Episode Review: JUSTIFIED, "Kill the Messenger"

I know that I've been mostly lukewarm towards this season of Justified, and while I didn't love everything about "Kill the Messenger," I have to admit that it was the first episode that made me think that I could get on board with where the story's going.

Not only did Raylan have to deal with the fallout the occurred after he came clean to Art, which included a punch to the face, but he also had to track down Danny Crowe because he ran her off the road after she checked in on Kendall. Of course, that wasn't the only trouble the Crowes were causing because Danny and Dewey somehow thought it'd be a good idea to kidnap one of Boyd's cronies.

Boyd also had plenty on his plate like trying to find Ava some protection now that she's in prison, but one of his old Nazi buddies betrayed him due to the fact that he's a race traitor. Rather than take the racist on alone, Crowder decided to employ the Crowes over getting revenge on them. When it was all said and done, it looked like the Crowders and the Crowes joined up to take out Cousin Johnny once and for all.

While I'm glad that we didn't have to watch Raylan confess to Art, I was a little shocked that the show went there so early on but I have to admit that I'm intrigued to see where they go from here. I guess there's always the chance that Raylan wasn't 100% honest to keep the tension going, but whatever they decide to do I hope they're successful.

I still cannot say that I'm loving Boyd's arc this season, but I do like the idea of him hiring the Crowes and being partners with them rather than having them go at it for now. We all know it's not going to end well for Dewey and his kin, but I think they're more entertaining as lackeys than foils at this point. It's just too bad that I still don't care about what's happening to Ava.

Other Odds and Ends:

• How good was that opening scene?
• It's hard to take the Crowes seriously when Danny's barking like a mad dog.
• I don't think I could ship Raylan and Rachel, but they do have a special kind of bond.
• While I don't want to see Carl and Danny's sex games, that whole exchange was pretty entertaining.
• "He's a history buff."
• "We share some things in common."

So new alliances and new hurdles for Raylan to jump over are encouraging, but I'm not ready to give my stamp of approval just yet because it's all about the execution. Here's to hoping Justified can pull it off.