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REVIEW: Justified, Season 2, Ep. 7 “Save My Love”

Air Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 10PM E/P on FX

Grade: ★★★★★

We all are or have been fools for love, haven’t we? Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) is no different, especially when it comes to his beloved ex-wife Winona (Natalie Zea), who is in a heap of trouble because of the $100 she ‘borrowed’ from the forgotten evidence locker. Raylan is a very well-respected U.S. Marshal for his unconventional approach to catching fugitives and criminals but he really needs to brush up on his rules and regulations. He doesn’t know monetary evidence must be scanned into the system – really Raylan? Now the Feds are investigating the $100 bill, sending Secret Service to check it out. He also forgot to bring coffee for the office. He’s really slipping up!

Timothy Olyphant as Raylan

The antics Winona and Raylan get into trying to return the money to the evidence locker borders on intense lunacy and slightly comical. Although entertaining, there are some moments during “Save My Love” where I want to smack Winona silly for being such a fool for taking the money in the first place! But then again, I want to knock Raylan in the head for taking part in this outlandish venture. Is he trying to get out of being a U.S. Marshal? Does he want to give up the badge and exchange it for a life with Winona? It seems like the thought is rolling around in his head.

Natalie Zea as Winona

I love Art (Nick Searcy). He’s ornery and slightly hearing impaired, but he ain’t no fool. He knows something is up with Raylan, but doesn’t come right out and say it. Another great thing about this episode is seeing Rachel (Erika Tazel) and Tim (Jacob Pitts) getting more screen time. These two actors are seriously underutilized so it’s refreshing to see their characters getting more screen time.

Boyd (Walton Goggins) gets a new job when Black Pike mining company representative Carol Johnson (guest star Rebecca Creskoff) asks him to join her security detail. The mining company is under fire when an anti-mining activist is accidentally killed during a mining blast. Carol is getting death threats but has to get to the court house where Judge Reardon (guest star Stephen Root) is in no mood for games, especially death threats. I love Root’s spin on his character. He has some of the best lines in “Save My Love.”

“Good blows dead donkey dicks.”

“Shit, I know at least 50 men in this building that’d pay good money to sniff your gym clothes.”

The fact Judge Reardon doesn’t wear pants while dressed in his robes is also a good source of entertainment!

Stephen Root as Judge Reardon (with his pants ON)

Boyd and Raylan’s relationship is becoming even more complexing. In this dialogue alone, we learn so much. While Raylan is scanning the court room for potential explosives, Carol asks some interesting questions about how these two became reacquainted.

Carol: “So, Deputy, what do you think, can I trust Boyd here to have my back?”

Raylan: “Well, I am an officer of the law and I’m in a court of law and while I’m not sworn in, I do feel compelled to tell you the truth.”

Boyd: “Truth is the best policy.”

Raylan: “The truth is, I don’t know if you can trust Boyd to have your back, but, well, he has tried to kill me and I have shot him and imprisoned him and I wouldn’t be surprised if our paths, again, crossed in such a manner; he has had my back on two occasions. Once was the last day I was in the mine. The other not so long ago.”

Carol: “Sounds like a love story.”

How interesting. It does sound like an unconventional love story…not the kind of love you have for a potential life mate, but more like a love between friends. I would love to know what happened in the mine to cause Boyd to have to save Raylan. I may be off base but I wonder if somehow, down the family tree, if Boyd and Raylan are related somehow?

Carol is a bit on the shady side with a hint of a wildcat streak. She doesn’t want Boyd for his skills as a bodyguard. She is having problems with the infamous Bennett clan and needs Boyd to get back into his “outlaw ways” again. I really don’t want Boyd to go back to his former ways, but I am also interested in the dichotomy of his constant struggle to stay on the straight and narrow rather than give into his familiar nature. Plus I just want to see how this whole thing plays out with the three families: Givens, Crowders, and Bennetts!

If you’re wishing for more episodes with the Bennetts and the slightly enigmatic Loretta McCready, next week’s episode “The Spoil” will definitely whet your appetite for what’s to come. Believe me, things will happen quickly so pay attention to what Mags (Margo Martindale) says and how she handles herself.

Don’t miss Justified –Wednesdays at 10PM E/P only on FX.

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.

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.