Tease Line:
This is a plot-dense season. I almost need a flowchart to keep up with all that’s going on.
SPOLIER SPACE
Let’s try to piece this together from what we know so far:
Robert Quarles is the adopted son (a “Tom Hagen”) to a Detroit Mafioso named Tonin. He’s deeply religious, a committed family man, and has most likely brutally torture-murdered two male prostitutes. He’s being shunted aside for #1 Son Sammy Tonin, so Quarles makes his “breakaway play” by trying to set up an Oxy ring in Kentucky using clinics and doctors who will play along.
He kills Emmitt Arnett (a “Dixie Mafia” type who owes him money) and aquires the services of Wyn Duffy as local muscle.
Boyd Crowder gets wind of some Bennet money that’s “outstanding,” and assaults Raylan in Ep. 1 of this season in order to get locked up, so as he can get close to Dicki Bennet, last surviving member of the Bennet Clan. Dickie manages to get hisself locked up in solitary in order for protect against Boyd, but Boyd cuts a deal with a corrupt guard to get access to Dickie. The guard listens in and hears everything Boyd does as Dickie spills his guts to save his life.
It turns out that the Bennets “banked” with the leader of an all-black community, a Mr. Ellstin Limehouse. This community seems to acts as an underground bank, and an information clearinghouse for the criminal community of Harlin County. Boyd makes a run at Limehouse to try to shake loose that Bennet money, but Limehouse and Boyd both know that the Crowders are too diminished to force that play. Boyd instead concentrates on rebuilding the Crowder criminal organization with his cousin Johnny, Ava, Arlo Givens, and former Crowder Commando associate Devil. Devil is a bit of a dim-bulb, stupid and impulsive. Ava shows she has criminal chops. He sets up his own Oxy clinic.
The crooked prison guard and his crooked infirmary accomplice break Dickie Bennet and Dewey Crowe out of prison, thinking to hold Dickie hostage to get Mr. Limehouse to cough up the Bennet cash. It turns out that the Bennets only have ~$40,000 left of their money (but in reality, Limehouse sees no reason to hand the real Bennet money over to Dickie, who is, essentially, powerless to force Limehouse’s hand). Limehouse does have enough sense of obligation left to the Bennets to kill the two men holding him hostage and set Dickie free. Raylan tracks him down at the old Bennet General Store where Dickie surrenders peacefully.
The infirmary accomplice (a nurse? PA?), realizing there is no Bennet money to be had, sets Plan B into motion: he convinces Dewey Crowe that he has removed his kidneys and that Dewey only has ~4 hours to live. Dewey must get ahold of $20,000 in 4 hours or he’ll die. So Dewey takes off on a (typical for Dewey) inept crime spree. Dewey take the Lord’s name in vain one time too many at a liquor store and gets winged by the shotgun of a Righteous, God-Fearing purveyor of liquorous spirits, and holes up in the man’s cleaning closet until Raylan talks him into surrendering peacefully.
Mr. Quarles tries to establish a partnership with Boyd, but Boyd surmises that he’d be the one taking all the risk for a smaller cut of the profits, and declines. One of Limehouse’s underlings, trying for his own “breakaway play,” sets Boyd and Quarles on a collision course by having one of Quarle’s muscle-heads hits Boyd’s Oxy clinic, killing several people and stealing all of his Oxy. Limehouse is not amused.
Raylan is also drawing closer to Quarles Oxy ring, and has a terse (yet relatively non-violent) copnfrontation with Quarles in Duffy’s traveliing office/Winnebago. Raylan leaves a single bullet and tells Quarles that the next one will be coming a lot faster. Quarles instead concocts a scheme to frame Raylan. Quarle’s Oxy ring is starting to come apart even as it is just getting up-and-running as Detroit pulls its support. The message is delivered by Sammy Tonin. Quarles almost kills him, but instead goes to Limehouse to see if he can cut a deal.
I know I’m leaving quite a bit out; like I said, a very plot-dense season.
Last night’s ep. was very good. We get to see Art smile politely as a way of saying “Screw You” to an officious FBI ASAC, played to pencil-necked pefection by Stephen Tobolowski. AUSA Vasquez makes a reappearance as well, but seems to be more “along for the ride just to see where this is going” than actually out to get Raylan.
We finally see Tim do something this season. They may not give the supporting cast a whole lot to do, but when they do, it’s pretty good.
Poor Gary. I actually kind of feel sorry for the poor bastard. Not that he’s done much to deserve pity, other than try to play a very dangerous game that he was just never cut out to play. But when you run with dogs, expect to get bit.
Winona helps Raylan get out from under the frame, as the weapon Quarles used to kill Gary fired the bullet Raylan left with Quarles in their last encounter (thus having Raylan’s print on it), and Quarles planted the gun in Winona’s house that’s for sale.
