Last week, I expressed mild displeasure with the season premiere, stating, in effect, that the show was mixing the standalone and serialized elements in a less than effective manner. (And if I didn't say that then, then it's what I'm saying now.) Tonight's episode suffered from the same problems, but to a far lesser degree.
It is my current hypothesis that the show is trying to ensure that there are serialized elements (or perhaps more of them) in all of the episodes this season, in order to serve those frustrated by the lack of serialization in the early outings of season one. Where as season 1 would only spend a few minutes in the early episodes telling the ongoing narrative, here the first ten minutes were used to cover a variety of plot points. Tonight's cold open addressed the continuing mystery that is Boyd Crowder, the current condition of Arlo givens (who we didn't see in the season premiere for whatever reason), and then a few minutes with Mags and Loretta. And then there were the first few minutes after the post-credits-sequence commercial break, where the show checked in on the state of Raylan and Winona's relationship.
Now, I am all for serialized elements, and I tend to prefer heavy serialized dramas over the ones with a sprinkling of serialization. (This is main reason for my growing annoyance with Burn Notice, but that is a rant for another day.) However, for the show to throw all of these serialized elements together into one big chunk not only underserves each individual scene's emotional momentum, but it also makes it hard to pin down any sort of plot or theme for the episode.
The better example of how this should be done lies in tonight's last act. In between finishing up tonight's standalone case (which I'll get to in a minute), the show gave us a peek into the lives of two pairs of characters, in scenes that were both simultaneously quiet and revelatory. The first was between Boyd and Eva (I KNOW, RIGHT?) where he returns to her house drunk and bloody, and she patches him up. Not only does this beautifully upend audience expectations – just what is he doing at her house? - but I found it to be a much sadder, much more intimate look at Boyd, a better look at how his life has been changed by the events in “Bulletsville.” This was the first time in which I was actually intrigued about just what is going on with him.
The other quiet moment took place between Raylan and Winona, where the once again look at their relationship. But what makes this different from the scene towards the beginning of the episode (and their scenes from last season), and thus better, is that this was a quiet moment for the two, not the sharp antagonism/sexual tension that we've seen in the past. And why is that? Because Winona is pregnant with Raylan's child, and Raylan seems resigned to stick this relationship through to the end. Now that's something that catches the audience unawares.
These were the kind of scenes that the show used so effectively last season, the reason that I was adamant that others watch it. There is something about the dynamic between juxtaposing these quiet scenes with the slow-burn, quiet anger that the show is known for that help to heighten the tension throughout, and to keep me watching. I'm glad they've made their way back to the screen.
But what about the standalone story tonight. Borrowing from the emotional beats of last season's “Long In The Tooth” (which was perhaps the best standalone episode from last year), we spent the time tonight with an escaped pregnant convict, who wants to have the baby cut out of her in order to ensure that it ends up with the supposed father. (Only in backwoods of Kentucky, folks.) But what made this plot work, beyond the emotional beats played by both the mother and the former EMT, was the creepy imagery of the attempted c-section, from those shot of the ceiling fan (a Twin Peaks reference?) to preparation of the belly. (Seriously, for a minute I thought the show was going to go through with it, and subject us to the faux-doctor pulling the 8-month child out of the woman's stomach.) Beyond this, the plot was fairly simple, but Justified's standalone plots have always been about the feel rather than the actual story. If the scene where the wife of the real father (the prison security guard) didn't do something for you, then this isn't the show for you.
What did everybody else think?
Additional Thoughts:
Though I was excited for the return of Gary (the character isn't my favorite, but I like what he draws out of the Raylan/Winona dynamic), I'm going to refrain from discussing his role in the proceedings until he has a more substantial role.
“That's sanitized for your protection.”
“Don't knock foster care. Look where it got me.”
“Now shut the hell up, or Tim's going to hit you in the face.”
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