Justified: Burned Review

Justified Season 6, Episode 9 keeps the pace steady to let the smoke clear. Here is our review.

“I have a diamond tennis bracelet in my purse that, being a woman of extravagant tastes, is very substantial. Might that do instead?”  – Katherine Hale

Tonight’s Justified episode was entitled “Burned”, a fitting moniker in the aftermath of last week’s action. Raylan and his FBI coworkers are trying to hold the pieces together in the RICO case against Boyd. Ava’s loyalty has temporarily shifted back to Boyd, so Raylan might have to think of a few backup plans. Raylan has set a mousetrap with a succulent chunk of cheese that Boyd can hardly resist.

As the series draws to an end, the tempo hasn’t increased which one might expect, but continues to keep viewers engaged. Picking up the pace and rushing toward the end would go against Elmore Leonard’s style. The strengths of the show are three-dimensional characters, dialogue and the sparse location absent of special effects, car chases and explosions. The snail’s pace of the show over the years has allowed the characters to develop organically and viewers to become vested in their lives and stories.                                                                                                                 

Wynn Duffy is one those colorful characters who thinks he’s more sophisticated than everyone else in Lexington and Harlan County. During his time on the show, he’s been just as simple or base as any redneck in the hills, mountains or in the hollers, with the exception of his fancy clothes, RV, and pretty boy assistant. He’s only slightly different from Avery Markham, but don’t tell him that. The trouble with cocky criminals is that there’s usually a lawman who eventually outsmarts, or gets them to betray other associates. Similar to most crooks, Wynn would rather save his own hide and turn state’s evidence. There is no honor among thieves when faced with prison time or suffering at the hands of the mastermind.

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A rung or two below the Wynn’s and Boyd’s in the criminal world, are those who wait patiently for promotions and reassuring pats on the head or shoulder from the big boss. When they don’t get what they think ought to be theirs, they are ran out of town or found at the bottom of a lake. Unfortunately, there are always replacement henchmen waiting to step up and prove their worthiness.

Loretta McCready doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything or anyone, perhaps it is her youthful bravado and folksiness, or the fact that Raylan will come to her rescue if she gets in over her head. Or maybe she’s banking on Raylan’s getting rid of her competition in the marijuana-growing business. Whatever the case, she’s playing a dangerous game trying to pit Markham against Boyd, and both against the FBI. Loretta’s a miniature version of Mags Bennett, if there ever was one on the show. She’s placed herself squarely in Katherine and Markham’s bull’s-eye.

Boyd shouldn’t have pissed off uncle Zachariah, but he did, and had to deal with his familial wrath. He’s never forgiven Boyd and their family in general for the spousal abuse Ava endured while married to his brother Bowman. Zachariah isn’t ruled by greed or money, but a sense of right versus wrong. The world could do with more men like him.

When the smoke clears, we all hope Raylan’s left standing over the dead bodies of Avery and Katherine, that Boyd and Wynn are sent to prison, and Ava’s in WITSEC. Viewers want Raylan to walk off into the sunset with Winona and baby Willa with little to no regrets. 

Rating:

3.5 out of 5