TV Review: Justified “The Toll”
By: Brandon Wolfe
This season of ‘Justified’ has struggled with the issue of narrative focus. Even now as we’re entering the home stretch, it still does not feel that the threads of Season 5 are binding together into a greater tapestry. If the writers are playing a long game, their grand scheme still has yet to present itself at this late stage. It’s slightly frustrating, but not immensely so, as the series hasn’t lost a step in any other regard. But it can do better, and has.
The big development this week is the shooting of avuncular Chief Deputy Art Mullen as he is attempting to take Raylan’s most recent ex-girlfriend, pot-smoking social worker Alison Brander, into protective custody following the death of Danny Crowe, which occurred indirectly by Raylan’s hand. Art is hospitalized in critical condition and Raylan is itching to hunt down the culprit, whom he is reasonably certain is Daryl Crowe Jr. However, Raylan is impeded from moving forward in the field when the interim chief from Detroit grounds him as the office “problem child.”
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the heroin shipment being poached by Raylan, Boyd is called into a meeting by business partner Wynn Duffy to decide the next course of action. Detroit mobster expatriate Mr. Picker believes Boyd should be eliminated for his failure to hold up his end of the bargain, even if circumstances went beyond Boyd’s control, and Duffy has decided to bring in an outside consultant, Katherine Hale, the widow of a notorious gangster and someone whom is shown to command a certain amount of respect in the criminal community, to help him decide how to play things out (Hale is played by Mary Steenbergen, who seems to be relishing the chance to play a femme fatale and definitely brings a very different flavor to this show). Called into a makeshift trial in a hotel room, Boyd is about to lay out his defense when the meeting is interrupted by the marshals, including Tim and Rachel, who apprehend the entire group on suspicion of involvement in Art’s shooting.
Detroit mob kingpin Theo Tonin, apprehended earlier in the season, is claiming credit for ordering the shooting and has fingered Mr. Picker as the triggerman. Picker denies involvement, and is cleared when Daryl arrives at the marshals’ office to turn himself in, with young Kendal Crowe in tow. However, it is Kendal who ultimately confesses to the crime, much to Raylan’s clearly disbelieving eye. Daryl is turned loose, but not before Raylan makes him aware that he will destroy his entire world if he allows Kendal to take the rap for Daryl’s misdeeds.
Once released, all participants of Boyd’s inquisition resume their places back at the hotel and pick up literally exactly where they left off. Boyd states his piece and removes a cigarette pack from his pocket to have a smoke, then tosses the pack to Picker, who is killed when an incendiary device tucked inside explodes, once again allowing Boyd to get the upper hand over his adversaries and walk away without harm.
Finally, Rachel is officially made acting chief while Art is hospitalized, meaning that Rachel has an actual substantial role on this show for the first time ever. Only took almost five full years.
This episode had several potholes that I couldn’t help but trip myself up in. Why would Daryl think that gunning down Alison would make a fitting retribution for Raylan? Why would Art agree to head up Alison’s security instead of delegating that task, besides the fact that him being shot would have a greater impact than, say, Rachel? Why would Tonin bother to claim credit for the shooting without any advantage to doing so (we’re told it’s just to amuse himself, but it seems more a shaky attempt to make it less completely obvious that Daryl is responsible)? Why even have Boyd, Duffy and that whole crew arrested just to rewind back to the exact hotel tribunal after everyone is released? Again, ‘Justified’ is usually a tighter ship than this.
The show’s complete inability to pin down Daryl as a character also continues. In previous episodes, he was portrayed as either savvy, moronic or psychotic depending on whatever the scene required him to be at any particular moment, and this week we add cowardly to the list. His failings as a major villain probably top the list of things this season has not done as well as its predecessors.
Oh, and Ava is still in prison, and no one is really too bothered by her murder of Judith. They even give her ice cream! So if anyone out there still finds it in them to care about this storyline, that’s basically the long and the short of it this week.
Two episodes left of ‘Justified’ this year, meaning two more chances left to build some stronger cohesion at the buzzer. Moving Boyd closer into Raylan’s orbit has to be next on the docket, and after an entire season of distance between them, that could be just the thing to shore things up before the hiatus.
Discuss this review with fellow SJF fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJFilms, and follow author Brandon Wolfe on Twitter at @ChiusanoWolfe.
Please Leave A Comment-
Comments