piece of art having "value" is 100% subjective. If it makes you feel something, it has value. Faulkner had no value to Hemingway. The fact that he went down in history shows that he had enough value to enough people that they continued to share his work with others, who also enjoyed it, even though Hemingway didn't. If a critic were to simply explain how many people have enjoyed Faulkner over the years, so therefore he must be good, there would be no point. It would just be a history lesson. If you want to know if something has value to people in general, just go look at the upvotes and downvotes on a Youtube video and see which is greater.
  
  I want the critic to tell me if HE liked it, and then I can decide if his criticism has value to ME.
  March 4, 2013 at 9:51AM EST
- Bob7 @HISLOCAL: I think you might be misunderstanding me. A critic tells me if he liked or disliked something, but that has to come from somewhere, hopefully the qualities and merits of the work, not from his preferences or what he likes to read or watch. Like I may not like classical music but I wouldn't critique it because I don't know it, and don't know the forms and history and how its made and what the classical musicians themes are.
  
  Any work has authorial intelligence. It was written to say something by the artist. It could be just to entertain, and we can evaluate it on that level, but it can also have a larger reason for existing and I believe a critc's job is to find out why and also to find any other value it has--whether it comments incisively on the real world or on human emotions or tells us how to live. If a critic just goes by what he wants to read then he misses those inherent values. If there were all Hemmingways, Faulkner would not be read, and whatever value his work had would not be appreciated. Same with Shakespeare.
  
  Why if criticism is completely objective is there a long list of the Western Cannon, the books you should read? It's because the work became popular as being important and valuable. It doesn't mean a lot of people read it. It means a lot of people read it and found value and quality and artistic beauty and ideas and intelligence in there. There are objective qualities in art then when written right many people can see. And put on the Western Cannon.
  March 5, 2013 at 2:42PM EST
- Bob7 @HISLOCAL: *subjective, in the first sentence of the last paragraph. I don't mean subjective in not feeling emotion. If an artist wants people to feel emotions with his work, he'll write it that way so people are moved. I mean subjective is bad if it has nothing to do with the work, with the evidence of the text, either a misreading (there is not a tragedy of Macbeth) or thinking that Faulkner had a hard style to read or was boring. You may find it boring, but that's more of a personal preference and many other people might find it exciting. Though if nothing happens in the work, not only plot but any thing of interest--dull language and no characterization and few ideas about the world or about human concerns--then something can be objectively boring. Like the government scenes in Phantom Menace.
  March 5, 2013 at 2:49PM EST
mnfan

Best episode of the year and one of the best the series has ever done imo. I enjoyed the irony of the imposter cop telling Raylan if doesn't move he is going to shoot him. Only Raylan gets to tell people that.
February 27, 2013 at 12:14AM EST Reply to Comment
- Chanter Yes, this episode was straight up amazing. And two huge momentss for the character arcs of Boyd and Raylan, respectively.
  February 28, 2013 at 6:06PM EST
thegoche

Totally agree. Shelby is definitely Drew Thompson (or at least we're supposed to think so. Talking to Ellen May about his wife, then asking the Marshall's about Thompson's wife.
February 27, 2013 at 12:15AM EST Reply to Comment
- Ray The thing that bothers me about the theory that Shelby is Drew: why would he have his wife's old clothes?
  February 28, 2013 at 9:03PM EST
Andy Beardslee

If Shelby is Drew, what was that business with him telling Art and Raylan he'd like to spend a little time with Drew's widow Eve?
February 27, 2013 at 12:15AM EST Reply to Comment
- DonBoy He was wanted to know where she was, possibly so he could knock her off. You'll note they made real sure to tell him she was adequately guarded. (Although Raylan only goes as far as "still don't quite trust him.")
  February 27, 2013 at 12:31AM EST
- chelebr I don't think he wanted to knock her off...I think he wanted to see her because he still loves her. (If, indeed, he IS Drew).
  February 27, 2013 at 7:30AM EST
debbie

Shelby was a bit too interested in the Drews widow....makes me come back around to thinking Shelby is Drew, tho I doubt the timeline fits. Arlo went from a cantakerous old SOB in the first season and a half to a complete a$$hole after Helen died. I can see a million reasons why Raylan would hate Arlo, but cant figure out why Arlo so despised his own son. Raylan is 6 feet of daddy issues, and his only choice now is to do better by his own child.

Boyd is in way over his head. First time in 4 years I've thought that.

I dont get why Colton doesnt just take off. He has no ties to Harlan, he could easily disappear, but he keeps digging in deeper.
February 27, 2013 at 12:17AM EST Reply to Comment
- Caren I've been thinking the same thing about Colt the last few weeks. What's he even doing there? Once he lost Ellen Mae, hit the road.
  February 27, 2013 at 12:43AM EST
- Tony Reminds me of when Hunter was a little to interested in Eva back in Season 1.
  February 27, 2013 at 1:23AM EST
- Jonas.Left If Colton had anywhere else to go, he wouldn't have ended up with Boyd.
  February 27, 2013 at 2:23AM EST
Alex T.

I thought that when Shelby was discussing the St. Christopher necklace there was another clue as to him being Drew Thompson. St. Christopher is the patron saint of pilots (amongst others). Thompson was a pilot so i saw the connection there as well
February 27, 2013 at 12:23AM EST Reply to Comment
- chas St. Joseph is the patron saint of pilots.
  February 27, 2013 at 1:05AM EST
- Cal Chas - Shelby specifically mentioned that St. Christopher was the patron saint of pilots (among other things).
  February 27, 2013 at 2:49AM EST
Mark

+1 on the Shelby as Drew speculation.

In an earlier episode, he talked about how he broke his legs when he was hit by a car 25-30 years ago (around the time of the parachute incident.)
February 27, 2013 at 12:31AM EST Reply to Comment
- dizzylucy Nice catch!
  February 27, 2013 at 12:39AM EST
- Barry But the guy in the parachute accident was Waldo Truth, and he died.
  February 27, 2013 at 11:51PM EST
- dizzylucy That's true, but he was killed and was tossed out, from what I remember. And then Josiah told him that when Drew jumped out of the plane, he broke both legs, that's why he was recuperating up with the Hill people. Cousin Mary said something about helping him recover too.
  February 28, 2013 at 12:09AM EST
Caren

I'm taking Shelby in the Who Is Drew Thompson pool. The only thing I'm not sure about is didn't someone mention a few episodes back that Drew was spotted rubbing elbows with politicians and big-wigs? I can't see Shelby doing that.

I really thought this was an outstanding episode. Olyphant played Raylan at the elevator with such a deft hand. I didn't need Arlo dying to be played any bigger than what it was. If Raylan is mourning anything, maybe it's the idea of a father and realizing he was cheated out of ever having that.
February 27, 2013 at 12:37AM EST Reply to Comment
- Suzanne I thought the same thing about Raylan at the elevator. I think a child growing up with the kind of father he did is always hoping for validation from that parent --even if they'd never admit it to themselves or anyone-- and when that parent dies, any hope of getting it dies too.
  February 27, 2013 at 3:27AM EST
- Dezbot Same here. I loved how Arlo's death was handled vis a vis Raylan (the actual fight was quite brutal).
  February 28, 2013 at 1:17PM EST
MarcusC

That's the second time an episode of Justified has made me burst out laughing this season. First time was when he shot the ex-con fighter with a beanbag after he warned him not to say another word about the chickens, and then this episode after he shot the cop/hit man and muttered "Jeez, I hope I got that right".
February 27, 2013 at 12:39AM EST Reply to Comment
- Phozo Also someone... I forget who... called Raylan "Scarecrow."
  February 27, 2013 at 2:48PM EST
- joel Yeah, I was dying when he said that. One of the funniest lines of the year. Also, did anyone else notice the body count on this episode? At least seven dead, and Raylan only killed one of them.
  February 28, 2013 at 2:50AM EST
- dezbot I laughed so hard at that line that I had to rewind the scene to hear the stuff I missed.
  February 28, 2013 at 1:18PM EST
- wjmtv "Theo is sending down a guy who's killed more people than malaria," (quoting from memory, so may not be exact) was the gem of the night for me.
  March 1, 2013 at 12:11PM EST
Clarence

I think Drew Thompson is Rick from "Just One of the Guys." He was the first guy Boyd ran into at the swingers party.
February 27, 2013 at 12:40AM EST Reply to Comment
- Liz I was thinking the same thing
  February 27, 2013 at 1:35AM EST
- joel I was actually disappointed Boyd didn't get some payback on that guy this week for shooting his mouth of, but if he turns out to be Drew then I guess that might make sense. But I can't believe Boyd would let a public insult like that slide.
  February 28, 2013 at 2:52AM EST
dizzylucy

I think that was one of their best episodes ever, and definitely the best of an excellent season.
I'm quite OK with how they ended Arlo in the midst of everything else, only because Raylan's father issues are so deeply rooted, we know it's not the end of him dealing with it.
Boyd moved all those guys, the rich ones right on through to Wynn Duffy, around like chess pieces. I think he's seriously under estimating Tonin, but it's great to watch.
February 27, 2013 at 12:42AM EST Reply to Comment
DAG

I've suspected Shelby for a while now, but when he asked about Eve Monroe (and Raylan told him where she was) that pretty much sealed it for me.
February 27, 2013 at 12:47AM EST Reply to Comment
- alynch For me that's the moment that made it too obvious, thereby disqualifying him as a candidate. There's clues and then there's CLUES.
  February 27, 2013 at 2:15AM EST
Jeff G

I enjoyed the episode, but it's definitely been a bit too busy. Drew Thompson could've been the large storyline this year and Tonin / Duffy / Boyd could've been next season. It's also odd what they did with the snake handlers in the midst of all this.

As for Drew Thompson, I'll be disappointed if it's Shelby. It was a fun mystery, but they went from zero (or very little) clues about who he is to a bunch in one episode all pointing to Shelby.

My roommate doesn't watch the show, but he got intrigued and watched 15 minutes tonight. His one question was, do this many people die every episode?
February 27, 2013 at 12:58AM EST Reply to Comment
- Tony I remember thinking that for the first 4 episodes before I understood this show has a totally different style than anything else on TV. Going back, I was teetertottering between watching the show and not watching the show and boy am I glad I did, hands down my favorite show on TV. I've watched each ep probably 7 times.
  February 27, 2013 at 1:21AM EST
- Jonas.Left The involvement of Tonin and the Dixie Mafia is crucial to the Drew Thompson storyline. Without it there would be no urgency or danger. Tonin is a burning fuse that's forcing everyone to solve the mystery before the bomb goes off. Otherwise, it would be a leisurely Miss Marple affair with Art and Raylan on a jaunt to satisfy their curiosity.
  February 27, 2013 at 3:25AM EST
- Mark What if Boyd is hoping to use Drew to undo Tonin, thereby consolidating his empire, making it possible to go legit (while perhaps giving Johnny the bulk of the criminal enterprise), and making him the most important man in Harlan?
  February 28, 2013 at 1:46AM EST
Michaelangelo

I'm sorry, but I have to completely disagree with you about this episode. This was one of the three or four best episodes of the entire series, and it's precisely because of the underselling of Arlo's death. That solitary sniffle at the elevator just nailed it for me.
February 27, 2013 at 12:59AM EST Reply to Comment
- ZEKE Agreed. Loved the fact that Arlo died offscreen and that we found out the same way as Rachel, Tim, and Art. It seemed appropriate somehow, and had plenty of impact considering Raylan's hospital visit had teased the likelihood of a typical tv miracle-recovery despite the earlier dire expectations.
  February 27, 2013 at 1:51PM EST
- lee If someone has had a screwed up, dysfunctional mess of a relationship with a parent, this was perfectly played in my opinion. I related completely to the understating of his father's death. Not talking about it or showing much emotion seemed to be just about right for that sort of "relationship" - it is what it is and once it's gone, it's finally gone and that stupid idea in your head that something might one day make sense with that person is finally just over. Kind of relief in a way and I think they wrote it realistically for the characters.
  
  I didn't mind that Arlo was just one more death in this chaotic death count this week; that made sense too to me - was he ever really going to go any other way? I didn't think so.
  
  Poetic all the way around. Now, maybe that internal nugget of angst about Arlo that Raylan has probably been living with most of his life can quietly begin to vanish.
  
  Maybe - at some point, we will see a Raylan who deals with things just a tiny bit differently. Love this season.
  February 27, 2013 at 9:55PM EST
- Blackcoffee Agreed.
  February 27, 2013 at 10:00PM EST
DB Cooper

I liked the way the death of Arlo was handled. Low key. Fireworks or tears wouldn't have suited either character.

All signs (true or otherwise) point to Shelby, including St. Christopher.

Boyd seems to think he can have Uncle Sam Givens solve his Tonin problem.

Last, I'm thrilled to see "Hillbilly Illuminati" come out of Alan's keyboard.
February 27, 2013 at 1:00AM EST Reply to Comment
- Darkdoug That was my thought when he mentioned Uncle Sam to Ava.
  February 27, 2013 at 9:36AM EST
- Timm S "Uncle Sam Givens" is an allusion to Raylan, right? It didn't register with me while I was watching last night, but after Raylan capped the guy who's "killed more people than malaria", it occurred to me Boyd was talking about Raylan as his savior. Jesus, I hope I got that right...
  
  I'm not quick.
  February 27, 2013 at 12:56PM EST
DB Cooper

Also, what is going on with Jere Burns' face?
February 27, 2013 at 1:01AM EST Reply to Comment
- wjmtv Botox?
  March 1, 2013 at 12:14PM EST
Tony

Although there are some flaws, I feel like justified is handling the search for an unknown character in Drew Thompson, a lot better than Brian Sexton's show, The Killing did looking for Rosie Larsen's killer.

Anyhow although this season has been busy, I like it better than last season where I thought things got less interesting as the season went on. I lost interest in Quarles once he was revealed as basically crazy and inept. This season I'm enjoying the Drew Thompson mystery and all the separate players.

Am I the only one that really misses Natalie Zea? I know Raylan's really missing Wynona right now. I think when the show started and Olyphant had such great chemistry with Natalie Zea and Joelle Carter mybe the writers thought it could happen with anyone. Anyhow, without a real good love interest Raylan seems like he might explode soon.
February 27, 2013 at 1:17AM EST Reply to Comment
- CBrooks I have enjoyed this season, though it has been really busy. I wish they hadn't all but written Winona off the show. I'm one of the few who actually loved her character.
  February 27, 2013 at 9:37AM EST
- eddie willers I miss Winona too.
  
  Good news is that Natalie's gig with "The Following" ought to be a short one as I can't imagine that thing being renewed. For something I was looking forward to, that show is a stinker. Almost as big a disappointment as "The Killing".
  
  So, next year....Raylan Jr. (or Raynona if a girl)
  February 28, 2013 at 2:38AM EST
David

Really like your focus on the father/son relationship because I think the show is doing a really fascinating job of making Raylan's desire to have something noble and lasting to offer his kid consistent with his character. It's as if he wants that so he will never be like his old man, so he can be the opposite of Arlo in fact. And so that his kids will never look at him as he looks at his father. Really good stuff there.
February 27, 2013 at 1:28AM EST Reply to Comment
Jonas.Left

I really hope Shelby is not Drew Thompson. Having Jim Beaver leave the cast would be a huge disappointment and learning Shelby is a murderous crook would be too. Of course its impossible to ignore the blatant clues they dropped this episode. I also noted the story that Shelby told Raylan a couple episodes ago that might have been designed to explain the broken legs Thompson had. I just hope this is the reddest god damned herring ever, because it doesn't look good. At this point I can't think of another candidate. For Thompson's reveal to mean something he has to be a character that means something to the audience and I don't think they have the time to introduce anyone. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Loved seeing Ellen May again. She breaks my heart every time.

I liked how they dealt with Arlo's death. It would have felt manipulative to try to turn it into an emotional center point of an entire show. It reminded me of Billy Bob Thornton saying his farewell to Peter Boyle in Monster's Ball. The understatement was what made it so powerful, knowing that it should have meant so much more to the men involved. Arlo's last words may have made him the most pitiful character on television.

I'm glad the Rich Boys have been dealt with. They were a distraction this season didn't need.

If they hadn't already used it."Bloody Harlan" would have been a good title for this one. It was the killingest hour of television I've seen a while.

Loved seeing Raylan tell Tim to shut up. Its been a long time coming.
February 27, 2013 at 1:29AM EST Reply to Comment
- Stuckey I loved watching Tim's expressions this episode after reading his comments in an interview that he likes to think of Raylan as his Tyler Durden that does all the crazy stuff while Tim is stuck with the boring office work.
  February 27, 2013 at 1:35AM EST
- Dan Long time coming?! Tim gives Raylan exactly the level of shit that Raylan deserves. In fact, Tim's being charitable by not kneeing Raylan in the balls at every opportunity.
  
  February 27, 2013 at 1:55PM EST
- ZEKE I'm all for more Tim and Rachel. Especially enjoy their interplay with Raylan, of course, but I also hope they continue to develop the characters.
  February 27, 2013 at 1:57PM EST
- ZEKE Dan - totally agree. Given Tim's SF background, it's completely appropriate that he considers Raylan reckless and fairly undisciplined more often than not, and doesn't hesitate to call him out on it.
  February 27, 2013 at 2:05PM EST
- Jonas.Left DAN If a guy at your office didn't open his mouth all day long except to make a crack at your expense, wouldn't you tell him to shut up, eventually? Don't get me wrong, I love those cracks, and there are plenty of times Raylan deserves them. I just thought it was high time Raylan sruck up for himself and the situation he did it in was definitely the right one.
  February 27, 2013 at 4:05PM EST
- Dan Raylan isn't an innocent lamb, continually being verbally assaulted, never responding to Tim's cracks. In fact, he almost always does. And he always deserves them. If you spend your time using your colleagues, shifting work onto them and generally being an unrepentant dick, you can't expect to be treated any differently. Tim's actually been really decent to Raylan in spite of all that. Your wording is problematic. 'high time' and 'it's a long time coming' present a picture that isn't accurate, so I take issue with that.
  In this situation Raylan was right (and Tim knew it, hence the smile) but it wasn't 'a long time coming'. It was right for that single instance.
  February 27, 2013 at 4:54PM EST
- Jonas.Left Golly DAN, sorry about my problematic wording.
  February 27, 2013 at 5:39PM EST
- LMS I hope they are already writing the spin off that starts when Shelby/Drew and Ellen May jump into a convertible to pretend new identities in a series of small towns across the country. Working title: Hijinks Ensue
  February 27, 2013 at 11:09PM EST
- ZEKE The trash talk between Raylan and Tim isn't contentious, it's normal communication. Those guys may not be drinking buddies, but there is plenty of mutual respect there. Neither consider the other's comments to be insults or attacks, just normal sh!t talk. At no point is Raylan ever worried about 'sticking up' for himself and at no point does he remotely register the idea that he's being 'verbally assaulted,' and the same goes for Tim. It's two extremely capable guys who are wired in a very similar manner f'ing with each other in a way that is in no way combative, contentious, or with ill intent. It's a bonding mechanism and is, in fact, indicative of the respect that they do hold for one another. Hence the smile.
  February 27, 2013 at 11:56PM EST
- Jonas.Left ZEKE I agree that Raylan and Tim aren't mortal enemies, although I think Tim genuinely dislikes him, and that its mostly just innocuous ribbing. That doesn't mean it doesn't get on your nerves eventually. I don't keep a log of Raylan and Tim's back and forths, but to my recollection Tim's barbs tend to be more personal.
  February 28, 2013 at 12:15AM EST
- ZEKE Jonas, with all due respect, I will disagree with you on that. I think Tim is fond of Raylan but is frustrated that he is so talented and yet such a raging f-up. I've known guys like that and sometimes they only respond when you treat them like an @sshole, but it by no means is an indication that you dislike them. I'm totally open to your interpretation and will consider it in the future. I'm actually rewatching last night's episode right now. Those guys have an interesting dynamic. I enjoy your posts, by the way.
  February 28, 2013 at 12:28AM EST
- Jonas.Left ZEKE Thanks a lot. You make a good point. I can definitley see your take on the Raylan/Tim relationship. I'd prefer it to outright contempt. Admittedly, I haven't done a lot of male bonding in my day.
  
  LMS If there's one thing I absolutely need to be satisfied with this season its a happy ending for Ellen May.
  February 28, 2013 at 1:59AM EST
- ZEKE I thought the exact same thing about Ellen May and I'm going to be extremely pissed if she doesn't get out of this mess safely. I'm hoping that Shelby isn't who they want us to think he is and can talk his new roommate into a romantic dinner at the Harlan Applebee's. Or Dairy Queen.
  February 28, 2013 at 3:21AM EST
Mr. Brevity

Very Strong!
February 27, 2013 at 1:30AM EST Reply to Comment
Stuckey

Alan, I think you mean contempt not content when talking about Arlo's feelings for Raylan.

My money would be on Shelby as Drew, too, but that seems like a lot of hints dropped in one episode after giving a slow burn so far of Shelby looking up Drew at work and then telling the story about breaking his legs. The only thing is like Caren said, Shelby doesn't seem like one who in any life would have rubbed elbows with the rich folks of Harlan. So I would put Shelby as the favorite but with the field at close to even money.

We knew Raylan would take Arlo's death in a way foreign to most of us, but it felt true to the character and the 10 seconds at the elevator was totally earned. It was definitely a gut punch watching Raylan actually shed a tear for the sombitch that was his dad. lots of excitement still this season. Not so much on the edge of the seat craziness of last season, but we're not done yet, so the Drew reveal could spiral this season to end of seasons 1 and 2 apocalypse level endings.

Boyd, when talking about Theo, gave me the feeling that when it quits working with Detroit that that's when he'll finally call Raylan and Uncle Sam to take care of Theo and get the Crowders legitimized.
February 27, 2013 at 1:33AM EST Reply to Comment
- prettok The last Harlan sheriff is rubbing shoulders with them just fine (although he didn't look happy about it )
  
  And don't forget, Drew Thompson has mingled so far with the Truth clan, the hill people, the high society folks, and Theo Tonin. So we are talking about a guy who can cross social boundaries, like a greeter at a walmart, or a deputy, or a coal mine manager.
  February 27, 2013 at 2:00AM EST
- Stuckey Not too much difference with the Truths and Hill people and I can see Drew being a chameleon and I could accept Shelby being Drew but there'd need to be a good story behind what caused Shelby to fall so far from grace with the Harlan Illuminati that he had to work as a coal miner and a Wal-Mart greeter
  February 27, 2013 at 2:06AM EST
Liz

I'm surprised you are having such a hard time believing the clover hill people scenario. The rich always run small towns. I have no problem believing that they allow Boyd to run his criminal enterprise. Afterall, the people who are hurt by Boyd's crimes aren't the rich and powerful, it's the poor. Boyd has only ever had to contend with other criminals and his victims, and as long as he does so, he stays out of whatever shady deals the clover hill folk are involved in. That's why Bo Crowder was always small time, if he or Boyd had ever actually been running the town, then they'd be rich themselves.
February 27, 2013 at 1:44AM EST Reply to Comment
- prettok Exactly, crime, whores and coal can't be the only businesses in Harlan.
  And after tonight's episode, is it really a surprise that the local funeral parlor magnate is such a wealthy power player?
  February 27, 2013 at 2:04AM EST
LR

One of the best episodes of the series. Sepinwall got it wrong, I think.

By the way, how does Justified manage to create such AWESOME characters?

For the first time I feel that Duffy or Boyd will meet their end soon.

I love Duffy, while Boyd is the other pole of the show.
February 27, 2013 at 2:37AM EST Reply to Comment
- Confused I thought I had this season figured out but I lost some of the plotlines. Why is finding Drew Thompson so important?
  February 27, 2013 at 3:48AM EST
- Tony Finding Drew is so important because he's an eye witness to a murder that Theo Tonin did himself and whose testimony will put him away.
  February 27, 2013 at 5:11AM EST
- changshafu Tony, Confused- thank you and I'll raise you more confusion. I've really enjoyed this season for the usual reasons, plus more Tim. But i don't have Beaver Fever and I lost interest in trying to follow the pilot who fell from the sky at about the same time I lost my commitment to figuring out " is that guy Drew- is he...is he?" The clue festival last night means Shelby either is or isn't; Raylan's remark how guarded Drew's ex was made me think that at least one of the guys doesn't trust the kindly sheriff and you 've reminded me about the Tonin killing.
  But it must have been pretty heavy hitter for Tonin to care so much. Because can't he kill a random soldier or "nobody" and get away with i?
  February 27, 2013 at 11:43AM EST
- Blackcoffee Finding Drew is important for every character for different reasons. For Raylan, he hopes it will get him promoted to a higher salary level so he can pay for his kid. The theme of parents and offspring is throughout this episode, Boyd's 3rd generation...Ella May's mother walking out, and Arlo. I was thinking about what Raylan would be like on his own deathbed...if HIS kid turned out being a major criminal. I thought it was a great episode.
  February 27, 2013 at 10:13PM EST
Slushy

this episode sure was busy. but boy did i enjoy every minute of it.
February 27, 2013 at 3:44AM EST Reply to Comment
Matthew

I will always remember Sam Anderson as the stuttering lawyer from My Cousin Vinny.

The only thing that bothered me about this episode was when Duffy told Boyd that it has been a week since Boyd said he would find Drew. Except that with the episodes only taking up one day and back to back, wouldn't it have only been three days since Boyd was on the case? Come on, that isn't even a work week.
February 27, 2013 at 4:10AM EST Reply to Comment
- Matthew Actually ignore that about Sam Anderson, it was actually Austin Pendelton who played the lawyer. And at least back then they look EXTREMELY alike.
  February 27, 2013 at 4:18AM EST
Jim

Alan, I believe you mean to say that Arlo has contempt for Raylan, not content, although it did sound like Raylan was hoping for some content, like who is Drew Thompson.
February 27, 2013 at 6:23AM EST Reply to Comment
- Beekayz Good catch.
  Spell Check is not always your friend!
  February 27, 2013 at 6:59AM EST
- the old proofreader I have content for HitFix's business model, which doesn't allow for copyeditors or proofreaders, or time for the writers to vet their output more carefully.
  February 27, 2013 at 9:44AM EST
Beekayz

If 'Sons of Anarchy' could pull off their annual 'end of season twist' as artfully, as it was done by Boyd in this episode, it would be such the better show for it.
February 27, 2013 at 6:58AM EST Reply to Comment
- Jonas.Left I thought how Jax's moves paid off in the last couple SOA episodes was very effective and satisfying. It was definitely a more clever plan than calling a guy up to solve all your problems.
  February 27, 2013 at 4:09PM EST
Beekayz

And 'The Walking Dead' could take a lesson too, as this was a perfect example of how a piece-moving episode should be followed up on.
February 27, 2013 at 7:09AM EST Reply to Comment

Next 163 Comments

News From Our Partners

Follow HitFix:

Follow @HitFix

Get Instant Alerts on What's Alan Watching

Latest Posts

Review: 'Mad Men' - 'The Crash'

Don and Stan get a special shot, the agency loses a leader and Sally meets her 'Grandma Ida'

Monday, May 20, 2013
Review: 'Game of Thrones' - 'Second Sons'

The Lannisters throw a wedding, Daenerys faces a new army, and Stannis meets Gendry

Sunday, May 19, 2013
Upfronts 2013: 10 things we learned and 1 thing we didn't

Promising pilots, puzzling scheduling moves and more

Sunday, May 19, 2013
Season finale review: 'Doctor Who' - 'The Name of the Doctor'

The Doctor uncovers Clara's secret and comes face-to-face with a surprising figure

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Cannes Film Festival 2013

Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: 'Justified' - 'Outlaw': You're all alone now, Givens

Are you a fan of Justified?

Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.

Never miss a post - sign up now to get an e-mail alert whenever Justified is updated

Send to your friends

Direct link: http://tinyurl.com/b5mwffn

Review: 'Justified' - 'Outlaw'

Share this Post on ...

Direct link: http://tinyurl.com/b5mwffn

Review: 'Justified' - 'Outlaw'

Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

svetlana Does anyone know the name of the song that was playing while boyd was talking to Ron Elderd at the bar? It was the same scene where he first got the text from Ellen may. I tried using shazam but it just came up as justified.

Hemude Svetlana: I believe it's "No Big Deal" by Bar 61. There's a link to the band's iTunes page in the episode guide section of the official Justified website. You can hear a short preview of the song right there, too. (But the song itself is not on their iTunes page.)

svetlana Hemude, thank you so much!!

Angela @ Hemude, Svetlana, I think there were two great songs in this episode, both of them in the bar, and I didn't know where to find out what they were either, so thank you from me too.

TheFatFilmGuy Shelby's interest in wanting to see the widow seemed like the giveaway to me at the time but the more I think about it the more I think that Yost and company want us to put our money on Shelby when in truth Drew Thompson is going to be someone completely unexpected.

PotatoSolution I think it has to be Shelby.Why would Mosley be the one who knows who Drew Thompson is? Because Mosley is an ex-cop, and so he knows the secrets of other cops (like Shelby before he was elected Sheriff).

Slam This season isnt as good as the Margo Martindale or last season with Quarles, and there are too many moving pieces and too much plot and subplot, but I still LOVE this show.

Jonas.Left Sorry about the echo.

Bob7 @The FAtFILMGUY,@ SLAML Too much plot seems like a conscious choice the writers made, and to me, a matter of taste. But I get people liking or disliking stuff for different reasons; I just don't want people to miss and appreciate a great work because of trivial reasons.

mnfan Best episode of the year and one of the best the series has ever done imo. I enjoyed the irony of the imposter cop telling Raylan if doesn't move he is going to shoot him. Only Raylan gets to tell people that.

Chanter Yes, this episode was straight up amazing. And two huge momentss for the character arcs of Boyd and Raylan, respectively.

thegoche Totally agree. Shelby is definitely Drew Thompson (or at least we're supposed to think so. Talking to Ellen May about his wife, then asking the Marshall's about Thompson's wife.

Ray The thing that bothers me about the theory that Shelby is Drew: why would he have his wife's old clothes?

Andy Beardslee If Shelby is Drew, what was that business with him telling Art and Raylan he'd like to spend a little time with Drew's widow Eve?

DonBoy He was wanted to know where she was, possibly so he could knock her off. You'll note they made real sure to tell him she was adequately guarded. (Although Raylan only goes as far as "still don't quite trust him.")

chelebr I don't think he wanted to knock her off...I think he wanted to see her because he still loves her. (If, indeed, he IS Drew).

Caren I've been thinking the same thing about Colt the last few weeks. What's he even doing there? Once he lost Ellen Mae, hit the road.

Tony Reminds me of when Hunter was a little to interested in Eva back in Season 1.

Jonas.Left If Colton had anywhere else to go, he wouldn't have ended up with Boyd.

Alex T. I thought that when Shelby was discussing the St. Christopher necklace there was another clue as to him being Drew Thompson. St. Christopher is the patron saint of pilots (amongst others). Thompson was a pilot so i saw the connection there as well

chas St. Joseph is the patron saint of pilots.

Cal Chas - Shelby specifically mentioned that St. Christopher was the patron saint of pilots (among other things).

Mark +1 on the Shelby as Drew speculation. In an earlier episode, he talked about how he broke his legs when he was hit by a car 25-30 years ago (around the time of the parachute incident.)

dizzylucy Nice catch!

Barry But the guy in the parachute accident was Waldo Truth, and he died.

dizzylucy That's true, but he was killed and was tossed out, from what I remember. And then Josiah told him that when Drew jumped out of the plane, he broke both legs, that's why he was recuperating up with the Hill people. Cousin Mary said something about helping him recover too.

Suzanne I thought the same thing about Raylan at the elevator. I think a child growing up with the kind of father he did is always hoping for validation from that parent --even if they'd never admit it to themselves or anyone-- and when that parent dies, any hope of getting it dies too.

Dezbot Same here. I loved how Arlo's death was handled vis a vis Raylan (the actual fight was quite brutal).

Phozo Also someone... I forget who... called Raylan "Scarecrow."

joel Yeah, I was dying when he said that. One of the funniest lines of the year. Also, did anyone else notice the body count on this episode? At least seven dead, and Raylan only killed one of them.

dezbot I laughed so hard at that line that I had to rewind the scene to hear the stuff I missed.

wjmtv "Theo is sending down a guy who's killed more people than malaria," (quoting from memory, so may not be exact) was the gem of the night for me.

Clarence I think Drew Thompson is Rick from "Just One of the Guys." He was the first guy Boyd ran into at the swingers party.

Liz I was thinking the same thing

joel I was actually disappointed Boyd didn't get some payback on that guy this week for shooting his mouth of, but if he turns out to be Drew then I guess that might make sense. But I can't believe Boyd would let a public insult like that slide.

DAG I've suspected Shelby for a while now, but when he asked about Eve Monroe (and Raylan told him where she was) that pretty much sealed it for me.

alynch For me that's the moment that made it too obvious, thereby disqualifying him as a candidate. There's clues and then there's CLUES.

Mark What if Boyd is hoping to use Drew to undo Tonin, thereby consolidating his empire, making it possible to go legit (while perhaps giving Johnny the bulk of the criminal enterprise), and making him the most important man in Harlan?

Michaelangelo I'm sorry, but I have to completely disagree with you about this episode. This was one of the three or four best episodes of the entire series, and it's precisely because of the underselling of Arlo's death. That solitary sniffle at the elevator just nailed it for me.

Blackcoffee Agreed.

Darkdoug That was my thought when he mentioned Uncle Sam to Ava.

DB Cooper Also, what is going on with Jere Burns' face?

wjmtv Botox?

CBrooks I have enjoyed this season, though it has been really busy. I wish they hadn't all but written Winona off the show. I'm one of the few who actually loved her character.

Stuckey I loved watching Tim's expressions this episode after reading his comments in an interview that he likes to think of Raylan as his Tyler Durden that does all the crazy stuff while Tim is stuck with the boring office work.

Dan Long time coming?! Tim gives Raylan exactly the level of shit that Raylan deserves. In fact, Tim's being charitable by not kneeing Raylan in the balls at every opportunity.

ZEKE I'm all for more Tim and Rachel. Especially enjoy their interplay with Raylan, of course, but I also hope they continue to develop the characters.

ZEKE Dan - totally agree. Given Tim's SF background, it's completely appropriate that he considers Raylan reckless and fairly undisciplined more often than not, and doesn't hesitate to call him out on it.

Jonas.Left Golly DAN, sorry about my problematic wording.

LMS I hope they are already writing the spin off that starts when Shelby/Drew and Ellen May jump into a convertible to pretend new identities in a series of small towns across the country. Working title: Hijinks Ensue

ZEKE I thought the exact same thing about Ellen May and I'm going to be extremely pissed if she doesn't get out of this mess safely. I'm hoping that Shelby isn't who they want us to think he is and can talk his new roommate into a romantic dinner at the Harlan Applebee's. Or Dairy Queen.

Mr. Brevity Very Strong!

prettok Exactly, crime, whores and coal can't be the only businesses in Harlan.And after tonight's episode, is it really a surprise that the local funeral parlor magnate is such a wealthy power player?

LR One of the best episodes of the series. Sepinwall got it wrong, I think.By the way, how does Justified manage to create such AWESOME characters?For the first time I feel that Duffy or Boyd will meet their end soon. I love Duffy, while Boyd is the other pole of the show.

Confused I thought I had this season figured out but I lost some of the plotlines. Why is finding Drew Thompson so important?

Tony Finding Drew is so important because he's an eye witness to a murder that Theo Tonin did himself and whose testimony will put him away.

Slushy this episode sure was busy. but boy did i enjoy every minute of it.

Matthew Actually ignore that about Sam Anderson, it was actually Austin Pendelton who played the lawyer. And at least back then they look EXTREMELY alike.

Jim Alan, I believe you mean to say that Arlo has contempt for Raylan, not content, although it did sound like Raylan was hoping for some content, like who is Drew Thompson.

Beekayz Good catch. Spell Check is not always your friend!

the old proofreader I have content for HitFix's business model, which doesn't allow for copyeditors or proofreaders, or time for the writers to vet their output more carefully.

Beekayz If 'Sons of Anarchy' could pull off their annual 'end of season twist' as artfully, as it was done by Boyd in this episode, it would be such the better show for it.

Jonas.Left I thought how Jax's moves paid off in the last couple SOA episodes was very effective and satisfying. It was definitely a more clever plan than calling a guy up to solve all your problems.

Beekayz And 'The Walking Dead' could take a lesson too, as this was a perfect example of how a piece-moving episode should be followed up on.

Never miss a post - sign up now to get an e-mail alert whenever
Justified is updated

PotatoSolution I think it has to be Shelby.

Why would Mosley be the one who knows who Drew Thompson is? Because Mosley is an ex-cop, and so he knows the secrets of other cops (like Shelby before he was elected Sheriff).

mnfan

Best episode of the year and one of the best the series has ever done imo. I enjoyed the irony of the imposter cop telling Raylan if doesn't move he is going to shoot him. Only Raylan gets to tell people that.

thegoche

Totally agree. Shelby is definitely Drew Thompson (or at least we're supposed to think so. Talking to Ellen May about his wife, then asking the Marshall's about Thompson's wife.

Andy Beardslee

If Shelby is Drew, what was that business with him telling Art and Raylan he'd like to spend a little time with Drew's widow Eve?

Alex T.

I thought that when Shelby was discussing the St. Christopher necklace there was another clue as to him being Drew Thompson. St. Christopher is the patron saint of pilots (amongst others). Thompson was a pilot so i saw the connection there as well

Mark

+1 on the Shelby as Drew speculation.

In an earlier episode, he talked about how he broke his legs when he was hit by a car 25-30 years ago (around the time of the parachute incident.)

Clarence

I think Drew Thompson is Rick from "Just One of the Guys." He was the first guy Boyd ran into at the swingers party.

DAG

I've suspected Shelby for a while now, but when he asked about Eve Monroe (and Raylan told him where she was) that pretty much sealed it for me.

Michaelangelo

I'm sorry, but I have to completely disagree with you about this episode. This was one of the three or four best episodes of the entire series, and it's precisely because of the underselling of Arlo's death. That solitary sniffle at the elevator just nailed it for me.

DB Cooper

Also, what is going on with Jere Burns' face?

Mr. Brevity

Very Strong!

prettok Exactly, crime, whores and coal can't be the only businesses in Harlan.
And after tonight's episode, is it really a surprise that the local funeral parlor magnate is such a wealthy power player?

LR

One of the best episodes of the series. Sepinwall got it wrong, I think.

By the way, how does Justified manage to create such AWESOME characters?

For the first time I feel that Duffy or Boyd will meet their end soon.

I love Duffy, while Boyd is the other pole of the show.

Slushy

this episode sure was busy. but boy did i enjoy every minute of it.

Jim

Alan, I believe you mean to say that Arlo has contempt for Raylan, not content, although it did sound like Raylan was hoping for some content, like who is Drew Thompson.

Beekayz Good catch.
Spell Check is not always your friend!

Beekayz

If 'Sons of Anarchy' could pull off their annual 'end of season twist' as artfully, as it was done by Boyd in this episode, it would be such the better show for it.

Beekayz

And 'The Walking Dead' could take a lesson too, as this was a perfect example of how a piece-moving episode should be followed up on.

Never miss a post - sign up now to get an e-mail alert whenever
What's Alan Watching is updated