How does a man change when he’s locked inside the prison of his past and no one around him will ever give him the key? When he’s constantly reminded at every turn of the person he used to be? Does one turn to faith? Hope? Resolve to get him through?
Or is it simply impossible to change one’s true nature, no matter how Herculean the effort? And if others cannot see that we truly changed, does it even matter if we can?
You have to feel for Boyd (Walton Goggins), who does seem as if he’s truly trying. But reciting Bible verses can only get you so far when it seems like the world only wants you for the bad man you used to be.
It’s yet to be seen if his violent act of frustration at the end of 2.3 will set him back on an unrighteous path, but it sure seems like that’s where he’s headed. But still, he gets an A for effort. And we’ll forever love him for trying.
The irony of Boyd telling Dewey (Damon Herriman) that he’d have to live with the consequences of the path he chose is that Boyd can never escape the path he’s already stepped away from. It’s as if every road he takes continues to lead back to the same place. But no matter how it eventually turns out for Boyd, he’s become one of the most fascinating characters on television.
Meanwhile, we began to see the cracks in the reunion of Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) and Winona (Natalie Zea). Raylan still hasn’t passed the ultimate test for Winona to believe they have a future, even if he doesn’t yet know what the test is. And there’s Ava (Joelle Carter) still waiting in the wings. No matter how much he denies it, it just has to be eating at Raylan that Ava has allowed Boyd to start playing house with her. But much like Boyd, Raylan is also a prisoner of his past actions with Winona. Even if people say they forgive us for the pain we may have caused them, can they ever really trust us the way they once did?
Dewey was quite enjoyable as one of the stupidest criminals to ever grace the small screen. I love that no matter how dumb his actions, somehow he always seems to live through it and come back up for more like a mosquito that never quite dies even after you swat it against the wall.
And even though we’ve always known Doyle (Joseph Lyle Taylor) was as corrupt as they come, we didn’t know until this episode just how violent and in charge he really is. He’s the older brother who knows better because he’s smart enough to play both sides. But is it me, or do most criminals on television always have the universal problem of never knowing when to quit? They are always overstepping their bounds, thinking they can get away with it when they never can. If there’s just one thing to nitpick from this episode, it was dipping a toe in the water of this trope.
Favorite Line: “See now, that’s why I don’t go to church.” – Raylan
Grade: A-
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