Justified – “Burned” Review. Snakes and Surprises.

Season 6, Episode 9

Air date: Tuesday, March 17, 2015, 10PM E/P on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“…well then, you also heard I know more about growing weed than most of the corn-bred boys that have lived and died in these hills. What I don’t have is muscle or distribution.” – Loretta

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the writers blow me out of the water with a couple of new twists I didn’t see coming. I’ve been wondering why certain characters from seasons past have been reintroduced this season—for example, the cunning teen pot queen Loretta McCready (Kaitlyn Dever). After watching “Burned,” the plot point of buying up land and the legalized marijuana story lines finally make more sense. But Avery Markham (Sam Elliott), a few men down after what happened in “Alive Day” and “Dark As a Dungeon,” enlists the help of one his Colorado guys to help out in Harlan. Let’s just say, I wouldn’t want to cross paths with or be the object of Boon’s (guest star Jonathan Tucker) eye, ever.

Loretta may have bitten off more than she can chew taking on Markham the way she does…

“Burned” delves deeper into the reasons why Loretta didn’t want to sell her property. I’ve always thought Loretta was a smart girl, and she’s got boatloads of gumption. Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) says it best, “You got more balls than sense, you know that?” Indeed she does; however, Loretta is no fool. She knows how to work a crowd, especially one made up of generations of good old Harlan folks who have been bullied by Markham and his thugs. Loretta makes the townspeople an offer, shutting Markham’s little party speech down with relative ease. The only problem Loretta has is Boon. If you look up the word ‘creepy’ in any dictionary, Boon’s face will be right there – with his short dark hair reminding me of Moe from The Three Stooges and his ‘I’m past puberty’ mustache. Boon does one hell of a job making me feel extra uncomfortable. His comments seem self-deprecating and boastful at the same time, “…whoever shot that snake is one deranged and possibly dangerous individual…” You think?

Dever does an excellent job portraying Loretta as calm, cool, and collected. Loretta slowly backs away from the large “decapitated snake” in her living room, always facing her opponent, putting on a brave face and offering polite insults. “Why would I be startled? Some asshole comes into my house without so much as knocking…well, if you’re done looking, now would be a good time to scooch your ass on outta here.”

I’ve had suspicions about Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns) ever since “The Hunt.” He’s been a criminal for a long time without having done much jail time, if any. His actions thus far this season cast doubt on everyone, especially Markham, who appears to be in the service of his dear friend Katherine (Mary Steenburgen). Isn’t it funny what a little pressure from the U.S. Marshals can do? Wynn being caught literally with his pants off makes it even more hilarious. Poor Art (Nick Searcy), he gets an eyeful of Wynn sporting his infamous banana hammock. Will someone please tell Wynn to stop tanning? I’m concerned about his eyebrows. Wynn’s right hand man Mike (Jonathan Kowalsky) isn’t happy about Wynn’s sudden change of allegiance. If Wynn isn’t careful, Mike may take Wynn’s advice. They say don’t bite the hand that feeds you; maybe Mike has had his fill of Wynn’s shenanigans.

Markham may have more than one woman to contend with in Kentucky

Katherine is full of surprises, giving her new fiancé Markham something to think about should he ever consider crossing her. It’s a shame about her purse, especially when it becomes a silencer of sorts; bullets are never a good accessory. I guess all the money Seabass (Scott Grimes) gets from Markham isn’t enough to buy his loyalty after all. I had to chuckle when Katherine calls an unknown person to report “une petite probleme” in her room. I’m not sure if maid service will be able to clean up that mess. It does make you wonder what other tricks Katherine has up her sleeve because, apparently, she’s learned French somewhere along the way.

Finally, we learn what Uncle Zachariah (guest star Jeff Fahey) is up to. I figured it out a while ago but wasn’t sure how he planned on following through. Zachariah had plans for Boyd (Walton Goggins) in “Alive Day,” but when and how remain to be seen. I fear for Ava (Joelle Carter). Boyd’s anger after Zachariah’s stunt in the mines sets him over the edge. Ava’s duplicitous actions are becoming so unclear, I don’t even know if she knows what the hell she’s doing anymore. What I am sure of is she’s rethinking everything after the way Boyd treats her.

Overall

“Burned” takes us closer to Justified’s series end by expanding on certain story lines. Will Loretta be able to shake her new admirer while growing her marijuana empire? How long will Raylan allow Ava to be his C.I. knowing she’s compromised? Will Mike turn on Wynn? And where the heck did Zachariah go?

The writers added in quite the twists with Loretta announcing her bid to help Harlan grow, and the addition of a new adversary for both Loretta and Raylan. Let’s just hope Raylan is still as quick a draw as Boon seems to be. Boon is cocky. It’s as though he has something to prove by the way he converses with Raylan. But Raylan isn’t out to impress anyone or prove himself, and that makes a big difference in the long run.

Let me know what you thought of “Burned.” Leave a comment below and/or tweet me @judybopp.

Tune in to the final episodes of Justified, Tuesdays at 10:00 PM ET/PT, only on FX.

For more on the show, go to http://www.fxnetworks.com/justified.

Follow on Twitter @JustifiedFX #JustifiedFX and follow cast member Joelle Carter @Joelle_Carter. For fans of Walton Goggins, follow @WaltonGFan.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.