Justified “Kill the Messenger” 

Art’s fist has a serious disagreement with Raylan’s face. Dewey’s scheme goes horribly (and predictably) awry. Ava isn’t as protected at the state prison as she thought. Danny goes too far with his intimidation of Alison. And Boyd enlists the help of the Crowes.

The Enemy of My Enemy…

I’m not quite sure why I’m constantly surprised by Boyd’s ability to maneuver almost any situation to his advantage. Although, by now, I am used to every scheme Dewey comes up with going south. He (mostly) got lucky with that Wade Messer thing. That his latest bright idea entails kidnapping Boyd and demanding his money back for Audrey’s isn’t his best plan. Including Danny? Even worse. When they show up at the bar and only Carl is there, they go to plan B. Carl doesn’t go down without a fight, but they manage to take him. Rachel and Raylan find out where they are soon enough – partly by luck and mostly because Raylan has a bone to pick with Danny – but  Carl is smart and insists nothing nefarious is going on. So later when Boyd shows up with Carl and Jimmy in tow, it looks like things are going to end badly. But Boyd’s not interested in more bad blood with the Crowes. He needs someone to help him send a message to Gunnar, which they are more than happy to do for Boyd’s price. After Boyd discovers that Johnny has compromised his potential heroine score in Mexico, he talks to Darryl Jr. again. This time he wants the Crowes to help him kill his cousin.

Raylan Thinks the World of Rachel, But…

I love it when these two spend any amount of time together. They’ve got a fun brother/sister kind of vibe. They talk a lot of sh*t, but if anybody comes at them they’re a united front. They absolutely have each other’s back. So when Raylan decides to ditch his duties at the office, Rachel comes along. Raylan thinks it’s it keep him in check, but Rachel has other ideas.

Raylan: “You wanted me to come off the leash so you could call me to heel. That’s why you came along, right? Report back to the boss –  the chronic problem deputy was kept in check by the office kiss ass.”

Rachel: “You might see it that way if you were a son of a bitch. The other way you could see it is that after all we’ve been through, the trust we’ve built, I came with you in case you opened up a crack and wanted to talk about how bad you could’ve messed up that Art has a swole fist and you got a black eye.”

Raylan: “You’re not a kiss ass. I’m sorry I said that. You know I think the world of you and I trust you with my life, but Rachel I ain’t saying a godd*mn thing about me and Art.”

Rachel: “’Cause if you did it would drag the whole office into a sh*tstorm of biblical proportion. Isn’t that right?”

Yep. That about covers it.

Other interesting tidbits

• I already like this Yoon guy. Both Duffy and Boyd are tired of being screwed over and they’re looking to make sure the same doesn’t happen with their Mexico connection. I hope we see him again. He seems smart and ruthless. It could be a deadly combination, but he’ll keep both Duffy and Boyd on their toes.

• If Boyd can’t protect Ava in jail, she’ll protect herself. I think it’s so smart that she decided to cut her hair after Gretchen and her crew took a razor to it. This way she’s back in control and hopefully it will send a message to Gretchen that Ava isn’t easily intimidated. I do think Gunnar will tell his sister to back off, but I like that Ava knows she’s got to have her own back in jail.

• Alison knows Raylan would run into a burning building, but maybe he’s the one setting the fires. I like that Alison sees exactly who Raylan is and calls him on it. I’m still not entirely sure I like her, but she’s starting to win me over – especially since she has Raylan’s number.

Justified airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.