Episode Recap: Justified: Dark as a Dungeon (S6, Ep 8)

Markham raylan
The first few episodes of this season seemed like things were hurtling towards something dramatic but lately things have slowed down and the plan settles into place.  I am assuming motivated by his talk with Winona and commitment to be a family with her, we start this episode as Raylan is going through his father’s house, cleaning it out, burning pictures and papers and even having a mortician come out to remove the graves from the land.

Ava and Boyd, back from their night in Bulletville, check in on the mine and Zachariah, who essentially demands more money from Boyd, who agrees.   Ava has returned home and finds still-on-the-run Walker, who essentially holds her hostage until Boyd returns home.  Walker tells Boyd that since there is no way Markham will let him return, he wants to help Boyd break into the vault, or rather let him in the vault since Walker knows the combination. Meanwhile Raylan has met with Markham and told him a grand plan,  since Markham wants Walker dead and Raylan wants Boyd to go down. Markham heads to a local radio station  (that’s a real life Harlan radio D!J) and offers $100,000 for information leading to arrest of Walker.   Raylan is on his way to Ava’s house and as soon as he gets there is greeted by Boyd. Boyd stalls him as long as possible and one of the best and truest lines is spoken by Raylan ““I gotta admit, there’s a small part of me that’s going to miss this when it’s all over.”  Me too Raylan, Me too. Ava interrupts their banter and invites Raylan in, trying to pretend Walker is not there.  But Boyd eventually nods to the kitchen where Walker is hiding and Raylan chases Walker out to the lawn and ends up shooting him in the back.  RIP Ty Walker. Raylan take Boyd to Markham to claim the $100,000 reward.  Markham takes them down to the vault and opens it, making sure Boyd sees all the money in there.

Art has been slowly investigating the Katherine-Markham-Duffy triangle and is digging at who the informant was that turned in Katherine’s husband.  Katherine has accepted Markham’s proposal and is moving ahead with the plan to take all his money, though Duffy himself sees that he is the odd man out in this situation.

Ava and Raylan meet up later and Ava tries to play it off that everything is still fine but Raylan knows she’s been burned.  He takes the one remaining thing of his father’s, a small key, and heads to a locked shed in the back of his property and opens the door.  It’s empty, but Raylan tells us, and an imaginary Arlo, that he used to be so afraid of the place, wondering what demons were there.  Nothing.  Like most times, the fear is worse than the reality. Raylan is ready to move on.

I am not.  I am not ready for this show to end.