Boyd and the Crowes fly South for a crucial drug score, while Raylan pursues a small time grifter with big time enemies.
Justified can and does do episodic stories fairly well. I also understand the importance of the guy-steals-money-from-a-gambling-website plot in this episode. It's all a part of the larger conflict between Raylan and Art. Art found out something he never really want to know about Raylan. That reveal completely changed the dynamic of their relationship. Because Raylan sees the chasing down of this guy trivial, the show too acts trivially towards it. It does have a clearly defined beginning, middle and end that is easy to follow. But we as the audience are also suppose to view this story as something that is beneath the skill set of Raylan Givens. Which is all just leading up to that confrontation in Art's office where Raylan asks to be reassigned. It's a weightless development - I don't expect Raylan to leave because he and this Kentucky office and the criminals in Harlan are what this show is. But it's also a nice, natural progression of events in the current state of their relationship. I know that something big will force them to work together again later in the season - as effectively as they did when they discovered Theo Tonin.Elsewhere, I am so confused as to why the show still hasn't killed Danny Crowe yet. I have a much better and deeper connection to Johnny Crowder and the journey he's been on since the first season. And yet, they have no problem pulling the trigger on him at episode's end. Danny's incompetence has always been a huge problem since the beginning and has kept getting worse and worse for no justifiable reason. Why didn't Boyd shoot Johnny and then turn around and shoot Danny? Because Darryl might retaliate against him? That's really the only explanation I can give about not killing Danny while they're still in Mexico.
The Crowes haven't been the best of additions this season. Wendy got to pull some sneaky maneuvers in "Raw Deal" and Raylan gets to appeal to her sense of morality. But I was also happy that Darryl and Danny only appeared at the very beginning and very end of the hour. Even then, they still infuriated me.
Some more thoughts:
- "Raw Deal" was written by VJ Boyd and directed by Bill Johnson.
- I'm also still really enjoying the prison atmosphere established with Ava especially the level of isolation she is in. She's trying to build up importance in this community now - and we'll have to see how that turns out for her.
- So, Alison is suspended and Raylan has some time off. Hmmm, I wonder how much time they will spend together?
- I have no clue if this is true or not. But it has felt like a major recurring character has been killed in every episode this season.
- The prosthetic was an amusing twist to the main story.
- Rachel: "Tim, did you not tell Raylan he's on walk-ins." Tim: "Raylan, you're on walk-ins."
- Chris: "Oh god no. Technology to reply to a post is decade's away." Yeah Tim & Raylan, Chris can be a dick sometimes.
