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Review: #JustifiedFX “Watching The Detectives” (“ice-cold, remorseless, bottle blonde, sh*t bag killer”)

Review: Justified, Season 3, Episode 308 “Watching The Detectives”

Airdate: Tuesday, March 6, 2012, 10PM E/P on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

William Ragsdale as Gary

There’s a saying, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” I guess Quarles (Neal McDonough) isn’t familiar with the term, which doesn’t turn out so good for Gary (William Ragsdale), the poor messenger.

 

While “Watching The Detectives” ups the ante on a few storylines, like Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) being a dirty cop, which not only brings in FBI Special Agent Barkley (guest star Stephen Tobolowsky) again but also drags out AUSA Vasquez (guest star Rick Gomez), an old familiar face, the momentum of the episode stalls a bit; especially in regards to the feud between Quarles and Boyd (Walton Goggins). What does make things interesting is Limehouse (Mykelti Williamson) approaching Quarles about “backing the winning side.” I sense that Limehouse isn’t fond of Boyd but I’m still not sure what his motives are being allies with Quarles. If anything, Limehouse should be trying to get Quarles (aka the “carpet bagger”) out of Harlan. This is going to be a juicy arc, which I hope starts seeing the light of day soon!

And if you think Sheriff Napier (David Andrews) is dirty, you’re wrong. He’s absolutely filthy! I’d want to blow him up, too! Are there no decent lawmen in Harlan County? Napier tries to pin the attempted assassination on his life on Boyd. We all know Boyd has an affinity for pyrotechnics but that doesn’t mean he did it, right? Is the race for Sheriff turning into a smear campaign – or rather – a snuff campaign?  I must say, Andrews does an impeccable job of portraying a man who thinks he’s smarter than he is. Napier foolishly thinks he’s going to pull a fast one on Quarles because he either believes his ace in the hole is a sure thing or he’s just plain delusional.

L-R: Natalie Zea as Winona and Timothy Olyphant as Raylan

The most irksome part of the episode is Winona (Natalie Zea). After Raylan breaks the news about Gary, she acts like Raylan is the bad guy, and even goes so far as to imply he may be guilty of murder. If I could have, I would have smacked her. She leaves Raylan after six years of marriage to be with Gary because she can’t handle Raylan’s profession; then ends ups leaving Gary to go back to Raylan, who is still a U.S. Marshal by the way, and now she has the gall to suggest he is a murderer? Gary was the one who was involved in bad dealings with Duffy (Jere Burns), and Raylan saved Gary’s ass more than a few times to boot! Is she that blind or just that selfish and self-absorbed? I must give credit to Zea as an actress, though. It’s hard for me to like her character because she does a phenomenal job of making me hate her! (As an aside – I loved her on ABC’s Dirty, Sexy Money.)

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Observations:

Nick Searcy as Art

Both Tim (Jacob Pitts) and Art (Nick Searcy) may not always like the way Raylan conducts his business, but they never turn their backs on helping a fellow Marshal, especially when Raylan needs help escaping the Feds for a while. I love how Art casually mentions that perhaps Raylan might be “taking a shit.” You have to love the camaraderie between these guys. But I can’t blame Art for telling Raylan, “For God’s sake, having you in this office is gonna give me a stroke.”

 

Meanwhile, Quarles seems to be quickly unraveling at the seams. While driving, he deliberately ignores a phone call from “home” and opens a pill bottle. What I find curious is what he’s listening to while driving. I pegged him for a bit of an atheist, so him listening to preachy sermons is surprising. If you pay attention, the sermon speaks of “the beast” being a “seducer.” I think “the beast” refers to temptation to do all manner of sinful things. I wonder what beast haunts Quarles.

The contemptuous conversation between Raylan and Duffy proves not only engaging but revealing as well.

Raylan: “He’s got the ice-cold, remorseless, bottle blonde, shit bag killer doing scut work.”

Duffy: “Deputy, are you accusing me of being a fake blonde because if you need me to prove it to you, I might be inclined to break you over that step ladder, ride you down like a teaser pony, and paint this room an entirely different color.”

Raylan: “Now that is the Wynn Duffy I remember.”

But Duffy seems a bit anxious after Raylan’s visit. I wonder if he’ll turn on Quarles. After all, Duffy was the swinging dick before Quarles knocked off the Dixie Mafia. Maybe Duffy isn’t satisfied being just “the ice-cold, remorseless, bottle blonde, shit bag killer” who takes orders rather than giving them.

———

Again, while there are moments in “Watching the Detectives” that get my blood pumping, the episode stalls out in several places – mainly the Winona storyline. But I know something big is coming. With Limehouse in cahoots with Quarles, there’s no telling how things will end in Harlan. One of the characters we like may end up on the wrong side of a bullet joining Gary in the hereafter. The only question is – who will it be?

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 member Joelle Carter on Twitter: @Joelle_Carter.

For fans of Walton Goggins, follow @WaltonGFan.

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Photos © 2011 FX Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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.