By Jeff Michael Vice
JUSTIFIED – Live-action drama developed by Graham Yost, based on characters created by Elmore Leonard; rated TV-MA; airs Tuesdays on FX; 60 minutes (approximately). Episode 5.13: “Restitution” (original airdate, April 8, 2014). Directed by Adam Arkin; written by Dave Andron and Fred Golan (9 out of 10)
The story so far: After one high-profile shooting too many (mostly criminal types), trigger-happy Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens has been re-assigned. He’s gone from his home in drug-infested Miami back to his now, more-overrun-by-drugs childhood home in eastern Kentucky (specifically, Harlan County). Once again in semi-familiar territory, loose cannon Raylan butts heads with his new co-workers and his new, no-nonsense boss, Art Mullen. He also has an uneasy reunion with his estranged family members, as well as his childhood friend, Boyd Crowder, who has become a local drug kingpin.
In this episode:Raylan puts the squeeze on jailed teen Kendal Crowe to get the evidence the U.S. Marshals Office needs to arrest Darryl Crowe Jr., the man they believe was responsible for putting Art in the hospital. Meanwhile, Boyd has to contend with enforcers sent by his angry Mexican drug cartel contacts, as well as his equally peeved “Dixie Mafia” business partners. And Boyd’s imprisoned girlfriend, Ava, finds herself without hope and without allies behind bars.
The show’s fifth season wraps up all of the relevant story lines in this intense, hour-plus episode, which also sets the wheels in motion for next year’s series-closing sixth season. Arguably the best episode of this inconsistent, at-times frustrating season, the aptly titled “Restitution” rights the ship and sends it off in a much more promising direction.
But first, Raylan has to deal with the Florida Crowes once and for all. Having been thwarted in his attempts to pin Art’s shooting on Darryl, he instead convinces Assistant District Attorney David Vasquez to charge the youngest Crowe, Kendal, as an adult. (The teen already confessed to shooting Art, though no one really believes his story.)
That, in turn, gives Raylan the leverage to pressure paralegal Wendy Crowe (Kendal’s delinquent mother) to turn on her abusive older brother, Darryl.
As for Boyd, he finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Alberto and his hired guns have come to Harlan at the behest of cartel spokesman Mr. Yuen. But as usual, Boyd does have some clever means – including using Raylan’s fellow Deputy U.S. Marshals Rachel Brooks and Tim Gutterson – to get out of that predicament.
And thankfully, the episode resolves the go-nowhere, Ava-behind-bars subplot, which seemed out of place and ill-thought-out (the similarities to Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” were too glaring to be missed).
While a few of the resolutions do seem a bit too tidy, we do get our promised shoot-outs, as well as a bit of redemptive justice. Curiously, the only character who isn’t involved in the action is Raylan, though it’s in keeping with this season’s characterization. Olyphant is outstanding in a scene in which Raylan tries to reach out to Kendal, using his own screwed-up family circumstances as common ground. (The scene also humanizes and redeems Raylan, who was abrasive and hardened when we last saw him.)
Goggins also continues to reveal a softer side to the increasingly weary Boyd, who’s given an intriguing offer to consider by Katherine Hale, the “mentor” of sorts to his “Detroit Mafia” partner Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns, who makes the most with the limited material he gets to work with this time around).
Adam Arkin, who also played “Detroit Mafia” drug lord Theo Tonin on the show, directed the episode, which is deadly series for the most part. Series veterans Dave Andron and Fred Golan (who also serve as series producers) co-scripted, and as always, “Restitution” does have its share of memorable quips to balance out the darker story elements. Some of the better ones quotes and line exchanges include:
“Well, if you wanna cuddle, you know where to find me.” (Darryl)
“I prefer to hunt animals that have a chance to fight back.” (Boyd)
“You trying to get me to shit my pants, Alberto? It seems that would much your job more unpleasant.” (Boyd)
“No small thing, taking a life.” (Raylan)
“Marshals, we also have a boss. The difference is, if we show up empty-handed, our boss will kill us.” (Alberto)
“Darlin’, I would raise my hands and surrender if I could.” (Boyd)
“You ever seen a man shot like that, Mr. Ranger Man?” “Good guys don’t have to see people with their hands cuffed, Crowder.” (Boyd, then Tim)
“You dirty, rotten, god-damned bitch.” “Well, I guess we all get the family we deserve, Darryl.” (Darryl, then Wendy)
“Do you remember when I said you’d wish I’d killed you? Well, don’tcha?” (Raylan)
“Are those bullets holes?” “It’s been a tough couple of months, Ava.” (Ava, then Boyd)
Overall rating: 9 out of 10
CAST:
The regular characters: Timothy Olyphant (Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens), Walton Goggins (Boyd Crowder), Nick Searcy (Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Art Mullen), Jacob Pitts (Deputy U.S. Marshal Tim Gutterson), Erica Tazel (Deputy U.S. Marshal Rachel Brooks), Jere Burns (Wynn Duffy) and Joelle Carter (Ava Crowder)
Guest stars: Rick Gomez (ADA David Vasquez), Justin Huen (Alberto), Jacob Lofland (Kendal Crowe), Michael Rapaport (Darryl Crowe, Jr.), Mary Steenburgen (Katherine Hale), Alicia Witt (Wendy Crowe) and Natalie Zea (Winona Hawkins)
Jeff Michael Vice, aka Jerk-bot, also writes movie reviews and movie-related stories for Cinephiled (www.cinephiled.com) and can be heard reviewing films, television programs, comics, books, music and other things as part of The Geek Show Podcast (www.thegeekshowpodcast.com) or be seen reviewing films as part of Xfinity’s Big Movie Mouth-Off (www.facebook.com/BigMovieMouthOff).