Look, Justified, I love you, but HOLY SHIT were those scenes with the baby annoying. I get it, she has a heart murmur, it’s not supposed to be easy, but goddamn did that crying give me a headache. If nothing else, “The Hunt” was a pretty effective abstinence campaign.
Which is not to say that it was a bad episode – it wasn’t. It was one of Justified‘s more talky, transitional episodes, one where characters got into verbal showdowns every five minutes or so. This is totally okay by me, because the only thing better than this show’s dialogue is its cast. Much of “The Hunt” revolved around loyalty and trust, and to illustrate the fluid nature of both, Avery Markham opens the episode by paying Sea Bass $50,000 not to go save Ty Walker and embroil himself in the Marshals’ manhunt. I know Ty, Sea Bass, and Choo Choo were kind of a unit, but with the exception of Walker, none of them really stood out. Sea Bass is basically a guy with a beard that isn’t as nice as Walker’s, and Choo Choo will be remembered mainly for talking like Josh Brolin in True Grit.
Ty Walker can look out for his own damn self, though, so thanks for nothing, Sea Bass. After removing a bullet from his shoulder, he passes his credit cards along to two frat boys. (Quick sidebar: frat boys, have you ever wondered why in every single movie and TV show ever made, you’re portrayed as assholes and rapists? Think about it.) Then he calls for paramedics, but quickly deduces that the men were sent to subdue him. He kills one, and seems to consider letting the other live. “It’s been such a day!” he cries, before shooting the man, like, five or six times. Justified perks up whenever Garret Dillahunt is on screen, and if being disavowed by Markham means we’re about to see a Ty Walker rampage, then I’m all for it. Just don’t shave the beard like Judas Grimes on The Walking Dead.
Winona is back in town, probably just to remind viewers she exists, because Raylan is still ostensibly moving to Florida to be with her and his daughter Willa (ugh, that name) when this whole Boyd case is wrapped up. It’s nice to see Winona again, but like I said, that fucking baby just killed me. Knocked half a star off the rating, honestly. That may seem petty, but fuck off, this is my website and if I want to ding a show for being almost unwatchable because of the screaming baby, then I will. Anyway, the main takeaway of Winona’s visit is that she wants to get back with Raylan, and he seems into it. Good luck, you crazy kids.
Raylan and Winona are definitely more functional than Boyd and Ava right now. After taking her up to his cabin in Bulletville (of course Kentucky has a town called Bulletville), Boyd offers Ava some Pappy Van Winkle (which is about $250 a bottle, Ava, so maybe try being grateful) and proceeds to act really shifty and menacing. Of course, he knows about Ava’s trip to see Limehouse, and he puts it together pretty quickly that Constable Bob alone couldn’t have helped Ava get away from Errol and his stupid fucking hat. Ava comes clean about being a snitch, and Boyd immediately asks if she’s sleeping with Raylan. “How could you ask me that?” she demands. Why do people do this in movies and TV? Just fucking say no! God that’s frustrating. But Boyd and Ava are still a team, and he’s already thinking of a way to use her being Raylan’s CI to his advantage. But he’s also surreptitiously making sure his gun is loaded, so sleep with one eye open, Ava.
A Few Thoughts
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Great scene with Art and Avery. Art was in the zone, and I liked his explanation for being there: “I was just bored”
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Now that Boyd mentioned it, why do so many people betray him? Johnny, Devil, now Ava – this is Justified‘s sixth season, so that’s one betrayal every two seasons. Not a good batting average
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