I started watching Justified at my husband’s urging,
catching up with the first two seasons. Overall, the series had a great run
with season 2, 3 and 7 being my favorites. The story is now complete, but I was
a bit disappointed with the “soft landing” final episode, which tied up all the
ends without any major surprises. Still, I think this was the right time to end
the series before everything felt completely played out.
The episode opens where we left off last week with Raylan
being arrested. Despite his protests and attempts to curry favor as a fellow
law officer, the deputy is unmoved and pushes him inside his cruiser.
Boyd searches around Grubes’ cabin wondering where the money
could be. He takes a cigarette outside to smoke. He spies a shovel with fresh
dirt and deduces the money has been buried.
Avery meets Ava. He looks in her backpack of cash and knows it’s
far short of his ten million dollars. “Where’s the rest of it?” Avery demands.
Avery pontificates about how women in “this world”
(criminal) have to learn to be tougher than the men to survive. He admires her
grit, but knows she couldn’t have carried all the money herself over the
mountain. “I want to know, who helped you?”
Ava confesses her uncle helped her. (She doesn’t know he’s
dead.) She insists he only did it to help her because he “didn’t want to see me
dead.” Its just as plausible he helped her to hurt Boyd Crowder, whom he hated.
If Zachariah had still been alive, Ava just signed his death warrant. Ava above all just wants to live, to get away
from Harlan and its crazy men.
After the final opening credits roll, we see the massive man
hunt for Boyd in full swing with helicopters, dogs and search parties. One team
reports the dogs caught Ava’s scent, which ended at the bridge. They found the
tooth necklace she dropped. Raylan overhears this new information from the
backseat of the cruiser and asks the driver to inquire if the necklace is made
of gator teeth. The woman confirms this with the officer, but he’s upset Raylan
is trying to participate in the ongoing search and tells him to sit back and
shut up.
Art meets Raylan and the officer. Art pulls rank and is able
to take Raylan into his custody. Boyd hits the deceased Grubes about two feet
down and then hears the phone ring inside in the cabin. It’s Ava and she
pretends she’s talking to Zachariah. Boyd sneers at the sound of her voice,
“Tell me why I care?” Ava explains without her he’ll never find the money. They
agree on a place to meet. Avery tells
Boon to go get his money and kill Boyd. Boon takes Loretta, probably just
because he enjoys freaking her out.
Art tells Raylan that Avery’s dirty cops have likely picked
up Ava. They both know Ava’s life is in real jeopardy. Raylan is upset Art is still
taking him back to Lexington to answer for charges “you know ain’t true.” Art
decides to hand Raylan back his badge and asks, “Where do we start looking for
her?”
The massive force of law enforcement has found Grubes’ cabin
and quickly clears it. Up the hill, they see Boyd running and begin to fire at
him. Boyd throws sticks of dynamite down
the hill. It looks like if he must go down in a “blaze of glory,” he’s taking
as many law enforcement officers as he can.
Raylan and Art enter a dive bar. At the bar is the “dirty
deputy” from the hospital, whom Carl punched in order for Boyd to escape. The
bartender asks for Raylan and Art to give up their weapons as he pulls out a
bat from behind the bar. Another famous game of “Justified” chicken ensues with
Art pulling his weapon on the bartender. These men should know where Markham is
keeping Ava since they provide his security.
On their way to the Bennett barn, Art receives a call about
Boyd’s siting and shenanigans. He decides to part with Raylan and instructs him
to be sensible even if Loretta and Ava’s lives are in jeopardy. Raylan be
sensible, oh Art you never learn!
Markham receives word that uncle Zachariah isn’t at the
meeting spot. He’s livid and places his gun under Ava’s chin and demands to
know what was said on the other end of the line. Suddenly, a deputy enters the barn with Boyd
behind him with a gun to his back. Avery fires but Boyd uses the officer as a
shield and hit Avery in the leg. Avery is down when Boyd shoots him again in
the right eye and Avery is dead.
In the confusion, Ava attempts to pick up a discarded gun
but is stopped by Boyd. He points the gun at her and demands, “Look at me!” He
attempts to fire but his gun is empty and Ava screams. Just then, Raylan enters
the barn causing Boyd to exclaim, “Raylan, you’re timing sucks!” Raylan surveys
the scene complete with three dead men and concurs, “So I’ve been told.”
Boyd thinks they should complete what was started in the
woods the previous night. He also notes he’s already done the “dirty work” for
Raylan, by killing Avery and the dirty cops. Boyd admits to Raylan his gun is
out, so Raylan kicks him another one from the deceased men. Boyd is
incredulous, “You really want to do this?” Raylan suggests Ava get out. Boyd
has a question for her, “Why?”
Ava looks pained and replies, “I did what I thought you
would have done.” He looks hurt and surprised. Ava leaves. Raylan asks for Boyd
to raise his gun so they can end this. Boyd replies, “Do what you’re gonna do!
If I ever get out you know I’m gonna kill her.” Raylan places his hand on his
still holstered gun. Did he really intend to take the shot against Boyd?
Backup has arrived and Boyd is led out of the barn in
handcuffs. Ava goes into a different car with Raylan, where she rides in the
passenger seat. She wonders why Raylan didn’t just kill Boyd, and adds there is
still nine million dollars outstanding. On the radio, “You’ll Never Leave
Harlan Alive” plays. A large truck is following Raylan and Ava, which rear ends
into their vehicle. Boon approaches the car. Raylan instructs Ava to keep down.
Boon taunts Raylan, “I can’t let you leave without saying
goodbye!” Both men draw and fire and drop. Boon is fatally wounded. While still trying to get off one last shot, Loretta’s boot prevents it. Raylan moves and
picks up his hat newly damaged with Boon’s shot. He chuckles. Ava drives away
in his car.
Art and Raylan meet back at the Marshall’s office. Ava is
still at large but Raylan’s flight to Florida is in a few hours. Art offers, “I
asked you to come to Kentucky to get Boyd Crowder and you got him. You got him
the right way.” Bourbon is shared. Raylan says goodbye to Tim, observing the
next occupant of his desk won’t be as big as an asshole. Rachel compliments his
hat, Raylan is now wearing Boon’s custom made black hat.
The episode jumps ahead four years to show Raylan eating ice
cream with his daughter Willa. Winona approaches and shortly its clear they are
not a couple, but share custody. Winona’s new man appears to take the girl
home. Raylan still works for the Marshall’s office. He’s seen making jokes with
his new co-workers. He receives a tip from the office in Seattle, it’s a
newspaper clipping about a pumpkin patch.
The scene changes to “LeBac, California.” Raylan knocks on
the door and Ava appears. She is shaky, but says she’s been expecting him for a
long time. He asks her how she got out of Harlan. She says she hitchhiked.
Raylan theorizes it must have been Wynn Duffy’s doggy grooming van for a share
of the remaining millions.
Ava tries to tell Raylan about his life over the last few
years, she’s been volunteering with horses and living simply. Ava pleads with
Raylan for one more moment to show him something. In the backyard is a little
boy about four years old. Raylan realizes they were looking for a woman, but
not a pregnant woman. The boy is Boyd’s and she is desperate for him to never
learn of his existence. She says the boy’s name is Zachariah, and she wants to
be sure he’s taken care of if she goes to jail. Raylan tells her he’s not
taking her in. She mouths “Thank you.” She confesses he’s not the only man
she’s afraid of finding her. (Boyd is still alive but in prison.)
Boyd is preaching in the prison jail complete with a
florescent cross. “To be a real man is to walk away from temptation!” His
sermon is interrupted by the announcement he has a visitor.
Raylan and Boyd talk through the Plexiglas. Raylan is amused
Boyd is back to preaching. Boyd says, “You never did believe a word that came
out of my mouth.” Raylan says he does believe that he loved Ava, and he’s there
to tell him she’s dead. He explains she died in a car crash in west Texas
several years back, and it has been confirmed by DNA. Boyd is still skeptical
Raylan would have come all the way from Florida to tell him the news. Raylan
says this type of news should be delivered in person. Raylan notes there is one
thing they have in common. Boyd answers, “We dug coal together.”
So ends the series that began with the question “Is the
shooting of a suspect justified.” As Boyd and Raylan did their dance it was
clear they were two sides of the same coin. Raylan changed his white hat for
Boon’s black one after he killed Boon. I honestly felt a little disappointed by
the time lapse and all the neatly tied ends. I feel a little bad that Boyd will
never know he is father. He deserved at least to know, even if Raylan had to
lie about Ava’s death to keep her safe. In the end, some of the bad guys lost but
the fight is never over…
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