JUSTIFIED EP 612: Collateral Builds To Perfect Finale

justifed collateral 612 images 2015

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The name of this Justified episode fit pretty well and had I known that Constable Bob was going to get caught up in the collateral damage, I might have been a little queasy going in. No one wants to see this guy whacked. This episode also saw a former member of ‘Boardwalk Empire’ jump aboard, if only for a short while. Shea Whigham played “Eli” Thompson on the hit HBO series that wrapped up last year. His character had the misfortune of getting car jacked by Boyd Crowder in his one and only appearance on ‘Justified’.

This week Boyd and Raylan are headed in the same direction. They both want to get to Ava and the sack of money she and Zachariah are hauling all over the mountain. Boyd commandeers a truck from an unlucky guy, played by the aforementioned Whigham. Raylan apparently stole Constable Bob’s Crown Vic and ended up on foot as he walked through a pack of backwoods hillbillies that had a connection to his mama’s side of the family. That didn’t prevent them from pulling deer rifles on the Marshal so he had to take one hostage. He did pay the hillbilly back by signing over Arlo’s property to the guy in one of the simplest real estate documents ever….”I give this man my house.”

justified joelle carter collateral 612 recap 2015

Ava and Zachariah are not some dynamic duo that is going to outsmart everyone. He is quite the human mole when it comes to mining, but his getaway plan sux. Ava just wants to run aimlessly. I can see why Boyd, while not the most successful gangster in history, had to be in charge of these Harlan crooks. Meanwhile Avery Markham mourned over the body of Katherine Hale as she lay on a cold slab in the morgue. This may have been Sam Elliott’s best work this season. He is angry that she failed to listen to him when he promised Duffy’s head to his bride. Her bloodlust cost her her life.

We may not see Wynn Duffy anymore after this past episode. He gathered his effects and told Vasquez that he never wants to see Harlan again. Vasquez pushes him on the Simon Poole murder, but Duffy maintained he didn’t know who whacked him. Duffy’s last scene had him paying for a new vehicle, a mobile pet grooming van, with Hale’s diamond bracelet. The lady aiding him in getting this new ride must be with the FBI or similar group. Duffy is just going to continue hanging around criminal elements and snitching when called upon. That’s my guess anyway.

Boon made short work of Loretta’s so called bodyguard. He went for the headshot but missed the head and just let the guy suffer there wounded until Markham showed up to end the poor bastard’s life. The fact that he missed his target says he is not the marksman Raylan Givens is….not as fast either, don’t worry.

Vasquez flips out when he figures out the rest of the Marshals are trying to avoid making Raylan look like a fugitive. He is looking for an indictment even though he has basically nothing to prove Givens had anything to do with the money being stolen. While Vasquez is pitching a fit, Constable Bob brings back “The Gremlin” to track down Raylan, who clearly needs Bob’s help. This vehicle is a perfect match for this character and I was glad to see the cover taken off for one last ride. Sure Bob ended up getting shot by Boyd and distracting Raylan in his duties, but hey it was good to see him back in action.

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Boyd had one of his better rants as he was about to dispose of his civilian truck owner. Boyd Crowder has had some epic lines and he still has some in the hole for the finale I’m sure. But what he told the regular Joe summed up his character perfectly. Boyd basically clowned the average person’s life, with their shitty trucks, shitty houses, and mundane rule following existence.  Boyd worked himself up into a frenzy, saying “My life is my own! I”M AN OUTLAW!.” The rant ended with the everyman’s brains splattered in the cab of his shitty little truck.

Raylan and Boyd had their next to last showdown. This time in the fog on a hillside. There was never much danger of either man being killed, what with the finale set for next week. They did have some nice exchanges, gunfire and verbal darts alike. Boyd can’t understand why Raylan wants to kill him so bad. This from a man who just killed an innocent civilian who posed no threat to him at all. Boyd eventually escaped when Raylan was taken off task by Bob’s screaming. The Marshal ended up rescuing Bob and dropping him off at the hospital. That resulted in his probable arrest as two officers had the drop on him there.

Bad news for Ava. She got captured by some police officers also. They were of the dirty variety however, working for Markham. She has some of his money, but has stashed the rest of it somewhere on that mountain. She will be in a tight spot next week with Avery Markham still reeling from the death of his woman and even more pissed about his money she has taken. Loretta saved herself by making a great case for why Markham could benefit from her as a partner of sorts.

Zachariah proved his ineptness once again by missing Boyd through the door with his shotgun. How the hell do you miss with buckshot? Well Boyd shot him once the old miner left the safety of the cabin. Zachariah had one more chance to kill the hated Crowder with his suicide bomber vest filled with dynamite. That was a great plan, but poorly executed. He needed Boyd to know he had him, which of course gave Crowder the chance to move away somewhat safely. If you gonna kill somebody, kill em. Monologuing just gets yourself killed. See the ‘Incredibles.’

justifed collateral 612 images 2015

Even though this season went the long way around to get to the finale, I think it could pay off. Markham has Ava who must be saved by Raylan…or maybe even Boyd. And who is going to end up with that $10 million? The finale is never as good as the series as a whole, but fans expect it to be. It’s no easy thing to wrap a popular series up in a way that is both fitting and pleasing to the audience. The problem with the very last show is our own expectations. We want certain things to happen and when that doesn’t materialize we feel cheated. The best way to watch a finale is to just go along for the ride without placing your own plot in the mix.