Justified

[delete this account pls]

In the earlier episode, Boyd had also just had an encounter with one of those Clover Hill rich folks who happened to have his own personal bodyguard. So maybe security was on his mind, as well.

But yeah, another scene of his thought processes couldn't have hurt. My only (small) criticism of this episode was that it was one of those Justified eps where the season long plot really kicks into high gear and they try to pack a bit too much story in one episode.

These are the basic connections as I understand them, someone jump in here if I'm wrong because I'm making some assumptions;

- Drew Thompson witnesses Theo Tonin commit a murder. He fakes his own death and makes off with one of Theo's heroin shipments.

- Drew hides out amongst the hillfolk in Harlan, taking up with the cousin of Raylan's mother.

- Connected now to the Givens clan through the Hillfolk Cousin, Drew sells the heroin to Arlo? Arlo ends up with the bag in his wall that we saw in the first episode.

- Drew uses the money to start a new life. He leaves the hills and becomes Shelby. He joins the Harlan Sheriffs Department and gets partnered with Hunter.

- Hunter goes after Henry Crowder, the man that raped and murdered Hunter's niece. Shelby takes the heat and is kicked off the force.

- Shelby gets a job in mining security. Working this job, Hillfolk Cousin sees him at a bluegrass festival with the "Clover Hill folk".

- Hunter eventually rises to the position of sheriff. He uses his office to finally kill (?) Henry Crowder. He believes he wouldn't have achieved this if he'd been kicked off the Department years ago, so he owes his successful vengeance to Shelby/Drew taking the heat for him. (did this go down in season 1? I've only seen a handful of episodes from that season so I'm working in the dark a bit here)

Still unresolved - why Drew/Shelby revealed his true identity to Hunter in the first place. Why Arlo was holding on to that diplomatic pouch with the ID of the fake Drew Thompson who went splat (though we can make an assumption here that it was probably blackmail material), and why Arlo was refusing to give up Drew/Shelby (though again we can make assumptions here that he was being stubborn because he's Arlo, and because he isn't a snitch, but it's possible there's some further bond between Drew and Arlo too)

[TheEvilKing]

why Arlo was refusing to give up Drew/Shelby (though again we can make assumptions here that he was being stubborn because he's Arlo, and because he isn't a snitch, but it's possible there's some further bond between Drew and Arlo too)

If it's just because he isn't a snitch, why kill the prison guy? Seems a bit much.

Hunter killed Arlo because he thought Arlo was going to give up Shelby right?

This storyline has left me confused as balls, and I can't be bothered to rewatch the full season.

[ljkeane]

Why Arlo was holding on to that diplomatic pouch with the ID of the fake Drew Thompson who went splat (though we can make an assumption here that it was probably blackmail material), and why Arlo was refusing to give up Drew/Shelby (though again we can make assumptions here that he was being stubborn because he's Arlo, and because he isn't a snitch, but it's possible there's some further bond between Drew and Arlo too)

That's what I'm wondering about. Maybe Arlo wouldn't have turned Drew into the police on principle but it doesn't seem likely that he'd hide him from Theo Tonin for all this time without getting something out of it, maybe he's worried about selling the drugs but that doesn't seem to be what the Detroit guys are really concerned with.

[delete this account pls]

If it's just because he isn't a snitch, why kill the prison guy? Seems a bit much.

Hunter killed Arlo because he thought Arlo was going to give up Shelby right?

This storyline has left me confused as balls, and I can't be bothered to rewatch the full season.

Yeah Hunter killed Arlo because Raylan lied and tried to bluff him by implying Arlo was about to give Drew up. So Raylan indirectly got his dad killed.

And yeah the more I think about it, the more I think there must be more links between Drew and Arlo that we havent discovered yet. He killed that dude in prison, and he was holding that incriminating bag still. He only hired those teens to go and retrieve it when Raylan started preparing to sell the place, so it doesn't seem like he was holding it just for blackmail.

That's what I'm wondering about. Maybe Arlo wouldn't have turned Drew into the police on principle but it doesn't seem likely that he'd hide him from Theo Tonin for all this time without getting something out of it, maybe he's worried about selling the drugs but that doesn't seem to be what the Detroit guys are really concerned with.

Oh, I definitely think Arlo wouldn't have hesitated to sell Drew to the Tonins in normal circumstances. This is an Elmore Leonard show after all, and Leonard never buys into that omerta honour amongst thieves bullshit in his books. And we already know Arlo has no problems fucking over fellow crooks - wasn't the finale of season 1 all due to Arlo cheating Bo Crowder when they used to be in business together?

[red snow]

yeah that pretending speech clinched it for me

I've been catching up and still need to watch episode 9 but episode 8 with the pretending speech and Shelby's interest in the widow convnced me. Seemed rather heavy handed. Then again I've probably missed all the other clues before that point as he wasn't on my radar at all until this episode.

I've really been enjoying this season. Nice that Boyd gets to do his own thing in the show as well. I'm pleased Arlo is out of the show as it'll be interesting to see what the effect will be on Raylan. The hatred they had for each other was immense.

Dialogue and sense of humour are still top notch.

[Larry of the Lawn]

This episode is awesome.

edit:

I love the way that one thing (Ella Mae deciding where she can hide) sets of a lighting-chain reaction of shifting alliances and stakes fore everyone. This show does an awesome job of bringing all these different arcs together on a massive collision course.

Nice to see our man from last season back in rare, bloody-knife-wiping form.