Justified

[InternetApex]

Very good first episode. The good things about this show - the characters and the dialogue remain undefeated.

I was very confused by the last scene however. Why in the hell would Paxton taunt Boyd that way, knowing full well he'd end up dead? I don't understand that. Anybody have any clue?

I'm not clear on that myself.  I'm also not sure why Boyd would leave a witness.

Boyd does have a thing for widows of murdered husbands. Maybe he figures Ava is done for and he wants to trade up? That would be very disappointing.

[R-V]

Very good first episode. The good things about this show - the characters and the dialogue remain undefeated.

I was very confused by the last scene however. Why in the hell would Paxton taunt Boyd that way, knowing full well he'd end up dead? I don't understand that. Anybody have any clue?

I'm not clear on that myself.  I'm also not sure why Boyd would leave a witness.

Boyd does have a thing for widows of murdered husbands. Maybe he figures Ava is done for and he wants to trade up? That would be very disappointing.

I think Paxton thought the cards he was holding re: Ava's judge gave him carte blanche to taunt Boyd. Oops. And yes I think Boyd leaving the widow was a signal that he still has some morality to him.

Wade Messer: "Hey Raylan - can I get you a blow job or somethin?"

[CT III]

Very good first episode. The good things about this show - the characters and the dialogue remain undefeated.

I was very confused by the last scene however. Why in the hell would Paxton taunt Boyd that way, knowing full well he'd end up dead? I don't understand that. Anybody have any clue?

I'm not clear on that myself.  I'm also not sure why Boyd would leave a witness.

Boyd does have a thing for widows of murdered husbands. Maybe he figures Ava is done for and he wants to trade up? That would be very disappointing.

I think Paxton thought the cards he was holding re: Ava's judge gave him carte blanche to taunt Boyd. Oops. And yes I think Boyd leaving the widow was a signal that he still has some morality to him.

Wade Messer: "Hey Raylan - can I get you a blow job or somethin?"

I'm not going to give Boyd that kind of credit.  My thought was that Paxton taunted him enough that he decided he'd take the deal and confess to the murder, and realized that he didn't need Paxton around to go through with it (and if he's going to confess, might as well tack another murder on there).

Although it seems pretty clear from the season previews that Boyd will NOT be doing that.

[InternetApex]

Very good first episode. The good things about this show - the characters and the dialogue remain undefeated.

I was very confused by the last scene however. Why in the hell would Paxton taunt Boyd that way, knowing full well he'd end up dead? I don't understand that. Anybody have any clue?

I'm not clear on that myself.  I'm also not sure why Boyd would leave a witness.

Boyd does have a thing for widows of murdered husbands. Maybe he figures Ava is done for and he wants to trade up? That would be very disappointing.

I think Paxton thought the cards he was holding re: Ava's judge gave him carte blanche to taunt Boyd. Oops. And yes I think Boyd leaving the widow was a signal that he still has some morality to him.

Wade Messer: "Hey Raylan - can I get you a blow job or somethin?"

I'm not going to give Boyd that kind of credit.  My thought was that Paxton taunted him enough that he decided he'd take the deal and confess to the murder, and realized that he didn't need Paxton around to go through with it (and if he's going to confess, might as well tack another murder on there).

Although it seems pretty clear from the season previews that Boyd will NOT be doing that.

RV's idea that maybe he thought Boyd wouldn't kill him because of Ava's judge doesn't make sense either. Because he was taunting him about failing to take the fall for her. If he was counting on willingness to do anything to save Ava, it seems odd that he'd be declaring that to be untrue.

It's a problematic scene. Maybe it's just poorly written, a mistake that we're not supposed to think about. This show's not perfect. But strange events like this tend to become more clear later on.

Let's just earmark it and circle back later. 

[CT III]

Very good first episode. The good things about this show - the characters and the dialogue remain undefeated.

I was very confused by the last scene however. Why in the hell would Paxton taunt Boyd that way, knowing full well he'd end up dead? I don't understand that. Anybody have any clue?

I'm not clear on that myself.  I'm also not sure why Boyd would leave a witness.

Boyd does have a thing for widows of murdered husbands. Maybe he figures Ava is done for and he wants to trade up? That would be very disappointing.

I think Paxton thought the cards he was holding re: Ava's judge gave him carte blanche to taunt Boyd. Oops. And yes I think Boyd leaving the widow was a signal that he still has some morality to him.

Wade Messer: "Hey Raylan - can I get you a blow job or somethin?"

I'm not going to give Boyd that kind of credit.  My thought was that Paxton taunted him enough that he decided he'd take the deal and confess to the murder, and realized that he didn't need Paxton around to go through with it (and if he's going to confess, might as well tack another murder on there).

Although it seems pretty clear from the season previews that Boyd will NOT be doing that.

RV's idea that maybe he thought Boyd wouldn't kill him because of Ava's judge doesn't make sense either. Because he was taunting him about failing to take the fall for her. If he was counting on willingness to do anything to save Ava, it seems odd that he'd be declaring that to be untrue.

It's a problematic scene. Maybe it's just poorly written, a mistake that we're not supposed to think about. This show's not perfect. But strange events like this tend to become more clear later on.

Let's just earmark it and circle back later. 

Agreed, let's just see how this plays out.

[R-V]

Very good first episode. The good things about this show - the characters and the dialogue remain undefeated.

I was very confused by the last scene however. Why in the hell would Paxton taunt Boyd that way, knowing full well he'd end up dead? I don't understand that. Anybody have any clue?

I'm not clear on that myself.  I'm also not sure why Boyd would leave a witness.

Boyd does have a thing for widows of murdered husbands. Maybe he figures Ava is done for and he wants to trade up? That would be very disappointing.

I think Paxton thought the cards he was holding re: Ava's judge gave him carte blanche to taunt Boyd. Oops. And yes I think Boyd leaving the widow was a signal that he still has some morality to him.

Wade Messer: "Hey Raylan - can I get you a blow job or somethin?"

I'm not going to give Boyd that kind of credit.  My thought was that Paxton taunted him enough that he decided he'd take the deal and confess to the murder, and realized that he didn't need Paxton around to go through with it (and if he's going to confess, might as well tack another murder on there).

Although it seems pretty clear from the season previews that Boyd will NOT be doing that.

RV's idea that maybe he thought Boyd wouldn't kill him because of Ava's judge doesn't make sense either. Because he was taunting him about failing to take the fall for her. If he was counting on willingness to do anything to save Ava, it seems odd that he'd be declaring that to be untrue.

It's a problematic scene. Maybe it's just poorly written, a mistake that we're not supposed to think about. This show's not perfect. But strange events like this tend to become more clear later on.

Let's just earmark it and circle back later. 

Agreed, let's just see how this plays out.

I think I need to rewatch that scene. My brain must still be recovering from reading CFiHP Cutler posts.

[CBStew]

Very good first episode. The good things about this show - the characters and the dialogue remain undefeated.

I was very confused by the last scene however. Why in the hell would Paxton taunt Boyd that way, knowing full well he'd end up dead? I don't understand that. Anybody have any clue?

I'm not clear on that myself.  I'm also not sure why Boyd would leave a witness.

Boyd does have a thing for widows of murdered husbands. Maybe he figures Ava is done for and he wants to trade up? That would be very disappointing.

I think Paxton thought the cards he was holding re: Ava's judge gave him carte blanche to taunt Boyd. Oops. And yes I think Boyd leaving the widow was a signal that he still has some morality to him.

Wade Messer: "Hey Raylan - can I get you a blow job or somethin?"

I'm not going to give Boyd that kind of credit.  My thought was that Paxton taunted him enough that he decided he'd take the deal and confess to the murder, and realized that he didn't need Paxton around to go through with it (and if he's going to confess, might as well tack another murder on there).

Although it seems pretty clear from the season previews that Boyd will NOT be doing that.

RV's idea that maybe he thought Boyd wouldn't kill him because of Ava's judge doesn't make sense either. Because he was taunting him about failing to take the fall for her. If he was counting on willingness to do anything to save Ava, it seems odd that he'd be declaring that to be untrue.

It's a problematic scene. Maybe it's just poorly written, a mistake that we're not supposed to think about. This show's not perfect. But strange events like this tend to become more clear later on.

Let's just earmark it and circle back later. 

Agreed, let's just see how this plays out.

I think I need to rewatch that scene. My brain must still be recovering from reading CFiHP Cutler posts.

Seriously.  This is a show that says, "Pay attention.  I am not going to repeat this."

[J. Walter Weatherman]

I hope we are going to see more of Dave Foley and Will Sasso as the semi-polite Canadian gangsters.

They must have an increased Guest Star budget because there were a ton of them in this episode

Casting on this show is great across the board. Hell, even David Koechner fit in.

And now Loretta's back, too. Maybe.

Relatedly, I don't know if this is actually new, but I noticed that Jere Burns is now getting opening credits billing. Which suggests a regular dose of Wynn Duffy.

Hopefully with an eye towards a backdoor pilot for CT's proposed buddy spinoff with Art Mullen and an Airstream trailer.

they were even consistent with bringing back the same actor as Raylan's boss from the pilot.

He showed up in Season 2, too, when Raylan went down to there after the Miami cartel drug runners from Season 1.

And IMDB says he appeared in last season's finale, too, but I can't recall the context.

"It's a common name"

Dewey's continued relevance makes me a happy man.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

"Hello, Cousin Johnny."

[InternetApex]

"Hello, Cousin Johnny."

This was one of their weaker episodes. No, I'm not calling it a bad episode, but it's weak by this show's standards. I think the show is really scattered right now as they spend equal time covering the stories of Raylan, Boyd and the fantastic Dewey Crow. I think the comic relief that Dewey's family adds to the show is entertaining and I would watch at least one full season of a Crows spinoff. But it's getting trite. Neither Raylan or Boyd seem to be focused on anything other than themselves right now. Raylan's kind of a philandering bum with a gun and Boyd is in survival mode.

It's all typical, well-written and well-performed Justified fodder. But if the point is that Raylan's not focused and Boyd is not well and by the way, LOL Dewey, then this season runs the risk of being a throwaway. I wondered at the conclusion of last season if Raylan's demons (Arlow-induced self-loathing and aggression) were going to overcome him. That seems to be the case a little as he can't bear to be around his ex-wife and infant daughter, and would rather fool around with this floozy and beat on no-account thugs to defend her "honor." That's not really enough. If he's going bad, let's have him go semi-Vic Mackey. If not, let's find a bad-baddy for him to duel with.

Hell, let's see him go head up with Boyd for two seasons and call it quits.

[R-V]

"Hello, Cousin Johnny."

This was one of their weaker episodes. No, I'm not calling it a bad episode, but it's weak by this show's standards. I think the show is really scattered right now as they spend equal time covering the stories of Raylan, Boyd and the fantastic Dewey Crow. I think the comic relief that Dewey's family adds to the show is entertaining and I would watch at least one full season of a Crows spinoff. But it's getting trite. Neither Raylan or Boyd seem to be focused on anything other than themselves right now. Raylan's kind of a philandering bum with a gun and Boyd is in survival mode.

It's all typical, well-written and well-performed Justified fodder. But if the point is that Raylan's not focused and Boyd is not well and by the way, LOL Dewey, then this season runs the risk of being a throwaway. I wondered at the conclusion of last season if Raylan's demons (Arlow-induced self-loathing and aggression) were going to overcome him. That seems to be the case a little as he can't bear to be around his ex-wife and infant daughter, and would rather fool around with this floozy and beat on no-account thugs to defend her "honor." That's not really enough. If he's going bad, let's have him go semi-Vic Mackey. If not, let's find a bad-baddy for him to duel with.

Hell, let's see him go head up with Boyd for two seasons and call it quits.

I feel like the pattern with this show is that the season starts off a bit meandering (with the exception of last year's Drew Thompson story which carried us through most of the early portion of the season) before the threads start coming together at about the halfway point. The show is so much better when Raylan & Boyd are interacting, but it's just not practical for that to hai every week.

Poor Wade Messer. Guy can't catch a break.

[InternetApex]

"Hello, Cousin Johnny."

This was one of their weaker episodes. No, I'm not calling it a bad episode, but it's weak by this show's standards. I think the show is really scattered right now as they spend equal time covering the stories of Raylan, Boyd and the fantastic Dewey Crow. I think the comic relief that Dewey's family adds to the show is entertaining and I would watch at least one full season of a Crows spinoff. But it's getting trite. Neither Raylan or Boyd seem to be focused on anything other than themselves right now. Raylan's kind of a philandering bum with a gun and Boyd is in survival mode.

It's all typical, well-written and well-performed Justified fodder. But if the point is that Raylan's not focused and Boyd is not well and by the way, LOL Dewey, then this season runs the risk of being a throwaway. I wondered at the conclusion of last season if Raylan's demons (Arlow-induced self-loathing and aggression) were going to overcome him. That seems to be the case a little as he can't bear to be around his ex-wife and infant daughter, and would rather fool around with this floozy and beat on no-account thugs to defend her "honor." That's not really enough. If he's going bad, let's have him go semi-Vic Mackey. If not, let's find a bad-baddy for him to duel with.

Hell, let's see him go head up with Boyd for two seasons and call it quits.

I feel like the pattern with this show is that the season starts off a bit meandering (with the exception of last year's Drew Thompson story which carried us through most of the early portion of the season) before the threads start coming together at about the halfway point. The show is so much better when Raylan & Boyd are interacting, but it's just not practical for that to hai every week.

Poor Wade Messer. Guy can't catch a break.

I think they fall in love with certain characters (Boyd, Dewey, Duffy) and keep giving them to us because they enjoy them whether it hamstrings the story or not. I'm ok with this because the actors are so great at their jobs but this episode felt like hanging out smoking a joint when you should be working on the script for your hit cable tv show. Again, I didn't hate it. I just want to see where they're going and feel like they've taken a short break. The Boyd storyline with the Russian broad isn't entertaining me and I still haven't the slightest idea why that dumbass decided to taunt him and thought he could get away with it. Kind of up and down right now, but up and down for this show is better than 99% of shit on TV ever.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

this episode felt like hanging out smoking a joint when you should be working on the script for your hit cable tv show

I felt exactly the opposite. I think this last episode was about sacrificing some cool shit happening right now for sake of advancing the countless storylines they appear to be setting up so that some cool shit can go down later.

Yeah, it's a bit "scattered" right now (Boyd alone is getting pulled in four different directions—more if, say, Hot Rod's crew comes to bear on him somehow), but I read that as just that more more potential for all of these characters and stories to link up into something really tight. There's just some work they need to put in up front to set the stage.

With next season reportedly being the last, the writers are probably even starting to put the ultimate conclusion in their sights. And, while we're probably not quite in all-bets-are-off territory yet when it comes to Boyd (and Raylan), we're inching closer.

At this point, I trust that this show knows exactly what it's doing. And this season feels to me like it's shaping up to be anything but a "throwaway".

[InternetApex]

this episode felt like hanging out smoking a joint when you should be working on the script for your hit cable tv show

I felt exactly the opposite. I think this last episode was about sacrificing some cool shit happening right now for sake of advancing the countless storylines they appear to be setting up so that some cool shit can go down later.

Yeah, it's a bit "scattered" right now (Boyd alone is getting pulled in four different directions—more if, say, Hot Rod's crew comes to bear on him somehow), but I read that as just that more more potential for all of these characters and stories to link up into something really tight. There's just some work they need to put in up front to set the stage.

With next season reportedly being the last, the writers are probably even starting to put the ultimate conclusion in their sights. And, while we're probably not quite in all-bets-are-off territory yet when it comes to Boyd (and Raylan), we're inching closer.

At this point, I trust that this show knows exactly what it's doing. And this season feels to me like it's shaping up to be anything but a "throwaway".

So pretty much everything I said about Episode 2 of True Detective?

InternetApex, who are you crappin'?

[InternetApex]

Now that was a fucking episode. Dewey's "prayer" was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on television.