Well guys, I was wrong about Danny Crowe’s death: it wasn’t satisfying. I don’t mean it wasn’t satisfying narratively, or I felt that it was unnecessary, but there was no sense of catharsis or the schadenfreude I expected to feel. Tripping in your dog’s grave and knifing yourself through the throat is an ignominious way to go for anyone. But Justified managed the impossible stunt of making the death of one of its most despicable characters tragic, especially since it came on the heels of AJ Buckley delivering an amazing monologue about his dog. Danny Crowe in tears, stripped of all bluster and machismo, is a striking sight.
“Tragic” is a good word to describe tonight’s episode. It begins with Ava breaking up with Boyd as they talk through the windows of the prisoner’s visitors’ area. Ava puts the phone down and says “I love you, I always will,” but her voice is so muted that it already sounds like a memory. It’s a hearbreaking scene, played to perfection by Joelle Carter and Walton Goggins. We can see Boyd’s life crumbling, and while watching it I admit I got the same anxious fluttering in my stomach that I’ve gotten in real-life fights or breakups. Jesus, remember when Boyd used to be the villain of Justified?
The performances tonight are across-the-board fantastic. Even Nick Searcy, in his one scene with Raylan, uses his body language and dismissive attitude to convey Art’s attitude towards the Marshal who has all but ruined Art’s career. More heartbreak. “Weight” is an apt title for such a heavy episode.
The bad blood between the Crowes finally boils over. Kendal, while watching Danny’s dog Chelsea, is helpless to stop her (and yes I know Chelsea is male) from running away and being hit by a car. Kendal doesn’t hesitate; he hot-foots it to Allison’s right away, so afraid is he of Danny’s wrath. After Danny’s death, Daryl chastises Wendy for not crying and for wanting to leave. Then, in a scene that’s truly hard to watch, he beats the hell out of her. There’s no other term for it, especially as he stands over her, taunting “Are you crying now, bitch?” After that he goes to Kendal and more or less forces him to make a blood pact with him.
Michael Rapaport is fantastic in these scenes. We get a sense of the Crowes’ skewed family dynamic, as Wendy tells Daryl that he’ll never stand in his father’s shadow. And as Daryl beats his sister and emotionally manipulates his nephew, we see the pent-up rage and frustration that fuels this man. Here is a man who can run alongside the likes of Boyd Crowder, but he might have shown up too late.
Up until now, “Shot All to Hell” has been the high water mark of this season (at least in my opinion), with last week’s “Wrong Roads” a close second. But “Weight” is such a masterpiece of writing, directing, and acting that it blows season five’s previous nine episodes out of the water: no easy feat. Justified has long been one of the coolest shows on TV. “Weight” proved that it can also be one of the most poignant.
A Few Thoughts
– Boyd is thrown for such a loop when Ava leaves him, that he can’t even bring himself to harm Albert, the guard who stabbed himself and made sure Ava stayed in prison
– Jeremy Davies returns as Dickie Bennett. Unless I’m wrong, we haven’t seen Dickie since season two, but Davies knows the character so well it’s like he never left. His chemistry with Dewey is smooth and natural; you actually believe that these two are great friends
– I mentioned the direction. John Dahl was behind the camera this week, and did a superb job, which should come as no surprise, seeing as he directed Rounders, as well as episodes of Breaking Bad, Dexter, Hannibal, The Bridge, Homeland, Terriers…the point is, he’s really damn good at his job
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