Justified Episode 5.03: “Good Intentions” Fall Short

Aaaah, Justified, I saw your “Good Intentions” last night … but they just weren’t quite enough to make me love this episode. There were some things I loved, (like the idea of Rachel and Raylan as roomies, which could have gone on longer, as far as I was concerned) and I’m always happy to see Dewey Crowe have a chance to spread his verbal confusion far and wide. (Yes, Dewey, realtors are always happy to see peeling curbs at the properties they sell!)

But on the whole, I found this episode somewhat lacking in luster, perhaps because the case of the week involved a character (Monroe, AKA Racist Scumbag) to whom we had little connection and who never really registered as someone interesting to me. He was just there to advance the plot and set up a reason for Raylan to live in the big house with the hot wheels and to go visit Wynn Duffy at long last. (Second only to my love for the Boyd-Raylan frenemy relationship is my love for the Wynn-Raylan frenemy relationship.)

Poor Raylan is just never going to have an unproblematic romantic relationship, is he?

I still couldn’t figure out whether Loretta’s social worker had actually planted the meth on an innocent guy (I’m thinking no?), but that was more because I was frankly a bit bored during that whole segment. It would actually be surprising at this point if one of Raylan’s blond girlfriends wasn’t a criminal or involved with criminals or did something criminal at some point (remember when Winona stole all that money and Raylan had to put it back?)

Meanwhile, Boyd was also playing dangerous games with a femme fatale, Lee Paxton’s beautiful wife, Mara. Lee ordered his spineless pet policeman Mooney to murder Boyd, but Mara was still furious about how Mooney had bullied and terrified her, and went to Boyd with that information instead. (Also, she really wants Boyd’s $300,000, so she needs him alive.) And she got a bit of her own revenge on Mooney; she’s got a good grip, apparently, from the pain on Mooney’s face. I’m wondering what exactly Boyd’s going to do while he pretends to be dead, but one thing that I’m certain of is that in the not-too-distant future, Mara is going to get another, even closer look at Boyd’s tattoos. If Boyd decides a dark-haired extortionist hottie in the hand is worth two blonde beauties in prison, I’m a bit worried for Ava. (And also a bit worried for Boyd, because I don’t think Ava will be too happy with the “woman scorned” route. Boyd, you are playing a rather dangerous game!!)

We also found out who’s been jacking Boyd’s drug shipments. Cousin Johnny (David Meunier), Boyd’s only surviving family member, is back and he’s out to get Boyd. I guess Rachel and Raylan let Johnny go last season when they had him captive at Boyd’s bar? Or perhaps we’ll find out how he comes to be outside the four walls of a prison next week, because I’m extremely curious. I’m glad that, at least for the moment, Boyd didn’t do anything more drastic to poor Candy than having her kidnapped, duct-taped and stuffed into a trunk, though I suspect her future well-being is dubious.

And lastly, speaking of dangerous games: We got a bit more of Cousin Daryl’s plans for Dewey Crowe this week. I have to admit that I found his addiction to cafe con leche somewhat charming, as well as his real estate advice about curb appeal, which Dewey, naturally, completely garbled while discussing the matter with Boyd. It was a lot of fun to see the old, evangelical Boyd emerge in his “pep talk” to Dewey, but now I’m seriously worried about Dewey. He’s always been a comic figure, a criminal who was so inept that no one took him seriously, and secretly, I think he kind of liked it that way. Now, Daryl is forcing him into a decision about Wade Messner’s life, and I’m not sure I can take poor, ridiculous, sublimely-silly Dewey turning into a murderer at his cousin’s behest—he’s so much better off flopping around in a body bag and being confused about human anatomy. Here’s hoping Raylan comes in and bangs some heads together and Dewey gets to escape with his life and conscience more or less intact.

Also, I am hoping for a glimpse of Marshal Tim and a more engaging episode next week! But mostly I just want Dewey to be okay.

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Regina Thorne is an avid reader of just about everything, an aspiring writer, a lover of old movies and current TV shows, and a hopeless romantic.

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