Latecomer

Ooooh!! Great reset of the show. And I like Paul.

I posted this in the forum for ep. 2, but I thought the Castors' rape victim looked like a grown up Kira. But that could be wishful thinking - I am suggestible type. If something went down in Helsinki, why will Kira be safer there?

This is what Ava's struggled with all season & probably why she shot him & I'm fine with it, because he JUST SHOT CARL! As Wynne says, when it's a matter of survival, you go cockroach - at least, if you spend time with the likes of him & Boyd. I'll always remember Carl smacking down Danny Crowe. Is Boon directly ripping off Raylan's look?

Why are we so concerned for Raylan? He likes some back-talk. You don't think Winona has a touch of Aunt Helen about her? Let's enjoy the Hepburn-Tracy vibe he has with Loretta. I am enjoying Tim yanking Mikey's chain, & Wynn's hammock.

I'd have bet Katherine & Loretta would outlast them all, with Raylan heading to Florida. I can't figure what'll happen to Ava & Boyd, but Carl is Boyd's Samwise Gamgee & deserves to LIVE!

Word. While we're on the subject of Arlo, I always thought he'd have something juicy buried in Raylan's plot. When Boyd says to Ava, 'Go home & pack - I won't take anything with me', I hear, 'I'm goin' kill you & pretend you took off'. Anyone else think Wynne Duffy might

I call bullshit if Boyd doesn't marry Ava on the spot & solve this problem. I'm sure the change of ammo means he doesn't trust her, but he can always kill her later. (I am sad about it, because I like Ava & Boyd together, & if Raylan didn't run to Ava's rescue, it should be clear where his heart lies.) I thought Raylan was hoping to offload the baby at the office, & Rachel called him on it. This is more Rachel than we've had since she had to head off her brother-in-law in season 1. If she's feeling the pressure as a professional woman as things get complicated in this case, that seems reasonable.

It's irritating to see Ava fall back into some old habits, but is it fair to excuse all the epic self-destructiveness & dumb-assery Raylan & Boyd have been guilty of while dismissing their leading ladies as whiny bitches? Ava's characterization seems as consistent as any of the men-folk. (I'm a little defensive because I'd sure be more like Ava than Katherine or Loretta if I was being squeezed like that. Let's just remember that to survive in Harlan, you have to become Arlo, Bo Crowder or Mags 'I'll kill any 13 year old in my way' Bennett.) Meanwhile, watching the man who went toe-to-toe with Danny Crowe wigging-out in the mine makes me love Carl even harder!

All this talk of things not going a Marshal's way has me worried for Tim.

That spoiler from Febgirl makes alot of sense. Things are really tense, you guys! I have to believe Boyd knows about Ava - he always knows. Even after what happened to Dewey, I'm hoping Boyd & Ava (& Carl) can make it out together. I love Wynne's new glasses, too.

I always felt that as soon as Ava admitted that she'd always be at home in Kentucky, that was it for her & Raylan. He wears the hat, but he rejected Harlan, whereas Boyd & Ava didn't. We feel like Ava has when she shoots Bowman Crowder, but season 2 nicely parallels her with Mags & Helen, taking care of things herself. Walton Goggins is fantastic, but Raymond J Barry, Damon Herriman & Margo Martindale have also made their characters so memorable. Everyone (rightly) lauds The Wire for giving even passing characters an arc & you can see it in Justified too - like the guy who runs the mobile clinic/meth lab in season 4 who loves his mother & ends up on a landmine. Some, like the vet talking to Arlo in the bar or the man with the black lung who murders for Boyd highlight the bigger themes with only a few scenes. Watching Raylan & Boyd struggle with the legacies of their fathers & their town has been riveting, & it feels right to end it where it all began. My only worry is that Tim is going to turn out to be more Raylan than Raylan.

With shares in the right ice cream concern, Boyd could make money off Raylan for life.

I'm OK with Art enjoying his retirement & Rachel growing into the boss' role. I cried when she found out Art had named her as his successor & the hug she gave Mrs. Art reminded us that people other than Raylan are close to Art. Hooray writers - when you can fit them in, you don't sell our favourites out! Raylan working as a team with Rachel & Tim would be great. They've stuck by him & it'd be nice if he responded to the talk Rachel gave him in the car & let them in a little. I feel a little dirty, but I want Boyd & Ava to get away together. She could open a salon with the bank's money, but I'm having a hard time coming up with something for Boyd that doesn't involve laundering money through it.

Does anyone else think that Ava's supposed to be going through the same thing Boyd did in series 1-2? (Perhaps less rivetingly, but still.) She commits 100% & figures out the details later, (I think both her Raylan & Boyd experiences attest to this). Tim is Rayaln's padawan.

Musing on Raylan's morals & how his upbringing influences his behaviour is my current obsession, because my boss says he can see Raylan getting together with Wendy, (in some 'Jerry Maguire'-Kendal related thing). I disagree, because just like Ava, Wendy buys into parts of the hillbilly code that Raylan blatantly rejects. As for Boyd's lack of morals, did anyone else soften a little after meeting Hayes Workman & his black lungs, or am I the only one losing my mind? What do we think would've happened to Raylan if he hadn't left Harlan when he did?