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Hunter's punishment for Arlo's death is a transfer to a supermax prison, which he expected – but what he did not expect is for Dunlop to deliver him into Raylan's hands. Art, naturally, flips his lid when he hears about this, and Tim calls Raylan to let him know same, but Raylan assures him he's going to execute the transfer. First, though, Raylan has it in his head that Hunter killed Arlo by contract, so he takes him to see Wynn and informs him that, given the Dixie Mafia's history with Arlo and Thompson, he thought bringing Hunter by might lead them all to some answers. Later, Raylan informs Hunter that Wynn will now surely send someone for him, but the deal still stands if he wants to take it. Hunter shows what he thinks of that idea by jumping out of the moving car and trying to get hit by an oncoming truck, but Raylan saves him before wondering why Hunter would rather die than give up Thompson. With a bolo out on Raylan, Shelby pulls him over, but he merely decides to ride with Raylan rather than taking him in. It's not a road-trip threesome I would have imagined, but I could come up with worse.
Hey, remember Cassie? She shows up asking Ava about Ellen May, as apparently, Ellen May left word with one of her parishioners saying she wants to unburden herself about something. Ava manages to keep a fake smile plastered on until Cassie is gone, but soon, she and Boyd are confronting Colton, while Teri, having heard the whole exchange, goes to Johnny with it. Colton convincingly denies the possibility that Ellen May is contacting anyone about anything, so Boyd concludes that Cassie the con artist is merely playing an angle. He sends Colton to bring her back, and when Colton's in his truck, he has a little freak-out and smokes some more heroin – unaware that Tim is observing him.
Meanwhile, Johnny lets Ava and Boyd know about Colton's failure to kill Ellen May (he knows for sure about it thanks to Colton giving in to his blackmailing scheme), a revelation that sends Boyd and Johnny hurtling in Cassie's direction. Colton is already there, and he chokes her as he demands to know where Ellen May is, but Tim rescues her. He's also pretty much guessed that Colton killed Mark, but before their standoff turns deadly, Boyd shows up and convinces Tim to release Colton into his care. I'm not sure why Tim didn't insist on taking Colton into custody given that his meat hooks are practically still visible on Cassie's neck, but then again, he's probably got a more permanent solution for Colton in mind.
Raylan sends Constable Bob up to keep an eye on Lee Manners' estate, and this leads to a comic-relief shootout between Bob and the drunken Johns and Manners. Raylan arrives to break things up, leaving Shelby alone with Hunter – whereupon we learn that Shelby is, in fact, Drew Thompson, and he got Hunter to kill Arlo. Meanwhile, Bob is obliviously rattling off all kinds of details about Shelby's longtime loyal history with Hunter – and when Raylan gets outside, he finds his tires flat and Shelby gone. I wonder if Shelby's going to make a stop to pick up his ex-widow?
Boyd eventually elicits the truth from a desperate Colton, and when he hears how Colton went to Shelby for help, he realizes that Shelby's been playing a game against him. Worried about what Shelby may know, Boyd sends Ava into hiding, and then goes to see Shelby…only to find Raylan and a bunch of other lawmen waiting for him. When he sees the array of people there, he adds up all the available evidence and too realizes Shelby is Thompson, and the episode ends with Raylan and Tim resolving to go find him. And while I may not believe the reveal makes logical sense in certain ways, I can't fault the execution one bit.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!We open by pulling focus on Tim's face, a choice I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear I approve of. In this case, however, Tim is looking as stone-faced as he gets, as we're at the scene of his friend Mark's death. With an echoing effect that conveys Tim's emotional state, one of the cops on the scene tells him that "the one in the skivvies" (referring to Mark; I thought Colton had let him get dressed before he killed him, but revisiting it I see he merely had a blanket around his shoulders) dragged himself across the floor to get to his phone, and I'm assuming he means before he took a bullet in the head. I mean, I don't think Mark used his brain for all that much, but I still think it would have been necessary for that. The detective on the scene notes that instead of calling 911, Mark texted Tim, which apparently is why he's there. He asks if Tim can shed any light on the text -- it reads "Bagram" -- but even though Tim identifies the place as an airstrip in Afghanistan out of which they flew, he claims not to be able to explain any deeper meaning. However, even through his poker face, it seems pretty likely he understands something from the text and is just deciding how to handle it on his own, which is evidence that he and Raylan are more kindred of spirits than either of them might admit. The detective goes on that, although the drug dealer was the scum of the earth, he once served in the Marine Corps in Fallujah and knew everything there was to know about weapon retention, which explains his precautions in having had people disrobe. Given how little I wanted him on my team, I hope the cop's read of his motivations is one hundred percent right here. The detective's ultimate point, though, is that the dealer's primary customers were veterans and as such, he wonders if Tim maybe can think of any connection that could help them? Tim, however, allows that Mark was "having some troubles" but declines to offer anything further, and the amount of feeling he's letting spill out makes even Raylan look emotional by comparison.
Dunlop is leading Hunter out of the prison, as he's apparently being transferred to a supermax facility for having killed Arlo, just as his accomplice guard predicted. Once they get outside, Hunter laughs when the prison transfer bus pulls away without them -- but any amusement fades in a hurry when the departure of the vehicle reveals Raylan leaning against his car waiting. I guess wishing Dunlop a happy birthday bought Raylan a lot more favor than he probably realized at the time. Hunter looks like he's been brought in front of a firing squad, but Raylan evenly greets him with a hello. I doubt that's going to stop Hunter from soiling that orange jumpsuit, but luckily the play of the credits prevents us from seeing it.
Okay, so apparently Dunlop thought he was the one getting the favor, as he tells Art Raylan offered to handle Hunter's transfer as a late birthday present. Art: "Arlo Givens' body is not even cold on the slab, and you let Raylan drive off into the sunset with his killer!" Sure, in that tone of voice, it sounds bad! Beside himself, Art asks Tim for Raylan's location, but when Tim pulls it up on his computer, it only confirms Art's fears -- he's not in Leoville but Baxter, which is still in Harlan County. Art barks at Dunlop to purge case files "until I figure out how to like you again" (hee, and awww) before telling Tim to call Raylan and tell him that if anything happens to Hunter, Raylan will no longer be a marshal and neither will Art, "and that is where his nightmare will begin!" Tim asks if he wants that verbatim or paraphrased, and I could listen to him drawl "paraphrase" all day, but Art does not see it that way, barking at Tim not to be a smart-ass. In response, Tim just looks at him with a "Have you met me?" expression, and if scenes like this illustrate to you why more Tim is always a good thing, you and I are likely to get along. Once Art gets the rest of his lecturing done, Tim picks up the phone...
...while Hunter is asking Raylan if he's just going to sit up there quietly "like you're Harry Callahan, and I'm supposed to be back here shitting myself?" I believe I already covered that, Hunter, but Raylan's response is of course worthwhile anyway: "Lord, I hope not! I'm trapped in the car with you." Hee. He goes on that he's merely a Deputy U.S. Marshal executing a prison transport, but as if to argue the point, Raylan gets Tim's call at that moment and answers by supposing Art's pissed. Tim's like yeah, that times a thousand, and by the way, Dunlop is "lookin' at a bright future in mall security thanks to you." Well, Shelby worked in mall-ish security, did he not? No idea why I saw fit to bring that up. Raylan promises Tim that he just wants to sort one or two things out and then he'll deliver Hunter to his new residence safe and sound. Tim asks for details and Raylan actually lets him into his thought process, saying he wants to know who hired Hunter to hit Arlo -- his first guess is the Dixie Mafia (he's surely thinking about the trustee Arlo murdered), and while it could also be Boyd, "given their history, I don't know how that works." For those of you not around in Season 1, I'd explain, but Hunter's going to end up saving me the trouble soon enough. Tim cautions Raylan that Art has "locals" out looking for him and offers to help Raylan out by poking around the Crowder place, as he's got something in Harlan he wants to check out anyway. Raylan, however, can't discuss it, as they've reached their destination -- Wynn Duffy's RV. I'd make fun of Hunter for clearly not seeing this coming, but frankly, neither did I.
Inside, Wynn has an actually bemused look on his face instead of the faux-bemused one he normally favors as he tells Raylan he's not sure what's going on here. By way of answering, Raylan asks Hunter if he remembers a little kerfuffle involving Arlo, an assault charge, and a dog belonging to someone named (I think) "Johnson McClaren." Hunter stays mum until Raylan casually kicks over the chair he's sitting in, and the hilarious part is that Hunter seethes as the chair topples, knowing it's going over but -- thanks to his shackles -- being powerless to prevent it. Hee. After he groans from the impact, he tells the room that the dog was shitting on the Givens' lawn, and Arlo roughed McLaren up over it, so Hunter arrested him. As he gets Hunter back upright, Raylan recalls that the dog was some kind of collie mix, prompting Wynn to offer that he had a Yorkie growing up. Hee. Not that it's a surprise, since he barely flinched when Barclay got his head blown off right to him, but I love how unfazed Wynn always is by almost anything going on around him. Raylan's point, however, is that this could have led to an all-out war -- Arlo wanted to pull the Crowders in to go after the Sorensons, who were kin to the McLarens -- until his mother, Frances, intervened. Upon seeing Raylan's foot moving into position again, Hunter grits that Frances called a meeting, and Raylan says that she decided it was time for all the parties to hash things out. He goes on that she had some French blood in her, and she told Raylan that the very term "hashing it out" came from the French word "hatchet," meaning "to cut through all the bullshit." That's either pretty dried bullshit or a pretty dull hatchet, but even though I'm sitting on a heavy couch, I still probably shouldn't interrupt Raylan when he's making a point.
Wynn still doesn't get what this has to do with their little confab here -- until Raylan IDs Hunter for him, adding that he may be the only person alive who knows Drew Thompson. For all his practiced cool, Wynn can't help his eyes from widening at that one -- he literally almost pulls a 30 Rock-esque "HEY now" -- and sensing their newfound camaraderie, Raylan sits to Wynn and informs him that Hunter is being transferred for putting a shiv into Arlo, and since the Dixie Mafia has a history with both Arlo and Drew, he thought the DM might have an interest in Hunter as well. Wynn's brain catches up with his ears as he asks if Arlo is really dead, and Raylan figures from his reaction that he didn't order the hit. Wynn tells Raylan he's sorry for his loss, but avers that he had nothing to do with it, getting this honest reaction: "Thank you, Wynn. Whatever your other failings, I believe that's true." Not only did he keep any sarcasm out of his voice, he addressed Wynn by his given name without throwing in his surname. Speaking of hatchets, this one seems temporarily buried -- Raylan even patted him on the leg! Raylan then stands and figures it makes sense the DM wouldn't kill Arlo -- after all, if they did, they'd lose a chance to find Thompson. Raylan then gets Hunter to his feet, but Wynn and his security guy stand as well, and Wynn smiles that maybe he could help Raylan right now. "Could be fun? Noodlin' on ideas about what to do with Mr. Hunter?" Wynn, God love him, then looks at Hunter like a dog might regard an unstripped bone and whatever he may think of Raylan, the desperate look Hunter gives him suggests he'd rather take his chances with him than see what kind of creative ideas Wynn might come up with. I guess Hunter's not nearly as dumb as he looks.
Hey, look who's house-shopping in Clover Hill -- Boyd and Ava, who are told by a female realtor that the place has only been on the market a week and it's going to go quickly. Ava admires how "storybook" the gracious home is and when the realtor takes a call, Ava and Boyd cutely drop their mouths open at each other at how awesome the place would be for them. Ava then gets a revelatory look on her face and starts walking around calling the layout -- because, as it happens, her mother used to clean the house. Boyd didn't know that Ava's mother worked up the hill in that capacity and Ava tells him that her employers "smiled at her real nice, but locked up their jewelry whenever she came over." Well, I've heard of enough white-collar crime to think that practice was just good sense, but I can see where that wouldn't make Ava feel any better about it. The realtor then returns and notes the place might be a bit big for them, which unsurprisingly causes a prickly tone in Ava's voice to emerge as she asks if they can see the outside. The realtor, however, doesn't pick up on it as, after she's taken them outside, she asks if she can't show them something further down the hill, as "there are some lovely starter homes down there." She goes on that the banks are getting stringent with applications and while she may well think they're trash, none of this necessarily has to be read as offensive given the mortgage crisis. Ava, however, saucily notes to Boyd that it doesn't sound like the woman thinks they have the means to buy the place, whereupon Boyd, over her denials, opens a briefcase full of cash -- and as we know, it was hilariously blackmailed out of Clover Hill itself -- and informs her that a bank's involvement won't so much be required. He then announces to Ava that perhaps real-estate agents are like new houses -- "you shouldn't fall in love with the first one." Not to be outdone, Ava sunnily shakes the woman's hand and thanks her -- "but we don't need your shit." Good line, but if the woman is attached to the house, they may have to deal with her regardless, given that when they're out front, Boyd tells Ava they should buy the place and he'll even put her mother's name "on a plaque and put it on the front door." Boyd then tells Ava she also just gave him an idea of how to find Thompson...
...while back in the car, Hunter wonders what Raylan would have done if Wynn had insisted on, um, getting creative. Raylan essentially tells Hunter that he and Wynn have a mutual respect, which I would probably say requires some connotations but will allow here, but the point is that Wynn will send someone for Hunter and he's going to die in prison -- unless he takes the deal, which is surprisingly still on the table. Hunter looks interested, at least until he opens the door and rolls out of the moving car. Raylan lets loose an expletive at that as he pulls over, while Hunter, seeing a fuel truck heading his way, stands so as to take the vehicle's full impact, but Raylan tackles him out of the path in time. In a little touch I love, Raylan glares after the truck like "THANKS for braking, jerkweed" before turning back to Hunter and kicking and punching him a couple times in frustration. After that stunt, I bet even Art would be prepared to look the other way. Hunter asks what he's doing, and Raylan, after taking a couple calming breaths, lets us know another little bit about his childhood: "In the words of Arlo Givens, I'm tryin' to knock some goddamn sense into you!" It's unclear how much Hunter cares about Raylan's abusive childhood, but Raylan goes on to ask why Hunter would rather die than give up Thompson. Hunter, however, won't give him satisfaction as he tells Raylan to shoot him or bring him to Leoville and Raylan just looks immensely frustrated. If he chooses to impart more of Arlo's wisdom to Hunter, though, it happens off-screen.
Ava is leading a blindfolded Judge Executive Furry into one of the trailers as they talk about burying past differences, and the Judge Executive must REALLY need to feed the Furry part of him if he's here so soon after having his friend murdered and being shaken down to the tune of six figures. Ava tells him to count to three and remove the blindfold, which he does -- to find Boyd standing there. I may think Judge Executive Furry is pathetic, but that doesn't mean his delivery of "Goddammit" isn't sublimely hilarious. (I rarely mention directors on TV, but I have to give props to Lesli Linka Glatter here, whose direction I know from some of the best episodes of Mad Men and always puts a memorable stamp on her work.)
Oh, look who's back -- it's Cassie, who wanders into Audrey's looking for Ellen May. Ava only flinches a little as Cassie goes on that Ellen May was a member of her brother's congregation, and Ava expresses condolences before telling Cassie that Ellen May moved on to Alabama. Cassie, however, thinks that doesn't make all that much sense, as Ellen May left word with one of her former parishioners seeking guidance, as she was torn up about something... and this happened only the day before. Ava tries to keep her fake smile from going too wild as she remarks that that's strange, so Cassie, who doesn't seem to suspect anything (although she does have the right amount of hilarious discomfort at being in a house of such ill repute), asks Ava to send Ellen May her way should she surface. She'll either be at the church or at "Lacie's Garage" getting her truck fixed. When she's gone, Ava swallows hard, although not as hard as she would if she realized Teri was listening to the whole conversation.
Boyd asks if he's correct that Judge Executive Furry got his start in the security business and when JEF nods his acknowledgement, Boyd says he's interested in knowing of anyone who came to him as a new employee in the 80s. I may have missed a strand of information -- I get that Boyd knows Drew Thompson was seen rubbing shoulders with Judge Executive Furry, but I'm not sure why Boyd thinks Thompson worked security, although this could just be in service of casting a wide net. Anyway, we don't get to hear his thought process thanks to Ava busting in and telling him they've got a problem, and I wonder what JEF would say if he heard that it involves the woman who shot him in a bunch of non-vital places.
When we return, Raylan gets pulled over -- by Shelby. Hunter wonders if Shelby's there to rescue him and then Shelby and Raylan chat in their usual, easy sardonic manner, with Raylan expressing his frustration that Hunter won't tell him what he wants to know and Shelby counseling him to sweat him a bit more and then give up. Raylan also lets Shelby know that he's got Constable Bob keeping an eye on Lee Manners' hunting lodge, and he figures that -- much as he did with Wynn -- he'll take Hunter up to see Lee Manners and Johns and see what shakes out. Shelby figures Lee Manners and Johns will be jumpy (and armed) after the death of their friend, so he'll ride along with Raylan and they can see what's up. Come on, you guys -- you can go for a longer road trip than that!
Back at the bar, Colton enters in apparent answer to a summons and with Ava looking on, Boyd grimly tells Colton about Cassie's visit. Colton, however, tells them that Ellen May is dead and gone, and is convincing enough about it that Boyd supposes this could just be another grift on Cassie's part. Ava still feels like something's off about the whole thing, but Boyd -- surely not wanting to believe the worst of Colton -- has convinced himself that Cassie was fishing based on stuff Ellen May told her before Colton took care of her. He resolves to check out the garage and sends Colton to the church, instructing him to call if he finds her, and Colton is only too happy to oblige. When he's gone, Boyd assures Ava that they'll just find out what Cassie's game is and go from there, but Ava still doesn't look satisfied. Looks like someone is ready to move up the hill and leave all these trashy problems behind.
Outside, Boyd heads to his car, noting Colton sitting in his truck on his way. Colton watches Boyd take off and then promptly curses and smacks his steering wheel in frustration, unaware that Tim is watching him from his truck parked across the street. Colton doses himself with some heroin before driving off, and I'm pretty sure Tim could stick him with a moving violation for that, but he's probably got his eyes on a bigger prize.
At Audrey's, Teri tells Johnny about Cassie's little meeting with Ava. She also worries about getting in trouble, but Johnny's like, I'm scarier than Ava and also here right now, and it's hard to argue at least one of those points, so Teri nods her agreement.
Raylan is telling Shelby who Wynn is and why he went to see him (does Shelby really not know who Wynn is? Maybe he just wants to hear Raylan's perspective); Shelby notes from Raylan's tone that he doesn't think Wynn was responsible for the hit on Arlo, and Raylan confirms that, suspecting it came directly from Thompson or possibly the Crowders. At this latter guess, Hunter scoffs, so Raylan tartly asks him if he's suddenly got something to say and Hunter is like, yeah, and gets to the explanation I referenced earlier, saying that he hasn't so much forgiven Henry Crowder for raping, torturing and murdering his niece (and for those of you not here in Season 1, the girl was all of ten at the time, if I remember correctly). Raylan baits Hunter by supposing that doesn't preclude him from taking Crowder money, but Hunter spits that his feud with the Crowders isn't over, and by the way, it's based on something a bit more substantial than a dog pooping in the Givens' yard. Raylan laughs at Arlo's incorrigible nature, but Hunter goes on that Raylan's remembering it wrong and Shelby confirms that the dog part was incidental. McLaren verbally assaulted Frances, making "implications around town as to her proclivities," and in response, Arlo "saw fit to shove a pound of dog shit down his dirty mouth." He adds that even though Frances took the high road, Arlo protected her honor, and Raylan's impressed despite himself. Good thing Raylan's smart enough to know that Arlo dying wouldn't uncomplicate their relationship. Bringing it back around to the Crowders, Hunter, with some respect for Raylan's mother in his voice, says that Frances took a path he never could -- he'd put down Henry Crowder again and again, same way each time. His point is that men like them have a code they follow, so Raylan sardonically replies that maybe Hunter will get lucky and Thompson, not wanting to see Hunter die, will reveal himself. "Otherwise, you got a short ugly road once the Dixie Mafia gets a hold of you in Leoville." Hunter doesn't look thrilled, but he still keeps his mouth shut, and I hate to jump the gun, but you can hardly blame me for noting that his decision to remain silent will make more sense soon.
Boyd returns to the bar and reports no luck in tracking down Cassie. In response to a question from Ava, he says he hasn't heard from Colton either. Ava is distressed, but even though Boyd reminds her it's impossible to get cell service up in the holler in which the church is located, Johnny, after a long pause, decides it's time to reveal what he knows and informs his cousin that Colton never killed Ellen May. It's an interestingly timed move and suggests to me what I already thought, which is that Johnny -- despite all his words to Wynn -- isn't sure he's going to betray Boyd in the end. Boyd, in his inimitably deliberate way, tells Johnny that he and Ava have been trying to put together a puzzle, "and it seems like you have some of the missing pieces." He invites Johnny to start at the beginning, but however honest Johnny may be feeling, I'm thinking the piece worth $20,000 is going to stay his little secret.
Boyd is driving with an air that seems like the Harlan version of "I'm not angry, just disappointed," which actually contains a surprising amount of anger. Johnny tries to explain that he didn't want to accuse Colton without proof, especially since Boyd brought him in as his new golden boy despite him not being family and not even having been in his unit in the Army. He continues that he was there when Devil betrayed Boyd and he's always been there for him, at which point Boyd -- gliding to a stop -- turns his head and fixes Johnny with a long, long, long look, and Johnny eventually concedes defeat in the staring contest. Not sure if Boyd's expressing actual disagreement with Johnny or if he's merely putting him in his place, but Johnny looks like he'd move to the back seat if it were even mildly convenient.
Cassie's packing up some books when Colton -- as murderers often do -- announces his presence by hitting a few dissonant keys on the piano. One of these days, I'd love to see someone in his position play, like, a jaunty John Philip Sousa march upon entering. Cassie tells Colton that the church has closed, so I guess she's only still in town because of her bum truck, but when she takes a good look at Colton, she realizes that A) she knows him; and B) he's hurting, "medicated." Not realizing the personal danger to her, she keeps talking as he shambles forward, saying that he's been trying to numb the pain of his sins and that he must feel trapped. She may be a con artist, but she's certainly got the shtick down. Whatever he may be feeling inside, though, outwardly Colton is unmoved as he says he's come looking for Ellen May, but she assures him she's not there -- whereupon he grabs her by the throat, and his paw is strong enough to lift and hold her off the ground. He asks if she sent him "that text," and as addled as he may be, I can't believe he thinks Cassie is a more likely suspect here than Johnny. But let's put a pin in that for now, because Tim's voice calls from behind Colton to let Ellen May go. He complies, whereupon Cassie moves to a safe distance and the fact that she seems to be unaffected by the attack probably demonstrates that Colton wasn't serious about hurting her... at least not yet. Tim asks if Colton remembers him, noting his fake cough seems to have cleared up (and even though it seems like years, remember in the show's time that meeting at the VA hospital couldn't have been more than three days earlier).
Tim straight-up asks if Colton killed Mark and I don't know if Colton -- his eyes heavy with the drugs -- decides that his life has become too unmanageable to continue, but whatever his thought process, he draws his gun (from his waistband and I wonder if the chamber is empty, like he called to the scumbag drug dealer) and holds it at his side. Tim warns him that whatever he's thinking would be unwise -- "you're not drawin' on junkies and dealers now" -- but at that moment, Boyd steps in to intervene. Tim does not allow his aim to be distracted, but Boyd smoothly essays an apology for his "associate's" behavior and asks if Tim might allow him to collect Colton, adding that his "transgressions" will be punished. Boyd may have no problem lying to authority, but when it comes to matters of discipline, his word is a lot more to be trusted. Upon Boyd ordering him to do so, Colton puts his gun away, whereupon Tim eventually lowers his weapon. But if Colton hadn't sealed the idea that Tim's going to come after him come hell or high water, the little obviously fake cough he gives Tim as he passes will do the job. Hope it was worth it, Colton! Outside, Boyd assures Colton that they'll get to the bottom of everything, and after having the waiting Johnny take Colton's keys to drive his truck back, they take off. Colton, even if you're not tired, I'd suggest at least pretending to sleep on the ride back.
Ah, here's Bob, keeping a eye on Lee Manners' place, as requested. He gets a text that he doesn't look too thrilled about, and then he's knocking on the door. Lee Manners -- shotgun in hand -- drunkenly greets him, but when Bob nervously tells him that he's been tasked by the marshals to get a meeting together, Lee Manners supposes the marshals must be having a hard time if they're trusting Bob to work for them. "What, did they run out of chimpanzees on their way down the food chain?" Rude! Not just in a vacuum, but because Bob obviously feels the same social inferiority to these people that Boyd did until very recently. Lee Manners adds that some very bad men are coming to get him and Johns, so Bob might want to make himself scarce. But Bob sticks his foot in the closing door and gets some further insults for his trouble, one of which is a suggestion for him to go play cops and robbers in the mirror. Bob starts walking away, breathing hard in frustration, until he pauses and, looking kind of pleased with himself, says aloud, "You go play asshole in the mirror, Lee!" I'm not sure I've ever seen on-screen homage paid to George Costanza's "jerk store" line, and I'd bet that this scenario -- with Bob heading back to Lee Manners' door -- is going to turn out about as well. He yells through the door, at which point Lee Manners, all fake and oily civility gone, opens back up and, loading his shotgun, says he told Bob to get off his property. Bob draws his gun in response, which is enough for Johns, who's at least as many sheets to the wind as Lee Manners, to appear and note that the "midget police" has arrived. They giggle in Bob's face...
...and then, when we cut to Raylan's car, we hear shots being fired, as Bob is behind his car shooting his pistol at Lee Manners and Johns, who are on the porch returning fire. Lee Manners and Johns are drunk enough that they're having fun with this, but Bob grabs his go-bag, and soon he's shooting up the entire side of the house with an AK-47 just as Raylan pulls up. Well, Raylan, you dismissed Bob's go-bag, but you might have had better luck with the hill people with that backing you up. Raylan tells Shelby and Hunter to sit tight and when he gets out, some yelling suffices to quickly defuse the situation. With that decently frustrated look that seems reserved for Bob scenes, Raylan tells Bob to take a moment to calm down...
...and then we cut to inside, and Raylan is telling Lee Manners and Johns that he's there about Thompson...
...while outside, Shelby is climbing into the back seat with Hunter, gun in hand. Of course, since we all know the theory, you can see where this is going, but what's not clear is Shelby's intention with the gun, so there's a baseline level of tension that's extremely effective. To make things clear, Hunter apologizes about Arlo, as he meant it to be clean, but Shelby smiles that he was a "tough old bird." In only a look, these two reveal the years of history between them and then Hunter tells Shelby that all that stuff he said in the car was meant to indicate he'd never give him up. Shelby tells him he knows -- "I always knew" -- and Hunter replies, promo-style: "So what now, Drew?" Shelby looks at him and the camera goes down to his gun... but then he reaches into his pocket, pulls out his keys (I guess he's got a skeleton key that will work the cuffs), and drops them into Hunter's hand. Shelby (I'm just going to keep calling him that; live with it) says it's time for him to pull the ripcord for real (glad he can laugh about it now), and thanks him for everything he's done before telling him to take care and getting out of the car. And you might wonder why now, but Raylan said it himself: without Shelby revealing himself as Thompson and taking away the Dixie Mafia's motivation to kill Hunter, Hunter will die. And regardless of everything Shelby has done, that is apparently a bridge too far.
So here's the thing: I love the reveal, I think it makes sense from a dramatic standpoint and as sorry as I will be to lose Shelby (because I can't imagine a scenario in which he can stay on the show past this season), I think it's worth it from a story perspective. But my issue is simple: Even granting the fact that he had no reason to think his switcheroo with Waldo Truth would even be uncovered, if Shelby (as I'm guessing) knew that the one thing he could never do was reveal his identity, why did he run for an elected office like sheriff? Obviously there are still people in Harlan who can identify him and maybe none of them would give him up, but it seems needlessly risky. His ex-wife might have come across him, too. I will say, though, that part of the reason I have far less of a problem with it than I expected to is a new thought about the Ellen May situation. At first, I was wondering what the hell Shelby -- if he were Drew -- would be doing dicking around with Ellen May when it could end up attracting so much attention to him. However, now that I see his loyalty to Hunter, who has a blood feud going with the Crowders, I could see why he'd be willing to take the risk. It goes a ways to explain why he'd have played along with being in Boyd's pocket, too. Anyway, like a couple other points this season, I'm not sure it makes complete sense if you look at it from every angle, but it's so good story-wise that I'm essentially willing not to do that. So:
Inside, Johns and Lee Manners, much like Wynn before them, aren't sure what Raylan's doing there, and Johns makes disparaging comments about Hunter's relationship to the law. Bob, however, ignoring Raylan's attempts to get him to shut up, goes on about when he came to Harlan. Do you remember Bob blathering on about some kid he beat up back in high school? I skimmed over it because of his penchant for babbling and repeating himself, which is fitting, because Raylan is like, "This again?" Bob's point, however, is that both Hunter and Shelby did right by him back then when a lot of people wanted to punish him for what he did to the kid -- while Hunter was barely a recruit, he made Bob's juvie probation go away and even got him the job at the Save More. "Even when Shelby took the fall for Hunter, I knew I was lucky havin' those guys lookin' after me." At this, of course, Raylan starts paying actual attention, and Bob goes on that Hunter went after Henry Crowder for what happened to his niece and Miami got involved. But Shelby, who was Hunter's partner, took the heat in some backroom deal, which is when he left law and got into mine security. I guess the implication is that Shelby used his connections with the Detroit mafia to broker this deal, but that would have to mean he was leading a double identity even before he betrayed Theo Tonin -- as Bob said, he knew him at the time, and the name Drew Thompson is obviously meaningless to him. Man, I hope they explain all this sufficiently. Raylan does some quick math and heads back outside...
...where he finds Bob's car gone, his tires flat, and Hunter, uncuffed, reclining in the back seat, legs handing out the window. Upon seeing Raylan, Hunter languidly offers, "Guess we about hashed through all the bullshit now, huh Raylan?" Good line, Hunter, but you're asking for Raylan to take a hatchet to your feet. It'd be fitting this season. Raylan tells Bob to keep an eye on Hunter as he makes a call...
...while, speaking of hashing things out, Boyd is once again going over the points of Ellen May's supposed death with Colton. Colton supplies details that he's rehearsed well enough to be convincing, but this time Boyd has the benefit of being sure Colton is lying. Boyd asks to see the gun Colton claims he used, and after Colton hands it over and Boyd puts it away in a drawer, he pulls his own weapon and intones that he prefers a nine-millimeter -- which he then hands to Colton and instructs him to demonstrate exactly where the bullet entered when he pulled the trigger. Colton can't believe he's serious, but Boyd turns away and Colton jabs the thing into the back of his neck before handing it back. Boyd, however, is not nearly done with this psychological game and asks why he didn't shoot her in the front of the head, demonstrating by putting the gun's muzzle right up against Colton's forehead. Colton says he merely didn't want to scare Ellen May, but as Johnny limps into the room, Boyd -- looking like the undead and sounding (for him) hurt and betrayed -- cocks the gun and asks why. Why is Colton lying to him? Colton, probably thinking that coming clean will result in an exploded brain, tries to keep up the act until Johnny notes that asking Teri about Ellen May was a huge mistake, whereupon Colton apologizes and pleadingly says he messed up. In reply, Boyd pulls the trigger, but the chamber proves empty. Not so empty is Boyd's disapproval, as he tells Colton he has no idea what he's done, although he might amend that opinion if he'd seen all of Colton's behavior over the past few episodes. Colton explains everything that happened from his point of view and Boyd, not really interested, lets him babble -- until he gets to the part where Shelby knew that Ellen May was alive. Recalling how Shelby plied Boyd with insinuations that Boyd had killed Ellen May, Boyd is chagrined at "my Sherriff Shelby's" behavior, so he tells Johnny to get Colton out of his sight. Colton looks desperately at Boyd's back before silently leaving...
...while elsewhere, in Tim's car, Cassie is telling him that she's seen her share of addiction before noting that he had empathy for Colton. "You held back." Tim grins and tells her that when he takes Colton down, "his eyes'll be clear," and you'll forgive me, Tim (PLEASE forgive me), but that doesn't sound like a big incentive for Colton to get clean. Tim gives Cassie his card and asks her to call if any of "those men" turn up again, and she notes that it's been a while since anyone showed her a little kindness. You just dial it back a notch, missy -- you try to scam Tim and I will cut you. Tim then gets a call and says he has to go...
...while Boyd is in the middle, apparently, of sending an unwilling Ava into hiding as a precaution until he finds out what Shelby's up to -- especially since Ava's the one that would swing for Delroy's murder, not Boyd. And I know you two were hoping for a romantic wedding, but given that a husband and wife can't be made to testify again each other, you might want to speed up your timetable. Ava angrily says she should have killed Ellen May herself and Boyd replies, "Well, it may come to that yet." Heh. He sends her off...
...and then he's pulling up to Shelby's and getting out. He makes his way through the darkness, opens the front door, and goes in and calls Shelby's name -- whereupon he sees the light from a laser sight appear on his chest. Raylan's voice calls out a greeting and the lights go on, whereupon a cop gets Boyd to his knees and cuffs his hands behind his back. Seeing the array of lawmen from different branches in front of him, Boyd disgustedly realizes that Shelby is Drew Thompson, and I bet all these guys are wishing they'd thought to do a little more digging into Hunter's past.
Sometime later, outside the house, Raylan gets Hunter out of his car and asks why he didn't run, but Hunter wonders where he could have gone, adding that being on the lam with supermax people after him isn't any kind of life. I suppose Shelby could have fixed it for him to escape to the hill people, but I have a feeling Hunter wouldn't have been too jazzed about that possibility either. Hunter wonders if it's too late for even a reduced version of the deal, but Raylan -- after noting what Hunter told Shelby earlier about his words in the car -- says there's no deal with Thompson gone. Hunter then sincerely tells Raylan he's sorry about Arlo, but Raylan easily tells him not to be; they had a nice visit before Arlo passed and Arlo told Raylan he loved him. This already being hard enough to believe, Raylan adds a few touchy-feely details that let Hunter in on the joke, and Hunter drily agrees that it sounds like Arlo, all right. Raylan: "What can I say? The man never let me down." Raylan closes the car door and turns to leave, but Hunter keeps up his détente with Raylan by offering that if he takes after his mother "and not that old son of a bitch," he'll turn out all right. "But I wouldn't count on it. Because I think we both know whose voice it is makes you do what you do." He's a bad man, but has it ever been good to have Hunter back for a stint. He's certainly good with that hatchet. Raylan gives a trademark lopsided smile at that one and then he walks over to Tim and tells him, "Let's go find Drew Thompson." The two of them march forward in unison before we cut to credits, which is too bad, as I could watch Raylan and Tim united in badassery all day. See you week.
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.
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.