Justified Season 3 Episode 6 recap

A couple of floozies hit up an Oxycontin clinic to start the episode. They’re buying from the doctor Boyd threatened in the previous episode. And now there are dudes with guns shooting up the place. Well this is certainly an exciting start to the episode. The dudes with guns kill everyone except Ella Mae, who we know from previous episodes. Ella Mae watches them steal the Oxy.

Cut to a scene I like to call the “obligatory shot of Timothy Olyphant in a tight tank top with suggestive lighting”. Justified is always good for a few of these each season. They’re aware that women like The Olyphant to be all shouldery and well-lit. It really is a nice shot, though. And shouldery. Oh, so shouldery.

Raylan is attempting to reach Winona, who has obviously left him. As I mentioned in previous recaps, Raylan is an inherent loner and Winona’s value is greater as the mother of his child than it is as a romantic partner for Raylan. I find the prospect of Raylan dealing with a kid so much more interesting than him dealing with Winona, or any woman, on a regular basis. Especially since in the books Raylan is kind of a crap father, but Olyphant is well-known as a family man. I’m curious to see how they treat his impending fatherhood.

He’s broken into Winona’s office (a bit not good) and discovers that she’s given up her job as a court reporter. Also, she was researching Costa Rica.

Enter Stephen Root as the nutjob judge. He tries to talk Raylan down from the pending rampage of searching for Winona. On a hunch, Raylan checks on the cash from the bank robbery that Winona stole that one time, and Raylan had to put back at great personal and professional risk.

The cash is gone! OH NOES.

This is a “hatless” episode. Raylan is sans hat. Things go pear-shaped when Raylan doesn’t have his hat.

Deputy Gutterson has pulled an FBI file on Quarles for Raylan. In typical Gutterson style, he is helpful and snarky in turns.

And here is the crux of Raylan’s personal issues. He wants time off to go find Winona, but the clinic that was knocked over was at his Aunt Helen’s property in Harlan. He just can’t quite shake off his responsibilities to his hometown. You’ll never leave Harlan alive, indeed.

Boyd might be the only person who can be bone-deep frightening while wearing a pea coat. He’s not quick to assume that it was Quarles who hit his clinic.

William Mapother! It’s William Mapother! You may know him as Tom Cruise’s cousin, but he is an excellent character actor. Man, can Justified ever cast well. He’s a skeevy pimp that appears to have taken over Audrey’s cathouse. He’s sending the traumatized Ella Mae out to get more Oxy.

Raylan gets the business from State Trooper Tom about whether or not he knew what Arlo and Boyd were up to at his aunt’s house. Arlo has no compunction about dragging Raylan into his criminal business. Father of the year.

Ella Mae recognizes one of the men at Quarles’ clinic from the shooting earlier. Terrified, she bolts.

Ava and Boyd visit Limehouse at his rib shack. These scenes always make me crave BBQ. Limehouse makes the point that everyone in Noble Holler knows all about the white people in Harlan. Boyd is way out of his safety zone. Limehouse puts Boyd and Ava onto Ella Mae. Boyd suspects Limehouse’s involvement in the clinic hit.

Arlo talking to his dead wife is a lot less sweet when he starts making threats of physical violence. Raylan has some anger management issues, but really, it’s amazing he turned out as any kind of good person at all. Every time Arlo and Raylan square off, I fear it will end in Raylan shooting Arlo. Again. He does learn that Boyd is the one running Oxy from his aunt’s house.

William Mapother is beating up Ella Mae. Someone isn’t feeling very clear today.

Quarles is looking into Raylan for pressure points in case he needs to go after Raylan. This does not bode well for pregnant Winona. Of the three villains this season, Quarles is the most cartoonish, even though Neal McDonough is doing an excellent job playing him. However, the upside to his unrelenting evilness is that Wynn Duffy is starting to look like a decent human being. Which means eventually Duffy is somehow going to help Raylan get rid of Quarles.

The kitchen in the house Quarles commandeered is fantastic. I love the backsplash.

Sobering moment as Duffy accidentally overhears Quarles torturing the homeowner of the house he’s commandeered. Really, this moment is scary and borderline stomach-turning. Again, if scum of the earth Wynn Duffy is put off, then it’s really, really bad.

Ava meets William Mapother at Audrey’s. Turns out his name is Delroy. One of the other working girls lets Ava know that Ella Mae witnessed “something” at the clinic.

Boyd and Raylan square off. This is the heart of Justified, the most twisted bromance on television. Raylan isn’t wrong in pointing out how Boyd always blames others for his bad decisions—usually with overt racism—but he is wrong about who Boyd is going to blame this time. Because Quarles is their common enemy. And he’s also wrong about Boyd, who really did change after Raylan shot him. After all, he gave up the racist bullsh*t to be an honest, hardworking criminal businessman. Boyd sends Raylan after Ava and Ella Mae.

Ava’s character this season is so much better than last. The way she handles the beat-down Ella Mae is wonderful. Also wonderful: the confrontation/ass-kicking between Raylan and William Mapother. William Mapother!

Raylan rolls up on Quarles’ clinic, which is a trailer home. This is relevant as they drive off with the clinic while Raylan is fighting with the “doctor”. Okay, so we have another debatable kill for Raylan’s tally. During the fight he struggles for the gun; he and the other guy both have hands on it when it goes off, killing the driver of the truck. Full kill or half kill? I’m going with half, since it’s kind of an accidental shooting.

State Trooper Tom tells Raylan about the time Winona tried to leave him when he got shot and they brought her back to the hospital. This is a red letter day for Raylan.

Duffy lets Quarles know about Raylan taking down their clinic, and Quarles thinks Raylan is dirty. Duffy knows Raylan is not that type but tells Quarles about Arlo’s involvement anyway. Misjudging Raylan is Quarles’ first big mistake.

Turns out Limehouse’s underling set up the hit on Boyd’s clinic. Limehouse is PISSED. He is acutely aware of how bad things can get if an Oxy turf war turns into a race war. Mykelti Williamson is killing this scene.

We finally find Winona, staying with her sister. Raylan thinks Winona took the evidence locker money to go to Costa Rica. Winona calls out Raylan’s unwillingness to give up his rather violent lifestyle. This is sad. They still love one another but clearly are not going to work out.

Art consoles Raylan with whiskey and the news that the evidence locker money turned up in El Paso. And also, the evidence room attendant, Charlie, is missing. And there is Charlie, with a flashy new car, in Mexico. Just what this season needed—another plot line! //sarcasm//

Raylan’s body count so far: 1 ½