Raylan declares war on the deadly men who are forcing Harlan's most valuable real estate to change hands, while Boyd and Duffy seek out a crackpot safecracker to help do their dirty work.
The final season of Justified has had a tight and precise focus so far because Raylan is so determined to take down Boyd. It's the only thing he is working on. Life is still going on around him. But until now, his chief focus has been his investigation into Boyd. However, Harlan has been his town since he was born. The community is slowly dying. This investigation into Boyd only leads to a further entanglement with Avery Markham. He's Boyd's target. So that lands him on Raylan's radar as well. However, does that mean Raylan also has to focus on stopping Avery from moving his criminal enterprise into the area too? He has made a vow to arrest Boyd and then head down to Florida to be with his family. And yet, Avery represents the latest criminal in the area who he needs to deal with.Of course, Raylan is going to get tangled up with Avery. He's a man who thinks he can walk into this community and bulldoze everything in order to get his way. Avery is a very powerful man. I get chills whenever Sam Elliott speaks. He is a very intimidating presence. Raylan isn't willing to back down from this kind of fight. And yet, it is also a distraction from his main mission of arresting Boyd. He figures he can arrest both Avery and Boyd. Tidy everything up in Harlan and then go to Florida. He doesn't view this as a distraction or extra work that will keep him away from his family. He's just trying to protect his Harlan roots. He may not have cared for his elementary English teacher. But he knows she didn't deserve to die just so Avery can start growing marijuana.
So now, Raylan is taking the fight to Avery as well. It's a situation that gets more intense with the return of Loretta. It always makes me so happy when Last Man Standing lets Kaitlyn Dever return to Justified once a season. She pops back up as Avery and Ty try making an offer on the Bennett land which she currently owns. She has been forced to grow up at such a young age. She's being asked to handle these business negotiations. And yet, she still is just a kid. Raylan has that instinct to look out for her. She doesn't always want it. She was planning on turning the offer down way before Raylan and Tim were at her front door. Their presence only intensifies the situation further. Raylan and Avery's big scene occurs in Loretta's kitchen. It's paying respect to the story arc of Season 2. The famous Bennett "apple juice" returns, but it's not the lethal kind. We have to have some respect for Avery as a criminal because he has researched the history of this community. Even though he didn't know Arlo, he still made it a point to learn things about Raylan just in case an encounter like this were to happen.
It's a tense situation. Raylan may be taking on too much by trying to go after both Boyd and Avery. Sure, those two criminals are also connected. And yet, it's a very precarious arrangement. Raylan is trying to look out for the best interests of this community. But that could come at a cost to his main course of action. Art underlines that for Raylan but he still does so anyway.
Meanwhile, Boyd and Ava have to deal with their new business arrangement with Wynn Duffy and Katherine. Boyd is fully aware of the situation now and is growing more passionate about the cause. And then, Ava is in a sticky situation in that she's staying at the same hotel as Katherine Hall. She's still able to meet with Raylan in the stairwell. But Katherine makes her presence known soon enough. She's simply trying to get a read on Ava. She doesn't trust her. She believes the circumstances surrounding her release from prison are too sketchy. Katherine believes she needs to establish this relationship with Ava in order to determine whether or not she's dangerous to her operation. So, she'll bond over being powerful women in this uncertain world and then rob a jewelry store. It's all to get Ava to lower her guard so that she's not expecting the big question when it comes. Ava's reaction is horrible. She fully believes that Katherine knows about her deal with Raylan. She's panicking but there's absolutely nothing she can do about it.
And now, Ava's future is getting even more uncertain because Boyd is removing the idea of moving away to some exotic location. He is now determined not to run away or hide. He wants to be the criminal on top. If Avery sees a future in Harlan, then something must be in the pipeline. He's seen this dying community and figured it would be best to leave and start over. But now, he's given the idea of staying where he is and rebuilding this area better than before. That's his dream. It terrifies Ava. But it definitely makes the stakes of this season even higher.
Some more thoughts:
- "The Trash and the Snake" was written by Chris Provenzano & Ingrid Escajeda and directed by Adam Arkin.
- Boyd and Wynn Duffy try to find an expert to open Avery's safe for them. They learn just how much explosive power they'll need to break in. Unfortunately, the man helping them explodes right in front of them. That death was unexpected and yet glorious!
- Yeah, it's not going to be much longer until Art gets back to the office, is it? His wife is getting sick of him and he just wants to eat unhealthy food again. With all that said though, he still provides valuable advice to Raylan.
- Wasn't it a tad too easy for Tim to discover that the couple who wouldn't sell their home were murdered? Ty and his crew don't strike me as being that careless to just leave evidence behind.
- So glad, we got at least one last glimpse into Dickie Bennett's life.
