Finally, another favorite element: Raylan and Winona. I'm in a minority here from the state of the internet, and I'm probably driven at least a little bit out of perversity here. Most of fandom thinks she's an evil, stupid whore who doesn't appreciate Raylan, so I get to close reading every moment of season 2 to find reasons to love her and like her with Raylan.
First off, I like that Winona frequently isn't nice to Raylan. She's not trying to draw him in; she doesn't know why she's with him, and she worries that it's a bad idea. Still, his familiarity is a comfort and he gets her engine running. They have agreat time together until reality intrudes. Winona understands that she probably can't be happy with Raylan. The fact that she loves him keeps her coming back to him anyway.
Secondly, Raylan has agency! I'm passive agressively responding to general internet criticism here where none of those opinions have been expressed because that's how I roll. Faced with the opportunity to turn in Winona or at least convince her to turn herself in, Raylan breaks the law. If Raylan can't say no to her, that's not because he literally cannot say no. He keeps choosing not to. Personally, I really enjoy Raylan making bad choices. In summation, Winona did not ruin Raylan's relationship with Art as you never, ever asserted. Additionally, in further summation, Winona probably didn't hire the hitmen in this episode to bind Raylan to her more closely as you likewise never, ever asserted. The more I think about that plot twist, the more I almost wish it was true.
Hot as he is (so, so hot), I would never get involved with Raylan Givens. It's not just the fear of his death on the job, but the fact that he carries his job with him to such a degree. When Winona blows off the Cadillac following them, I took that as an indication of many false alarms in the past. I think this is a function of how much he cares about Winona. Last season, there was a scene with Winona and Ava where Winona runs through all of Raylan's irritating over-protective behaviors, and from Ava's reactions, he's never been this way with Ava. So if he cares deeply, Raylan Givens may smother you. If he doesn't care deeply enough, he may stop taking your calls when he blames your relationship on the release of your murderous brother-in-law from jail. So yeah, Justified has established that Raylan Givens is a good lawman, but a bad marshall and a not the world's best boyfriend. That's how I like him.
Argh, I've barely talked about Raylan/Winona in this episode. The thing that I like about their relationship is that it feels like a bad idea. The sex is great, they have a good time together, but they don't communicate well. This is a realistically tough row to hoe. I just wish they'd handled the whole money stealing thing better. I wonder if this will end up the equivalent of the big big plot error in season two of Friday Night Lights where after a couple of episodes everyone's just whistling casually and going, "Money? What money?". I'd be amused if for the remainder of their relationship Raylan continues to bring up the money.
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timeasmymeasure
Done? Not Hardly!
First off, I like that Winona frequently isn't nice to Raylan. She's not trying to draw him in; she doesn't know why she's with him, and she worries that it's a bad idea. Still, his familiarity is a comfort and he gets her engine running. They have agreat time together until reality intrudes. Winona understands that she probably can't be happy with Raylan. The fact that she loves him keeps her coming back to him anyway.
Secondly, Raylan has agency! I'm passive agressively responding to general internet criticism here where none of those opinions have been expressed because that's how I roll. Faced with the opportunity to turn in Winona or at least convince her to turn herself in, Raylan breaks the law. If Raylan can't say no to her, that's not because he literally cannot say no. He keeps choosing not to. Personally, I really enjoy Raylan making bad choices. In summation, Winona did not ruin Raylan's relationship with Art as you never, ever asserted. Additionally, in further summation, Winona probably didn't hire the hitmen in this episode to bind Raylan to her more closely as you likewise never, ever asserted. The more I think about that plot twist, the more I almost wish it was true.
Hot as he is (so, so hot), I would never get involved with Raylan Givens. It's not just the fear of his death on the job, but the fact that he carries his job with him to such a degree. When Winona blows off the Cadillac following them, I took that as an indication of many false alarms in the past. I think this is a function of how much he cares about Winona. Last season, there was a scene with Winona and Ava where Winona runs through all of Raylan's irritating over-protective behaviors, and from Ava's reactions, he's never been this way with Ava. So if he cares deeply, Raylan Givens may smother you. If he doesn't care deeply enough, he may stop taking your calls when he blames your relationship on the release of your murderous brother-in-law from jail. So yeah, Justified has established that Raylan Givens is a good lawman, but a bad marshall and a not the world's best boyfriend. That's how I like him.
Argh, I've barely talked about Raylan/Winona in this episode. The thing that I like about their relationship is that it feels like a bad idea. The sex is great, they have a good time together, but they don't communicate well. This is a realistically tough row to hoe. I just wish they'd handled the whole money stealing thing better. I wonder if this will end up the equivalent of the big big plot error in season two of Friday Night Lights where after a couple of episodes everyone's just whistling casually and going, "Money? What money?". I'd be amused if for the remainder of their relationship Raylan continues to bring up the money.