Raylan’s living situation is always so depressing. I know it’s meant to be a statement about his solitary, no-frills character, but his series of sad motel rooms is bumming me out. He hides the gun that shot Gary in his A/C.

So that guy Quarles killed was not the owner of the house he was squatting in, but a rentboy named Brady. Apparently, Quarles like his strange marinated in testosterone. Art tells Raylan to back off Quarles. Hahaha, yeah right.

The return of William Mapother! He’s got his hookers knocking over a payday loan place. It goes badly, of course. One of the girls got into a fight over her gun, killed someone, and got killed in return. They dump the dead girl in a slough. That was a thing in Louisiana (probably still is). Dump a body in the bayou, hope the gators or the bugs got it before the cops did. WHY DO I KNOW THIS STUFF?

William Mapother kills one of the surviving hookers, but Ella Mae manages to escape.

Raylan is drunk and hits on Ava, who tells Raylan Boyd can help him with Quarles. Raylan tries to warn Ava about her involvement with Boyd. Really, really digging how Ava’s character is shaping up recently. She’s giving Raylan a perfect, “Son, I know WAY more about this topic than you think I do” face.

Raylan: “How is Devil? I haven’t seen him.”
Boyd: “Well…he’s calmed down a good bit since last you saw him.”
I cannot say it enough—this is the BEST dialogue, week in, week out.

Boyd identifies Tanner (the guy Raylan tossed out of the Oxy trailer) to Raylan as Quarles’ point man in Harlan.

Quarles meets with Limehouse, who is taking money from Quarles in exchange for “protection”. I like the way Quarles and Limehouse deal together. Quarles sees right through Limehouse’s “aw shucks” routine, and Limehouse proves to be just as savvy in the business of corruption as Quarles.

Ella Mae goes to Ava for help.

Raylan goes to Tanner’s mom’s house and she tries to get Raylan to fix her TV so she can watch soaps. Does this play hacky to you? Because my granny was like that. “Be quiet, I’m watching my stories!” Man, Tanner’s mom has some vinegar in her.

The campaign manager Limehouse provided Quarles is hilarious. Exchanging alcohol for votes and something about a VFW debate. Quarles really underestimated the intricacies of backwoods politics.

LIMEHOUSE IS SCARY.
Raylan shakes down Sheriff Napier re: Tanner. He’s paid a truck driver to act like an ATF agent. The ruse work—Napier is shaken.

And now Johnny Crowder is hitting on Ava. He wants her to send Ella Mae back to William Mapother. Why do these guys keep treating Ava like she’s an idiot? She’s smarter than all of them combined. She tells William Mapother he can have Ella Mae if he gives Ava two grand. Not the end of Ava’s play, for sure.

Tanner sets up a meet with Napier to tie off loose ends, per Limehouse’s orders. One or both of those guys is going to end up dead. Raylan follows Napier.

Tanner and Errol (Limehouse’s lackey) visit an old man who appears to have sold Tanner the explosives for Napier’s car. Tanner wants his money back. The old man tricks Tanner into stepping on a land mine. Errol kills the old man so Tanner is screwed, stuck on the land mine. Errol takes the money and leaves, and Tanner calls Statie Tom. Raylan informs Napier Tanner won’t make their exchange.

Ava turns a panicked Ella Mae over to William Mapother, BUT! The minute he puts down Ava’s money, she kills him. So long, William Mapother.

Raylan and an ATF agent—a real one this time—go to work on the land mine Tanner is stuck on. Raylan tries to interrogate Tanner, but he drops his gun which sets off some kind of alarm on the mine. The ATF agent forces Raylan to leave.

Tanner done go boom.

Boyd crashes Napier and Shelby’s debate. I do so love these “silver-tongue Boyd” scenes. Remember his awesome monologues in season 1? Boyd gets the crowd going by invoking the name of the mining company that screwed over Harlan in season 2. Nice nod to continuity.

Seriously, someone explain how Walton Goggins hasn’t won an Emmy/Golden Globe/ANYTHING yet?

Ava tells Boyd about William Mapother and says she wants to take over the cathouse. Ladies and gentlemen, Ava Crowder: madame.

Errol gives Tanner’s mom the money from the bomb guy. Raylan is already with her. He’s set up the TV Tanner gave her. I can’t find this lady’s name but she’s terribly effective in this small part.

Raylan confronts Limehouse about his involvement with Quarles. And here is Limehouse’s fatal mistake. He denies knowing Quarles, even when Raylan knows they’re involved. Limehouse wants to be on the winning side and sticking with Quarles is pretty much the opposite of that. So. He probably won’t make it to season 3.

Raylan’s body count so far: 1 ½