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With Shelby in the bag, Raylan is definitely up for a promotion, and he happily tells Winona about it; she's just as happy to tell him that they're having a girl. Raylan then learns that Shelby is being sent to supermax because he won't talk, and he won't talk because he wants the marshals to promise to rescue Ellen May. Art and Raylan initially tell him to stuff it, but when they hear who it is he wants to protect, Raylan talks Art into letting him take Tim and Rachel up to Nobles Holler to retrieve Ellen May. Meanwhile, Limehouse has apparently told Ellen May that he plans to take Boyd's money and still find a way to let her go, but Ellen May is resigned to the idea that she's going to die.
However he may be getting the information, Tonin hears about Shelby's desire to protect Ellen May, so Johnny calls Limehouse to see if he can purchase her. Limehouse is still nursing all kinds of grudges and flatly refuses to have any dealings with Johnny, especially not now that he's in bed with Detroit -- but Johnny reads this as Limehouse already having made a deal with Boyd. Augustine calls Boyd from Johnny's phone and, apologizing for his conduct toward Ava, offers to give him both his traitorous cousin and the money needed to purchase Ellen May; this leads to a tense meeting at the bar at which Augustine explains his plan: He wants them to buy Ellen May for him (presumably to use her against Shelby), whereupon he'll give them Johnny, and Ava, reasonably enough, decides she has to be the one to go up to see Limehouse. So: Are enough people converging on Nobles Holler for you?
Well, the marshals are the first there, but of course Limehouse is like, "Ellen May who?" so Tim waits for the staties to come search the Holler while Raylan and Rachel head to Harlan to talk to Boyd. Unbeknownst to any of them, however, Ava gets into Nobles via a back way, only to receive a lecture from Limehouse about how what she's been doing is going to cost her any peace of mind, and the news that he already let Ellen May go. Ava figures she's either gone to Nicky Kush or to Cassie, so she and Colton head for the church while Boyd, Augustine, and Picker go to Kush's. Ellen May is with Nicky, who sees the group arriving and manages -- while dressed in full-on paranoia combat gear -- to get the drop on them, but of course then can't hold it together to keep them at bay longer than a minute. They learn that Ellen May has headed for the church, but when Boyd calls Jimmy to give him instructions, he gets Raylan, so everyone goes scurrying toward another potential showdown.
At the church, Ellen May is telling Cassie what a miracle it is she's still alive, and goes on about Delroy; she's about to spill the identity of her accomplice when the woman herself arrives. Ellen May tries to get Ava to embrace some kind of goodness, and Cassie chimes in that Ava will have to kill her as well if she kills Ellen May, but things are looking awfully tense even before Colton shows. When it comes down to it, Ava can't pull the trigger and reports as much to Boyd, who of course calls Colton and tells him to do what his fiancée cannot. However, Tim shows up at that moment, and the women scatter to leave him and Colton to have their final showdown. After a goodbye smoke, Colton makes the exit he's been wanting for some time now by drawing on Tim, who drops him, only to take his sunglasses as a sign of respect for their shared experiences. Bet they'll look good on him, too.
In the end, Boyd tells a shattered Ava that they have to get rid of Delroy's body, while Raylan takes Ellen May to Lexington to be reunited with Shelby, and the tender hug they share isn't lost on Raylan. Also, Winona sits down to enjoy a lovely new comfortable pregnancy chair -- DELIVERED BY PICKER. I am scared, you guys.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Into the phone, Raylan is saying how there's talk of a trip to Washington for him to meet "the Director," and while promotion possibilities are still hearsay, his chances aren't exactly looking bad. The recipient of this information is Winona, who asks Raylan if he's signed the paperwork she sent over in Season Three... I mean, "last week." Raylan has been a little busy, of course, but she reminds him that it's to protect the baby "in case something happens to either one of us," and look, I'm going to be too terrified to remember to discuss this at the end of the episode, but I'm sure we've all figured that Raylan is not super-likely both to receive and enjoy a promotion without something terrible happening. But I'm not sure I can handle the show both killing Winona off and leaving Raylan to be a single dad. Of course, it's not like he'd remain single for long, am I right, ladies of Harlan/anywhere else, really? Winona oh-by-the-ways that it's important for Raylan to sign the papers before "she" is born, and Raylan steps into the office before his brain catches up with his ears and he realizes they're having a girl.
Inside, everyone applauds, not for the news Raylan just got but for the Shelby collar, which Raylan handles with his usual great social grace -- that is, by petulantly telling his adoring fans he's on the phone. Well, in a weird way, at least this shows success hasn't gone to his head. Turning back to the phone call, Raylan tells Winona he doesn't know anything about girls, and Winona replies, "That is so sweet, sayin' it like I don't already know." Hee. From what I hear about that show, I'm guessing Natalie Zea has missed dialogue like this over on The Following. Even Dunlop pats Raylan on the back, which I guess means Art decided not to euthanize him for stupidity, and then Raylan allows to Winona that this is "great news" before getting off the call.
Art, of course, gives him all requisite shit for not being able to respond to "positive attention," and Rachel asks if his success means he'll be getting a haircut, getting "Don't hold your breath" as a reply. Well, really, Rachel. A haircut would mean that hat would ride lower, and we can't have that.
Art then informs Raylan that his suspension for "the Hunter Thompson fiasco," as he's aptly referred to it in the past, begins immediately, but Raylan, seeing Shelby and Vasquez in the interior office, asks what's going on their way. Art explains that they're about to send Shelby to supermax, while in other news, Tonin has gone to ground, and the fact that one of the most notorious mobsters around is in an undisclosed location is I'm sure is just super-comforting for everyone to hear. There's some friction between Vasquez and Shelby, which you'd wonder about, given that Shelby had said he'd give the marshals everything they needed, and sensing this, Art tells Shelby that they're expending heavy resources on keeping him alive. "If you're about to gum that up, I'm liable to get my bowels in an uproar." Just don't ride with Raylan while you do -- he hates that. Shelby replies that his request is reasonable, and it soon comes out that he's asked for a guarantee of safety for a woman -- not his ex-wife, who's already under protection, but Ellen May. Raylan, joined by Art, tells Shelby to stick the "contingency rider" he's requesting up his ass, and that he's welcome to sit in prison waiting for Tonin's men to... well, it sounds like "fellate you like a perch," but that doesn't really fit with what I know about mobsters or fish, so I'm going to assume that Raylan's accent went to town on the word "fillet." Art adds some bluster of his own, but does then stop to ask Vasquez who the woman in question is...
...whereupon we cut to her. She sits up on her bed when she hears keys in the door, and when Limehouse enters, that frequent inscrutable look on his face, she asks if it's time for her to die. Possibly thrown a bit (at least for him) by her resignation, he sits and asks if she doesn't remember how he said he wouldn't let that happen, but while she does recall him telling her he'd find a way to take Boyd's money and still let her go, she tells him that even in that eventuality, she's going to end up dead. "So you just go ahead and do whatever it is that you got to do, and I will just sit here and wait for it to happen." That'd be a more affecting speech if I hadn't gotten it in my head that she's said the exact same thing to clients in the past. Nevertheless, Limehouse has clearly been affected by this woman, and how many hard-as-nails dudes on this show is she going to melt before she's done?
Somewhere other than the bar, Boyd, Ava, Colton and Jimmy are deciding their move. Jimmy thinks they should take care of Johnny and his betrayal now, but Boyd, looking deeply hurt, says he doesn't want to talk about his cousin. Colton, on the other hand, thinks they should go get Ellen May out of Nobles Holler, while Ava points out that Tonin is surely going to send someone to take care of Boyd now. Jimmy thinks hitting Nobles would be suicide, Ava guesses they should lie low, and all this talk makes Boyd look like a tension headache is thisclose to coming on, so he barks for them to be quiet before asking for a moment alone with Ava.
Colton and Jimmy duly depart, whereupon Boyd quotes Emerson: "Nothing brings you peace but the triumph of principles." I'm not sure there's any quote out there that suits Harlan less -- as I mentioned when Preacher Billy died, no one with any purity here can survive -- but Boyd is actually talking about not principles but prioritization as he tells Ava that her safety and freedom are paramount, and as such, they need to go after Limehouse to get Ellen May back. Ava disagrees, so Boyd comes up with another maxim: "A man who speaks out of both sides of his mouth deserves to have it permanently shut." That's actually a Boyd Crowder original, which is why there's probably no quote out there that suits Harlan more. Credits.
Heading into his office with Raylan in tow, Art chuckles about Shelby "and the hooker with the heart of gold," and if that's not making you picture Jim Beaver playing Richard Gere's character in Pretty Woman, I don't know what will other than me and Art both saying it. Raylan notes that Ellen May is no Julia Roberts, and now I'm picturing Ellen May as Erin Brockovich and things are really threatening to get out of control, so let's focus on Raylan speculating that Shelby might be trying to take a parting shot at Boyd. And no disrespect to the purity of Shelby's intentions in saving Ellen May, but you have to think Raylan might have a bit of a point, not that Art cares either way. The moment at which Art does start to pay attention, however, is when Raylan says he'll go get Ellen May, Art's like, who? and also, you're suspended. It goes on a while, but Raylan does that "C'mooooooon, Dad" thing he does with Art far more often than you'd think, and sure enough, first Art at least allows that he'll send Tim and Rachel up to Nobles. That's not sufficient for Raylan, of course, so they argue a bit more until Art asks if he's even talked to Winona lately, which is Raylan's cue to be like, as a matter of fact, I did -- and we're having a girl. Rather than say a prayer for the child's soul, Art asks if maybe this news isn't more of a reason for Raylan to spend a little time at home, but Raylan's like, "Pleeeeeeeeeeeease," only he says it like a snapping Doberman would. He offers to take Tim and Rachel with him, and Art gets that "I'm getting too old for this shit" face that lets us know he's ready for the scene to end.
At the bar, Augustine enters the main room to find Johnny, and he's genial enough toward him, although that could be due to the fact that Johnny has enough ammunition in front of him to wipe out a medium-sized Kentucky town. He does think maybe Johnny needs to own up to the fact that he bit the hand that fed him, but Johnny, like people everywhere without a good backup plan, complains that Augustine was supposed to get Shelby. Pretty ballsy of him to say so considering he's the biggest reason Augustine failed there. Augustine asks if Johnny wants to keep "helping" or not, and Johnny's feeling sassy enough to ask what that means -- "digging graves for your crew?" Augustine blithely agrees that he's "lost some ballast," and frankly, with everything having gone as badly as it has, I wonder how he can be in such a good mood. He's got to answer to Tonin at some point, right?
Augustine goes on that he's still got Picker -- from his seat across the room, Picker silently acknowledges that -- before telling Johnny there might still be a way for him to "help." Johnny asks how, so Augustine informs him that "your uncle Theo" has ears everywhere, and lately, he's heard about Shelby holding up his deal because of "some trailer-park bunk bunny he wants protected" with "some tragic Southern name," or as Johnny calls her, "Ellen May." Of course, Augustine did mention that Barclay wasn't Tonin's only mole in these parts, but that's still awfully quick and specific intel for him to have. Could Vasquez be in his pocket?
Limehouse is busy recording some business stuff, probably filling in his ledger entry for number of Northerner hands cleaved this month or whatever, when one of his underlings informs him he's got a call from Johnny, and Limehouse takes a moment to figure out how to play this before greeting Johnny by saying that the last time they spoke, Johnny wasn't too pleased with him. Johnny tries his best (he could use some practice) to be conciliatory before bringing up "our whore," saying that he was told the asking price is three hundred thousand. Limehouse, far too old a hand to deal in criminal facts over the phone, takes pains to say that he doesn't know what Johnny's talking about before asking where, even if he did, Johnny would get that kind of money. Johnny tells him he's got partners, but Limehouse is like, oh, yes, Detroit, I really love those guys, considering they cost me all my money and all I got out of it was an arm to feed to my favorite pig. [Note: Does with mean Quarles isn't dead? I'm scared! -- Rachel.] Johnny, discomfited at how many steps ahead of him Limehouse is, tries to focus on the cash, but Limehouse is like, it's a toss-up whether I hate you or the Detroit guys more, so you all can go screw. "Goodbye, Johnny Crowder. Don't you ever call here again." It'd probably be clear who won that round even if Johnny had a better poker face, but at least then Augustine might not sardonically remark how "fantastic" the chat sounded. He does wonder what kind of man turns down three hundred grand, but Johnny replies, "The kind of man that already made that deal with my cousin." I hope Johnny doesn't strain his bum leg, jumping to conclusions as he is.
Now, you know how much I love listening to Boyd Crowder speak, but this whole scene consists of him planning an invasion of Nobles Holler that will be scrapped in like two minutes, so you'll forgive me for sticking to the very basic point, which is that he plans to rig a few of the structures therein with Emulex (that's a brand of explosive, which I'd think goes beyond the normal realm of product placement), not telling Limehouse which ones are threatened but informing him that if he doesn't hand over Ellen May, "come Thanksgiving he can serve all the dark meat he wants." Just in case you thought Boyd's racism had died with his religious fervor, I guess.
However, this lovely discussion is interrupted by the ringing of Boyd's phone, and his eyes go wide before he shows everyone the caller ID, which reads "Johnny." Frankly, I'm surprised Boyd hasn't taken the time to change it to "Judas" or "Benedict Arnold," but I suppose he's been pretty busy lately. Boyd gets a surprise, though, when it's Augustine on the other end of the line, but does say that after the way he spoke to his "woman," he's got as much in the way of balls calling him as would Johnny. Augustine apologizes for his "bad manners," and goes on to talk about respect and the hope they can still do business, and it reads much more as "going through the motions to get a meeting" than "actual remorse," but that's just as well, I suppose, since Boyd would never have read it as anything but. Also, Johnny is standing by, unrestrained, and no spoilers but he might want to enjoy that while he can. Boyd's feelings on the apology are unclear, but he does wonder what's in any kind of cooperation for him, so Augustine offers him the money to buy Ellen May, and also "your cousin Johnny." You know, Augustine said this to Boyd last episode, but it's actually Johnny who really can't catch a break. And Boyd may not trust Augustine, but he can't help chuckling regardless: "That's what I call a sweet deal." Seriously, Boyd, even if it's not true, you should enjoy it for a moment or two.
It probably won't surprise you to hear that Boyd and his crew's entrance into the bar results in several guns being drawn, but Augustine appears from the back with his hands held up in that universal "we're all friends here; no need for anyone to lose any organs" gesture, and soon everyone's seated comfortably -- well, except Johnny, who's tied to a chair in the middle of the room, which seems like ill enough treatment given that, at least nominally, it's his bar. Ava looks mildly discomfited on seeing him, although frankly I did wonder at first if his apparent plight was faked as a means to lure Boyd in. Boyd then has Augustine apologize to Ava for his discourtesy, and Augustine tells her he was far from his "best self" that day, due in part to having been in "a bar like this." I do love how he's essentially calling their bar a shithole in the process of trying to make things right, but Ava doesn't take apparent offense. Instead, she nods to Boyd that she's satisfied, so he and Augustine sit down, whereupon Picker produces a metal suitcase that, when opened, is revealed to contain...well, enough to buy a pretty nice house on Clover Hill, if history is any precedent.
Boyd asks what, in exchange for Johnny and all this cash, it is that Augustine wants, and Augustine replies that the money is to buy Ellen May, but Boyd points out that if Augustine has the money and, indicating Johnny, "this duplicitous piece of shit" working for him, it's unclear why he needs Boyd. Augustine tells him that Johnny couldn't get to "Lemonhead" (you'll forgive me if I take a moment to picture Limehouse doing a rendition of "Into Your Arms"), so if Boyd can execute the transaction, Johnny is all his. Boyd wonders why in the world Augustine would want Ellen May, so Johnny pipes up that Shelby won't testify unless she's safe, and they want to leverage her. He doesn't get any farther before one of Augustine's men smacks him, and honestly, this is the part that felt most fake to me -- I can't believe Johnny would really be so dumb to think a blurted comment would win any favor back from Boyd. It seemed far more likely this was just a bit to make the situation look good.
Boyd has one more question -- what are Augustine's plans for Ellen May once she's served her purpose? Augustine: "We're gonna take her to Six Flags." Don't let her hear you say that, Augustine -- she won't shut up about it even after she's dead. Apparently, though, this satisfies Boyd, who obviously wants to be sure Ellen May won't be in any position to blab any secrets that would incriminate his wife-to-be, so Augustine suggests they take two cars -- but Ava interjects that she should take the money, alone, as she's an exception to Limehouse's rule of hating white people. Augustine balks momentarily, but then decides that as long as Boyd stays behind, he's okay with it. "All I want is the whore." He never did get that blowjob, you know. Ava heads out, whereupon Boyd gets a smile on his face: "What're we drinking?" Anything but brandy, is the response I was hoping for.
At Nobles Holler, Raylan, Tim and Rachel mosey up to Limehouse's BBQ joint, and the man himself emerges to ask what the hell they want. After some talk of pulled pork and Raylan and Tim being labeled "crackers," Limehouse addresses Rachel as "little sister," and Rachel wonders if by that he's trying to put her in her place. He replies that all he sees from her is "a little old Aunt Jemima taking orders from the man," and Limehouse, you are seriously as badass as it gets even on this show, but still: I wouldn't. Rachel replies that he's probably wondering if he can get her to break rank and put him in his place. "Keep talkin' shit and we'll see." Heh. Limehouse gives an amused meow, and Raylan tells him if he'll just give them what they want, they'll be only too glad to depart. Limehouse asks if he's supposed to "intuit" what that might be, as if I didn't love him enough already, and this leads to the expected denials of any knowledge of Ellen May and Rachel offering to put a boot up Limehouse's ass. Raylan decides to cut through the bullshit and tells Limehouse that this was Ellen May's last-reported location, and she may have been held against her will. Limehouse replies that if she were in Nobles at any point, she isn't now, but the marshals are welcome to search "this whole hundred-odd acres of this entire holler." Raylan doesn't look thrilled at the prospect, but that's nothing to Rachel's face when Limehouse gives her another meow.
Back at their vehicles, Tim can't believe they're really going to search the entirety of Nobles just on the off chance that Ellen May is there, but Raylan says the staties live for this kind of shit, and they'll be there in half an hour. Besides, having threatened Limehouse with a search, he has to deliver -- plus, he was rude to Rachel. Tim: "Well, okay." Aw yeah. Gotta love marshal solidarity. Having secured Tim's agreement, Raylan's like, gotta head to Harlan, and Rachel, why don't you come? Tim wonders why he gets stuck guarding the road to Nobles until the staties get there, so Raylan tells him it's because he'll keep a level head. Nodding to Rachel, he adds, "she's out of control" (hee), before wondering if they didn't wake up that morning with the intention of messing up a bad guy's day. "I did." Once again: Aw yeah. Rachel smiles at Tim before heading to the car and wondering what's in Harlan, and Raylan tells her from Limehouse's comment that people have been looking for Ellen May "all day," he figures Boyd's been there. Well, not quite, but close enough, because after Tim HILARIOUSLY gives Limehouse's nearby men some sarcastic jazz hands...
...Ava is brought in to see Limehouse, who remarks how lucky she is to have been ferried in via the back way. After some talk about the marshals and their imminent search, Ava assures him she'll be gone by the time they arrive; she then opens the briefcase. Thinking she's going to be handing Limehouse a lot of cash, she decides to accompany it with a lecture about the ethics of his business practices and the question of whether he has any friends. Limehouse, however, isn't one to let others get away with speechifying without taking his turn, and he tells Ava that he's been wondering lately what makes people get away from who they are. Sorry, Ava, but you did kind of open the door for this. Limehouse goes on that in trying to protect Nobles, he associated with the wrong people and very nearly lost everything. Ava thinks the cash she's offering should be a help, then, but Limehouse's point is that when he looks at Ava now, he sees someone he's not sure he even knows anymore, and he realizes that he can't do what she's asking -- and she shouldn't be able to either. It's hard to argue, given that Ava herself complained about how much Ellen May's "death" haunted her, but it's also a moot point, as Limehouse adds that he already let Ellen May go. Ava is displeased enough that she addresses him as "Limehouse" instead of her usual "Ellstin," and she turns to go, but Limehouse stops her and points out all the things she's done with no regard for the consequences to other people. "Are you gonna have peace of mind when this is all over?" I can think of worse people to give the episode title to than Limehouse. And while people often get punished on this show for attacks of conscience -- Colton is a good example -- I'm glad to see Limehouse actually care about someone else. Ava glares at Limehouse, probably because this hits her hard, and departs...
...but she still doesn't hesitate to call Boyd and tell him what's up, and Boyd's pained expression in response sure has become familiar. Ava goes on that she figures Ellen May either went to Nicky Kush or to Cassie, so Boyd says he'll send Colton to meet Ava at the church while he and presumably Augustine and Co. head over to Kush's. And if anyone had any doubts, he sure must love Ava to split up the assignment this way.
Turns out Ellen May is behind Door Number One, as Kush is pleadingly telling her that she can't be there. He talks about Boyd's eyes -- "there's a blackness behind 'em" -- and how much trouble he'll be in if he discovers Kush helped her, and he's so stoner-paranoid that he looks like he's even getting on Ellen May's nerves, which is hilarious. Of course, with the tough guys she's charmed this season, Kush doesn't have a chance, but before he can hand her his car key, he hears something, and although he makes a rather bigger show about it than is necessary, a look out the window shows he was right...
...as Augustine, Boyd and Picker have just pulled up. Before they head in, Boyd warns Augustine that Kush is "a little touched," to which Augustine wonders if he should be scared. Boyd: "Not if you're secure in your political views." Hee. Boyd sends Picker to the back while he and Augustine take the front...
...and then they're inside, and even Augustine is like "Jesus" at the evidence of the guy being like the Utne Reader come to life. He wonders if Kush got scared off, and Boyd concedes "that drill bit was probably a little much," but Picker has realized the shower is running, and he beckons them to the back before pulling the curtain... to discover no one therein. Kush then pops up from his hiding spot, holding a semiautomatic and dressed in full body armor and helmet, and screams that he's got these "assholes" now, while Augustine has got to be wondering if Shelby is really worth all this.
When we return, Kush is still yelling in that angry-stoner way as Boyd languidly starts to talk about bank robbers in California who wore body armor. Kush gets Picker and then Augustine to disarm, seeing through the latter's claim that he's just the driver, before telling Boyd that yes, actually, he did read that piece. Boyd wonders if Kush remembers what the body armor's weakness is as he lowers his gun to the floor -- but instead of placing it down, he shoots Kush in the foot with it. Kush spazzes out, of course, spraying bullets everywhere before comically toppling over, and Boyd gets the punch line: "They didn't armor their feet, asshole!" Hee. Also, can I just point out that this season has seen Roz get stabbed in the foot, Josiah Cairn lose his foot, Yolo get stabbed in the leg, and now Kush take a bullet to the foot. I don't know if I'd resort to wearing body armor in Harlan, but at the very least shin guards and steel-toed boots seem like a good idea. Boyd menaces Kush's other foot with his gun as he asks where Ellen May is...
...while Raylan and Rachel are entering the bar to find Jimmy, his semiautomatic at the ready, who informs them the bar's closed. Raylan: "Surely you're not brandishing a weapon at two Deputy U.S. Marshals, puttin' yourself at risk for arrest, imprisonment or worse?" Hee. And Jimmy, I think you're pretty much standing on the spot on which Raylan gunned down Deputy Enforcer, so you'd do well to heed his words here. When Jimmy's attention strays to Rachel for like half a second, Raylan whips the gun right out of his hands and marches him into the back room, whereupon he tells the Tonin lackeys therein to disarm. Raylan notes that Johnny, who's still tied to the chair, has seen better days, and Johnny snits that ever since he helped out Raylan and Rachel, he's "been shitting rainbows." I can't believe Johnny would blab that, given that he was directly responsible for the marshals showing up before Augustine could get his hands on Shelby, but luckily none of the people in the room seem smart enough really to grasp what he's talking about, even though Jimmy does ask what he means. Also, this is the part that makes it clear to me that Johnny's prisoner status here is genuine. However, Rachel then surveys the crowd to see if anyone knows where Ellen May is; hearing no responses, Raylan tells Jimmy to get Boyd on the phone.
After some reluctance from Jimmy is cured by Raylan administering his fist to Jimmy's solar plexus, Jimmy gasps out the question of why Raylan has to be such a dick. Raylan replies that it's his job: "It'd be weird if you liked me." But understandable! Raylan punctuates his sentiment by throwing Jimmy's face into the desk, whereupon Jimmy's phone rings, and guess what -- it's Boyd. After chuckling about that, Raylan takes the phone and informs Jimmy that he'll play along after Raylan puts the thing on speaker. And Raylan, Jimmy may be hot enough to be cock of the trailer-park walk, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't do better with more-specific instructions. As soon as Jimmy croaks out a "hey" under duress, Boyd urgently babbles that he needs to take Augustine's men to Cassie's church, where he hears Ellen May should be. This is enough for Raylan to pipe up that he'd like to send him and his friends from Detroit a message: "You lost. Give up. Go home." Boyd is exasperated as he confirms Augustine query as to whether that was "the marshal in the hat," and, after Augustine asks for his name and Boyd gives it to him (explains the last scene), Boyd tells everyone they have to go...
...while back at the bar, Johnny's like, um, how about a little protection, given that I helped you nab Shelby and now Tonin's men will get me, even in jail? Raylan, however, leaves the decision to Rachel, as he's "late for church." Heh. But, and it's not like I doubt Rachel's ability at all, but there are a few very mean guys in the room. Some backup wouldn't be amiss.
Ellen May is at the church, as a matter of fact, and she tells Cassie that since "this all" started, she's been praying, promising God she'd change her wicked ways should He help her out of the jam she's been in. She goes on that even though she wasn't worthy, she asked God for help because Cassie told her He'd listen, and Cassie smiles and affirms that He does. Ellen May then tells Cassie that up at Nobles, she was waiting to die and prayed again, and found herself delivered. She looks on the verge of tears as she says that made her realize she's still worthy of God's love before telling Cassie that she knows she's told her she's done horrible things, but she never revealed how she "sunk a man" who was shot right in front of her "down a splinter shaft off Black Lake Road," and how she's been covering up for the killer ever since. Ellen May then brightens as she speculates that God let her out of that room in Nobles Holler so she could come tell Cassie this thing -- whereupon Ava enters, gun in hand, and, sounding way less prepared for this than she probably wishes, asks Ellen May if she thinks telling "this girl" her sins will clean her slate?
Answering her own question, she says it won't, and giving weight to her statement is the fact that she's sounding like a member of the damned herself. Ellen May, however, disagrees, and says that if God can forgive her, she can forgive Ava, and Ava can find peace (there's that word again) and repentance. Ava replies that peace comes from doing what your heart tells you, but this isn't exactly her strongest argument, given that her heart sounds like it's breaking and she hasn't even raised her weapon yet. Ava goes on that everything else, like Limehouse letting her go, is just people making choices and has nothing to do with God, but Ellen May, showing far more aplomb than I would have expected, asks Ava what choice she's making right now. Cassie pipes up that if she dispatches Ellen May, Ava will have to kill her too, but Ava isn't impressed, and she's got her gun outstretched when Colton appears and is like, HEY now!
Ellen May, continuing to impress, tells him that Ava's about to finish what he started, but Colton is more concerned with whether this is what Boyd wants. Ellen May just keeps looking at Ava with a loving, beatific expression, and Ava admits to Colton that she doesn't know, so Colton steps forward and stands right to Ellen May as he asks what she's going to do. I think he's purposefully making it even harder for her because he doesn't want her to stain her soul, and sure enough, after another moment, she lowers the gun and immediately calls Boyd. He starts to tell her they're on their way, but she admits she couldn't do it; she apologizes, but tells him it's not who she is. He assures her it's fine, but when he hangs up, he immediately calls Colton, and we don't hear what's said, but Colton turns to Ellen May, gun in hand. Ava starts to stop him because if she couldn't kill Ellen May herself I doubt she wants to stand by and watch him blow her brains out, but on reflection, what happened to the idea of using her as leverage? This is like the question of whether Shelby was supposed to be taken alive all over again, and here it's true that Shelby might not testify were he to find out that Ellen May was killed, but it hardly seems like a bet you'd go all in on.
But all this becomes irrelevant when Tim appears, gun drawn, and tells the women to back away from Colton, which they all do, with no one making a bigger show of displaying her empty hands than Ava. Hee. Girl may have some issues to work out, but she's not stupid. Colton can't believe his luck, and it's like déjà vu all over again as they reassume their positions from a few episodes ago, with Tim telling Colton to drop his weapon and Colton casually refusing. Colton then gets out a cigarette (lighting it one-handed like a total pro), and you probably don't need to remember the scene in which he killed Mark to grasp the significance of that. Speaking of whom, Tim repeats the question from the last time they stood here: "Did you kill my friend?" Colton takes the long way before admitting that he was "collateral damage," and he goes on that he's sorry about Mark -- he purposefully uses his name -- "but I think most of him died somewhere in Kandahar." Tim's like, possibly true but definitely irrelevant, and tries one more time to get him to disarm, but Colton merely takes a looooong drag off his smoke before drawing on Tim, who drops him, and you have to love the touch of him exhaling the smoke with his last dying breath.
Still, this is a rare time when the show went to the completely predictable place -- it's true you have to see the story you're telling through to the end, but Colton ending his troubled life with this quasi-suicide is a development you could have seen coming from Afghanistan, and frankly, in my opinion, it was a wasted opportunity from a character standpoint to give Tim an ironclad marshal justification to take Colton down. Jacob Pitts and Rob Eldard acted the shit out of this (while I'm up, Abby Miller has been terrific too, especially once Ellen May and Shelby got together), but I think more could have been done. But it's too late now, and I guess Cassie's church has the dubious distinction of now having seen multiple deaths on the premises in the past several days. Even for Harlan, that's pretty bad. As a sign of respect or military camaraderie or whatever, Tim pockets Colton's shades, and as I mentioned in the recaplet, I'm looking forward to seeing those on him.
Raylan arrives at the church and sees Colton's corpse lying just where he last saw it. He asks Tim if anyone else was hurt, and Tim, looking glum about recent events, shakes his head no. Raylan then collects Ellen May, who asks if she can see Shelby. Raylan replies that they've really jumped through all the hoops they're going to for Ellen May, but "if you're civil and easy to get along with I'll let you roll the window down on the way back to Lexington." Hee. When he puts her in the car, though, he apparently feels bad enough about being flip to her that he adds that Shelby is still looking out for her, which brings a real smile to her face. Raylan is heading to the driver's side when a deputy of Shelby's asks if he was involved in the shooting, and given that this is the guy who was not particularly enamored of the way Raylan treated him and his co-workers back at Cairn's, it's probably just as well that Raylan can honestly answer in the negative.
Sometime soon after, presumably, Colton's corpse is finally covered, and then we follow Tim out of the church/tent to a picnic bench at which a shaken Cassie is seated. She tells him Billy was the true believer, while she just went along and helped keep the place afloat, and that sounds like a pretty charitable description of her financial involvement with the church, but she's had a rough day so I'm going to let it slide. She goes on that her heart isn't so pure: "May God forgive me, but I've been prayin' and prayin' that it'd be Boyd Crowder that your bullet found." I guess my turn toward charity means I'm going to have to forgive her mangled tense usage as well. Tim looks at her with concern...
...while the object of her maleficent feelings, Boyd, is looking even more beaten down than he did a couple episodes ago as Ava tells him she's sorry about his friend, and I'm sure she's feeling at least a little guilty about Colton's death, given that if she'd been able to bring herself to pull her trigger, Colton wouldn't be dead -- at least not yet. However, he tells Ava that he both understands and respects her decision not to kill Ellen May, "on every level." Ava, still looking like she's hanging on by a thread, thinks that maybe their misfortune is just their fate, but Boyd says he doesn't, he can't, believe in fate -- not anymore. He leans forward and tells her there's one more thing they can do to protect themselves -- dispose of Delroy's body once and for all. And I don't know how much Ava heard at the church or if she shared it with Boyd, so it's not clear if that's what's motivating this idea, but regardless, Cassie knows where the body is now, and she's wishing harm on Boyd. All that makes it seem like we might have another race on our hands. Boyd hugs Ava tight and asks if she believes in him, and the answer is yes...
...while in Lexington, Ellen May is pacing nervously as she awaits Shelby's arrival. He finally appears, hands cuffed in front of him, and the uncomplicated smile he exchanges with Ellen May is both rare and beautiful. Raylan deigns to let her embrace Shelby, and while Raylan doesn't look at them, the pan over to him suggests that their mutual affection is touching him in spite of himself.
So now we're with Winona, and I have to tell you I knew right away essentially where this was going even on first watch, so you'll give me credit for typing with my skin crawling throughout this entire scene. She's getting a delivery of a "glide chair" that will help alleviate back pain through her pregnancy, apparently, and she's not too worried that whoever gifted this to her has chosen to remain anonymous, as she figures it's just Raylan being Raylan. The delivery guy then shows us his face, AND IT'S PICKER, who's just polite as can be as he says "ma'am" like five hundred times and ascertains the baby's sex before getting out of there. The only way to make this scene scarier would have been to have Picker attempt a Southern accent. Winona sits in the chair and smiles, and I seriously was bracing myself for the chair to fucking explode right there. I mean, I know she's with child, but they killed Kiefer's pregnant wife on 24 (SPOILER), and Winona isn't even a series regular anymore! But no -- Winona simply rocks back and forth a bit before we go to credits, which means whatever nefarious plan Detroit has for her will have to wait until week's season finale. See you then!
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.