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SO MUCH IN THIS EPISODE, my God. Having been told to use fecal matter as dinner by his own father, Raylan goes straight to Hunter, and the two of them have a conversation as rich as you'd expect given their history, but though he takes some convincing, Hunter seems more open to playing with Raylan than Arlo is. However, thing we know, Hunter has gotten a guard to set up him with some alone time with Arlo, whom he's apparently drugged. Whether he's trying to ensure that no one discovers Thompson's identity or merely trying to eliminate competition for the deal, Hunter means to kill Arlo, but when his back is turned, Arlo shows that he was faking catatonia and attacks, beating Hunter down. When the guard enters, Arlo knocks him down too – but then Hunter, not as easy to kill as your average prisoner, stabs Arlo in the chest with a pair of scissors. In the COLD OPEN this happens, you guys.
Boyd is entertaining the plan to kill Frank the mine owner, but he is smart enough to wonder whether he's going to end up dead in the deal. In response, Johns tells Boyd that if he doesn't cooperate, he'll use his influence to make sure Boyd is issued a one-way ticket to the pen. Boyd then goes to see Browning, and Browning supposes Boyd's been hired to fix it so his bosses can get their hands on Superfund money, but Boyd fills in the little detail about how he's supposed to kill him and offers to let Browning beat the Clover Hill syndicate's price. Browning prefers to take his chances, though, and his large guns and rather hot security chief speak well for that position.
Despite the pessimism he displayed for the idea last week, Raylan indeed has Thompson's ex-wife Eve check current DMV photos for anyone in Clover Hill she thinks might be him. Unhappy at how many choices she thinks are possibilities, Raylan accuses her of holding out on him, but their session is interrupted when Raylan then gets the news that Arlo has been mortally wounded, and although he valiantly doesn't go to pieces right in the station, he is feeling FEELINGS about it. Raylan eventually makes it to Arlo's deathbed and asks him to give him something – not fatherly advice, not an apology, but something. In response, Arlo summons up enough breath to tell Raylan to kiss his ass, and Raylan gets this look on his face like "Well, at least he's consistent."
With the chips on the table, Boyd tells Colton he's going to need him for the Browning operation, but Colton is distracted by the blackmailing texts he's getting that purport to be from Ellen May but are of course actually from Johnny (and even drug-addled Colton guesses that Ellen May isn't doing this on her own). Boyd's life gets complicated further when Wynn turns up to the bar and tells him that the way the Cairn situation played out has "alarmed" Tonin, and he wants Thompson found – now. As such, he's sending a new enforcer type down who "has killed more people than malaria," and they need to supply him with a name if they want to live to see another Harlan summer. Boyd, seeing an opportunity, tells Wynn he's narrowed the list down to two people, and they should tell the enforcer to kill them both to be sure. I'm guessing this won't be a problem for him, given that he shows up to Browning's door in a deputy uniform and sadly shoots the security guy and then Browning.
The enforcer's victim is that bland guy who was hitting on Ava at the sex party last week. But unlike, as we'll see, Colton, he doesn't check for witnesses, so the piece of tail the guy had in his bed is able to recount the conversation to the authorities. This brings Shelby and Raylan back together, as apparently Raylan had asked Shelby to look into the list of names supplied by Thompson's ex-wife, one of whom was the bland guy. Shelby informs Raylan about Boyd's earlier visit to Browning, so Raylan goes to the bar to see Boyd, only to find Wynn's fake deputy there about to take Boyd away, presumably to his death (you'll see why in a moment). But Raylan, having just seen Shelby and heard nothing about this, smells a rat, and what follows is a HILARIOUSLY intertwined conversation in which Raylan learns of Ava and Boyd's engagement before shooting the fake deputy dead. A little confab at the Marshals Office ensues, and when Art realizes just how much ground they have to cover (there are still twenty-six names on Eve's list), Shelby offers to keep an eye on Johns and Lee Manners, as he knows Boyd's been seen with them lately. Art agrees, but when Shelby's gone, Raylan reveals he still doesn't entirely trust him. When Raylan then confesses that he got the call an hour earlier that Arlo just passed, Art forces him to take the week off, but Raylan negotiates it down to two days, against Art's better judgment. In the end, Raylan stands over Arlo's corpse, and even though he tries to appear stone-faced, enough emotion leaks out that it seems like Art might have had a point. Also, it was probably time for him to go, story-wise, but damn if I'm not going to miss Arlo Givens, that old bastard.
Having been hit up by "Ellen May" for twenty grand, Colton goes back to the scumbag drug dealer with whom Tim had that run-in – this is apparently who the guy in the bathroom with the gun pointed at his junk sent Colton to – and asks for a loan. When the guy doesn't show Colton the proper deference (i.e., any), he ends up with several bullets in his neck, and Colton may be out of control but he certainly did the world a favor there. He quickly finds the cash he needs, but he then hears a noise and realizes he's not alone – and soon, he's discovered Tim's buddy Mark, who's apparently using again, although I'm not sure how the drug dealer started supplying him again when he couldn't possibly have paid off his debt to him yet. Colton ends up putting a bullet in his head and then leaving the money for Johnny like a good little blackmailee, but I'm thinking it's not going to end here for either of them.
With some information from Johnny, Wynn realizes that Boyd simply handed Wynn an enemies list, and in response, he informs Johnny that he'll be disposing of Boyd immediately (hence the enforcer showing up at the bar) – but in return, Johnny will have to be the one to locate Drew Thompson or die trying. Not one to let others hatch plans all around him, though, Boyd gets in touch with Nick Augustine, Tonin's right-hand man played by Mike O'Malley, and points out that since he so easily duped Wynn, he might be the man he should be working with, not just in the Thompson affair but after. Augustine tells him they'll talk when he has Thompson, but Boyd asks for a loan of sorts – and soon, Boyd has Lee Manners, Johns, and Judge Executive Furry over to the bar for a little come-to-Jesus meeting in which he tells them that the bland guy who hit on Ava last week is dead, and also that Detroit has fixed it so their influence among state authorities and judges is gone. He basically then gives them the Justified version of Walter White's "I am the one who knocks" speech before hitting them each up for a hundred grand and the presence of a Dairy Queen in Harlan, which is so amazing I can't even take it in. Ava expresses concern at the magnitude of the friends and enemies Boyd is making, but he assures her he can handle it. I don't necessarily doubt him, but I can't help picturing those words on his gravestone.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!So Raylan apparently didn't even break for lunch before coming to see Hunter, who comes in and immediately asks, "Hasn't anybody killed you yet?" This is both a reasonable question and an auspicious start. Raylan affably tells him not to sound so disappointed, and they exchange a bit more of whatever passes for banter between an attempted murderer and victim before Hunter asks Raylan's errand, and Raylan tells him it concerns Drew Thompson. Hunter initially plays dumb, but clarifies that Raylan is broaching the subject a little too casually, considering he heard Josiah lost a foot over the business. Raylan promises Hunter protection, which doesn't stop Hunter's progress toward the door -- but then Raylan informs him that there's someone else at the prison considering a deal for "Club Fed," and Hunter listens up as Raylan goes on that the deal is first come, first served and "last time we spoke you said you weren't too happy with your circumstances."
Hunter, no fool, asks if the other possible informant shares a last name with Raylan, and even though Raylan tries to pull a Jackie Nevada poker face, Hunter goes on that he knows Arlo is in there -- he did murder a trustee, after all. He notes that Raylan apparently wants to screw Arlo's deal so bad that he's willing to play ball with Hunter, and when Raylan replies that he likes Hunter better, Hunter points out that he tried to kill him. Raylan: "I still like you better." Hee. Raylan doesn't give specifics, but he tells Hunter that Thompson is "done" regardless of what happens between them, and besides, even if Hunter doesn't care about the deal, maybe there's enough lawman still in him to motivate him to help? Hunter, however, thinks Raylan's only a lawman when it's convenient -- "gives you cover to do things you would have done anyways." You'd think this would hit a nerve, given his little side job and how incredibly pear-shaped it all went, but Raylan merely points out that Hunter's one to talk, given that he "sold his badge to a drug cartel."
Raylan goes on that if he cracks this case, he'll be able to write his own ticket; Hunter doesn't think Raylan ever cared about rank, but Raylan drops the façade juuuuust a little bit as he replies that priorities change. He asks if Hunter wants the deal, and Hunter's face likewise goes serious...
...while someone else not looking particularly light is Boyd, who is sitting as Johns draws him a map of the mine owner Frank Browning's house. Boyd is naturally dismissive of someone with no practical experience telling him how to break and enter, but Johns makes it clear that Boyd needs to pull off the job between two and five PM. Upon being asked why, he says it's because Browning's wife "Trish" will be out of the house then, and he wouldn't want her to end up as collateral damage, but Boyd of course thinks that committing the crime in daylight will make it much more likely he'll end up caught or even killed, and wonders if that might be welcome for Johns and his associates? Johns, however, disabuses him of that notion by saying he's got a boy to do his lawn and one to do his shoes. "And you, you are gonna be the boy who takes out my trash." There, don't you feel better? Johns goes on that if he wanted to put Boyd into the hands of the law, he's got plenty of favor-owing judges and troopers who would be more than willing to help, and if Boyd doesn't kill Browning by the end of the week or even tries to "act smart," that's what's going to happen. Well, I'm not saying Boyd isn't going to kill Browning, but the odds on him acting smart I'd say on general principles are pretty high.
Boyd, a bit of his spark already returning, asks what would happen if he were to kill Johns right at that moment, but Johns informs him that his friends would destroy everything Boyd loves in return. That threat being enough to stay Boyd's hand for the moment, he folds the crude map and pockets it...
...and then we cut to the prison barber, who's enjoying an empty shop until a guard enters with Arlo in tow. The barber says something or other about him not being scheduled before waving his hand in front of Arlo's apparently catatonic eyes, but the barber's comments and actions aren't really relevant, given that from behind him, Hunter soon hits him twice with a sock full of coins or whatever, knocking him out. Arlo doesn't even blink as he sits still in his chair, and the guard wonders if Hunter shouldn't hit the barber once more for safety's sake, which isn't going to be necessary here but is still advice that's going to look a lot more solid in a couple minutes. Looking at Arlo's motionless expression, Hunter asks the guard what he gave him, and the guy replies that he just doubled the meds Arlo was already on -- that way the tox screen won't look suspicious. He goes on that they have about five minutes before someone notices that the cameras are off, so he's going to wait outside for Hunter's knock, at which point he'll "come in hard" and pull Hunter off Arlo; he then wraps it up by reminding Hunter that their story will be he slipped in behind the guard when he went to the men's room before telling him he's looking at some serious extra time. Hunter, however, merely replies that he'd like some privacy now, and when the guard's gone, Hunter pats Arlo on the head and tells him it's nothing personal before heading to the rack of scissors on the wall.
And before I forget, it seems unlikely Thompson is doing this to protect his deal, for two reasons: One, he could just have told Raylan when he asked and beaten Arlo to the punch, and two, committing murder would seem to complicate the possibility of a release. Of course, you could argue that Arlo committing murder didn't seem to hurt his chances of a deal any, and also speculate that maybe Hunter knows who Drew is but not where he is, but I still think it's more likely that Hunter is protecting Thompson. After all, Arlo killed the trustee over a bag connected to Thompson.
Oh, and speaking of Arlo, as soon as Hunter's back is turned, he drops the catatonic act and is out of the chair quick as a cat, whereupon he grabs a handy bottle of Barbicide and smashes it across Hunter's face, in case you needed any convincing that Arlo is old-school. Hunter, crying out and bleeding freely, manages to backhand Arlo in the face, but Arlo's weapon of convenience is an electric razor, with which he pummels Hunter into submission. On the floor, it's clear Hunter is reeling but not unconscious, and I wonder if Arlo doesn't want to queer his own potential deal by committing another murder here? Or maybe he's just worried that the guard will kill him if he returns.
Whatever the case, moments later, the guard enters and sees Hunter, but when he approaches, Arlo comes out of hiding and starts beating his ass too. This guy, I think he kills, putting paid to the theory I just advanced, but as he's giving in to complete bloodlust, Hunter, looking like the props team from Carrie got hold of him, approaches and, when Arlo turns, stabs him in the chest with a pair of scissors. Arlo kind of yell-gasps in horror as he falls to his knees, and then they seethe and stare at each other like two competing animals than anything human. We get a wide shot of Arlo, still on his knees with the scissors jutting out, and then we go to THE OPENING CREDITS, people. I'm spent already.
So as I mentioned, despite his lack of affection for the idea, Raylan is sitting with Eve, Thompson's, um, ex-widow, as she examines DMV photos for anyone in Clover Hill she thinks could be Drew. She puts a check under one photo of a fairly nondescript older-looking bald man with glasses, and Raylan is not super-thrilled that she's already picked nineteen possibilities. Eve, however, says that people can change a lot in thirty years. "Time was, I looked like Ava Gardner." Raylan accuses her of bullshit, not on the Gardner comparison but the Thompson stuff, but she tells him she's doing her best.
Meanwhile, there are a bunch of cuts to Tim listening in, and seriously, you know I'm not going to complain about a Tim shot, but from a storytelling standpoint they don't seem to be adding much. Art then calls to Raylan as Eve suggests she might have more luck trying to identify Thompson by voice, and it's treated in such an oh-by-the-way manner that I'd probably lay a little money that this will come to pass at some point. But Raylan dismissively replies, "Maybe his aura" (hee) before heading over to Art, but he does make up for the insult by telling Eve she still looks like Ava Gardner. Aw. Tim kind of smiles, too, and maybe the point of all this eavesdropping is that he likes, uh, "Ava Gardner?"
The camera setup stays where it is, but we can clearly hear Art break the news about Arlo, and I think Tim is hip to it even if Eve is not. Art suggests that Tim finish up with Eve, but Raylan, kind of involuntarily putting two fingers to his face like he's bracing himself, says they're almost done. Tim looks concerned as Raylan, inhaling like he's trying to ward off actual physical pain, sits back down. Eve asks if everything's okay, and she has to repeat the question before it penetrates; Raylan says he's fine, but he's obviously not, and soon he's telling her part of the story in saying that "a man who was gonna make a deal, give up Drew" took a shiv to the chest, and he's not expected to live through the night. Whether she has enough of a handle on Raylan to know there has to be more to it or not, she asks if he has to leave, but Raylan tells her no. Without looking up, he softly adds, "Seein' me would just upset him," and Tim Olyphant may be on record as saying that playing Raylan is "easy" for him, but as you'll see, he's certainly putting everything he has into this death-of-Arlo storyline.
Boyd has come to see Frank Browning, but although it's light out, he's apparently not there for blood yet, as Browning's wife is the one that answers. After Boyd declines some sweet tea, Trish leaves Frank to continue cleaning his guns (not a euphemism) as Boyd takes a seat. Browning tells him that Trish, who's no former Ava Gardner but is still rather comely for a Woman Of A Certain Age, is the only reason the Clover Hill power structure sat still for him moving up there -- while, essentially, they always thought of him as trash, "they sure did want her at their little key parties." I would have loved to see how that discussion was initially broached. Browning goes on that he's only telling Boyd this because he knows he's engaged to a "head-turner" himself, but Boyd informs him that the Clover Hill folks' interest in him has nothing to do with that. Browning supposes, then, that Boyd is planning to blow a hole in the wall of one of his slurry ponds, which would spill toxic sludge all over their land, prompting the EPA to come in and "shower them with Superfund money." Boyd, however, tells him that he's been ordered not to release the slurry but "to bury [Browning] in it," and as hard-boiled as Browning is, that revelation causes him to take a breath before he supposes that Boyd's orders did not include revealing his plan to Browning Boyd tells Browning that he's giving him a chance to beat the Clover Hill syndicate's price, and if he's being sincere, which he well may not be, I do wonder what his plan would have been if Browning had agreed -- how would he have dealt with Johns & Co.'s retaliation? That question is proved irrelevant, however, by Browning chuckling in response and biting off a hunk of beef jerky because the way he keeps CARESSING HIS SHOTGUN didn't make him look like enough of a badass.
They discuss the nature of hunting (Boyd hasn't indulged in the sport since his current wife killed her husband/his brother, as always happens), and then a rather fine male specimen by the name of Deke appears to let Boyd know that there's some muscle (and another gun) behind Browning. Unfazed, Boyd leans forward and tells Browning his offer still stands, whereupon Browning invites him to vacate the premises, posthaste. And this may not literally be the last mistake Browning will ever make, but if Boyd had wanted to toss a line to that effect off on his way out, I wouldn't quibble with it...
...because Boyd, being a man of action, returns to the bar and immediately wants to put a plan together. Unfortunately, Johnny is not on the premises, so he takes Colton into the back; cut to Boyd relating what happened and telling him that offing Browning is now going to require both Colton's help and Johnny's. Unfortunately, Colton is busy getting texts from "Ellen May," who's asking if he told Boyd that he "lost" her, and Boyd gets pissy at his apparent lack of attention. Before he can chew Colton out much further, though, Ava busts in, and behind her, we can see Wynn sitting at the bar, his security guy standing by him as ever. And Wynn-Boyd scenes being worth their weight in gold just from the way Jere Burns says "Mr. Crowder," this episode isn't exactly diminishing in quality since that cold open. Colton gets another text hitting him up for $20,000, while out at the bar, Wynn downs a shot and accepts another, which goes a long way to indicate his stress level.
After sending the second shot to join the first, Wynn informs Boyd without preamble that the way the Cairn situation played out, with him ending up in the hands of the Feds, has "further alarmed" their Detroit friends. Boyd points out that Cairn is not Thompson, but Wynn duhs that it's the precedent that's the problem, and as such, Tonin wants Thompson found -- now. To that end, Tonin has sent a guy on his way to Harlan "who has apparently killed more people than malaria," and when he gets there, they need to supply him with Thompson so he can bring his scalp back to Detroit, "or he'll bring ours instead." I wonder if this means Tonin abandoned his caveat that Thompson be taken alive? He seemed pretty hell-bent on that point before, at least according to Augustine, but Wynn does go on to say that Tonin is ready "to scorch the earth down here," so maybe that explains his shift in policy.
After a pause (people should never allow Boyd to stop and think; that's when plans get hatched), Boyd says he's got it narrowed down to two names, and Wynn seems relieved even as he asks if they should tell Tonin's enforcer to flip a coin. Boyd, however, suggests they have the guy kill both targets, and Wynn shows just how much of a conscience he has by taking a deep breath at that. He's still going to agree, obvs.
Oh, here are Browning and the aforementioned smoking Deke, and Browning is making some tough talk about filling the slurry pond full of bodies and whatever, but just then, there's a knock on the door, which Deke goes to answer. Outside, there's a man in a deputy's uniform who asks to see Browning, and then Browning appears behind Deke, prompting Deke to turn and start lecturing him in a "We talked about this!" voice. And, as it happens, Browning would have been well served to follow his security guy's advice, as the "deputy," who clearly has just revealed himself as the enforcer, sadly shoots Deke dead and slides quietly in, keeping his gun leveled at Browning. Deputy Enforcer, by the way, is recognizable from many shows, but, given that he's clean-shaven and less crazy-acting here, you might not place him as crazy, nuclear Ted Sprague from Heroes. (You might not even remember that Heroes happened, but this is Season One we're talking about, at least.) And I already made my Carrie reference, but Browning's face is covered in Hot Deke's blood, and his eyes are open to almost-Spacek levels, so great job on the tough talk there, guy.
Deputy Enforcer has Browning hold still so he can take his picture, and then, apparently having sent it on to someone, makes a phone call (but not without soothingly shushing Browning when he starts to talk, which is hilarious), whereupon he confirms that Browning is not his target. And I might as well get it out now: Superficial analysis would suggest Boyd or Wynn is on the other end of the phone, but does that make sense? It would have to be someone who could clearly recognize Thompson by sight. If Boyd and Wynn have admitted they're not sure which of the two it is, why would Deputy Enforcer call them? Surely I'm overthinking it, but there's a fair amount of fanwanking in this episode, at least for me. But since that's literally my only criticism, I can live with it.
However, someone who can't live with it is Browning, who starts to babble about mistakes being made and whatever, but when he goes on that he doesn't know what Shelby's game is, Deputy Enforcer cuts him off: "I don't know Shelby." With that, he shoots Browning so he falls to the floor and then puts another one in him for good measure, and I kind of love how he made like he was going on a rampage after Boyd left and yet he never even made it out of his own house.
Shelby returns home to find Ellen May wearing mom jeans and a dowdy cardigan. She apologizes for poking around in Shelby's stuff, but it looks like the only thing she disturbed is a St. Christopher's medallion, which Shelby explains is of "the patron saint of travelers, sailors, pilots... and bachelors." He doesn't include reformed whores in there, but I suppose Christopher could only cover so much ground. Ellen May, who's obviously grown fond of Shelby, asks if the bachelor part is why Shelby has it, but Shelby tells her that it actually belonged to his wife, "Abby" -- to whom the clothes Ellen May is wearing belonged as well. Ellen May asks if Abby is dead, and given her recent narrow escape I can understand why she'd want to avoid even a hint of a bad omen, but Shelby tells her no -- not that he knows of, anyway. She asks for some details, and he confesses that Abby left him, twenty-five years ago, with just a note on top of his TV set to explain herself. Damn, Abby, that's cold, and I don't mean in the wonderful Dairy Queen way. Ellen May reveals that her mother left her family in much the same manner, when she was too young even to remember her to boot, and Shelby remarks on how much Ellen May "favors" his ex-wife. And I have the feeling some people were seeing sexual interest from Shelby here, but I actually get a protective-father vibe from him more than anything else. Ellen May offers that wearing different clothes can make you feel like a different person, and Shelby agrees, offering that it took him a year of wearing his sheriff's clothes before he shrugged off the feeling he was wearing a costume. Ellen May wonders if she might ever become the kind of woman that "belongs" in the clothes she's wearing, and Shelby tells her this: "If you pretend to be somethin' long enough, it's not pretendin'."
Okay, I have to indulge in an aside here: It seems a LOT of people took this speech to mean that Shelby is Drew Thompson. I admit it could possibly make sense from a dramatic standpoint, but I think there are MANY logistical issues that make that theory problematic; in other words, if it does turn out Shelby is Thompson, I'm likely going to be writing a paragraph or two on why I think it doesn't make sense. I do think Shelby might have been close to Thompson and have an agenda in the investigation, but that's not the same thing at all. Still, if it turns out to be the case, maybe the show will change my mind on the feasibility of his conduct up until now.
In any case, we have more pressing issues to deal with, as Ellen May guesses that her first step in becoming respectable would be "to get right with the Lord," and Shelby gets REALLY close to drawing a confession out of her -- but he gets a phone call we'll see he needs to deal with.
But in other urgent matters, Colton is knocking on someone's door, and it turns out it's the scumbag drug dealer for whom Tim tragically refused to strip a couple episodes ago. Apparently, he's also the guy to whom the dude with his balls in extreme jeopardy sent Colton for heroin, and the dealer can't believe Colton has already blown through the amount he sold him not two days earlier. That being the extent of the guy's drug counseling, though, he invites Colton in, but Colton refuses to strip, just like the time before.
This time, though, the drug dealer gives him attitude and a glimpse of the gun in his waistband, but Colton, unfazed, asks him for a loan of twenty grand. When the drug dealer, predictably enough, gets snarky in response, Colton laughs a laugh of the truly damned before asking the guy how he lives with a gun so close to his balls -- does he keep the chamber empty, or is the safety just on? Having been called out, the guy goes for his piece, but Colton is too quick for him, and the struggle ends with Colton discharging six -- SIX -- rounds into the guy's neck. I guess I should note that that brings the body count for the episode up to four (that is, if the guard died, which I'm assuming given the sound effects he did). Further updates to follow.
With the guy dead, Colton looks around and quickly finds a large amount of cash, so everything's chill -- until he hears a crashing noise from the kitchen. With gun drawn, he goes to investigate -- and finds, in his underwear, Tim's idiot Army friend, Mark. Oh, this is not going to be good. Mark, keeping his eyes closed, tries to sell the idea that he didn't see anything, but Colton informs him that he witnessed the whole thing when he entered. Damn, Mark had to find a heroin addict who could still keep things together. Colton gets Mark to open his eyes, whereupon he recognizes him from the VA hospital...
...and then we cut to Mark, fully clothed, sitting in the living room. Colton offers him a cigarette, and the two of them light up before Colton grimly grins that they're both "in the shit," and that he doesn't know what to do. Mark is obviously uncomprehending as Colton goes on that someone is running "a game" on him, and it's not "that girl," or at least not her by herself. (By the way, the drug dealer's dead leg is hilariously sitting up, out of focus in the foreground, throughout the whole scene.) He then asks Mark if he's married or has kids or anything, and Mark tells him he thought he'd get clean first, which is an interesting tack for a backsliding addict to take. Colton muses that he should do the same, and tells Mark it's going to be like he was never there. And I did think he might, out of military brotherhood if nothing else, convince himself to spare Mark, but obviously the cigarette was more significant that it seemed, as no sooner has he concluded this little speech than does he put a bullet in the poor guy's brain. As I said to Joe R, Mark was an idiot and couldn't hold a candle to Tim, but I still wouldn't have kicked him out. Also, though, Colton certainly left enough physical evidence around -- witness the smoke he just put out -- so I'm guessing Tim will be on his tail soon enough.
Getting back to Tim Olyphant's Emmy reel, he tells Arlo, who's lying asleep in his prison hospital bed, that he's apparently going to lie there and wait him out, but maybe he could give Raylan something? Into the continued silence, Raylan offers that he doesn't want an apology -- "it'd take too long" -- nor does he need any fatherly advice; he just wants something, namely Drew Thompson's current identity, which will allow him to tell his children that their grandfather wasn't a complete asshole. I'm not actually paraphrasing here. Getting nothing, Raylan rises to go, but Arlo breathes at him to wait, and then asks Raylan to lean close. Raylan obliges him, and hears these labored words: "Kiss. My. Ass." I mean, as obstructionist as it is to Raylan, how can you argue with Arlo being a total son of a bitch to the end? As if to agree, Raylan fumes for a moment, but can't leave the room without patting Arlo on the shoulder. It all makes sense to him, even if he doesn't like it.
Oh, here's that bland dude who was hitting on Ava at the sex party last week, although not the young guy who tried to take it to another level. Whether she's being paid or not, he's tying up some young thing in his bed when the doorbell rings. In response to her questions, he tells her that if it were his wife, she'd probably join in -- but she wouldn't ring the bell. After an "oh, duh" moment from the girl, the guy pulls on his robe and heads to the door -- and finds Deputy Enforcer. Deputy Enforcer goes through the same rigmarole as before, although this time we don't hear whether he's told he's got the correct target or not. Either way, though, we cut to the girl in the bed, who looks startled, if not panicked, when she hears shots fired. She tries to free herself, but keeps silent as she does so, and if he weren't already dead I'd suggest Mark pay attention here.
Sometime later, the girl has kindly been given a shock blanket as the guy's corpse is being wheeled out of there, and then it's time for The Shelby and Raylan Show, Part Two, as Shelby notes that not a day has passed since Raylan asked him to look into a list of names, and now one of those names belongs to a dead man. Raylan concedes that if it is a coincidence, "it's a hell of a one," and Shelby comments that this "second stiff" wasn't on the list but was killed in the exact same manner. Yup, when someone has a signature kill, you can assume he's honed his craft. So, Shelby wonders, "Which one of those coincidences is just a coincidence?" Shelby, I love you, but this is getting a little philosophical for so late in the recap. Raylan tells Shelby the origins of the list, and Shelby gets this kind of va-va-va-voom expression as he notes Raylan never said anything about the widow, but Raylan tartly tells him he didn't think he'd much care, given that he's totally not supplying Boyd with any information, right? But Shelby, as game for a verbal dance as anyone these days, chuckles that Boyd's doing just fine without him -- Browning's now-widow informed Shelby that Boyd came to see Browning that morning, "a good three to four hours before you called me with your list." So the real coincidence, I guess, is that someone on the list hit on Ava last week, and Boyd was presented with a convenient opportunity to take him out. Can't wait until Shelby and/or Raylan figure that one out.
Johnny is in Wynn's trailer complaining about how Boyd has "apparently decided to start World War III," but Wynn informs him it wasn't Boyd who was directly responsible for the escalating body count. Wynn looks really satisfied with himself as he goes on to tell Johnny that one of the dead men was Drew Thompson, and I think I've made it clear how much I love the character, but I am looking forward to seeing his balloon of self-satisfaction punctured here. Johnny tells Wynn that only one of the two even could have been Thompson -- that'd be Browning -- but, speaking of coincidences, that'd be quite the one as well, given that Boyd had contracted to kill him. As for "Sam Keener," the bland dude from the party, he was an old drinking buddy of Johnny's Uncle Owen's well more than thirty years ago, which obviously excludes him as a possibility. Wynn takes a few moments to digest this before summing it up: "You're telling me that Boyd just handed me his enemies list?" Given how little he trusts Boyd, I guess Wynn was relying on (a) Boyd's apparent hunger to get his finger in the heroin-business pie, and (b) the notion that Boyd wouldn't be so bold/stupid as to cross Detroit. I'd guess he won't be making that mistake again, as he tells Johnny he's got good news and bad news (and it's apparent he's still fighting down his rage toward Boyd here): The good is that Johnny will be getting his wish to see Boyd six feet under very soon. The bad is that Johnny is now going to have to be the man who brings Wynn Drew Thompson or dies trying. Johnny does not say "Challenge accepted!" but that's probably because no one watches How I Met Your Mother anymore.
Oh, here's Raylan showing up to Boyd's bar, and Ava greets him with a somewhat faux-sunny smile and an undercurrent that only exists between former lovers. Ava also isn't surprised to see him, but that's only because Boyd is about to be led away in handcuffs -- by Deputy Enforcer. Possibly a little convenient that he didn't just kill Boyd and Ava both, especially with Johnny safely out of the way and Colton apparently nowhere to be found, but I could see Wynn wanting to laugh in Boyd's face before the end. Boyd wonders why Raylan is there if he's having Shelby haul him in again, so I guess he still thinks of Shelby as a man who only takes orders, but Raylan tells him he wasn't even responsible the first time before asking what's going on. Deputy Enforcer tries to play along with the idea that Shelby sent him, but Raylan's confused, as he just saw him not fifteen minutes earlier and he didn't mention anything. Raylan and Deputy Enforcer start to get into it, but Raylan HILARIOUSLY puts a pin in that discussion to note the huge rock on Ava's finger, and whether consciously or not I'm pretty sure she was waving it in his direction this whole time, which only adds to the humor.
This scene is impossible to do justice to, but it's genius from stem to stern, even staying funny through the upcoming bloody part. For, you see, after the wedding discussion is concluded (Boyd assures Raylan that he's still going to be invited even with their relationship in a trough right now), Deputy Enforcer tells Raylan that he's going to need him to step aside, and the "Ohhhhh, girl" look on Ava's face as Raylan asks for confirmation that DE gave him an order is a treasure to behold. DE replies that if Raylan doesn't move, he's going to shoot him, and in an episode with a lot of people making their last mistakes, here's another to add to the list, as this is all the confirmation Raylan needs that this guy isn't who he claims to be, and he outdraws him and shoots him dead. The hilarious part is Ava and Boyd both yelling and moving simultaneously -- Ava hollows out to avoid any stray bullets, while Boyd's expression loses its usual unflappability to the nth degree as he shoulder-rolls out of the way. The direction, coverage, and acting make a two-second part of the scene alone worth the price of admission here. I should also note, in a nod to how pro they are, that both Ava and Boyd instinctively reached for their own weapons before the shooting started, although they probably would never outdraw Raylan even if he hadn't had a head start.
Once the deed's done, Ava and Boyd end up flanking Raylan, so they all look on with bemused expressions as Raylan breathes, "Jesus, I hope I got that right." HA! Raylan Givens, you are just racking up the stories to tell your kid.
You'll forgive me for shorthanding this scene -- not only is this episode crazy eventful, it's also about five minutes longer than the norm. So Colton, looking around suspiciously, shows up at a busy local baseball field, sneaks into the groundskeeper's shed, and leaves the cash on top of the fuse box, per instructions he receives via text. From a distance, Johnny watches, and when he's satisfied Colton has complied, he tosses his burner phone into the garbage. I'd imagine he'll only come back for the money when he knows Colton is at the bar, so I hope for the groundskeeper's sake that he doesn't look too closely around his little space.
Boyd gets a call from Augustine, who introduces himself in a very mob-formal way before telling Boyd he's got only thirty seconds of his time, thanks to all the trouble he's caused them. Boyd tells him he can't really apologize for not dying at Deputy Enforcer's hand, but Augustine is referring to the fact that Boyd gave DE two wrong targets. Boyd, however, as is his wont, uses this as a positive, pointing out that in fact, he gave the names to Wynn. "Why would you want to back a man that got took when you can back the man who took him?" I'm liking this development enough that I'm going to let Boyd off the hook for misusing "begs the question."
Augustine seems to agree, as he smiles and tells Boyd to make his case, so Boyd tells him he's pretty sure Tonin needs a man down in Kentucky who actually knows the lay of the land and can bring to a successful conclusion not only the Thompson business but whatever future endeavors they might hope to undertake. Augustine tells Boyd to call him when he has Thompson and they'll discuss his future, and I trust everyone's following along closely enough to discern the implication that without Thompson, Boyd has no future. But speaking of obstacles to Boyd's continued existence, Boyd wonders if he might ask Augustine for something now. Augustine makes it clear that whatever Tonin might give him now will be considered a debt that needs repayment, but this is a line Boyd currently has to toe.
Back at the office, Shelby, who was presumably being deposed, emerges from somewhere to tell Raylan he believes he's out of trouble. Raylan, probably not entirely sarcastically (although as you know it's hard to tell with him), says he's relieved, and Art jauntily announces that he was "almost certain" Raylan wasn't a cop-killer. Heh. After a little confab about the DE -- they figure he's out of Detroit, obvs -- Art wonders if Browning could have been Thompson, since he was on Eve's list, but Raylan sighs that Browning's prints match his Army records from 1972 that list him under the same name, so that rules him out. Art and Raylan then express some chagrin at how long Eve's list still is -- twenty-six people even now that Browning is dead -- and then Shelby throws Johns and Lee Manners into the mix, saying that Boyd's been seen with them lately, and it could indicate that he thinks one of them could be Thompson. Art asks Shelby if he wouldn't mind keeping an eye on them for the moment, and Shelby agrees before adding that he'd also love to keep an eye on Eve, as Raylan tells him she's something to look at. I love the idea of Shelby and Raylan gossiping; seriously, I'd start lobbying for Shelby to hang out in the Marshals Office full-time if we didn't know that often leads to no screentime at all.
Art lets it be known that Eve is at "the motel with her security detail," and I should mention that Shelby's apparent interest in Eve is another reason cited for the "Shelby is Drew Thompson" theory, although I find it difficult to believe that Shelby, in his position, couldn't have tracked her down earlier if he'd wanted to. When Shelby's gone, Raylan confesses that he still doesn't entirely trust Shelby, and seriously, whoever's working the camera must have a crush on Tim and I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT, but we get another useless reaction shot here. I mean, if we're trying to establish that Tim listens in on all the office chatter, I'll tell you I love it and I never doubted it, but let's move on. Raylan wonders why they don't go after Boyd now, as he's Tonin's only loose end (not worth discussing why he thinks that; it's based on outdated information anyway); Art adds that Arlo is the other, but Raylan tells him Arlo died, only an hour ago. This makes Tim and Rachel both look in his direction, and Art manages to look both stone-faced and sympathetic as he keeps his eyes on Raylan, who finally asks what's up.
Art asks if he's okay, and Olyphant keeps up his tremendous work as Raylan tries to act like he's fine and is only about eighty-five percent successful. Because of that, Art tells Raylan to go home for a week, and Raylan protests because with the timeline of this show that means he wouldn't be returning until late in Season Five. Art asks Rachel and Tim to join him in his office, but Raylan stands and tells him he brought him the case: "I pulled it out of the wall of my goddamn house!" Art tries to mollify him, saying that no one is taking it away from him, and Tim drawls a football metaphor at Raylan, which Raylan doesn't appreciate. He stares at Tim all "you know what," and Tim SMILES LIKE HE'S ENJOYING THIS, and if we can maybe swing a spinoff with Tim, Shelby and Wynn, just let me know what time slot it'll be in.
Raylan orders Tim not to say anything unless he knows for sure it helps, and Tim replies with a hilarious "sure, we'll go with that" face; Raylan then pretty much begs Art to keep him on before negotiating the leave down to two days. Art agrees, but adds that if Raylan does one thing he doesn't like, he's pulling him, and I assume by that he means anything he considers indicative that Raylan is not himself emotionally because on an average day doesn't Raylan do like five things Art doesn't like even before lunch? Raylan stalks out, but when he's got a moment to himself by the elevator, he takes a ragged breath, and the tiny cracks in the façade once again start to show. He even wipes an eye, but for the sake of his ego we'll just chalk that up to allergies.
Ah, Reversal Of Fortunes, Harlan Division. Johns, Lee Manners and Judge Executive Furry are sitting in the bar when Boyd joins them with Johnny in tow. Johns is all faux-friendly as he's like, maybe it wasn't clear, but we're the ones who call the meetings? Boyd plays along, thanking them for their generosity, and everyone's just as fake-friendly as can be until Judge Executive Furry wonders where Sam is, whereupon Boyd informs them that he's dead, and "the police think" it might be the same killer as with Browning. Some rich blood freezes at that revelation, and Johns seethes that he's going to take a personal hand in seeing Boyd killed before Sam's funeral, but Boyd evenly informs him that if he's relying on that influence he cited much earlier, he might want to check to make sure it's current. Johns makes a couple calls to judges and can't get through, and Lee Manners looks like he's ahead of the game before Johns even makes the attempts, but Boyd makes himself clear: He had "a very powerful man" put the word out to those judges and lawmen that continued relations with the three of them would be frowned upon.
Johns gets to his feet, but Boyd raises his voice as he tells him to sit his "white-collar ass" down, and the gun Johnny draws backs up his argument. And by the way, I think Johnny's perfectly capable of reassessing his position given Boyd's recent change in fortunes; I wonder if him double-crossing Wynn is in the cards. Johns looks like the enormity of the situation is hitting him as he complies, whereupon Boyd, his even temper restored, says that he knows people like them are used to taking from people like him, but there's only so much people like him can abide, and the way the Clover Hill guys built their fortunes might make them criminals, "but it don't make you outlaws." I have to point out, too, that part of the reason this scene is so enjoyable for both Boyd and me is that it's a social victory as much as anything else; no longer is he going to feel inferior to the people from up the hill now that he has them in his power. He announces that he is the outlaw and this is his world, and he even taps the table a few times, in case we needed a more direct reminder of Walter White's "I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS" speech on Breaking Bad. He hits them each up for a hundred grand -- it's not clear exactly for what, but I guess it's essentially to allow them to continue to exist -- and adds that he also wants them to help him get a Dairy Queen franchise. And seriously, it was hard enough resisting the temptation to rip that ring off Ava's finger before he said this, evidenced by the fact that even Johnny looks amused. With that, Boyd leaves the room and calls for Johnny to come with him, but Johnny stays behind to gloat: "You gentlemen like ice cream?" I think ice cream might be ruined for them now, which is the best revenge of all.
Boyd enters the back room to find Ava, who was listening the whole time, of course. She grins that she loves a Peanut Buster Parfait, and Boyd assures her that Dairy Queens are "like California real estate," as they always go back up in the summertime. As a California resident, I'm going to object without further comment. Boyd tells Ava that they're going legit, and I'm not sure if he's talking about their general rise in fortunes or the DQ specifically, but Ava is there to give him some #realtalk, wondering if he really thinks they're going to be alive to play with these grandchildren he keeps discussing when he's just put himself in the power of someone as ruthless as Tonin. Boyd assures her that he can handle the situation, which is sounding emptier every time, but he goes on: "Let's break through that glass ceiling." Ava embraces him because however short their lives may be, they might as well enjoy them.
And speaking of life's impermanence, here's a close-up of Arlo's tagged toe. Raylan stands over his father's ashen corpse, and it's all there on his face -- disgust, regret and just plain sadness that the last of his family is gone. And Arlo's death serves the show's story better than artificially keeping up with him in prison, but as I said, damn if I'm not going to miss the old bastard. See you time.
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. His new film, a documentary on online privacy and the sale of personal data called Terms And Conditions May Apply, recently premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January. You can get news on it from the film's Twitter account. Also, you can email John at couchbaron@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/couchbaron, or check out his blog, "Pull Up A Chair," which he'd just love for you to stop by.