Justified rewatch: 5x12 and 5x13

[gwyn]

5.12 Starvation
Original Air Date: April 1, 2014
Written by: Chris Provenzano
Directed by: Michael Pressman



The Marshals try to make a deal with Boyd to take down Darrell Crowe Jr., but Dewey unexpectedly gets in the way. Meanwhile, Ava's enemies in prison make their move against her.


5.13 Restitution
Original Air Date: April 8, 2014
Written by: Fred Golan and Dave Andron
Directed by: Adam Arkin



The Mexican cartel catches up with Boyd and demands payback, Ava goes on the offensive after being accused of snitching, and Raylan tells Wendy that Kendal will be tried as an adult in a desperate ploy to catch her brother.

Please share your thoughts and reactions in comments.

Comments

[mackiemesser]

5.12 - As mentioned in the previous recap, Ryalan's use of "whence" is superb. His use of "felled" in this episode - "felled by your own hand," no less - is just wonderful. Sometimes you gotta wonder why Rachel and Tim don't just bust our with popcorn to watch the Harlan boys go at it.

Look, Dewey just needs a sad trombone with him at all times.

Towing Duffy's RV is a stroke of genius. It's also hilarious just how fed up he is with everything. Sometimes you have to wonder why he just doesn't leave Kentucky for a less stressful, less ridiculous place.

I just do not care at all about Ava's prison adventures. So much time is devoted to it, but what does it accomplish or add to the overall story arc? Is it just to show that she can be tough? Maybe they are using it to put cracks in her relationship with Boyd, but it seems like should be less complicated ways to do that, what with the whole Crowe and Mexican cartel stuff. All this does is show me that she's actually a good match for Boyd.

More Crowe bullshit. It sucks having to slog through their parts to get the good bits of show that exist around them.

5.13 - Really, I'm surprised Jimmy survived this long.

It is not OK for Tim to get hurt. Yet one more thing that Daryl needs to pay for, the rat fucker.
Still, the episode makes up for this blunder by giving us the excellent scene where Rachel and Tim go after the cartel and Tim gets to be a smart ass in 2 languages. And we get Boyd's trick shot, which he is rightly proud of.

Why does Wendy put up with Daryl's crap? She clearly knows better! I suppose you could argue that it's a lifetime habit of surviving an abusive family relationship but it's just overkill. I suppose it was to build up the moment where she shoots him - which is just enough kill - but it feels like they just laid it on too thick to get her to that point. And, I mean, in that family, do you really have to be pushed that hard before you shoot?

They do an OK job of setting up the next season, but Ava's turning doesn't really feel, well, justified.

[gwyn]

Ha, Dewey does need a sad trombone. Or "Yakety Sax."

I feel like they fell in love with Jere Burns's dry delivery and reactions to everything, and they kept him around too long. Any sensibe person would have gotten the fuck out of there a long time before that--at first, it seemed like he was putting up with Quarles mostly so he could get back at Raylan, but then it seemed like one of those characters you don't really know why they're there other than the producers love them and signed them to a recurring contract.

This was such a bummer of a season, and you realize how much of it was set up so that something would drive Ava turning against Boyd so Raylan can take him down. All the buildup and then it just ends in this really perfunctory way, and there's no repurcussions for anyone's decisions or actions that have left so many dead bodies everywhere, or people in hospitals. But at least Rappaport is gone, thank fuck.

[mackiemesser]

"I feel like they fell in love with Jere Burns's dry delivery and reactions to everything, and they kept him around too long."

Well, he is an excellent foil for the rest of the crew. And a handy plot point pivot (mmmm...alliteration).

I wonder if they considered having the set up being Boyd and Ava scheming to play Raylan and the Marshalls but getting played instead and that ultimately breaks them up? Coz that could have involved all kinds of twists and crosses.

Yeah, there's a definite "All that for this?" sense at the end. Like at lot of story threads just went nowhere and don't really get resolved. There are still some really good moments, but it just doesn't hold together as a season.

Starvation

[hafital]

I'm quickly realizing that I have very little memory of the later episodes in this season.

Ugh when is elder brother Crowe leaving? Though in some way I appreciated that he got the upper hand with Mikey.

I do love how Raylan just shows up always at the perfect time to ruin Wynn or Boyd's day lol. this time he had Rachel and Tim with him! :D

That scene with Ava is uncomfortable and sad. Also I don't know if it's a character choice or something with the actress, but she's always walking with her right shoulder higher than her left, and it worries me.

But I'm digging the Marshals and Vasquez all teaming up to handle Boyd together. I also love how in sync Tim and Raylan are (naturally) but how they look to Rachel (she being the boss now!).

I think I was waiting through this entire episode just to hear Tim say "i know I got a boner."

"The anus is on you." haha Dewey.

Raylan biting his fist when Dewey barges into the set up.

I actually really enjoyed this episode. It pulled many of the strings of the season together a bit more, though Ava's story is still wagging out by itself mostly (though it kinda tied in). As always the interplay between Raylan and Boyd was the most tingly and complex and thorny and full of their history, and I especially appreciated Tim and Rachel backing Raylan up when Boyd brought up Nicky Augustine.

I like the ep title too.

Re: Starvation

[gwyn]

I always get so giddy whenever Raylan does something with both Tim and Rachel. I think that's really my only major complaint about the show in general, despite season 5--that the rest of the cast wasn't utilized enough, a common complaint and one that the showrunners acknowledged themselves.

Raylan biting his fist is one of the sexiest goddamn things I've ever seen.

Restitution

[hafital]

Watching an actor pretend to smoke when they don't really smoke is always painful. Worth it though to see Tim yank Daryl's chain. Also i'm always distressed when anyone talks about what snipers go through to get a shot. :/

I like the actor who played Kendel getting to show some talent in that scene with Raylan. Well done between the two of them.

I find it difficult to believe Boyd actually believed he managed to convince the two Mexican henchmen actually turned to his side -- the episode failed there imo. Though that was quick thinking on his part, changing Raylan's contact to Daryl's in his phone. And I do like that in a pinch, with his back up against the wall ('cause I guess the Mexican cartel are scarier than Detroit thugs lol) he goes to Raylan for help.

Those Mexican thugs would all be speaking Spanish to each other, never english, but I guess for filming purposes they didn't want to bother.

I always get really excited whenever Tim gets to shoot things lol. Heck I get excited whenever any of the marshals get to shoot things, but it's especially thrilling with Tim. And I like it when he's like "i promise you, you're all going to die." I'm pretty sure it should not be a turn on but it is lol.

Uh oh, Rachel laid down the law with Boyd. :D Raylan is one thing, they dug coal together and everything, but now Rachel is serious.

Yay Art!

So much for Florida haha. Well, obviously this show cannot end without resolving the primary ying yang relationship of Boyd and Raylan. I liked how they dangled Boyd in front of Raylan like a treat lol.

All in all, though a rather annoying season with the Crowes, I did not entirely mind how it ended. Even though i dislike Wendy profoundly, I am glad they didn't kill her. There's just plenty of women dying as it is, and she was tiresome (and gullible for all her intelligence -- a mark of the Crowes) but not completely reprehensible like her brothers.

I have mixed feelings about the whole Ava thing though.

Re: Restitution

[gwyn]

Raylan's thighs in the scene in the photo are almost as sexy as him biting his fist in the last episode.

Tim yanking anyone's chain is second only to Art yanking someone's chain. The supporting cast was SO FUCKING GOOD.

Yeah, agreed about Wendy dying. There's definitely some optics in this show that are less than stellar, like any action show centering a dude. But damn, I felt like they threw Ava and Joelle Carter under a bus this season.