Air Date: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 10PM E/P
Rating
The sounds are muffled as Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) walks slowly towards his father Arlo’s (Raymond J. Barry) house. State Troopers and the county coroner litter the yard as they investigate the murder of Helen Givens (Linda Gehringer). The pain in Raylan’s eyes goes deeper than we can imagine. Even though she was his aunt, she raised him as if he were her own when her sister, Raylan’s mother, passed away. Raylan credits Helen for saving his life. She made sure he got out of Harlan because she knew he could achieve more than he would have had he stayed.
Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) won't rest until he finds Dickie (Jeremy Davies)
Helen didn’t go out without a fight; she managed to get one shot off before she was killed. Raylan is hellbent on finding out who the trigger man was; he’s pretty sure it’s Dickie (Jeremy Davies). But he can’t prove it. And Dickie isn’t a fool. He planted his accomplice Jed’s (Richard Speight, Jr.) blood at the crime scene just in case. What Raylan doesn’t know yet is why Dickie was at Arlo’s in the first place. The kill shot was meant for Arlo, not poor Helen.
Arlo infuriates me. He has the gall to blame Helen’s death on Raylan. He says since Raylan killed Coover (Brad William Henke), the Bennetts came after a Givens. What a crock of sh*t! If anyone is to blame, it’s Arlo. The turf war he voluntary joined between Boyd (Walton Goggins) and Dickie is what got Helen killed.
Doyle (Joseph Lyle Taylor, center) and Raylan (Timothy Olyphant, right) team up to arrest Dickie (Jeremy Davies, left)
Mags (Margo Martindale) tells Dickie that if his scheming interferes with her plans, she’ll let him “swing for it.” Mags will stop at nothing to make sure the Black Pike mining deal goes through for her other son Doyle’s (Joseph Lyle Taylor) family.
Arlo warns her if she doesn’t turn Dickie in as the shooter, he’ll back out of the deal. Mags knows she needs Arlo’s land in order to secure the deal with Black Pike but what she does goes beyond masterful. She may have severed ties with Dickie but I don’t think she could really let her flesh and blood “swing.” And when Raylan finally comes face to face with Dickie, it’s an emotionally charged scene that leaves me unsure of the outcome.
Doyle (Joseph Lyle Taylor, center) and Raylan (Timothy Olyphant, right) team up to arrest Dickie (Jeremy Davies, left)
There are two interesting points not directly related to Helen’s death which stand out to me. One, Boyd warns Raylan about disrespecting Ava (Joelle Carter). These two men have a long history, including Boyd saving Raylan’s life when they worked the mines. I’m eager to see if this storyline will come to light in season three.
Boyd to Raylan: “Raylan, I know you and Ava have history and you might assume that familiarity gives you a certain license…well it don’t. That’s twice you’ve disrespected her in my presence, don’t let it happen a third.”
Second, Loretta (Kaitlyn Dever) looks lost and out of place in her temporary foster home. For some reason, I feel like she might go back to Mags. It’s the only life she’s ever known. When her foster mother asks what she used to do for work, Loretta replies, “I sold weed to kids at school.” Does she say that to garner an empathetic reaction or to see if she will be judged? I don’t want Loretta to go back to Mags but I know it will make for more dramatic television.
As we saw in season one, the Givens have their own family cemetery. With several references regarding Raylan’s mortality lately, I think it gives Winona (Natalie Zea) pause when she sees Raylan’s headstone. I doubt Raylan will be killed as there is another season coming up but I think he may get seriously injured before too long. He’s just not as sharp as he used to be, which needs to be rectified immediately. He’s lost a touch of his cool confidence and swagger that we’ve come to love.
Tune into Justified, Wednesdays 10PM E/P on FX.
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Judy Manning
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2 comments
This was a great episode, a necessary exposition of where people stand, emotionally and in terms of attitude. The opening scene was stunning. Anyone who has endured a violent trauma, recognizes that “bottom of a well” sensation and Timothy Olyphant walked us through that valley with Ray. Now you have seen for yourself the thousand yard stare of war heroes, survivors, refugees. Most clear to me was Raylan’s inner life, his true attitudes. He hates criminals. He loves Helen and Winona. He is a lawman, it is permanent no matter what way he may earn a living. He does not respect Ava or Boyd because they have chosen to be criminals. Best line about Raylan so far, is Winona looking at his closet, “You know, to look at your clothes a person could think you were a simple man.”
Author
Agreed…I really loved Margo Martindale in this episode. She’s brought such a great dynamic to the show, it’s just elevated to another plane! I think Raylan respects Boyd…to an extent. He knows Boyd isn’t a fool but he also doesn’t think highly of what Boyd’s put stock into going back to his outlaw ways. I love this show!!