Justified Season 4, Episode 10 recap.

We’re getting down to the end, which means sh*t is starting happen, fast. THERE MAY BE SPOILERS.

I wondered if they would ever find a way to use that line, from the song “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive”, which they used in the finales of season 1 and 2. It’s a nice call back.

At the beginning of this season, I was like “where the f*ck is all this going?” but the last few episodes have been some of my favorite EVER. It’s not as consistent an effort as season 2, but pound for pound, I’m enjoying season 4 more. The show is officially on fire. How is everyone not watching this?! (Lainey. I’m looking at you.)

Gutterson and Raylan discuss the women’s clothes in Drew Thompson’s house while Boyd needles Raylan. Boyd brings up Arlo but Raylan doesn’t tell him Alro is dead. It makes for nice subtext when Raylan tells Boyd he’s thinking of arranging for Boyd to see Arlo soon.

Rachel (to Gutterson and Raylan): Art doesn’t want you two left alone.
Raylan: He said that?

OF COURSE ART SAID THAT, RAYLAN. YOU’RE A HORRIBLE INFLUENCE ON EVERYONE. ESPECIALLY GUTTERSON.

What do we call Sheriff Shelby now that we know he’s Drew Thompson? Shrew?

Ellen Mae wants to run away with Shelby. God. She’s so pathetic. She’s going to have a horrible, heartbreaking death scene one of these days. Drew gives her some money and leaves her, but then has a change of heart. So he’s going to run off with the hooker half his age. You go, Drew. Shelby. Whatever.

Something about a light on at the air field spooked Shelby (Drew, whatever) and he has Ellen Mae keep driving. Good call—Rachel and Raylan have the place staked out.

Rachel is back! She’s been virtually invisible the last few episodes (and by that token, Gutterson will be pretty much gone from this one—it’s like those two can’t share screen time or the space-time continuum will collapse). She is taking precisely none of Raylan’s sh*t.

And yet somehow, Raylan still doesn’t do what she says.

Ha! Art mentions the long-ass drive from Lexington to Harlan. BECAUSE IT IS A LONG-ASS DRIVE.

Raylan: I hope they broke [Boyd’s] cell phone in half before they let him go.
Rachel: I think you’re the only person who does stuff like that.

God. This dialogue.

Raylan connects the ladies’ underwear from Shelby’s house to Ellen Mae. He calls it “whore’s underwear”. Rachel’s comeback? “By the way, I have that same pair of panties.”

GOD THIS DIALOGUE.

Art has an amazing soliloquy recapping how badass Drew Thompson is. Nick Searcy knocks it out of the park. Because everyone and everything about Justified is on fire right now.

Raylan’s hail-Mary road block impedes Shelby and Ellen Mae’s escape. They’re desperate for a place to hide, and Mykelti Williamson was listed in the guest star credits. Which means one thing: Noble’s Holler.

Boyd still has his cell phone.

Ava is in hiding, going stir crazy. Boyd’s looking for Ellen Mae and Drew (Shelby, whatever, Jesus).

How is Colt still alive? Gutterson is seriously dropping the ball.

Oh Ellen Mae. Sweetie. You’re never going to see the ocean.

Of course Wynn Duffy uses a sleep mask. Of course he does.

And now Johnny Crowder is after Shelby.

Yep. Ellstin Limehouse. He is a lot less “aw shucks, boss” than he was last time we saw him. Turns out, the Marshals cleaned out his banking business and he’s in the hole with his investors. Shelby tries to leave Ellen Mae with him for protection.

Ellen Mae is not keen on being left.

And now Limehouse is in the “sell out Drew Thompson to Theo Tonin” business, too.

For the first time, Shelby actually looks afraid. Jim Beaver is killing it this week.

So this is Nicky Cush, the manager of Audrey’s before Ava (and Delroy before her). He’s a total scuzz bucket. No surprise there.

Boyd’s idea of torture is to ask the dude he’s about torture if he has another battery for his drill. And then threaten to drill the guy’s teeth out.

Ava is with Limehouse, too. And man, Limehouse really does not like Boyd.

Justified has this simple piano melody that pops up every now again, always presaging something terrible. Last time we heard it, Gary Hawkins ate it. The melody plays as Ellen Mae and Ava see each other.

Limehouse wants $300K for Shelby and Ellen Mae, which is all the money Boyd and Ava have. So much for the house on Clover Hill.

Boyd is getting in deep with Nicky Augustine and Theo Tonin. He’s going to be so f*cked when this situation inevitably goes south on him.

Terri has had it up to here with talking about Ellen Mae. Raylan and Rachel interrupt Johnny interrogating her.

Raylan: As much as I don’t consider myself the type, I have become a frequenter of this particular whorehouse.

GOD. THIS. DIALOGUE.

Man, everyone is ON FIRE. David Meunier is fantastic as Johnny’s tolerance of Boyd gives out completely.

Limehouse must be in a really bad spot after losing his money to the Marshals. For $300K, he’ll only let Boyd have one person, Ellen Mae or Shelby. Boyd wants to take Ellen Mae to protect Ava, but Ava makes him take Shelby to secure their future.

Ellen Mae doesn’t take it well AT ALL. She’s pretty much signed her death warrant.

Shelby tells Ava and Boyd about Arlo. Boyd gets that look on his face. That “godd*mn you, Raylan” look.

Shelby is not going to be able to guilt trip Boyd into letting him go, especially not by invoking Bo Crowder. Nor is he going to be able to rile up Colt enough to kill him.

While everyone is killing it lately, Ron Eldard has been crushing it all season as Colt.

The Marshals show up just in time to scare off Nicky Augustine and take custody of Shelby.

Gutterson looks a little too intense, running off to chase Colt. Somehow Art doesn’t know about his junkie buddy yet.

Boyd’s options: Beg Theo for his (and Ava’s) life, or run. Wynn Duffey’s options: Same.

It’s a race to get out of Harlan County alive.

Raylan’s body count so far: 2/17

Attached - Timothy Olyphant out in New York this week.