Justified 6.02 “Cash Game”

Synopsis of Justified 6.02 “Cash Game” from the FX network’s Website (edited and revised by me):

The investigation of the bank robbery committed by Boyd and his crew brings Raylan into conflict with a paramilitary outfit. Meanwhile, Boyd tries to salvage a profit from his ineffectual heist.

Each season of Justified has one main plot that is the driving force. However, there is also a secondary plot (and often a tertiary plot) that weaves through each season, and that then connects to the main plot at various (and often surprising) points. In seasons two through five, Raylan’s nemesis Boyd Crowder was relegated to the secondary plots—but the entire series is bookended with main plots that focus on Boyd in the first and final seasons.

With “Cash Game” (FX Network; Tuesday, Jan. 27), we begin to learn more about the secondary plot for this final season. Only two or three minutes were devoted to the secondary plot in last week’s episode — which is not enough to know any of the intricacies. All we saw in “Fate’s Right Hand” was Ty Walker — the character played by Garret Dillahunt (the actor who was also one of Timothy Olyphant’s nemeses in Deadwood) — attempting to buy Arlo’s house and farmland from Raylan.

For a reason that wasn’t clear, Raylan refused to sell his father’s property to Walker. It wasn’t that Raylan didn’t want to sell the farm; he does. He just doesn’t want to sell it to Walker.

That scene from last week didn’t clearly develop whatever it was that set off Raylan’s radar concerning Walker — who seemed to be just a typical Funky Flashman huckster. Raylan’s qualm must have had to with Walker not being a farmer (i.e., not being someone who had an obviously authentic reason for buying farmland).

Finally, in this latest episode, we learn that Walker was not just trying to buy Raylan’s property; he is trying to purchase several farms in Harlan County — for a reason that is still unknown. If the owners of those farms don’t want to sell, Walker increases his offer; however, he ultimately follows up his financial offers with veiled threats (finally asserting that he will get their land — with the implication being “one way or another”).

In a connection point to the main plot about the Justice Department and the Marshals Service targeting Boyd under the RICO statutes, Eva tells Boyd that one of the first properties Walker bought in Harlan was a particular pizza restaurant downtown. Boyd is initially nonplussed by this news, as he does not understand why it seems significant to Eva, but then he has an epiphany. It’s clear he now understands the nature of Walker’s scheme—but we viewers remain ignorant.

However, in a later scene at the restaurant, Raylan tells his fellow US Marshal, Tim Gutterson, that the pizza place used to be a bank. However, that still doesn’t help us much. The viewers remain ignorant.

So . . . what does all this mean? Walker owns a building that used to be a bank (a fact Boyd treats as a Revelation), and Walker is also trying to buy a lot of farmland. The logical connection between these seemingly disparate parts of the plot is elusive (as it is meant to be), but these elements have me hooked on this final season (as they are meant to do).

However, the scene in the episode that I enjoyed the most is not one of the outstanding confrontations that Raylan has with either Boyd or Walker—though those scenes are very good. No, my favorite scene is Raylan’s confrontation with a new character who debuted in this episode.

After Raylan confronted Walker in his real estate agent’s office, Walker phoned one of his underlings and told the man to follow Raylan and Gutterson. Of course, it doesn’t take Raylan and Gutterson too long to spot the car that’s tailing them — so Raylan has Gutterson take a quick turn off the road.

As the new character speeds around the corner in his car, he suddenly sees Raylan standing in the middle of the dirt road — which causes the man to slam on his brakes and barely miss hitting our hero who stands firm without flinching.

I’ve avoided telling you the new character’s name, because I want him to tell it to you himself. Here then is the dialog between Raylan and the new character:

New Character: Get outta the road, Cockholster!

Raylan: Well that ain’t polite. Just about hit me; now you’re goin’ to sling foul utterances in my direction?

New Character: . . . You’re in the middle of the road; I’m driving.

Raylan: I can see that. (Shows his Marshals badge.) Where to?

New Character: It’s none of your business, officer.

Raylan: US Marshal.

New Character: It’s still none of your business.

Raylan: Let me get this straight, son. Where you’re following me to is none of my business. That’s how you see it?

New Character: I’m not followin’ you.

Raylan: Step out of the car; stretch your legs a bit.

———————————————————————-

New Character (now out of the car): So where’s your buddy?

Raylan: Who’s that?

New Character: You know, the guy you were with.

Raylan: How do you know I was with a guy if you ain’t been followin’ me?

New Character: I’m not followin’ you.

Raylan: Are you sayin’ you ain’t followin’ me like you don’t know what I’m sayin’ or you just repeatin’ this bullshit about you ain’t been followin’ me?

New Character: I’m not followin’ you? (asked as a question)

Raylan: Son, are you real smart or real stupid?

New Character: Choo Choo.

Raylan: Excuse me . . . excuse me; what?

New Character: Choo Choo.

Raylan: You’re sayin’ your name is “Choo Choo”?

New Character: Since I was a kid; folks call me “Choo Choo.”

Raylan: Because you like trains?

New Character: Cuz when I hit you, it comes hard; it comes fast; like a Choo Choo train. You wanna try me?

Raylan: Not today, Choo Choo. Today, I’m just gonna take your car. (Gets in Choo Choo’s car and drives off.)

Yes, Choo Choo is a caricature; he’s a cartoon character; but he’s still great. I don’t ever recall actually laughing aloud while watching any of the previous 66 episodes of Justified — but Choo Choo made me laugh.

Harlan County, Kentucky is a real place. There have been two movies set there: The 1976 documentary Harlan County U.S.A. and the 2000 television movie Harlan County War. I’ve read some online comments from actual residents of Harlan who don’t appreciate the way this series presents their town. I understand that type of frustration.

A few years ago, Marvel Comics published an issue of Captain America (issue #602) in which my own hometown of Boise, Idaho was shown to be filled with Tea Party constituents who were lining the entire length of Capital Boulevard in a massive Tea Party protest rally.

While there are certainly many Tea Party constituents in Idaho (and neo-Nazis in the panhandle of northern Idaho), Boise has more balance politically than does the rest of the state.

I didn’t set fire to that issue of Captain America, but the inaccurate presentation of Boise bothered me. However, the geography of Capital Boulevard in that issue seems to be different in the Marvel Universe than it is in our universe — so perhaps Boise is subtly different, too.

Anyway, this season of Justified is doing everything right thus far. It seems like it’s going to be a great ride to the endgame.