“Over the Mountain” had Raylan venturing into Harlan Country to find their missing informant, Wade Messer. Raylan had no idea Messer was an informant on Boyd Crowder. However, he quickly pieces together that Messer was actually working for Boyd and, in turn, giving bad information. Daryl sent Dewey to kill Messer to prove he’s a Crowe. Per usual, things go awry and Dewey loses Messer after shooting him. Dewey spends the night and day wandering lost in the woods and praying to Jesus to help him find Messer, “Jesus, if you help me find him, once I kill him, I swear I’ll straighten up.” This works in Dewey’s favor as he finds Messer half-dead and leaves him in the woods to die. Meanwhile, Boyd meets up with Johnny and Ava to try to work out the drug theft situation. After following Johnny, Boyd discovers that he’s working with Rodney “Hot Rod” Dunham from Memphis. Paxton actually thinks Mooney has killed Boyd. Art’s investigation into the tarmac shooting may prove to be troublesome for Raylan.
For me, there were three standout scenes. First, Johnny visiting Boyd and Ava at the prison where Ava is incarcerated was quite interesting. Johnny willingly came to speak to the two of them, admittedly adding that he really only came to see Ava. Boyd begins his preacher-like charm, but Johnny quickly stops him. He calls Boyd out on his preacher-like rants, “Usin’ every word in the Websters without sayin’ a damn thing.” He then adds, “25 words or less, you tell me why I should give a shit.” Boyd tries to convince Johnny that they should all work together in order to maximize their profits. Johnny rebuffs his offer and tells Ava to come find him when she comes to her senses about Boyd. He’s clearly harboring resentment toward Boyd and still has feelings for Ava. This gives Boyd the opportunity to have Johnny followed and discover that he’s working with Rodney “Hot Rod” Dunham.
The second scene is when Raylan and Tim visit Boyd’s bar. I’ve been waiting, for what seems like forever, for a Raylan/Boyd reunion. Their back-and-forth dialogue is addictive and witty. Add in Tim, and it’s even better. Boyd willingly gives Raylan and Tim Messer’s cell number to track with the hopes that they’ll let him leave. However, Raylan makes Tim stay with Boyd while he goes to find Messer. No worries, Tim and Boyd pass the time with a fun little game of Scrabble. Raylan returns with the news of Messer’s death. He assures Boyd he knows it wasn’t he who killed Messer. Boyd is then in a hurry to leave to go check out what Johnny is up to. Raylan questions what Boyd is in such a hurry to get to. Boyd responds, “My life, Raylan, which, no offense, the less you’re a part of the better.”
Thirdly, Raylan shows up to Audrey’s to take the youngest Crowe brother, Kendal, into Child Protective Services for tending bar at a “house of ill repute” as a minor. The scene quickly becomes intense. Daryl and Danny refuse to let Raylan take their younger brother. Danny starts to go for his weapon as Raylan warns it’ll be the last thing he does. The men are clearly ready to have a standoff, but Kendal diffuses the situation by agreeing to go with Raylan. The Crowes are definitely going to find a way to pay Raylan back.
These scenes really stand out to me because they promise a season full of intense standoffs. When you add in Art’s investigation into the shooting on the tarmac, things are going to get quite chaotic, quite quickly. It’s all becoming a lovely, little tangled mess and I can’t wait for it all to come to a head. Their paths are all crossing, whether they want them to or not. It seems as though Raylan and Boyd are going to have their hands full with Rodney “Hot Rod” Dunham, Johnny, and the Crowes. Raylan and Boyd may even find themselves on the same side of the chaos as they contend with the Crowe clan and the havoc they’re sure to create in Harlan County. Things are already complicated and they’re about to become even more complicated.
image: FX