Needless to say, viewers may have felt a substantial sense of relief when Wendy (Alicia Witt) did us all a favor and shot Darryl where the sun don’t shine. More so than the demise of past villains on the show, Wendy’s follow up to the neck was almost too kind for a character who clearly deserved to suffer further. Even if Raylan hadn’t played along and tagged this shooting with the ‘self defense’ label, Wendy could have probably made a solid case for emotional distress. Either way, she wasn’t going to suffer much because of it, and the benefits of removing Darryl from her life permanently far outweighed the consequences at that moment. Especially after she woke up from the Darryl-induced haze and accepted the reality of Kendal’s situation.
Another woman who has stepped up her game on the Justified playing field is Ava (Joelle Carter). Besides impressing viewers with her tenacity for surviving difficult situations, exemplified by her recent jail house decision, she has now returned to the side of the legal. In what will go down as the ultimate betrayal, Ava has agreed to serve Boyd up on a silver platter in exchange for her freedom. This doesn’t seem as much as an unpredictable notion as it might have. Boyd did exchange his own blank slate for his cooperation with the Marshal’s investigation over trading for Ava’s freedom. For a women who has invested her loose morals into the man she loves, it would seem that Boyd will be able to pinpoint his downfall to that moment of weakness.
It is sweet irony that Raylan and Boyd have found themselves back in this position. Season one was dominated by Boyd’s criminal activity and although he has been an active participant throughout the series, he hasn’t been the target of the Marshal’s office since – until now. Boyd has managed to parlay his good fortune in helping Raylan out on several occasions into a unilateral ‘get out of jail free’ card, but his luck has just run out. After using his last lifeline to save himself from the unfortunate situation with the Mexican cartel, he has been placed firmly on the top of the Marshal’s priority list.
Justified may be coming to an end, but the writers still have plenty of episode left to provide fans with retribution for this season’s lull. If the final twelve minutes or so of this season finale are any indication of how next season is going to be spent, then fans are in for a treat.
Are you rooting for Raylan, or siding with Boyd? Let us know in the comment section below!
