Justified
Season 4, Episode 2 – “Where’s Waldo?”
Directed by Bill Johnson
Written by Dave Andron
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Erica Tazel, Jacob Pitts, Joe Mazzello, Lindsay Pulsipher, Patton Oswalt, Ron Eldard, Abby Miller and Jere Burns
Air Date: Tuesday, January 15, 2013, 10pm ET/PT

“There ain’t no salvation for people like us.”

Salvation and sin have been consistent themes throughout Justified. With the arrival of Preacher Billy (Joe Mazzello), however, it’s looking like those themes are really coming home to roost. Ava’s (Joelle Carter) line about salvation (or lack thereof) drives it home: there’s not going to be salvation for the Crowders. They’ve fallen so far that it’s easy to understand why Boyd (Walton Goggins) would address himself as the Devil (it’s in jest — or is it?) when he appears at Preacher Billy’s in the back half of tonight’s episode.

All this talk of salvation isn’t sitting well with Ava and Boyd, especially when it’s directly hurting their business. Between Ellen May’s (Abby Miller) attempt to better her life and the appearance of a heroin dealer in their backyard, it’s not salvation the Crowder’s are looking for, but the potential for some revenge.

It’s a Boyd-heavy episode this week, but that doesn’t leave Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) out of duty. The Marshal continues to explore the endless rabbit hole over Waldo Truth and his mysterious bag. After Arlo’s stunt in prison at the end of last week’s episode, Art (Nick Seary) and Gutterson (Jacob Pitts) get involved in the proceedings as the guys hunt down the Truth family for more information. This leads to a hilarious, yet tense interaction with the family that puts the fun in dysfunctional.

While it’s clear at this point that the mystery behind the bag and Waldo Truth is going to stick around for the whole season (or at least a good majority of it), the writers are taking their time with the story, which affords the plot time to breathe and develop. It’s a good balance of slow plotting: we don’t learn more than just a little bit about the bag, yet it’s enough to keep me interested in the story without giving a ton of information all at once.

Another strong episode for the show.

Seasons 1-3 of Justified are currently available on DVD & Blu-ray and through Amazon Instant Video.

Quick Thoughts:

– “I saved your soul, remember? Not God or Jesus Christ. Me and my shotgun.”

– Always good to see Jere Burns‘ Wynn Duffy. Hoping to see more of him this season.

– Smart move using the kids, Billy.

– Big reveals for some of the female characters on the show. Interested to see how those dynamics will play out.

What did you think of tonight’s episode?