Playing Footsie with a Blow Torch? Ouch! Review: Justified "Foot Chase"

Review: Justified, S4

Air date: Tuesday, February 12, 2013, 10PM E/P on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“That’s like warning a man it’s gonna rain when he’s already wet.” – Sheriff Shelby

Josiah is about to learn there is a pain worse than getting your foot chopped off…

If puns were a dime a dozen, “Foot Chase” would have nearly a dollar or so by the end of it. The humor infused in this episode is not overstated and is placed just so, as to not take away from the point. While Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) tries to find Josiah (guest star Gerald McRaney), the man with the missing foot, Boyd (Walton Goggins) and Ava (Joelle Carter) are dealing with locating the infamous Drew Thompson (actor not shown). And can you smell that? Love is in the air – with a very romantic surprise ending.

A lot goes on in “Foot Chase” but the main focus lies with Drew Thompson and Boyd’s business dealings. So where is Drew Thompson? And who is he? From watching previous episodes, it seems like he’s nothing more than a drug mule, but with everyone from here to Detroit wanting a piece of him, he may be much more valuable than I originally thought. I wonder if it has anything to do with the diplomatic satchel his driver’s license was found in. Will new visitors be coming to Harlan? Boyd doesn’t know Sheriff Shelby (Jim Beavers) is protecting Ellen May (Abby Miller), yet the two cross paths when the search for Drew Thompson and Josiah’s missing foot leads all down the same path.

Shelby working with Raylan gives Boyd quite a surprise

I know why Shelby is trying to protect Ellen May. She knows more than she should about Boyd’s misgivings and she could put him away for a long, long time. But Shelby has sort of been in Boyd’s pocket, as Raylan points out, and it taints his motivation just a smidge. Is Shelby truly out to destroy Boyd, and, if so, why? I know Boyd can be demanding at times, but something else is afoot (no pun intended…well, maybe).

Art (Nick Searcy) cracks me up. His foot puns and giving Raylan a hard time make him one of my favorites to watch each week. It’s like he gets more ornery with every episode. If he retires, Raylan is going to be in trouble. No one else is going to put up with the crap he doles out like Art does.

Is Johnny (David Meunier) an idiot or a genius? His casual mention of what he would do to Boyd after turning in Drew Thompson seems almost as if he’s trying to warn Boyd. But Johnny wants Boyd six feet under, right? I still don’t understand why he blames Boyd for everything. Johnny is his own man who makes his own choices, albeit poor, misguided ones. I am excited to see how this plays out. Meunier is such a good actor, but I feel he’s not given enough material to stretch his acting chops. I think if the writers would let Meunier broaden his range, Johnny could be a force to be reckoned with—limp and all.

Colton (Ron Eldard) is an addict of the worst kind – he’s intelligent and knows how to use a variety of weapons. His conscience got the better of him and now he’s reaping the consequences. Why did he change his mind or give pause about killing Ellen May? Could it have something to do with his tour in Iraq? Will we ever find out? The jury is still out on how I feel about Colton. He’s a mess of a human being and unable to find his way. The only thing he does well is drugs and pointing a gun to get what he wants. Smacking around women can also be added to that list.

Colton is the monkey wrench that may ultimately ruin Boyd’s grand scheme—to settle down and have a family with Ava. The episode’s ending surprised me, not that I didn’t think it would happen, but because of the when and how it happened. I think Boyd wants to be the man Ava deserves, especially after what his brother put her through. Let’s just hope Ava doesn’t end up with more remorse over accepting the proposal. She’s already having issues dealing with Ellen May’s so called “death.” What do you think Boyd is going to do when he finds out Ellen May escaped from Colton? I think Shelby tried to draw it out of him but then again, Boyd believes Ellen May is dead too.

Funny/Memorable lines:

Sheriff Deputy Nick Mooney (William Gregory Lee): “Is there any particular reason you’re treatin’ us like a couple of bleached assholes?”

Raylan: “Not in particular, no.”

***

Roz (Alexandra Kyle): “I didn’t have no goddamn sex with Teddy (Dakota Black)!”

Raylan: “No, I’m sure you and ‘Rapes with a Smile’ here were just talkin’.”

***

Grady (Lew Temple) and Sonya are the equivalent of Dumb and Dumber (in that order!)

After seeing Josiah nearly get his butchered leg cauterized with a blow torch, this episode goes to the next level of WTF for me. It’ll be interesting to see how Arlo’s (Raymond Barry) lawyer Sonya (Romy Rosemont) talks her way out of this pickle. Overall, “Foot Chase” impresses with its sarcastic humor and unapologetic brutality, and entertains with a pinch of “sweet underage love” to make things even weirder.

[nggallery id=501]

Tune in to Justified, Tuesdays at 10PM E/P, only on FX.

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

Follow FX on Twitter and use hashtag #JustifiedFX.

Follow cast members Joelle Carter @Joelle_Carter and Jim Beavers @jumblejim on Twitter.

For fans of Walton Goggins, follow @WaltonGFan.

LIKE Justified on Facebook.

Biography of the Author(Read Below)..
Latest Posts (view them )..

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.