Justified - The Trash And The Snake - Review: "A Whole New Endgame"

Previously, on Justified:

Ava went searching the pizza place for Boyd, taking pics of the Excelsior safe they have in the basement; Ty Walker (Garrett Dillahunt) gets told 'no' by the Hutchins when asked to sell their home; Katherine Hale says to Boyd it must be a shock seeing Ava get out of prison the way she did, voicing her concern that maybe something else was involved

Hello, I am 'Geo N' and will be filling in writing the Recap and Review of Justified for Robin Smyth. We can expect Robin back next week to continue the Review of Justified and our favorite gunslinger, Raylan Givens.

This final season of Justified is prepping the audience for the much anticipated confrontation between Raylan and Boyd. We have only witnessed one scene between our two favorite characters so far, but plenty more, I'm sure, are on the horizon. In the meantime, the writers are setting up the stage for the final run and are doing an excellent job. We are learning the new players in town and how Raylan's and Boyd's world's will intersect with each as past seasons have done so well in doing.

Last Tuesday's episode gave us a little more information as to what exactly is happening in Harlan and what to expect as far as Raylan's new objective. Ty Walker's mysterious introduction in episode one comes more into focus in this past episode. Now, we have something more to go on as we learn he works for Avery Markham, who has ties to the Bennett family line. Walker, on orders from Markham, is buying up prime real estate in and around Harlan County to grow marijuana plants when it becomes federally legal to do so. The kicker is if the landowners don't sell, for whatever reason, then Walker kills them and makes their death look like an accident. This makes it extremely difficult for Raylan to catch them since the evidence is thin. I love the idea of Markham having ties to a family Raylan has had issues with in past seasons. Markham, along with his number two, Ty Walker, seems like a formidable opponent for the Marshall Service and will make for some great story arcs this season.

I imagined this season to be more about Boyd and his imminent and inevitable confrontation with Raylan, without the writers introducing any a new 'Big Bad' to the series. That was, at least, what I thought would happen after watching last season's finale. However, after seeing how the first four episodes have played out this season, I can see Boyd will definitely play a more vital role in the coming episodes and his trajectory will no doubt collide with Raylan's, most likely in the final few episodes if not sooner.

The scene with Duffy and Boyd going to visit Wiz (Jake Busey) was, by far, my favorite. It's in this scene that we see how the different story threads will come together for all involved. Katherine Hale plans on betraying Markham, a man who used to be business partners with Grady Hale, Katherine's deceased ex-husband, and whom Katherine believes ratted on Grady. This is why she wants to steal from Markham. She hired Boyd to rob banks, but now Boyd's agenda has changed to robbing the safe in the basement of the pizza parlor Walker uses as a base for Avery Markham. To get into the safe he needs the assistance of Duffy's friend, Wiz. The scene where the Wiz forgets he has his cell phone on him and it triggers the explosion resulting in Boyd and Duffy getting sprayed was priceless.

Ava is one story line I am very interested in seeing unfold. I wonder if she will go back to prison before Boyd figures out she is snitching on each and every move he makes. My guess is he will find out Ava has been working with Raylan and the Marshall Service to tip them off to his illegal dealings. What he will do when he does find out is something I can't wait to see this season. Katherine Hale, I'm guessing, knows something is up with Ava and her premature release from prison. Katherine also knows Albert Fekus is the weak link in her story and I wonder if that will come into play in the coming episodes.

"The Trash and The Snake" was brought together some story lines from the first episodes of the season, but we are still a little ways away from Boyd meeting Markham and formulating some new deal working with him. This is what I expect to happen anyway. We were under the impression (well, at least I was) this final season would be about Boyd robbing banks and Raylan attempting to foil his plans. after what we have seen so far, I can see Raylan and Boyd working together to take down Markham, but who knows what will happen. As long as we get scenes with both of them together the fans will be happy. Whether he is robbing banks or growing weed, Boyd's character is still great to watch and Raylan trying to catch his 'bad guy' is what makes Justified so enjoyable. There is a whole new endgame now for this sixth and final season, which I'm sure will be extremely entertaining for everyone.


Raylan's Quotes

- "Don't act like you ain't thrilled to use your old cop head for a minute, or did you want to get back to the 400th hour of cable news?
Rayaln to Art

- "If splinters are all you're getting back there, Dickie, prison has treated you well."
Raylan to Dickie

- "Arlo's wannabe kingpin ass would be heartbroken"
Raylan to Markham when told he had never heard of any Given's in Harlan

Thoughts and Discussion

- Did you notice...There were a few nods to past seasons in this episode. Here are the ones I caught. If you saw any more than these I would love to read about it in the comments section. One was said by Avery Markham while sitting at Loretta's home talking to Raylan. Markham says something along the lines to Raylan, of getting 24 hours to get out of town or else, taking us all the way back to the first ever episode where Raylan gave someone the very same ultimatum before shooting and killing him. It was actually the very first scene of the show. The second shout out to a past episode was Loretta pouring Ty Walker a jar of 'Apple Pie' liquor Mags Bennett used to kill Loretta's dad back in the second season.

- It was nice to see Art again this episode. I always thought of Art as what Raylan would become if he stayed alive that long in the Marshall Service.

- Another scene I love is the one where Tim and Raylan go to see Dickie in prison. Jeremy Davies is an amazing actor and his portrayal of Dickie Bennett is top notch. I could watch that all day.

- I wonder if Katherine stealing the tennis bracelet from the jewelry store will come into play somewhere down the line?

- How do you think the Ava/Boyd/Raylan story line will go?

Thank you for checking out my Review! Please comment below so we can discuss the episode and the season further! Robin will be back next week and, in the meantime, I hope everyone has a great weekend!

About the Author - Geo N

Geo N is from Detroit, MI. His favorite shows include The Blacklist, Hell On Wheels, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, LOST, The Leftovers, The Strain, Sons Of Anarchy, Sleepy Hollow and countless others. When he's not watching tons of TV, he enjoys reading, playing hockey, comic books, weightlifting, and writing. Thanks for checking out my post.

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