Can career criminals change their ways? Or are they destined for jail or the grave? These questions were examined in the penultimate "Peace of Mind", which saw Justified's finest confronting their various faiths and destinies. Whether it be their faith in each other or the spiritual kind, several characters found themselves wrestling with who and what to rely on. Then there's that sonuvabitch fate that batters into you sometimes - Colt can tell you all about it. It was a deep episode as well as an arresting one with some surprises and one helluva cliffhanger. Hit the jump to help us celebrate Everybody Wins Day.
The week's title comes from the great bit between Limehouse and Ava that presented the theme of the episode. She comes to pay him the $300,000 for Ellen May, who he let free a few moments before. Losing all of his "piggy bank" last season forced him to think on the decisions he's made for Noble's Holler and the consequences. This goes back to the airplane dream he spoke of a few episodes ago. He talks about "what it is that makes us forget who we are" - and I assume he's talking about money. That's what most motivations revolve around in Justified. So he's let Ellen May go in order to save Noble's citizens from more bullshit and to give himself some "peace of mind." If this is our last season with Mykelti Williamson, then this scene was a terrific coda for him.
Ava never wanted to kill Ellen May in the first place and after Limehouse's talk, she sure as hell wasn't going to pull the trigger under Cassie's big top. She was comfortable mocking Ellen May's newfound faith though. When Ellen May met this mockery with more forgiveness, you could see Ava getting more angry and confused. The courage Ellen May and Cassie showed in this scene was pretty powerful. Colt showed some stones too, stepping in between Ellen May and Ava's gun.
He stood in the line of fire more out of his steely sense of duty, I think. Boyd never called for Ellen May dead, so Colt had to stop Ava from doing something rash. Seconds later, of course, he received the order to kill her. But when Tim enters the tent, you pretty much know right then that Colt is the only one leaving the tent in a body bag. I even let out a quiet "dammit" to myself when he showed up. This was the end for Colt and he knew it. I see him closing his eyes, taking that last drag, as his way of accepting his fate. Like he said about Mark, Colton Rhodes was already dead. And when it gets to the point that he's taking an order to shoot a young girl, maybe it's time to close the curtains for real. I sure as hell did enjoy Ron Eldard's run though.
The subsequent intimate moment between Boyd and Ava was really nice. Like he mentioned earlier in the episode when everyone was arguing about their next move, his priority is Ava's safety - she's his future. That's why he decides their next move should be to properly dispose of Delroy's body. Good idea, seeing as how Ellen May is in the marshal's custody now. He states that he respects Ava's decision not to buck down Ellen May and that he refuses to believe in fate anymore. He doesn't believe the Crowder bloodline is doomed to be criminals for eternity and he's gunning to see that through.
The Givens bloodline is sure as hell continuing and in female form! It's a girl, which you could tell was what Raylan was afraid of. He's been almost kinetic since Arlo's death. He hasn't rested and if he does, he knows he'll be alone with his thoughts. That's why I think he fought the suspension and demanded to "finish what he started." It's the marshal in him, sure, but more than that he doesn't want to reflect on Arlo. He'll have a whole lot more to keep him busy next week when we find out what Picker was up to at Winona's house!
Last Call
- BEST ONE-LINER: "But I don't know shit about girls." - so true, Raylan. So true...
- FAMOUS LAST WORDS: "I guess I'll quit today." - Colt.
- I'm still unsure why Colt killed Mort in the previous episode. Was it a command by Boyd? I like to think Boyd would know better than to instigate Theo Tonin even further. Why'd Colt shoot him then? Just being reckless?
- The scene at Nicky Cush's place was pure, pulpy fun. The shootout Boyd and him were referencing is known as the "North Hollywood Shootout" that happened back in 1997.
- I loved Tim's "What are you doing?" as he realizes Colt isn't going to drop the gun. It was kinda heartbreaking. He really didn't want to shoot a fellow vet.
- GREAT and well-deserved The Fugitive reference on Tim's part.
- Man, Jimmy's had it rough this season. First the snake bite to the face, then Raylan treats him like a punching bag.
- Shelby's in custody, Ellen May is safe, but they're both going to play some big part in the finale, it's safe to assume.
- I still have a really bad feeling about Boyd and Ava. Either one of them isn't surviving the finale, or one is going to jail.
- See you next week for the finale! I'm probably not getting that one beforehand, so if the recap seems more scatterbrained than usual, it's because I was up all night writing it.