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With Shelby and Ellen May squared away, it's time for Raylan to serve his suspension, so he goes up to Winona's in answer to a call regarding some confusion about multiple rocking chairs. When he arrives, though, he learns that the situation is a bit more involved than a delivery mix-up -- some Detroit men we haven't had the privilege of meeting before have guns on Winona, and as such they'd like Raylan's assistance on a little excursion -- to collect Shelby. But Raylan and Winona, both separately and together, are not to be underestimated, and they end up decorating their baby's nursery with the three thugs' blood -- but not before the leader warns Raylan that even if he escapes them, he and his will be on Augustine's marked list for eternity.
Boyd and his crew are preparing for the salvage effort for Delroy's body, which is a bit involved given that the mine hasn't been operational in decades, and a mine in disrepair can apparently be dangerous? Unfortunately, by the time they get to the site, the Sheriff's Department has already recovered the corpse -- possibly having been tipped off by Ellen May in her deposition -- which Ava thinks means they have no choice but to flee. Boyd, however, calls a meeting with Deputy Mooney and Lee Manners, the latter of whom you may recall owns a funeral home, and tells them that Delroy's body is currently within the walls of his business -- lawmen often use funeral homes as field morgues, apparently. After confirming from Mooney (he's in Clover Hill's pocket, btw) that an official ID has not yet been made to the corpse, Boyd offers Lee Manners the chance to wipe their slate clean by switching out Delroy's body for that of some other poor sucker, and just like that, Jimmy and Boyd are out on a nice grave-robbing errand. It may be illegal, but it's great exercise!
Raylan gets some ammunition when he learns from Art and Vasquez that Tonin has departed for Tunisia, apparently never to return, and his son Sammy -- you remember him from his little conflict with Quarles last season -- apparently has no love lost for Augustine. Art also tells Raylan that he's sympathetic to his plight, truly he is -- but if he goes after Augustine, he can save himself the trouble of coming back, so the seasonal theme of people having to choose what's right in the abstract versus what's right for them is coming to a head -- especially when Raylan assures Winona that he's going to take care of the situation.
Boyd brings the other body back to the bar and sends Jimmy off to get Lee Manners' funeral truck, so everything's going as well as can be expected -- until Raylan shows up and demands Boyd take him to see Augustine. When Raylan threatens Ava's liberty, Boyd seethes but acquiesces, so Ava and Jimmy are forced to finish the errand on their own. Ava, presumably not wanting to spread culpability around more than she has to, drops Jimmy off and goes to put Delroy's body in a slurry pond -- but Mooney, double-crossing Boyd on Lee Manners' order, picks her up. When Boyd arrives at the scene and sees Ava in the police car, he completely loses it and attacks Mooney before the other deputies subdue him, but despite that, Lee Manners sneeringly has Mooney let Boyd go -- but not without it being revealed that it was Cassie, not Ellen May, who gave the police the information about Delroy. I don't know what Boyd's reaction is going to be, but it wouldn't surprise me if Emulex is involved.
Augustine and Picker have a little confab in which we learn they're already overdue to head back to Detroit and kiss Sammy's new ring, and which also reveals the idea that Sammy isn't the only one who thinks Augustine is a hothead blowhard -- Picker's getting a little tired of his recklessness too. Meanwhile, on their way to the meeting, Boyd and Raylan have a little chat in which they each essentially accuse the other of being a hypocrite -- that they'll sacrifice principles to get what they want and still convince themselves they're not the bad guys. Then, to punctuate that idea, Raylan meets with Augustine in his car, and Augustine tells Raylan he's not armed, and he's sure Raylan won't just kill him -- although that is the only way he can save his family, whom he'll be back for just as soon as he murders Sammy. But Raylan, as it happens, has an ace in the hole -- he's called Sammy and let him in on everything, bringing him down to Harlan, and after Raylan tells him everything that's happened, he walks resolutely away as Sammy's men execute Augustine without even waiting for Raylan to exit the scene.
The season ends with Winona and Raylan sharing a loving kiss before Winona heads off to visit her mother and the triumphant return of Wynn, who tells Boyd he's now Sammy's man in Kentucky -- and he'd like to honor his promise for Boyd to run his heroin business. Boyd is so lost and shattered he can barely nod his agreement, and he sadly returns to that house on Clover Hill he and Ava were going to buy. Raylan, for his part, symbolically spackles up the hole in Arlo's wall that started this whole season before sitting his suspended self in the yard and contemplating who he is in light of what he allowed to happen, showing that what made this season so amazing is that it never forgot the character beats even when plot alone would more than have sufficed.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!First off, congrats to the show on being renewed for a fifth season! Obviously, we don't have to discuss what a boneheaded move it would have been on FX's part to do any different, but I'm sure the writers, crew and actors were thrilled for the news to become official. As am I! Now:
In Lexington, Art is genially noting that everything has been squared away, and Raylan confirms that Shelby is on his way to a safe house, while Ellen May is in "a little no-tell motel until we figure out what to do with her." It's unusual for her, I know, but given her current venue and her chosen profession I'd think she might have some ideas. Raylan tosses a folder onto Art's desk and adds that the paperwork's all done; Art asks if there isn't one more thing he needs to do before his suspension, but Raylan tells him he's all set. Art: "That was supposed to be withering sarcasm." And that, Art, was you giving up too easily. You could easily have ridden that joke for another couple of lines.
Surprisingly, though, Raylan takes the bait as he defends himself for being "thorough," but Art's like, Raylan, you'd move all the hills in Kentucky if it meant you'd get out of attending a birthing class. Raylan chuckles, at least, before telling Art that, as it happens, he's off for some fatherly duties now -- he got a call from Winona about getting two rocking chairs. I don't know if the call was made under duress, but if not, does that mean Raylan got her a rocking chair too? I guess the fact that he doesn't mention it makes it unlikely. It's not like he has many other attentive-father achievements to brag about. For the record, Art tells Raylan he can consider himself suspended, and after Raylan's like, kthanksbai, he asks Tim if he's all right about the guy he shot. Tim's like, right as rain, and Raylan tells him that if he needs to talk, "you got Rachel"/"I got Rachel," they say at the same time. Aww, those boys. Speaking of Rachel, she tells Raylan to avoid the color pink when decorating the baby's nursery, and Tim mutters, "I coulda told him that." This show rarely fails to meet my expectations, but if there isn't a Season Five Uncle Tim/Aunt Rachel scene, I just don't even know what.
Boyd, Ava and Jimmy have loaded up the van with the equipment they'll need to retrieve Delroy's body, and the fact that it's now daylight suggests getting everything together was no minor errand. Jimmy is not thrilled at the logistics of the mission -- the fact that they can expect their quest to take him a hundred and fifty feet down into the mine shaft is fairly insalubrious, not to mention the fact that the mine has been out of operation for some three generations. Ava then calls Boyd up to the van's cab and expresses a different concern -- he always told her moving a body is an excellent way to get caught, but Boyd tells her that's exactly why it's only an option when you have no other. I guess they're pretty sure Ellen May is going to roll on them, but if they're so convinced, I'm not sure why they don't think it's already happened. Maybe they're counting on the time it generally takes for Ellen May's brain to process thoughts. Boyd raises his voice to ask Jimmy if they're good, and Jimmy closes the van's rear doors with a "lock and load," because he really is That Guy.
Cut to the mine shaft in question, and deep therein, the corpse is located -- only not by Boyd or his crew, but a lawman. He radios the news and a request for more equipment...
...and when Boyd and Co. arrive at the scene, they find the place littered with deputies. The ranking officer is apparently Nate Mooney, whom we've seen several times but I (and possibly the show) never saw fit to give a name before; however, he is the guy I mentioned last episode who asked Raylan if he was involved in Colton's shooting. Boyd asks him what's going on, and Mooney tells him they got a tip from the staties about a body in a mineshaft. Boyd offers that there are always rumors about that sort of thing -- having been a miner, he'd know -- but Mooney informs him that this isn't a rumor. He looks dramatically behind him, and Boyd's poker face betrays him momentarily as he sees a couple officers lugging a body bag. Recovering, he tells Mooney that he picked the wrong day for a picnic before heading back to the van, wherein Ava, looking pretty panicked, asks what they do now, but Boyd's only response is a grim look. Ava, I know you wanted that house in Clover Hill, but I'm thinking it's just as well you haven't yet put down roots here.
Here's Raylan walking up to Winona's house, a gift of some sort in hand, and I guess the fact that she seems to reside in a pretty nice neighborhood explains why he doesn't seem suspicious to find the front door ajar. If he had suspicions, though, they'd be confirmed by the appearance of a bearded thug at the top of the stairs, who, as we see another armed guy behind Raylan, tells Raylan that they need to address how not to make this the worst day of Raylan's life. We then cut over to Ellen May, who's just chilling in her hotel... I'M KIDDING OPENING CREDITS OBVIOUSLY.
As Winona, who looks like hell but appears unhurt, and Raylan exchange concerned and desperate looks, the kidnappers (is it "kidnapping" if you don't remove the victim from her home? Eh, fuck it) exchange idle words about the night-vision feature the camera Raylan brought apparently came with before the lead guy asks if his underling is sure the frisk he performed was complete, given that it produced only one gun and no badge. To explain the latter, Raylan pipes up that he's been suspended, and then, in response to another comment about the time a parent could spend watching her child, Winona replies that the manufacturers of the camera probably guess its buyers would do anything to keep their kids safe. The lead kidnapper is impressed with her thinly-veiled threat, adding that before Raylan arrived, Winona told them that if they left before he got there, they might live through the day. Raylan doesn't confirm the accuracy of the statement, but does smile that that's why he loves Winona, which LK is happy to hear, since the part they'd like Raylan to play for them requires a little acting, so he's glad Raylan won't have to dig deep for his motivations. If that's meta commentary on Tim Olyphant's repeated statements that playing Raylan is "easy," I'll tip Raylan's hat to the writers.
To provide some context as to what he wants, LK asks Raylan if he's seen The Friends Of Eddie Coyle, and Raylan, it being a pretty good bet that he's made a point to catch everything in the Robert Mitchum oeuvre, affirms that. The point is that LK is planning to leave one of his men with Winona, and if anything happens to botch their errand, he'll kill her. Raylan asks, still referring to the film's plot, if the guy means that they're going to rob a bank, and when LK replies, "Shelby Parlow," Raylan asks if they're going to rob him. In response, one of LK's goons smacks Raylan in the side of the face, prompting LK irritably to ask how Raylan's going to be able to get them into the safe house if he looks like he's been worked over. It's a good point, not to mention it was delivered in a far more calm and dignified tone than my shrieks of "NOT IN THE FACE!" The goon asks if he's supposed to just stand there while Raylan runs his mouth, proving that he has no idea how things work on this show, and LK tells him he can hit Raylan in the gut, "or the balls." At the risk of essentially repeating myself, Winona is not the only one being traumatized by this scene.
LK turns back to Raylan and tells him he's going to get them into the safe house so they can take care of Shelby, and if anything goes wrong, their man behind will kill Winona -- slowly. "Maybe tears the baby out -- kills it separate." Wow. That's hardcore even by Harlan standards, and we're in a quiet suburb here. LK then tries to chat Winona up on the subject of how Raylan screwed his relationship with her, but Winona is not feeling the discussion topic, and then Raylan decides he's had just about enough of this and tells LK that he's wasting his time -- he can't help them, and if they pursue their current course, they're just going to make things worse for themselves. I think if you're to survive in this business, you have to manage your risk effectively, and the completely untempered steel with which Raylan delivered that line would suggest that fucking with him and his is about as volatile an affair as can be. LK (in H!ITG! news, the actor, Troy Ruptash, played the real Don Draper way back in the S1 Mad Men episode "Nixon vs. Kennedy"), however, isn't particularly impressed, whereupon Raylan insults the intelligence of the fist-happy goon and gets a gut punch in reply.
This, however, proves to be part of Raylan's plan, as he collapses against the guy in apparent pain -- only to lift his gun from its holster and shoot him clean through. Using the guy's corpse as a shield, he then puts a bullet through the Non-Speaking Extra Goon's head (no SAG card for you!) as Winona shrieks -- with good reason, as LK grabs her and points his piece right at her stomach. He warns Raylan to think the situation through, adding that even if Raylan gets him, it won't solve his problem. "You think this beard makes me Santa? I'm an elf. You don't get me to Shelby, all of you -- [Winona], the baby -- you're all on [Augustine's] list. Marked for life." Raylan's only response is a furious glower, and LK makes the mistake of raising his gun toward him -- because what he did not realize is that Winona managed to pick up Non-Speaking Extra Goon's gun, which the proximity of her arm to LK's body then kept hidden from his view, and so when he takes his weapon off her, she shoots him in the groin. Well, I'd wince on his behalf, but he did threaten to put a bullet into Winona's pregnant uterus, so it kind of seems like a fitting response.
Raylan shoots LK up as Winona, having wasted no time in getting to Raylan's side, joins his effort, and her protective-mother skills seem to have made her as quick a shot as Raylan, so that's another reason not to go around menacing pregnant ladies, in case you needed any more. And just so you know the camera has a sense of humor about the whole thing, we get a shot of LK's corpse with the unblemished chair silently rocking back and forth as if in celebration of the messy affair. Winona and Raylan don't speak, but the former shows what a pro she is by removing the clip from her appropriated gun. Like Raylan said, that's why he loves her.
Ava, still in that pinched, panicked voice, says she doesn't exactly fancy the idea of running away and starting over, but there doesn't seem to be any other choice. Boyd replies that she's not going anywhere without him, but adds that with the "world being what it is today," he's not sure where they could go that they wouldn't be found. I mean, fleeing the country's an option, right? Wynn did it, Shelby would have done it, and as we'll soon learn, we can add Tonin to the list. Boyd, however, says he's got one more card to play, to which Ava points out that they have Delroy's body. Boyd: "They think they got Delroy's body." This episode is too serious for a Banjo of Wacky Hijinx here, and more's the pity.
Outside Winona's, an ambulance is of course on scene, as are Art and Vasquez. Raylan tells Art that he's not so much concerned with the as-yet-unidentified thugs as with Augustine, but Vasquez interjects that he's only worried about making sure the case against Tonin goes through. Art adds that Tonin exited the U.S. for extradition-free Tunisia a couple days earlier, so I guess this means he's going to be tried in absentia on Shelby's testimony, which in turn suggests he's never coming back. Raylan doesn't see how this helps him, since this conflict has obviously become personal to Augustine, but Art informs Raylan that Tonin's son Sammy -- you remember, he's the one played by Max Perlich who Quarles threatened last season, much to his later regret -- has inherited the kingdom and also is not so fond of Augustine. Vasquez: "It's all very Shakespearean." Hee. Raylan, given his own history with Sammy, is not so thrilled with the prospect of Sammy being his savior -- he's "scared of his own shadow, 'cause his shadow could kick his ass" -- but Art thinks Sammy will never accept Augustine as his second-in-command. Raylan still isn't mollified, though, and despite the fact that his point that Augustine won't simply drop his mark against Raylan is valid, Raylan is also, understandably given the day he's had, fairly petulant about it, so Art shoos Vasquez away as Raylan gets more heated that he should be able to work the case despite being suspended.
Art informs him that the suspension isn't an issue as Raylan goes on that they're wheeling bodies out of his kid's goddamn nursery! Art, his face hard as stone: "That's why." Mm-hmm. That remark hangs thick in the air for a long moment before Raylan concedes defeat. "And when [Augustine] makes good on his threat to kill Winona and the baby, that's gonna be on you." That one hurts, and Art doesn't really have a direct answer to it, but he sincerely tells Raylan that honestly, he can't imagine what he's going through. "But just so we're clear, if you go after [Augustine], don't bother comin' back." I don't envy either of them in this scene, but speaking of not being able to imagine a particular ordeal, I wouldn't want to be Art explaining why he had to can Raylan to Rachel and Tim. They regard each other for another moment before Art walks away...
...and then Raylan is checking on Winona, who's in the back of the ambulance. Luckily, budget cuts around here don't seem to be severe enough that she has to share the ride with one of the corpses. Raylan asks if she's okay, and when she replies in the negative, he asks if it's the baby, so she clarifies that she and the baby are fine, "but everything is not okay." For one thing, that nursery is going to need an industrial-strength cleaning. Getting her meaning, Raylan asks the medical guy in there with them if they could have a second, and when he's gone, he tells Winona that she's going to be fine. She replies that she's having a hard enough time without him lying to her, and the show is confident enough in itself to allow Raylan to be silent for a full fifteen seconds as he considers how to assuage her fears. He finally tells her they're going to take her to a hotel with a protection detail, and Winona sighs. "Maybe one of them could be my birthin' coach." I mean, it wouldn't shock me if that's part of the training. Best to be prepared! Raylan tells her that if she needs anything from the house, she should get it now, so she asks what he's going to do. Raylan: "I'm gonna find the guy responsible for this, and I'm gonna take care of it." And whatever ups and downs she and Raylan may have had, I feel pretty solid in thinking that that's all Winona needs to hear to feel a little better.
At the bar, Ava and Boyd are waiting anxiously when Lee Manners and Mooney enter, the former of whom Boyd thanks for coming down. Mooney asks what he's doing there, as he doesn't work for Boyd anymore. I suppose this confirms that Boyd had not just Shelby but his whole department in his pocket for a time, which confirms Raylan's suspicions, but Boyd tells Mooney he does work for Lee Manners (guess that's a reference to Shelby's tight relationship with Clover Hill), and Lee Manners works for Boyd. I don't know to what degree Boyd is counting on Tonin having been a little busy lately to have bothered to reverse the local influence he bestowed on Boyd, but whatever the case, Lee Manners stares daggers at Boyd for that characterization but holds his tongue, and soon Boyd gets to the point: He knows law enforcement uses Lee Manners' funeral home as a field morgue when the need arises, and as such, there is currently a body within those walls that was recovered from a mineshaft that morning. He asks Mooney if law enforcement has IDed the corpse yet, and Mooney replies that the medical examiner will be arriving in the morning to pronounce the identification and the cause of death.
From here, there are some fits and starts involving protestations of the "if you are suggesting that I break the law, sir" variety, but it comes down to this: Boyd strong-arms Lee Manners into agreeing to replace Delroy's body with another, after which he can consider his debt to Boyd repaid in full. Of course, Mooney may have heard from Shelby how unreliable Boyd's promises of a clean slate can be, so maybe it doesn't take a dippy psychic to see what might be coming.
Later, Boyd and Jimmy are digging up a grave by lantern's light, and while I'm always in favor of character beats and humor, Jimmy's fear of graveyards, his false step that breaks open the cheap coffin cardboard, and his subsequent screams of bloody murder are not the stuff on which to spend much season-finale ink on, so let's get to the point: Before them lies a "Henry Willis," who became an oxy addict at the ripe old age of fifteen, which explains what they see now. After a couple words for their fallen lowlife, Boyd tells Jimmy they're never going to get him out in one piece, so Jimmy should get a bag from the van so they can "take him to go." You know, in case you were getting hungry during this broadcast.
Cut back to the bar, with Ava entering the back room to find Jimmy and Boyd, the latter of whom, with a pointed look at Jimmy, tells Ava that the errand went "almost as planned." Hee. Ava also discovers, to her understandable shock, that the corpse in question is lying in the bar at that moment. Boyd assures her, however, that he only brought it in because he couldn't well leave it out in the car unattended, and that they only need house it until Jimmy returns with the funeral truck. Pursuant to that, he sends Jimmy on his way before babbling to Ava the details of their plan, all of which we either already know or are obvious, the exception being that the journey for Delroy's corpse is going to end at the bottom of the slurry pond. Given what happens, I'm starting to think that any plan involving the slurry pond is cursed to fail.
Boyd starts to say he could use a drink, and he's not the only one, but just then Raylan's voice rings out from the front. Boyd and Ava freeze for a moment, but leaving Raylan out there isn't going to accomplish anything, so they emerge. Raylan tells Boyd he honestly thought he'd "have the sense to run," but given that he didn't, he's wondering this: "Did he find Winona himself, or did you give her up?" Oh. OH. You'd like to think Boyd wouldn't do that to Raylan, but given that Boyd has been in the business of trading cash for human lives, it's hard to get too indignant on his behalf. Boyd tells Raylan they're closed and instructs Ava to go behind the bar, surely because that's where their firearms are at the moment, and Raylan in return mentions Augustine's name and suggests that Boyd is coming with him. Boyd is his usual difficult self when it comes to Raylan, so Raylan tells him he seems to be under the impression that he's merely requesting Boyd's presence. "That's my fault." Hee. Raylan threatens to take Boyd to jail if he won't cooperate, but Boyd stays flippant until Raylan oh-by-the-ways that he should probably take "her" too. OOH. Given his shared history with Ava, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to assume that she'd be off-limits, so I think we can all agree that even for him, Raylan is not fucking around.
Boyd expresses disingenuous confusion, so Raylan conversationally brings up Ellen May, saying that she's dumb but sweet, and if you get her talking, "she's just too lazy to shut up." And in weighing whether you think Ellen May would give Ava up to the law, it's worth remembering that Raylan and Ellen May had a car trip together of considerable length. Boyd can't hide his discomfort even as he calls bullshit on Raylan having anything on Ava and gets in Raylan's face as he asks if he's really going to come into his place and threaten to take his "woman" away. "You think that's the best way to get me to help you?" Raylan agrees that it isn't and apologizes. "And now that that's done, you gonna take me to [Augustine] or not?" Boyd considers for a moment before agreeing to help, "but not because I believe you got anything on either of us." It's a slightly more nuanced version of "I'll do it, but not because you told me to," and Raylan gives it the sincere answer it deserves: "Of course not. You're gonna take me because you're my buddy." Heh. Raylan also does not allow Boyd to have a private word with Ava, so, as Raylan disarms him, Boyd tells Ava he sure is sorry he's going to miss "that dinner," and Ava, in a hilariously sour tone, agrees that it won't be the same without him. Raylan then shepherds Boyd out the door as Ava watches, and faced with the prospect of doing this with only Jimmy to help her, it's no wonder she looks like she's missing Johnny for the first time in a while.
Mooney leads Ava, Jimmy and the unfortunate Henry Willis into a room in Lee Manners' funeral home. He asks Ava if she's ever witnessed an autopsy, and when she tells him no, he replies, with morbid enthusiasm, that they don't leave much to the imagination. Ava, of course, would like to get her job done and get out of there, so she asks Mooney where Delroy is, and Mooney points her to the "icebox." The three of them enter, and upon seeing two sheet-covered corpses therein, Ava reasonably asks which one is Delroy. Mooney: "The one that looks like beef jerky." As if you needed another reason not to eat the stuff. Door Number One reveals a recognizable foot with a "John Doe" toe tag (that was shamelessly used in the promos, don't you know), while pulling back the second sheet is a winner, as it looks like the props team got hold of the Inca Mummy Girl from Buffy. After a couple procedural notes, Ava expresses the desire to get this over with, and she'll hear no argument from me...
...so let's visit with Augustine, who's chomping on some food in a diner as Picker wonders about the wisdom of accepting a visit from Boyd and Raylan out of the blue like this. Augustine replies that after everything he's heard about Raylan, there's no way he's turning down a face-to-face meeting, and besides, maybe he's looking to cut a deal. I'd imagine having someone like Raylan in his pocket would be of interest to Augustine, which I think is what he's getting at, but Picker, who's met Raylan, has his doubts and wonders whether it might be a setup. Surprisingly, the fact that Boyd is bringing Raylan was apparently a big factor for Augustine, as he trusts Boyd enough not to just hand them up to the Feds, but Picker brings up another factor -- they're already overdue to go home and pledge their allegiance or whatever to Sammy, who by the way is annoyed with them for going after Winona. Augustine is basically like, fuck Sammy, and by the way, they wouldn't even be in this situation if Picker had killed Raylan at the high school. Picker scoffs, and while he doesn't bring up the fact that while Raylan might not have survived a firefight, Picker surely would have joined him, he does say that the cops pulled up, and if he'd followed Augustine's plan, it would have merely drawn heat "as usual." So it sounds like Sammy's not the only one who thinks Augustine is a loose cannon. Augustine dismissively tells Picker he thinks too much and tells him to pay the check as he heads to the car. Picker seethes, and as much of a thinker as he may be, I still think being on his bad side could be hazardous to your health.
In the car, Boyd asks Raylan if he has a plan, and Raylan says he does -- to sit across from Augustine and tell him that the game's the game, but you don't go after a man's family. Well, Boyd, you didn't ask him if he had a good plan. Boyd opts not to comment on that, however, in favor of assuring Raylan that any Winona-related information did not come from him (Raylan acknowledges this with a terse "Okay") before pointing that out perhaps Raylan isn't one to talk about "going straight at a man instead of what he loves." Of course, the difference is that Ava killed a man, even though she certainly had reason enough, but Raylan won't waste his time splitting that hair when he can bring this to bear; "You love her, huh -- Ava? Love her like how? Like how you loved the Lord, and your lovely white skin? Or how you loved Arlo -- I know he meant a lot to you." Boy, nothing like someone who's been your frenemy for thirty-plus years to give it to you this succinct and sugar-free.
Boyd, unfazed, remarks that it's funny how you can know someone your whole life and still not know him at all, and then wonders if Raylan is jealous that "I've gotten to open a present that will never be under your Christmas tree." Er... does Boyd not know that Raylan has, well, unwrapped Ava in the past? I know he was in prison during that time, but you'd think someone would have mentioned that at some point. Raylan replies that Boyd loves anything that allows him to go to bed at night believing he isn't the bad guy. Boyd declines to address that for the moment, instead asking what Raylan will do if Augustine denies knowledge of Winona -- arrest him? Raylan tells him that's not going to happen: "This ends tonight." He sounds pretty sure of himself, which adds to the drama. Boyd wonders if he's going to rely on Augustine pulling, like he did with the Miami guy in the very first scene ever on this show, and asks what Raylan will do if he doesn't. Raylan tells him "they always do," but Boyd thinks it's okay -- Raylan can just murder him where he sits. This makes Raylan look a bit uncomfortable, which is a lot more understandable if you know how things are going to play out, and now Boyd goes for the kill, so to speak: "What do you tell yourself when you lay your head down that allows you to wake up in the mornin' pretendin' that you're not the bad guy?" Raylan considers the question like it's got some merit...
...while Ava pulls a different car to a stop, prompting Jimmy to ask what's up. I don't know if she's worried about dragging him further into a crime for which she's responsible or if she just doesn't want to deal with his whining about the dead guy -- given what a career criminal he seems to be, the latter is looking more plausible -- but either way, she tells him to get out, ignoring his protests that Boyd wouldn't like him to leave her on her own. He acquiesces, and it's tough to be hard on him unless you think you'd have the stomach to stand up to Ava.
As they approach the appointed place, which so happens to be, it would seem, the Harlan airstrip, Boyd suggests to Raylan that he might want to give him his gun back so he can cover him, should it come to that -- his quick count suggests Raylan's outnumbered four to one. Whether he has some lingering trust in Boyd or he merely figures it's not going to matter, Raylan hands Boyd's piece back to him and thanks him for the ride, getting a "Good luck, cowboy" from Boyd in return. Picker steps forward to greet Raylan: "You guys ever figure out who was right about the astronaut?" Raylan: "We agreed to disagree." Heh. This easy initial exchange over with, Picker tells Raylan he needs to check him for a wire, and Raylan agrees, with the caveat that anything else Picker finds, Raylan intends to keep. Picker tells Raylan that Augustine doesn't much care if he's armed, and Raylan figures that's because Augustine figures Raylan won't try anything with all these people around. Picker, however, expresses the possibility that Augustine simply doesn't give a shit, prompting Raylan to ask if Picker's okay with his "wagon hitched to someone who doesn't give a shit." Picker replies that the higher up the mountain, the worse the footing gets. Raylan sees the wisdom in that, and Picker adds that "it doesn't pay to be the lead dog." And speaking of whom...
...Augustine is on the phone, and from the way he tells the other party to "keep your panties on," I'd guess he's talking to Sammy. Once he disconnects, Picker opens the limo door and announces Raylan, who then enters and wastes no time getting to the tough talk. Augustine wonders if they're headed for "unpleasantness," to which Raylan replies that he's going to offer Augustine a deal, and he's not optimistic he'll take it. Augustine, genially enough, encourages Raylan to try him, so Raylan tells him he wants him to turn himself in and confess to murder, racketeering, obstruction of justice, "whatever other horrible things you've done." This is even worse than the plan he told Boyd about. Raylan goes on that he also wants Augustine to leave his family alone, and when Augustine asks what the implied "or" is, Raylan tells him it's death right in the car in which they're sitting. Even though Raylan assures Augustine he's armed, Augustine replies that he can tell with one look that Raylan isn't the kind of guy to shoot him in cold blood, adding that Raylan knows he can come in with tough-sounding threats and then use his badge as an excuse for not following through should his bluff be called. "I don't have a badge. All I got is my word. So if I say I'm gonna kill your family, I'm gonna kill your family!" It's been a long time since I've seen Fletch, but I still wish Raylan would reply "God, I admire you."
Augustine, working up a head of steam, says he's off to Detroit to dispatch Sammy, but he'll be back for Raylan's family, and the only way he can save them is to kill Augustine. "If you're not gonna do it, get the hell out of my car." Raylan smiles that at least they know each other now, and when Augustine mutters about cop threats, Raylan points out that he's still in the limo. Augustine does not give that point the thought it most definitely deserves...
...because Raylan walks over to the plane Augustine thinks is there to take him back to Detroit... and Sammy, flanked by several of his men, disembarks from it. Raylan thanks him for coming, and Sammy in turn thanks Raylan for reaching out to him. Raylan reports that Augustine said he's going to kill Winona, her child and Sammy, and Sammy smirks at the irony. Raylan, looking over at Picker, supposes Augustine's guys won't give Sammy too much trouble, and Sammy agrees: "You want to survive in this business, you have your money on the horse that's out front." Well, the man speaks of what he knows. Sammy seriously asks Raylan if he's going to obstruct him doing what he has to, and Raylan lays out his rationale(ization?) -- if Augustine had turned himself in, Raylan would have taken him in. "But he decided to go another way." Sammy, however, shows his attention to detail by inquiring further -- if Raylan witnessed a crime, he wouldn't, as a lawman, feel obliged to intervene? Raylan: "I'm suspended." With that, he heads resolutely toward Boyd's car and the camera, and in the blurry background, we see Picker and a number of Sammy's men open fire on the limo with automatic weapons. And it's not clear whether it's the case, but if Boyd witnessed this, he and Raylan are going to have plenty to talk about on the car ride home.
Boyd returns to the bar to find Jimmy cleaning up the dirt from the Willis corpse. Whatever his failings, Jimmy's smart enough to know that Boyd isn't going to be happy about the news that Ava left him behind, and he frantically yells his explanations and apologies as Boyd heads right back out the door...
...while Ava is just dragging Delroy's body toward its new final resting place. However, just as she gets the thing out of the van, a car pulls up. Squinting against the headlights' glare, she calls Boyd's name -- but it's not Boyd, but Mooney. Oh. OH. Not getting it yet, Ava tells Mooney she could use some help, but Mooney acts all faux-shocked as he asks Ava if she's got a body there. The one thing I don't get is how he knew where to find her -- the part about taking Delroy's body to the slurry pond was only discussed between Ava, Boyd and Jimmy, as far as we know -- but it's not too much of a stretch to guess he followed her with this play in mind. Speaking of which, Ava asks if Mooney's sure he wants to go this way, but Mooney, gun drawn, has her assume the arrestee position. Ava, catching up quick, guesses that this wasn't Mooney's idea but Lee Manners', and he was surely after Boyd instead of her. Mooney: "You'll do." Can't argue with that...
...because, with the sun just up, Boyd peels up to the scene of the crime just as Lee Manners is confirming to Mooney that it's the body stolen from his place, adding with a wry smile, "I'd know that face anywhere." Hee. Boyd gets out of the car, sees Ava sitting forlornly in the back of Mooney's police cruiser, and promptly goes apeshit on Mooney, punching him twice before literally trying to choke the life out of him. Of course, some of Mooney's deputies succeed in pulling Boyd off their leader, and Mooney kicks him a few times as Boyd screams the animalistic cries of someone who's just lost more than he can bear. Mooney sneers for his guys to lock "this piece of shit" up, but Lee Manners belays that order, blithely offering that Boyd is upset, and he won't be any more trouble. He silkily addresses Boyd directly: "How about it, Mr. Crowder? You gonna be any more trouble?" Boyd may not be, but I'd imagine there are going to be riots when the populace hears that the dream of a Harlan Dairy Queen appears now to be dead.
Boyd staggers to his hands and knees and looks up to see the agent of his destruction -- Cassie. She refrains from saying anything about reaping what you sow, but I'm pretty sure it's implied. Cassie gets in her truck and drives away -- for her own safety, I hope she's not going to stop anytime soon -- while Boyd staggers over to Ava and promises he's going to get her a lawyer and have her out in day, but Ava -- who's sporting a big bruise on one cheek now -- replies, her voice breaking, that they both know that's not going to happen. Boyd desperately kisses her, but then it's time for her to go, and the scene ends with Boyd teetering on his feet as he stares at the turncoats before him. Boyd, I hate to bring up the Bible again at a time like this, but it's not like you haven't been asking for this all season: Pride goeth before a fall.
Winona has packed up her stuff from the hotel, and Raylan asks if she knows that she and the baby are safe. Winona: "I know. That's why I love you." Raylan smiles a bit at the callback, but he still apologizes for the whole thing, and Winona sighs that at least nobody died. I get what she's saying, but it's still a pretty hilarious statement given that she herself might have fired the bullet that killed LK. She comes in for a long, tender kiss, after which he asks her to call him when she lands and to say hello to her mother for him. She promises she will, and then she's gone, leaving Raylan to look a little regretful...
...but not nearly so as Boyd, who is not letting the early hour stop him from drowning his sorrows. I, on the other hand, cannot feel too sad, given that this scene heralds THE TRIMUPHANT RETURN OF WYNN DUFFY, his security guy (with benefits?) back at his side. Wynn asks Jimmy for another glass before bellying up to the bar to Boyd and telling him the news from Detroit -- Sammy's running the show now, and he's made Wynn his man in charge of everything east of the Mississippi. Boyd drawls his hollow congratulations, probably supposing that Wynn came to gloat, but Wynn points out that through all the strife, bloodshed and turmoil of the season, the two of them survived. And that's not even counting the times they tried to kill each other. Wynn's point is that he wants to honor his promise and have Boyd handle his heroin distribution in Kentucky, and I'm not sure if Wynn's doing this out of respect for Boyd staying behind to clean up the Shelby mess when he fled, but Wynn one hundred percent does not need to be doing this, so I think we're safe in thinking the offer is as honest and genuine as he gets. Boyd laughs mirthlessly at how hollow this victory feels at the moment, but when Wynn instructs him to nod if he's interested, Boyd slowly complies. And not that anyone's thinking about him anymore, but Wynn and Boyd getting together like this has to be the final galling nail in Johnny Crowder's coffin. Wynn assures Boyd they're both going to be very wealthy, and with Ava's upcoming legal fees that would seem to be good news...
...but Boyd's not interested in good news now, only wallowing, as he breaks into that gracious home in Clover Hill he and Ava were going to buy. After dealing with the alarm -- he must have memorized the code when the real-estate broker entered it after Ava set it off, which is hilarious -- he stares out into the lovely backyard, accompanied by some Sad Strings on the soundtrack and wondering how the dream could have died so quickly and thoroughly. It's too bad there's no one else there to tell him, "Forget it, Boyd -- it's Harlantown."
Speaking of introspection, at Arlo's, Raylan is symbolically spackling up that big hole in the wall that started this whole wonderful season. When he's satisfied, he grabs a beer and answers his phone, asking Art what's up. Art and Vasquez relay the news about Sammy being in charge and Augustine having been found dead, and for once, Art's tone doesn't suggest he thinks Raylan was involved in any way. Heading outside, Raylan plays along, wondering if Art's going to remind him that he told him it would play out as it did. Art replies that he likes to think he's a bigger person than that. "But I did tell you so." Hee. Also, I just realized that if every season takes place over as short a time period as this one, it'll be like Season 27 before Art's forced to retire.
Raylan wearily thanks Art for the "news" before lying that he'll sleep well that night, and Art tells him he'll see him in thirty days. They hang up, and as "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" continues to play, Raylan's intense look suggests he's wondering if, like Boyd said, he's not such a good guy after all; to punctuate that idea, he looks over at Arlo's fresh grave, probably remembering Hunter's last words to him: We both know whose voice it is makes you do what you do. We get one final shot of Raylan, having all the time in the world to contemplate just who he is, and then we're out of this incredible season.
When you're treated to a TV season that's as subtly (and seemingly effortlessly) thematic, it's worth an extra nod to everyone involved; I think the Emmys are bullshit, for the most part, but I still think it will be a travesty if this show isn't much more heavily recognized in their iteration. As I mentioned in the recaplet, the plot alone of this season would have made it worth watching, but the fact that the show managed to economically and organically integrate so many already-rich characters and even develop them further is really an impressive achievement. Like everyone, I thought Season Two was amazing, and I wouldn't be prepared to say that Season Four is better, necessarily, but it did manage to achieve greatness without the incredible arch-enmity of Mags Bennett. The examination of who people are, how their choices define them, and what they have to do to survive both physically and spiritually -- with there sometimes being no way to do both -- is heady stuff, and not something you'd necessarily expect from a show set in a backwoods spot like Harlan County. (In that, it shares something with American Horror Story: Asylum, which also just enjoyed a thoroughly brilliant season.) I can't wait to see what Season Five holds, but before then, I hope to see you over in the Mad Men section. Thanks for reading!
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.