Poor Ellen Mae. Poor, poor Ellen Mae. In the course of just four episodes, Harlan's favorite doe-eyed hooker has shot a high ranking county executive slash total pervbone because he gave her drugs and emerged from the bathroom in a big, scary bear costume, run off looking for Jesus in a tent in the woods only to have the preacher who saved her get killed during a snake-related battle of wills with the lover and boss of her former pimp, come crawling back to her whore-in-a-trailer existence -- offering to "do the ones no one else will do" -- only to find out that even that station in life was no longer available to her, was given $1000 and shipped off to Alabama with a drug-addled, possibly drunk, disgraced veteran as her chauffeur, and now she's either been kidnapped or she figured out her fate and decided to start running for her life at a sh-thole gas station in Nowhere, Kentucky.
She's living inside the longest, most depressing country song I've ever heard, and part of me hopes she hits the Powerball in next week's episode and runs off to California like a modern-day Beverly Hillbilly.
And now, the highlights:
- Lindsey the Bartender and Randall have a, um, complicated relationship, no?. She flirts with people so he can steal from them, he gets pissed at the guys she flirted with and turns their faces into lasagna, she calls her lawman sidepiece from a payphone (possibly to lure him into a trap), he tracks them down, everyone punches each other and shoots each other with beanbags for a while, then she runs off and leaves the two of them bloody and battered with a van full of belligerent chickens. I've seen it a million times.
- Rachel was awesome this week. So awesome, in fact, that I didn't realize until I looked at my notes that we had no Art, Tim, Wynn Duffy, or Arlo. It's gotta be tough balancing so many enjoyable characters. They're doing a great job.
- Raylan saying the word "download." This is something that pleases me.
- Mountain Dew > $1000 bottles of tequila
- "Bitches chill." Joe Hoppus is like Jesse Pinkman's wealthy, sleazeball cousin, and I bet he's a huge fan of Bro Body Douche.
- There's a teeny, tiny part of me that kind of wishes Raylan and Randall had set aside their differences and become the American South's premiere cockfighting duo.
- I am going to say this in the most respectful and gentlemanly manner I possibly can: HOT DAMN, AVA.
- Speaking of the Crowder crime family, Boyd continues to have a way with words unlike any other character on TV. "You look oddly out of place in a house of iniquity."
- While I do hope Ellen May is on the run right now, if I were a betting man -- which I am, for the record -- I might toss a couple dollars on her being an unwilling house guest of Wynn Duffy. There was no sign off him last night after some traitorous, devious-ass plans were being laid last week, so he had to be up to something somewhere.
- It bugged me a little that Raylan stopped paying attention to Randall and left himself so vulnerable after the initial beanbag shot -- REMINDER: Raylan is a cool guy, but kind of a terrible marshal -- but then I read this quote about it from showrunner Graham Yost: "There are times when you’re doing a TV show and you need the guy to get up and beat on him again, you know." Good enough for me.
- Shelby is up to something. We need to keep an eye on this.
As always, GIFs from Chet Manley after the jump. Please don't rob me and shoot me with a beanbag gun.
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I could do with one of those beanbag ammo shotguns for the office.
That bartender is also pretty bad ass too.
Also is it bad that the line for Boyd is that he’s killing Ellie May? I mean I totally loved when he let the snake bite the priest, but killing Ellie May just seems cruel.
I got a bad feeling about Ellie May.
Just the look that passed between Boyd and Ava when Ellen May and Colton(bravo, Ron Eldard), left after sayin’ goodbye, I guess..Priceless…
Ava, god damn. This cannot be said enough
And with that, I unlocked the Ava badge. Seems fitting.
We need a super cut of “Bitches Chill” and “”Bitches Leave” from RoboCop. Maybe Autotune them together as a verbal conflict between two misogynistic dudes and some confused bitches.
Don’t forget Samuel L’s “Bitch be cool!” from Pulp Fiction
#teambartender has been officially disbanded. I’m all-in on #teamrachel.
No, no. I think all of #teambartender should have to own up to their poor decision making.
I agree with Randall and Raylan…she was kinda still worth it
Had he not worn denim on denim she may have stayed.
Cassie took ellen may. There no way that grifter didn’t know she was being shaken down by shelby. They basic told her there’s leverage against boyd out there.
Thought the same thing when I watched it. Seems more plausible than Duffy IMO. Especially after Cassie was talking to Shelby about Boyd getting his reckoning one day.
Makes more sense than Duffy. Although more Wynn Duffy is always a good thing. He’s so evil.
OOoooh…that’d be pretty bad ass.
I’m late to this but I’ll say the highlight for me was Ava’s cleavage.
I want to believe that Raylan at least had a brief consideration of quitting the marshal service and going into managing “the fighters”. I mean what else do you do with $20,000 worth of chickens?
You mention chickens one more time…
Call the Colonel?
Come now, you know there is good money in fighting chickens.
I wanna own a bunch of fighting chickens. Not to fight them, but just to have Fighting Chickens.
They would serve as my unholy army of the night. We would descend on evil and peck and slash it into oblivion.
I swore last night that I would work “a goodly sum” into a conversation today and by golly I was able to do it.
Did anyone catch what Rachel said to the lady bartender when she asked if Raylan was her partner or boyfriend? I rewound it a few times and still couldn’t pick it out.
I thought it was just me, I couldn’t understand what she said either.
Something like “neither, as such”. I had the captioning on, but I can’t remember exactly what she said.
i swear you say something about chickens one more time and imma shoot you again.
Is anyone else watching Banshee yet? It’s starting to feel a lot like Justified (in a good way!), but it’s it’s just brutally awesome.
Not that Justified isn’t awesome, Banshee was just super brutal this week, and I loved it.
I caught part of the first episode and liked it, but I just haven’t put in a whole lot of effort to keep up with it.
I’ve been watching, it was brutal, but then again I’m a girl. To me it is not on the level of Justified, but then again I laugh a lot while Justified is on, squeal some as well, but I do not do that with Banshee.
I’ll have to check this out then
Finally got to watch and was not disappointed. I will always enjoy how serious Raylan is about his ultimatums. It was a fantastic last “punch.” And Rachel was indeed great.
Was the coke that Cole took in a Dixie Mafia baggie and I put my money on Ellen Mae being kidnapped my Billie’s sister
Also we need more Gina
I was thinking the same thing about Cole, I think it was. And more Gina would obviously be great, and Yost says he wanted to incorporate her more, but it doesn’t sound like we are gonna get much of her.
I don’t know what it is with this show that makes me tense all the time. When Raylan was getting his ass beat I was legitimately worried for some reason.
I think its because it shows all of the characters (and raylan especially) as human. The scene with him limping into bed sold it for me. He may be the protagonist, but holy shit the writers enjoy beating the hell out of him.
He’s really been going downhill too.
Considering “the Following” is just a 14 episode mini series of sorts I hope Winnna comes back in Season 5.
said no one ever?
I did it for the badge…
God she loved that dog…
i forget the disgraced veteren’s character’s name but the actor is doing a really great job. i thought he seemed a little out of place at first but he’s a nice little addition to this ensemble. i originally thought he was working undercover to bring boyd to justice but i don’t even know now.
Colt Rhodes… +Rhodes to the writers for that name
I’ll have the cleavage, uh I mean the special.
1) Good lord Ava.
2) For whatever reason I too was wondering if something was going to result with Raylan and Randall teaming up. Apparently not.
3) I never gave a second thought to the knocking until now.
The shotgun to the leg cleared that thought right up.
My brain is stuck on the idea that Ellen Mae’s disappearance is connected to Johnny’s and Wynn’s machinations to betray Boyd. SHIT’S GONNA GET REAL. I could be wrong, whatever. And Rachel is the best ever. She turning into a regular hell-raiser! *proud*
She has to have been taken. I mean I don’t think there’s any way that Ellen Mae is smart enough to have figured out what was going on.
Oh yeah I totally think she was taken! However, I was wondering if Johnny knows about Ava killing the pimp and told Wynn , she could be a part of their plan to get to Boyd. Or the preacher’s sister did it. She seems the vengeful type, and it would be another way to get to Boyd.
Previews show Wynn being back next week, so my money is on him.
Cancelled my DVR recording because I was going to be away. Watched the first 10 minutes of it then promptly fell asleep for the next string of concurrent runs. The bean bag shottie looks sick
I feel sad because my DVR Settings are usually just a reminder for me to turn the show on but a nice fail safe for those random business trips.
I was actually disappointed when they were going to kill Ellen Mae. I find her extremely annoying and was hoping she’d finally leave the show, but then when they were just gonna wack her Sylvio and Adrianna style it made me sympathize with her, which I did not appreciate.
Really? I loved they way they handled Adriana.
Oh no, it was a classic scene in the Sopranos. In this case it just made me feel bad for her is all.
I was curious when Boyd mentioned a cousin in Alabama if there was ever a real cousin and if they were really planning on letting her go there. It could have been a lie Boyd told Ava the same way parents tell their kids their pets are going to go live in a farm or something. The phone call, though, took that out of the equation. I’m wondering if this cousin will pop up in future episodes…
There’s no way Boyd could let her go off and live happily, starting over in Alabama. She has caused too many messes and is too big of a liability to Boyd and Ava. I hope Colt finds her and does the deed.
I haven’t gotten to watch this yet (so SPOILER ALERT, JHEEZ YOU GUYZ!) but I’m afraid to after reading all this bleakness and stuff in the comments.
I’m full of it of course. And since I can’t add to the discussion, I will at least say thank you for doing this every week. Some of my favorite ways to burn time online.
This one definitely felt darker than other episodes as of late. especially those last 10 minutes or so. i really thought they were going to go through with killing ellen mae and i just kept think thinking “man this is fucked”
I’m trying to remember an episode that felt as bleak as this one. It seemed like every single character had a cloud over their head in some way. I think we need an Art-heavy show next week to lighten the mood after this one.
Also, how does Ava get better looking every year? I recently watched Season 1 again and it just isn’t the same. Total downgrade.
Season 1 Ava was a beaten woman… Now she is a confident hell raiser.
Main characters in shows usually get better looking as the seasons go on. And this was really bleak, but the one moment that surprised me with its sadness was the clerk on the stretcher. He was more upset that he was led on than he was that he was just pummeled.
Simple, push-up bra.
And after seeing Justified and Jackass, I want nothing to do with those beanbag rounds.
It is not a fun way to spend a weekend. Doubled over in pain and then lying on a couch.
funny, after watching Jackass, we can say with some confidence the two of them would not recover as quickly as they had.
Last night seemed to be the obligatory chance for Justified’s female cast to shine, and they did. Loved seeing more Rachel and the lady bartender turned out to be far more badass and twisted than I suspected. Is it just me, or did the fighting woman who was sparring with Raylan look like the hot fiancee from Numb3rs? No sign of it on IMDB if that was the case.
Joining everybody else on #teamrachel
Yeah that was definitely Navi Rawat as the fighting woman.
Thanks for confirming it and reminding me of her name @Kronwalled
I hope she comes back, she’s a stunning woman and she always seemed like she had some potential as an actress.
Did those shots of Raylan/ Randall getting hit with the beanbag rounds look way too realistic to anybody else? Like maybe they used a light powder load and actually did it for real? The reactions to getting hit were spot on and I could’ve swore I saw the beanbags. or is that ridiculous and something the actors’ union or whatever wouldn’t ever let slide?
I think the actors union and the insurance company would nix that. I agree that it looked very painful and realistic though.
The said in the wrap up on EW.com that the bean bag is VFX.
Kudos to the VFX folks, then. Had me fooled.
Yeah, the ones that Lindsay shot at Randall looked like CG
I was hoping that shottie was filled with salt crystals.
Also, I’ve had my bell rung before and lemme tell you – and this is true for the way clock cleanings throughout akk hollywood entertainment are portrayed – you don’t wake up from it in seconds. It takes a while before you can even put together a cogent thought. Just sayin’.
Gold Tips are great socks though.
That they are.
A few things I garnered from last night, I have to, have to, own a bean bag shotgun now. Finally relief in remembering what I had seen Colton play in before, Bastard out of Carolina, he played the drunk, abusive step dad. This fight scene between Raylan and Lawrence gave me a female stiffy……what ever that is. To clear the record, Lawrence is not a hillbilly so him requesting a Mt. Dew has nothing to do with his lineage…boom.
the female stiffy is “sploosh”
Good to know. I forgot to mention that I am also concerned about Colton’s gas bill if Ellen Mae left that pump a running. My mind works in that kind of weird fashion.
@power
Straight from the mouths of Pam and Carol. Well done.
“I forgot to mention that I am also concerned about Colton’s gas bill if Ellen Mae left that pump a running. My mind works in that kind of weird fashion.”
I’m glad to see someone else on here that is focused on the little details that are much overlooked by most people while watching this show. Belle, I have a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 that Kunjitsu just sent over. Let me pour you a shot.
Thank ye, Palin. Not to be picky, but no Pappy’s?
That was a pleasure to see Ryan Atwood’s baby mama – yet again with a black eye…
That’s where I recognized her from!
I thought she looked familiar too. Nice catch!
Raylan walking over and interrupting the lady fighter and Rachael “Did I come in the middle of something.” LF-”You’d like that wouldn’t you.” I kept thinking it would blow my mind if she made an Olyphant Archer appearance reference with “Said your Mom.”
So, there has to be something where Constable Bob (?) goes bad, right? I mean, we weren’t introduced to a character with such a pronounced chip on his shoulder for a one-off episode, were we?
He wont go bad. He is gonna end up swooping in to help when no one else can.
Constable Bob trying-and failing-to impress Gina the hot fighter chick is something I’d pay to see. But yeah, I’m sure he’ll be back at some point when he can be most useless.
There’s always money in the BANANA STAND, not the van.
I had that same thought last night
Yeah, it won’t be long now! They’re coming!
come on!
How does Raylan manage to look good in jeans and a denim jacket? What witchcraft is this?!
Confidence. Oh and being fit and having a costume designer also help.
In continuing the WG tradition of only being gay for Olyphant, I think it just pays to be Olyphant. He has the Jon Hamm disease of looking good in everything. Ok, maybe I’m a little gay for Hamm too.
Because he’s a fictional character, if he was a rando on the street you’d ridicule him.
only a badass can pull off the double-denim
Really nice to see Rachel getting some screen time. Ellen May better look out for not-Mitch Hedburg though
God damn was Ava looking amazing last night. She always looks good, but holy shit…
Dude. Ava’s tits have looked outstanding this season. I swear, she looks hotter every episode.
@PowerClashing: each time Ava takes another step down the road to being a crime kingpin, her bust size increases a cup
HA! Not Mitch Hedburg! Thank you for that!
Team Fighter Chick.
Also, “tasteful boudoir shots” and a Longfellow Deeds reference.
I love this show.
Boyd’s way with words is amazing, but not that surprising considering the time he spent in Prison readin’ books.
If you have even seen the Diane Sawyer special about hillbillies you know they love there Mt Dew.
I would not say no to a Diet Mt. Dew. Just saying….
Still very enjoyable episode but my least favorite episode since season 1 probably and that includes the Winona steals money arc.
wow really? I thought probably the weakest this season (Which drops from A+ to like B+), but worst since season 1? That might be a little harsh. This whole season has been streets ahead of any Justified season so far.
streets ahead in deed.
The 3 episodes before this one, definitely were great, but this felt like a big drop off in the Raylan/mystery storyline. I felt it didn’t really show us anymore about Raylan other than how bad things are getting for him. On the plus, Rachel got to do stuff and I liked their interactions, but just a bigger than usual drop off week to week than normal
But this season is definitely has the potential to be on the level of season 2, it’s just this episode seemed to be a speed bump
Sometimes you just have to tie up some small storylines to get to the big ones. This is something Sutter is incapable of doing and his show suffers for it. Episodes like last night’s are necessary in any good tv drama with multiple plotlines.
P from the G with the correct answer once again.
Paul, I think Sutter burns through more storylines than any other writer. I know last night’s was more of a piece mover and small story lines, but when I buy the show on Blu Ray this isn’t going to be one of the standalones that I will want to watch. Season 1 has the dentist story “Long in the Tooth” with Alan Ruck and Raylan’s day off “Hatless”, episodes that are great re-watches. Last night’s not so much, but in no way should last night’s turn off anyone from watching long term
Sutter doesn’t burn through them as much as he just lays out a ton and never revisits them. Then in the remaining 2-3 episodes of a season he just has one or two events tie them all up. You don’t get any character development out of them or real closure it’s just done.
it wasn’t the best of the season or anything, but a couple of those first 6 episodes or so haven’t really aged well compared to what the show has become. this one is still better than those.
I thought this was a refreshing break from the Drew Thompson storyline. I’ve found it a little confusing and really not my favorite of the overall season arcs.
@johnny I agreed with your first sentence. Your second sentence, however, leads me to believe you’re crazy.
Am I the only one that gets a Jack Nicholson vibe from Olyphant?
I see him more as a handsome Billy Bob Thornton.
Anyone else love the musical cue that plays when Raylan is first handed the shotgun? That gave me a Marshall stiffy
Just seeing Raylan pump the shotgun after Rachel handed it off, put off a marshall stiffy alert in our area
I like to call Ellen Mae “Ellie Mae” because it sounds more hill billy.
I always assumed it was Ellie May until I saw Chet’s GIF. Too much Beverly Hillbillies as a kid, I guess.
My spelling is generally not to be trusted. I had to look the name up.
I still think it is Ellie May.
I’m on the Ellie May camp too. I can’t believe anyone in Harlan would fully pronounce the name “Ellen”
i always thought it was ellie may. ellen is way too proper
The character development is so amazing that they can make you feel bad for the creepy counter attendant who was on screen for maybe 90 seconds
Its just tasteful boudoir shots.
Yeah, like, I didn’t care that much for Ellen Mae until Ron Eldard got the phone call, and she was all happy and optimistic about what she said. I was like “non, non, nooon, noooooooooon! Non!” à la Michael Scott, but like more sad than upset.
I was happy for Ellen Mae to finally be gone, and then she was really gone instead of dead gone and I went back to being disappointed.
Is there an official “Bring back Mags” thread? I really miss the Bennetts.
I hear you Jarret, but perhaps next week we start to see the Hill People that were teased to us before the beginning of the season.
Dickie needs to break outta jail man
please bring back dickie and his hair.
What? Like a zombie Mags? I could go for that.
@ America: Only if Dewey Crow comes with Dickey!
@ Palin Givens – Agreed. Dewey Crowe is the best. “These are the end time for Dewey Crowe” is still one of my favorite lines from the show.
Dickie FTW!
Cool guys don’t look at the dudes they shoot with a beanbag.
Ha, so true.