Episode Review: JUSTIFIED, "Peace of Mind"

After last week's phenomenal episode, Justified slowed things down and spun its wheels ever so slightly with "Peace of Mind" which was clearly a table-setting installment prepping the audience for next week's season finale.

Now that Drew Thompson's in custody, the hunt for Ellen May was on because he would not cooperate with the feds unless she was safe. Since she was the key to everything, the Marshals, Boyd and the Detroit mobsters were all on her trail which led them to Noble's Holler, Johnny's bar, Nicky Kush's place, and finally Cassie's church. Everything culminated in a face-off between Ava and Ellen May (with Colt and Cassie looking on), but the future Mrs. Crowder couldn't pull the trigger. It looked like Colt was called up to do the deed when Tim showed up and took him out once and for all. When it was all said and done, Drew and Ellen May were reunited while Detroit shifted its focus onto Winona.

Honestly, last week's episode was so riveting that I completely forgot about Ellen May and how important she's been to this entire season. And while it was nice to revisit her and some other stray threads that were introduced earlier on in the run, "Peace of Mind" couldn't keep up with its predecessor. That's not to say it was a bad episode because it had some strong moments like Limehouse talking some sense into Ava, and her realizing that she might not be cut out for this new life of her's. Even the wild goose chase had some entertaining bits, but it also felt like we were traveling on a well-worn path since most of this season's dealt with Raylan and Boyd looking for someone. Adequate but far from great.

Other Odds and Ends:

• Natalie Zea was back, and her brief appearance made me hope that her Following character doesn't survive so she can come back to Justified... assuming Winona makes it past the finale.
• I could watch Raylan and Art fight all day.
• I've come around on Limehouse over these last couple of episodes, and that's something I never thought I'd admit to after last season.
• Am I the only one who was expecting more from the Tim/Colton showdown?
• Also, why did Tim take Colton's sunglasses? Trophy? Sign of respect?
• Raylan: "Winona, I don't know shit about girls."
  Winona: "That it so sweet. Saying it like I don't already know."
• "C'mon, this is what we do. Did you not wake up this morning thinking today was another opportunity to mess up some bad guy's day? I did."

All-in-all, "Peace of Mind" was a decent enough episode albeit a few notches below "Decoy," but it did get me excited for the season finale, so I guess it was at least successful in that regard.