I thought about making the entirety of this review “Goddamn, Raylan Givens” and giving it four and a half stars. That was the prevailing thought in my head at the conclusion of “Starvation,” another great episode of Justified‘s good-to-great fifth season. “Starvation” is a good reminder that Raylan can still be a damn good cop when he wants to be. Too often Justified will coast on Timothy Olyphant’s considerable charisma (and that is in no way a complaint), but when Raylan sets his sights on something – or more likely, someone – it’s best to help or get out of the way.
Raylan doesn’t believe that it was Kendal who shot Art, and in trying to flush out Daryl Crowe, he’s going full scorched-earth. As he tells Wynn Duffy, he plans to make the lives of everyone Daryl knows “a goddamn calamity.” And he is not making idle threats here. He visits Ava in prison, trying to levy her relationship with Boyd into getting the latter to cooperate with him. He threatens her, too, basically telling her that it wouldn’t take much convincing to get the guards at the prison to look the other way when it comes to her well-being. Damn, Raylan, that is cold. Keep in mind that he and Ava not only dated but pretty much grew up together. But Raylan’s biggest gamble – and biggest dick move – comes at the end of “Starvation,” when he tries to get Daryl Crowe to put his money where his mouth is, and back up all the bullshit he’s been spewing all season about family loyalty. He pulls some strings and gets Vasquez to tell Daryl and Wendy that Kendal will be tried as an adult for the attempted murder of Art. If convicted, Kendal would be facing forty years, minimum. Jesus. Daryl really shouldn’t have shot Art.
Another thing “Starvation” does so well is put Raylan and Boyd on the same team, however tenuous the alliance may be. The dynamic between the two of them has always been one of the best parts of Justified, and I’d say season five’s biggest crime is making us wait until the penultimate episode to see them work together. Granted, Raylan is dangling Boyd’s enormous file over his head the whole time, so it’s not like Boyd exactly has a choice. But even when the two work together against a common enemy, it’s good to remember that they are fundamentally on opposite sides of a very solid line. When Boyd drops the bombshell about Raylan’s complicity in the death of Nicky Augustine right in front of Tim and Rachel, Raylan is furious; he drops his facade, although only Boyd knows him well enough to see it. It’s a great shot of Olyphant’s simmering anger we saw so much of on Deadwood. Boyd is effectively declaring war on Raylan, or at the very least warning him to back off. Justified has one season left, and if it’s one long showdown between Raylan and Boyd, we all win.
A Few Thoughts
– Jesus, this was busy hour of television. Could this be Dewey Crowe’s swan song? What a great episode for Damon Herriman, his best since he thought he got his kidneys removed last season. I loved him gleefully admitting to seemingly every crime he’s ever committed (“I killed Wade Messer! Me! Dewey Crowe!” and “That’s my heroin!”). I loved him not knowing what “third person” meant. What a weird, terrific character
– Ava looks to be in trouble. Gretchen Swift is a more cunning operator than she seemed at first
– Great to see Tim and Rachel. Mainly Tim, who gave the perfect review of American Hustle (“Needs more Jason Statham”) and of Boyd’s eloquence (“I know I got a boner”)
– Line of the night belongs to Boyd’s henchman, after getting shot in the leg by Daryl: “This is the worst job in the world!”
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