Justified "Save My Love" Review

I'm finally getting around to writing this review and I'm exhausted. It's been a long day in which some dick broke into my truck and stole my wife's laptop so let's make this short and to the point.

This week's episode should have had a disclaimer on it that said "Long time fans need only apply." Anyone who hasn't watched the show regularly not only would have been confused by the short scene between Gary and Duffy but they wouldn't have gotten a good sample of what Justified is really like.


I've seen Raylan face gun fire. Stare down the barrel of criminal with bad intentions but I've never been more nervous for him than I was this week as he tried to return the money Winona took from the evidence room without anyone noticing. Stealth and deception definitely aren't strong suits for him. He's prefers to be direct and rely on his ability to be quicker than his opponent. I never got the impression he felt particularly guilty about what he was doing. Committing several felonies. He just seemed annoyed to be put in the position in the first place. It took more work than he would have liked but he and Winona were able to get the money back where it belonged without anyone knowing. Well, except for maybe Chief Deputy Mullen. This incident may not be as over with as it appears.

I was pretty excited to see Rebecca Creskoff show up on Justified this week as the mining companies Vice President Carol Johnson. She's been the only part of Hung worth watching for its entire two seasons. I did find her version of a southern accent kind of distracting but as long as she continues to own scenes with her confidence and sexuality, I can overlook the rest. So, what does she need Boyd for? Well, for most of the episode she claims it's for security but I don't think any of us really believed that line. Her real intentions for Boyd are revealed in the final scene of the episode. She needs someone to get Mags and the Bennett boys out of her way and she believes Boyd is just the man for the job.

There's a moment in the final scene that shows you all you need to know about the brilliance of Walton Goggins in the role of Boyd Crowder. Right after Carol tells Boyd she needs him to deal with Mags and company, without saying a word, Goggins is able to express fear, curiosity and eagerness all in a split second. Next year with Emmy nominations come out, if Walton Goggins isn't at the top of the list then they should just discontinue the award.

As a Justified fan who's been with the show from the beginning, I thought it was a good episode. We got to see a different side of Raylan. We saw him uncharacteristically nervous and completely out of his element sneaking around behind his fellow Marshal's backs. In the end though his intuition and natural ability to read a situation was able to come through during the false bomb threat. It wasn't a typical episode but good none the less.

Random Thoughts:

• Why have I always thought Winona was a lawyer?
• I can always use more Stephen Root. You can give him any name you want but he'll always be Jimmy James to me.
• Two full episodes without the Bennetts is way too many.