Justified – Season 3 Episode 2 – “Cut Ties”

The names of the episodes continue to be interesting double entendres, and we see more of the scheming and planning in this episode that will set up the big conflicts of this season. Boyd’s scheme to get the Benett’s money, Raylan’s plan to buy a house with Winona, Bad guys planning and scheming all over the place, and a couple of new players with plans of their own.

Carla Gugino shows up here as Karen Sis–ahem–Goodall who is an old flame and fellow marshall from Raylan’s Miami days. Questions raised include whether Raylan still has feelings for her and whether those feelings are going to disrupt Raylan’s new relationship with Winona. It appears those questions are answered in the negative. Or to put it in a positive light: Winona wins. In an interview, Graham Yost has said Carla Gugino will NOT be sticking around for more episodes this season. So I guess that’s that.

But this episode mostly showcases Art’s ability to still kick ass with the best. The old guy still has the brains and brawn to get the job done, and it seems like he has more in common with Raylan than we knew previously.

A little more of Raylan’s relationship with Winona is revealed as the episode opens with Raylan waking up in Winona’s house that she owned with Gary. Even ignoring the fact that Winona is as hot as a Las Vegas sidewalk on the fourth of July, their dialogue is pretty awesome:

Raylan: At least this time I don’t have to worry about you taking up with the realtor (which he pronounces “relitor”).

Winona: Why’s that?

Raylan: She’s too old for you.

Winona: That guy was cute though.

Raylan: He’s married.

Winona: So was I. Too short for me though. I need someone tall and strapping like a …fireman.

Raylan: Like a… lion tamer.

Winona: Mmmmm, outdoorsy, good with animals, can find alternative uses for houshold furniture…

Something Winona says about realtors always lying makes Raylan finally figure out Boyd’s plan, so he makes a visit to the prison to screw it up. He’s just in time to stop Boyd from ruining Dickie’s breakfast. During some awesome-as-usual jawboning with Boyd, Raylan tells him he will be released the next day. Boyd looks for Dickie but finds out he is in solitary, courtesy of Raylan.

An old friend of Art’s named Bill is visiting and Art tells him that he thinks Raylan is Art’s penance for the grief he gave his own chief years ago. Apparently, Art was a bit of a hell-raiser himself back in the day. Bill is with witness protection and is making his rounds to the protectees, including one named Mary who has a baby and a little girl named June. Bill is making sure they are following the guidelines as Mary is expected to testify against some high-level baddies soon.

But someone is following Bill and when Bill gets wise and confronts him, the guy gets the drop on him and Bill gets shot. BTW, this all happens before the theme song and opening credits. That has to be a record for opening scenes.

After the credits, Rachel sets up camp with Mary while Raylan and Winona check out the baby’s ultrasound photo. Did I mention Winona is super hot? Raylan has to run to the office after turning on his phone and noticing he has 17 missed calls. Oops. He walks in and meets up with Assistant Director Goodall (Carla Gugino), who he knew by a different last name in Miami. The previous name is not mentioned. Goodall is in town to help out with Bill’s murder, as it looks like Bill’s protectees have been compromised. The other marshalls are already with the protectees, while Raylan will be going with Goodall to check on Little Joe Delahunt, a gangster who just happens to be in Lexington. Apparently one of the protectees, Terry Poe, fingered Little Joe’s dad, so Joe’s presence in Lexington cannot be coincidental.

On the way to the hotel, Raylan comes up with a plan of attack and talks about the past with with Goodall. She was apparently married for only a few months, but kept the guy’s last name (Why?). Raylan flirts a little with her: “Nothing I can think of that would keep a guy from coming after you.”

Art goes to sit on Poe to make sure he isn’t the target of Little Joe and his boys. We recognize Poe as the guy that shot Bill, but Art doesn’t know that. Will he figure it out, or will he become the next victim. Poe packs a gun in his overnight bag.

Meanwhile, Boyd is trying to figure out how to get at Dickie before Raylan’s release kicks him back out on the street. It looks like he’s found a cooperative guard, and he decides to povoke a group of black weightlifters by showing off his white supremacist tattoos. That should get him in the hospital at least.

Raylan and Goodall work Raylan’s plan and it gets them two of Little Joe’s boys cuffed in the hallway of the hotel, but Little Joe locks himself in his room. Goodall makes a pretty good argument for Joe to give them the info they want.

Art gets a call from Raylan telling him what they found out from Joe. We don’t hear what it is, but Art tells Poe thay have to move, and he notices that a chair has recently been placed under a vent in the wall. It’s a hiding place, but for what? They get in Poe’s car and drive off to a safe house. Art asks to use the GPS system and finds out the car was at the site where Bill’s body was found. Seems too easy. Do GPS systems really do that? And wouldn’t you delete that info if you had just dumped a body? He goes back to Poe’s house, disarms him and gets him back in the house. How much did Raylan tell him? Did he know Poe was selling info to Joe before they got in the car?

Boyd is getting treated in the prison hospital, then gets put into solitary, right next door to Dickie. The friendly guard is pretty friendly.

Art has Poe tied to a chair in his house and finds that the vent is concealing a big bag of cash. He tells Poe what the GPS told him and says he needs to start talking or he’s going to get the “old testament” treatment, which pretty much consists of getting hit repeatedly in the face. He has apparently been reading Deuteronomy 7:

9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

Art says Little Joe confessed that Poe was offering 2 million bucks to get forgiveness from Joe for ratting on his dad. Art figured out that Poe must be selling info on one or more of the protectees in order to get the money to pay Joe. Now he needs to know which protectees have been compromised. But Poe’s not talking, so Art threatens to shoot him and say that he was shot in a struggle. He makes Poe believe, and finds out Mary is the one Poe sold out.

Art calls Rachel to warn her but the bad guys are already there to kill Mary. Raylan and Goodall get to Poe’s house and go with Art to help Rachel. It’s a tense cat and mouse game at Mary’s house. Rachel and the family hide in the attic while the gangsters search for them. The baby is not quiet enough and Rachel has to shoot the gangster that tries to get into the attic. Art shoots the other guy downstairs.

Boyd gets help getting into Dickie’s cell in the night and threatens to cut Dickie’s throat unless he gets the info on Ma Bennett’s money. Dickie tells him the money is being held by Limehouse, who won’t give it up to anyone but Dickie. You can see the wheels spinning in Boyd’s head while he formulate’s a new plan. The problem is, the friendly guard heard the whole thing too.

Goodall lets Raylan drive back and invites him to come to Miami with her, but Raylan doesn’t take the bait. He tells Goodall that Art saved his life. apparently, Goodall doesn’t know where Raylan’s from. Raylan tries to help talk to Rachel about her shooting, but she’s not having it. Winona shows up and Raylan goes right to her and kisses her in front of everyone, including Goodall. Seems like he’s sending a message. He leaves with Winona while Goodall casts some longing glances after him.

Boyd gets sprung from prison and tells Ava that getting the money will “take some doing” because it’s with Limehouse. Then we meet Limehouse. Looks like a serious dude. We’ll be seeing a lot more of him.