Season 3, Episode 10
“You are a conquistador, but we are not your savages.”
If Justified's main problem is the fact that it spends too much time on the villains, and not enough on the heroes, it's going to have to make that dynamic work for the better, and that's exactly what “Guy Walks into a Bar” did, even if it did so in a bit of a roundabout manner.
Justified has always worked at something of a slower pace. It's not Mad Men slow, but for a series that kicks this much ass, it certainly takes it's time in doing so, more so than a lot of other FX shows. And while it's something that I usually appreciate in the show, something about how the fist half of this episode used that slow pace to set up the various bits of story for the hour seemed a bit...off.
I think the issue was that the first half focused on events that were more symbolic of the story dynamics than actual plot points in and of themselves, such as Shebly's Boyd-backed run for sheriff and Raylan attempting to keep Dickie from getting parole, that it took a bit too long to get to the actual emotions at play here, namely the show's go-to, anger. Justified may be slow, but it's always worn it's emotions more or less on it's sleeves, a move that gives it its palpable edge, and with that missing from the first half of the episode, things felt just a bit boring.
The problem with the beginning of the Raylan/Dickie story was that for the longest time Dickie didn't appear on the screen. I know that Raylan's main problem here was that letting Dickie go free essentially pardoned him from the original crime of killing Helen, and that's a personal issue that would best be explored through Raylan if, paradoxically he had some time away from Dickie, where he could avoid the issue for as long as possible, but denial doesn't always make for great television. There's certainly something there about Raylan's inability to confront his emotions, from the way he tries to use the law to keep Dickie in on a technicality, and then how he tries to blow off testifying in court, both by saying it isn't a good idea, and then after he relents, trying to have the bar owner write the speech for him. But we're used to seeing Raylan with more agency with that, and this change of heart doesn't sit right with the world that surrounds him, even if it's still something he would realistically do.
The same could be said for Boyd's actions tonight as well. As I briefly mentioned last week, Justified has a way of using potential chaos down the line to make the present moments work, but much like Raylan's barely suppressed rage, the potential has to actually flourish to be worthwhile and entertaining, and Shelby's run for mayor has always held potential, as it is the thing that would eventually bring Boyd into Quarles' orbit, with hopefully a shit-load of violence in tow. A run for mayor is such an organized, precision filled operation, something that flies in face with the the shoot-from-the-hip (sometime literally) world of Harlan county. I'll admit it was fun seeing the way these backwoods yokels put their own spin on political elections and the corruption therein, but seeing everybody act so (relatively) buttoned up didn't sit right with me.
That the violence we are all expecting didn't come should have been a letdown, but the aftermath had it's own palpable nature that won me over, and it was here that the episode took a large turn for the better. Thrown off by the loss of the election and control over the sheriff's office, Quarles, who has no other back up plan, spirals, popping Oxy like theres no tomorrow, and is soon confronted by a young man with a gun, destined to make Quarles pay for killing his boyfriend.
It's here that we get a large peeling back of Quarles outer shell, and we finally get to see what makes him tick. All this time I've been working under the assumption that he's some sort of self-hating homosexual, but that may have been a little off. It turns out that Quarles was pimped out a child my his heroin addicted father, and that he became to be adopted by Theo when he was allowed to kill his father. From then on, his beating of male hustlers has been serving a fucked up version of release, as his exercises the one demon that he can't control over and over again*. It's a masterstroke of acting on Neal McDonough's part as he reveals all of this in two scenery-chewing yet masterfully delivered monologues that hint not only at the pain of Quarles' past, but the desperation with which he seeks to escape it by proving himself to be a true criminal mastermind.
*(It's quite possible that Quarles is self-hating, but I now doubt the fact that he is gay, since I Justified doesn't seem like the kind of show that would equate molestation with turning gay. This doesn't rule it out, but I would hate to see the show take that route. Either way, it's all pretty fucked up, and that's the point.)
But of course in his drug-addled state, Quarles can't refrain from poking the one bear that he's yet to be convinced that he can't kill, and he goes to Raylan's new watering hole/place of residence and threatens him with a murder that would fuel no other purpose but vengeance. Though Raylan likewise seems rarin' for a fight (all the better to distract him from Dickie's hearing the next day), it's cut short before any real violence can occur thanks to the bar owner and her trusty shotgun. It's the first real standoff that we've seen between any of the major players that feels like payoff to what has come before it, and considering that there are three more episodes left to air this season, I can't wait to see how the show's going to top this one.
Following this, Raylan and the bar owner have what appears to be some awesome sex (because nothing gets women hotter than speech writing and gun play), and then Raylan goes to the hearing, were he decides to let go of his anger and allow Dickie to walk. It's a move that hold a lot of logic to it – Raylan's likely to catch him again, the Marshall's office avoids a lawsuit, and they can possiblyfollow Dickie to the Bennett fortune – but it's also point to Raylan regaining a clear head and playing things smart. He's refusing to get bogged down in the smaller, personal issues, and is trying to play a smarter, wider-reaching, and more effective game.
Well, except for the fact that both Limehouse and Boyd are gunning for Dickie head.
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
Echoing some of my sentiments, Ryan McGee wrote a piece on the current season of Justified yesterday stating his own reasons for disappointment with the season, which includes an unfair gender balance. It's well worth the read.
I think the issue was that the first half focused on events that were more symbolic of the story dynamics than actual plot points in and of themselves, such as Shebly's Boyd-backed run for sheriff and Raylan attempting to keep Dickie from getting parole, that it took a bit too long to get to the actual emotions at play here, namely the show's go-to, anger. Justified may be slow, but it's always worn it's emotions more or less on it's sleeves, a move that gives it its palpable edge, and with that missing from the first half of the episode, things felt just a bit boring.
The problem with the beginning of the Raylan/Dickie story was that for the longest time Dickie didn't appear on the screen. I know that Raylan's main problem here was that letting Dickie go free essentially pardoned him from the original crime of killing Helen, and that's a personal issue that would best be explored through Raylan if, paradoxically he had some time away from Dickie, where he could avoid the issue for as long as possible, but denial doesn't always make for great television. There's certainly something there about Raylan's inability to confront his emotions, from the way he tries to use the law to keep Dickie in on a technicality, and then how he tries to blow off testifying in court, both by saying it isn't a good idea, and then after he relents, trying to have the bar owner write the speech for him. But we're used to seeing Raylan with more agency with that, and this change of heart doesn't sit right with the world that surrounds him, even if it's still something he would realistically do.
The same could be said for Boyd's actions tonight as well. As I briefly mentioned last week, Justified has a way of using potential chaos down the line to make the present moments work, but much like Raylan's barely suppressed rage, the potential has to actually flourish to be worthwhile and entertaining, and Shelby's run for mayor has always held potential, as it is the thing that would eventually bring Boyd into Quarles' orbit, with hopefully a shit-load of violence in tow. A run for mayor is such an organized, precision filled operation, something that flies in face with the the shoot-from-the-hip (sometime literally) world of Harlan county. I'll admit it was fun seeing the way these backwoods yokels put their own spin on political elections and the corruption therein, but seeing everybody act so (relatively) buttoned up didn't sit right with me.
That the violence we are all expecting didn't come should have been a letdown, but the aftermath had it's own palpable nature that won me over, and it was here that the episode took a large turn for the better. Thrown off by the loss of the election and control over the sheriff's office, Quarles, who has no other back up plan, spirals, popping Oxy like theres no tomorrow, and is soon confronted by a young man with a gun, destined to make Quarles pay for killing his boyfriend.
It's here that we get a large peeling back of Quarles outer shell, and we finally get to see what makes him tick. All this time I've been working under the assumption that he's some sort of self-hating homosexual, but that may have been a little off. It turns out that Quarles was pimped out a child my his heroin addicted father, and that he became to be adopted by Theo when he was allowed to kill his father. From then on, his beating of male hustlers has been serving a fucked up version of release, as his exercises the one demon that he can't control over and over again*. It's a masterstroke of acting on Neal McDonough's part as he reveals all of this in two scenery-chewing yet masterfully delivered monologues that hint not only at the pain of Quarles' past, but the desperation with which he seeks to escape it by proving himself to be a true criminal mastermind.
*(It's quite possible that Quarles is self-hating, but I now doubt the fact that he is gay, since I Justified doesn't seem like the kind of show that would equate molestation with turning gay. This doesn't rule it out, but I would hate to see the show take that route. Either way, it's all pretty fucked up, and that's the point.)
But of course in his drug-addled state, Quarles can't refrain from poking the one bear that he's yet to be convinced that he can't kill, and he goes to Raylan's new watering hole/place of residence and threatens him with a murder that would fuel no other purpose but vengeance. Though Raylan likewise seems rarin' for a fight (all the better to distract him from Dickie's hearing the next day), it's cut short before any real violence can occur thanks to the bar owner and her trusty shotgun. It's the first real standoff that we've seen between any of the major players that feels like payoff to what has come before it, and considering that there are three more episodes left to air this season, I can't wait to see how the show's going to top this one.
Following this, Raylan and the bar owner have what appears to be some awesome sex (because nothing gets women hotter than speech writing and gun play), and then Raylan goes to the hearing, were he decides to let go of his anger and allow Dickie to walk. It's a move that hold a lot of logic to it – Raylan's likely to catch him again, the Marshall's office avoids a lawsuit, and they can possiblyfollow Dickie to the Bennett fortune – but it's also point to Raylan regaining a clear head and playing things smart. He's refusing to get bogged down in the smaller, personal issues, and is trying to play a smarter, wider-reaching, and more effective game.
Well, except for the fact that both Limehouse and Boyd are gunning for Dickie head.
Quotes and Other Thoughts:
Echoing some of my sentiments, Ryan McGee wrote a piece on the current season of Justified yesterday stating his own reasons for disappointment with the season, which includes an unfair gender balance. It's well worth the read.
Okay seriously. Is Ellie May's pineapple juice a real thing? And who the hell figured that one out, and how?
“Sometimes you can flush all you want, but there's one floater that just won't go down.”
“The food's the same grade of shit as everywhere, so there's that.”
“She just sassed you, son.”
“Oh no, what, I am about to be sentenced to be Dickie Bennet's manservant?”
“Next time you tell me you're not good at something, I'm going to believe it.”
“Sometimes you can flush all you want, but there's one floater that just won't go down.”
“The food's the same grade of shit as everywhere, so there's that.”
“She just sassed you, son.”
“Oh no, what, I am about to be sentenced to be Dickie Bennet's manservant?”
“Next time you tell me you're not good at something, I'm going to believe it.”
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