Justified “The Lord of War and Thunder” Season 1, Episode 5 Review

Television Review

Justified “The Lord of War and Thunder” Season 1, Episode 5

By our guest blogger, Sanela Djokovic

Raylan Givens had to know that his father Arlo wasn’t going to remain elusive for long, but he was hoping for it nonetheless. In the fifth episode of “Justified,” another personal demon reemerges to haunt the Deputy—his old man, who had once again gotten himself into some significant trouble. And that is just the main course to the appetizers that are Ava and, you know, his day job—hunting down fugitives.

A stakeout in front of a woman believed to be harboring her fugitive ex-husband is days old and has not produced nearly enough evidence for Givens and his partner Rachel Brooks to obtain a warrant. Mullen is ready to pull the plug on the operation, but Givens convinces him to give them one more day. With no other ideas, Givens poses as a landscaper that wants to work on the woman’s yard in exchange for a meal. The wary woman lets him do as he pleases, as long as he doesn’t ask for money.

Later that evening, Givens meets Ava, who is ready to relive their night in New Orleans. He reminds her that they made a deal, that it was supposed to be a one-night thing. Unlikely. They find their way to bed, and after a good time, they return the call they ignored while making love, which turns out to be from a woman Givens refers to as Aunt Helen, his father’s wife. Givens meets Givens and learns that his father has been put away after burning down his own house and destroying all of the renter’s (Perkins) possessions. Aunt Helen expresses (on behalf of herself and Arlo) the disappointment they felt over Raylan not contacting them the entire him he was back home, and practically orders Givens to bail out his father and bring him home. Upon their first meeting in several years (the last of which also involved his father being arrested), the first words to come out of Arlo’s mouth are, “I like that hat.”

Meanwhile, an on-duty Givens is still working on the woman’s yard and has not been invited in yet, so he asks to use the bathroom. Inside, he finds the fugitive and after a short, swift fist fight and an episode with the rifle-toting ex-wife, has him in custody.

But, while Raylan is out fighting crime, his father and Perkins are fighting like gang lords. During one altercation Arlo is on the verge of killing one of Perkins’ nephews with a baseball bat when he has a heart attack. Givens decides to do some investigating of his own and discovers that Perkins is prescription drug-dealer, and that his father is not after rent money. Instead, he has stolen Perkins’ stash, putting everything into perspective for Givens...yet again: “I got you out of jail. At the very least, I'll get you back in,” he warns his father.

After a sleepy fourth episode tonight’s episode was just what the Deputy ordered. We got a glimpse of sexy Givens. We got to see him throw a few punches. We got to see him plant flower beds. And, even better, we finally got to see the dynamic between him and his father, someone viewers were probably beginning to wonder about. It's easy to see why it is so hard for them to be a part of one another’s lives. They share the same aggression and intensity, but also direct them into opposite forces. It seems like everyone is an opposing force for Givens, who we suspect is going to have to confront his relationships with Arlo, Ava, Rachel, his ex-wife and yes, Boyd Crowder. We haven’t seen Raylan’s old pal, who is still in prison, in a while. But that changes when he is released in next week’s episode, which is sure to be a treat.