After Raylan discovered Josiah Cairn's severed foot at the end of last week's Justified, the race is on to find the rest of him. How hard can it be to locate a guy with one foot? First we can't find Waldo, now we can't find this guy...geez.
We'll get to that in a minute. Colt and Boyd, in ski masks, are paying a visit to a guy named Dale, and it's not pleasant. Because nobody ever shows up in a ski mask to give you cake. Boyd is convinced that Dale is the long sought-after Drew Thompson, but he's proven wrong by some high school memorabilia. With an awkward apology, he and Colt take their leave.
Okay, back to the foot. Raylan has naturally reported this discovery, and now Josiah's house is being swarmed by Harlan County sheriff's deputies. While watching them process the place, he gets a phone call from a Art, who makes a series of horrible puns before informing our hero that there's been no luck in delaying his father's deal with the US Attorney. Hanging up the phone, Raylan spots a suspicious footprint on the ground, and names it Roz. As in the teenage girl that once stole his car.
Boyd tells Johnny and Ava that Dale is not Drew, and that they're going to start searching Clover Hill for any old folks who match Drew's description. Johnny asks Boyd if he really thinks Wynn Duffy is going to honor their deal, and Ava seems to share Johnny's skepticism, but Boyd isn't bothered. Neither is Colt, because he's stoned out of his mind. Just say no to drugs, kids.
Raylan pays a visit to Roz's now ex-boyfriend, but unfortunately decides to strong-arm him in front of Sheriff Shelby (guest star Jim Beaver), who also wants to know where Roz is. The two lawmen decide to team up on the search, and find a cranky Roz with her new squeeze, Teddy. Raylan calls Roz out on being at Josiah's place when he was abducted, and she tells him that she's got a vendetta of her own. Under duress, she tells him that it was two guys in a panel van who snagged her uncle, and that she heard the name Drew Thompson.
Shelby and Raylan leave Roz behind, and that's when Shelby tells Raylan to cut the BS and start being forthcoming, because he's no longer in Boyd's pocket. "If Drew Thompson is alive and in Harlan, that's a story for the ages," Shelby says, and he wants in on the action.
Elsewhere, Tim's meeting a friend of his as he's coming out of his twelve-step meeting. There's really not enough Tim Gutterson in this season so far. That's how Tim just happens to be in the right place to see Colt also walking through the VA hospital. Tim is naturally suspicious. Working with Raylan Givens tends to make people that way. But Tim's instincts are right: Colt is there to find a drug dealer, possibly at gunpoint.
Shelby pays an unscheduled visit to Boyd, and with Ava watching, arrests him on an unspecified charge. Ava would do well to notice Colt raiding the working girls' trailer threatening one of her other girls for Ella Mae's location. He tells her that he's not a bad person, but considering that he says it after he slaps her and before he talks about mutilating her, it's a laughable statement.
The sheriff hauls Boyd in to be questioned by both himself and Raylan, in regards to Josiah's kidnapping. Boyd points out that he spent quite awhile handcuffed to a tree. Shelby retorts that it could've been one of Boyd's men, and then asks him about the disappearance of Ella Mae. Boyd maintains his innocence in everything, and is rescued by the sudden arrival of Arlo's lawyer, who's also his legal rep. Raylan takes the opportunity to ask her why she's holding up Arlo's deal, and her denial is about as convincing as that of a five-year-old.
Johnny asks the girl Colt threatened about the injuries she sustained, and she blames it on her "Tuesday night regular." From there, cut to the two morons who kidnapped a still-alive Josiah, and one of them complaining about the blood. There's also a disgusting close-up of what's left of Josiah's leg, if you needed it. Thankfully, we cut away from this to see Arlo's lawyer walk into the garage. The psycho who did the leg-chopping really wants to get paid, which means keeping Josiah alive, so he decides they're going to do some cauterizing with a blowtorch.
Ava shows up at the Judge Executive's house. Turns out she went to high school with his wife. This might look like a social call, but it so isn't. As soon as his wife leaves, Arnold wants to know why Ava is there. She responds that she wants him to get her and Boyd an invite to Napier's party the following night, unless he wants her to squeal about his visits to her working girls. He laughs and says she could've just asked. Well, that was anticlimactic.
Raylan and Shelby roll up on the garage where Josiah is being held, and watch a creepy rental care roll by them, with the passenger glaring like he's trying to be cool. Seriously, they could've just put a sign on the car that said "we know what you're up to." That would've been less obvious. The drive-by staredown doesn't stop Raylan and Shelby from busting in, saving Josiah, and arresting everyone else.
Afterward, Josiah admits he was hoping to find Drew Thompson himself, with the help of a former lawman from Harlan. When Raylan asks who that is, Josiah replies, "You oughta know. He's in jail for trying to have you killed." Awkward.
Tim and his buddy show up on a drug dealer's doorstep and ruin his evening. Apparently Tim's friend owes a lot of money to said dealer and is looking to make things right. Weapons are quickly drawn, and Tim is not amused by this BS. Elsewhere, Colt and Johnny visit the "Tuesday night regular" and knock him around. Colt takes it a bit too far, which makes Johnny concerned about the both of them.
Ava finally tells Boyd that she has an issue with Ella Mae being killed, even though she knows it had to be done. "Doesn't keep me from seeing her face every time I open my eyes," she admits, wanting to know where they're headed. It's a fantastic moment for Joelle Carter, who has improved with every season.
Boyd reassures her by handing her a box full of cash. He reveals that he's been saving up for a down payment on a house for the two of them. And underneath the money is an engagement ring. Yes, he's proposing, and she accepts. It's the pairing that didn't seem like it would work when it first started, but darned if it hasn't become the best one that Justified has ever seen.
"Foot Chase" leans more on the dry, wicked humor that Elmore Leonard is known for than your average episode of Justified, and it's a nice change of pace from the standard edge of your seat drama. One of the reasons the show works is that there are those moments of levity sprinkled throughout.
Within the humor, though, is the usual slow unraveling of the show's intricate plot. We're now starting to see how some of the supporting players connect to one another. The series seems like it's playing with the similarities between Colt and Tim, which is a good thing if it leads to more screen time for the underrated Jacob Pitts, who plays Tim. It's also made good use of Jim Beaver, who plays Shelby, even moreso than last year.
With these solid interactions between established characters, the presence of a "big bad" isn't missed whatsoever. Justified should consider sticking close to home.
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(c)2013 Brittany Frederick. Appears at Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted.
