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penniesforthestorm · 3 years

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“I’ve never seen such beautiful horses!”-- Justified Season Three, Episode One: “The Gunfighter”

On the internet, no one knows when you take an unintentional month-long hiatus... (Everything’s fine, by the way; I was just busy.) But I’m back and ready to dive into another season of murder, mayhem, and wisecracking shenanigans. Recaps and notes for Seasons One and Two are tagged ‘#did you miss my heart on purpose’, and I’ll follow the usual procedure here: first and final episodes of the season will get individual entries, and everything in between will be grouped in threes. I’ll confess right off the bat, having seen the show in its entirety, the 3rd season is my favorite, so I’m looking forward to it-- as always, comments, questions, and conspiracies are welcome!

“The Gunfighter” picks up with the aftermath of the S2 finale, “Bloody Harlan”: Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) is in the hospital, being treated for the bullet wound he received in the firefight outside Mags Bennett’s house. Deputy Chief Art Mullen (Nick Searcy) reassures the frantic Winona Hawkins (Natalie Zea) that Raylan will pull through, and, as she attempts to thank him, he waves her down the hall. Three weeks later, Raylan is on his feet again, but still recovering-- after a dissatisfying round of target practice, Art recommends another week of light duty, and, on his way out the door, informs Raylan, “Crowder’s here.”

There are, of course, two conversations happening during the following scene: as Raylan casually mentions that all of Mags Bennett’s marijuana drying sheds have been cleaned out and searched, and oh, by the way, there’s a chunk of Bennett money missing, he’s trying to suss out Boyd Crowder’s potential involvement. (Raylan describes the amount as “somewhere in excess of... ten dollars”. Boyd jokes that, with that kind of money, he’d run off to Mexico. Raylan responds with a more pointed joke: “I don’t think you’d like it. There’s a lot of Mexicans down there.”) Boyd (Walton Goggins) also has an agenda, though we don’t see the full import until the final moments of the episode. As Raylan’s departing, Boyd brings up Dickie Bennett, claiming that a bargain was made: Boyd would let Dickie go with Raylan to save Loretta McCready, and Raylan would leave Dickie at Boyd’s disposal. This inflames Raylan’s self-righteousness, and he takes a swing at Boyd. The camera switches to Art Mullen, on the phone in his office, who looks over his shoulder just in time to see Boyd and Raylan crash through one of the glass panels of the interview room. (Art’s reaction is priceless--something along the lines of you kids don’t make me have to come over there...) The other marshals swarm in to haul Boyd off to jail.

The next scene finds us in the Frankfort office of Emmitt Arnett, last seen agreeing to Gary Hawkins’ land-development scheme. He’s meeting with a stranger (later named as Robert Quarles, played by Neal McDonough)-- an imposing man in an expensive pinstriped suit, all the more menacing for his enthusiastic cheerfulness, expounding on the beauty of the Kentucky countryside. Arnett sits him down, and his pretty secretary Yvette brings in the coffee with her signature gimmick-- offering a “lil’ kick” of bourbon. Quarles refuses, and as he watches Yvette leave, lectures Arnett, telling him, “You’ve lost her respect.” Furthermore, he notes, “Detroit is concerned”-- Arnett’s land holdings have lost value, and Quarles has been sent to collect on a loan: $250,000, to be exact. Arnett tells him the money will be there tomorrow, and, as Quarles leaves, he turns his attention to the other stranger in the room: a lean, dark-haired man in a grungy leather jacket. “You said you were looking for work,” Arnett remarks.

Back in Harlan, we discover what’s happened to at least some of Mags Bennett’s marijuana-- it’s sitting in garbage bags, piled up in Arlo Givens’ parlor and tool shed. Arlo (Raymond J. Barry) and Devil (Kevin Rankin) have called Hot Rod Dunham, to give him the right of first refusal. As Hot Rod and his boys inspect the product, Ava arrives, and Devil brags about the arrangement, claiming to be acting on Boyd’s behalf and more or less shoving Ava aside. Things go south quickly-- Hot Rod informs them that the plants are rotting and attracting vermin, and refuses to take them, and Devil gets snotty. Ava is able to intervene and send Hot Rod on his way, sarcastically noting to Devil and Arlo, “Did that go about like you expected?”

The major business of the episode centers around the wolfish stranger in Arnett’s office-- a.k.a. federal fugitive Fletcher “The Ice Pick” Nix (Desmond Harrington). We find out how he got the moniker in a tense burglary scene-- he ends a standoff over a suitcase full of expensive watches by stabbing his adversary in the hand with the titular weapon and shooting him in the head. Over at the Marshals’ Office, Deputy Tim tells Raylan that he thinks Nix might be linked to Wynn Duffy. Raylan reluctantly agrees to accompany Tim on a fact-finding mission to Duffy’s motor home, where Duffy gives a revealing non-answer to a direct question about Nix, and dismisses them by mentioning his urgent schedule of “watching women’s tennis”. Duffy calls Arnett, warning him that the Feds are on the scent, and sure enough, an oblivious Raylan encounters Nix in the elevator on the way to Arnett’s office. Arnett isn’t there, but Yvette is, and Raylan takes her for a drink at the Sheraton, where she coyly ‘reveals’ that Nix and Arnett will be meeting later that night. As the marshals prepare an ambush, Raylan confides to Art that he suspects Yvette’s information was not on the level.

Meanwhile, Ava has visited Boyd in jail, where he informs her that he’s being transferred to the state facility, and she asks what to do about the weed. Boyd tells her to burn it (Boyd’s disregard for anything to do with marijuana will come up again, much later down the line). As Ava prepares supper for Arlo and Devil, she relays Boyd’s orders, and once again, Devil gets lippy. Ava, carefully setting down a sizzling pan of greens, sweetly advises him that her patience is about to run out. “What’re you gonna do? Spit in our food?” he sneers, as Arlo cackles in the background. (I don’t know how Rankin managed such a beautifully bitchy facial expression, but boy, it’s effective.) Without a second of hesitation, Ava whacks him with the pan, sending him sprawling over backward with a bloody nose. (Don’t hit people with cast-iron pans unless you really, really mean it.)

Raylan’s suspicion of Yvette turns out to be well-founded-- the marshals’ attempt to ambush Nix and Arnett is a bust, though Deputy Rachel Brooks manages to tackle one of the decoys. Raylan drives Winona back to his motel room, and the two of them discuss baby names. (Raylan suggests “Felix”, Winona jokingly supplies “Jiffy Pop” and/or “Palmolive”). They have an unexpected visitor-- Fletcher Nix, who, in his marble-mouthed drawl, introduces himself as “the one with the gun”. Of course, Raylan is also armed, but Nix persuades him to take off his holster and sit down. He tries another round of his favorite game, but Raylan is prepared-- he grabs the tablecloth and pulls Nix’s pistol toward him before Nix has time to get the ice pick ready. (I’m a little sorry Nix didn’t get to stick around; Harrington’s weird charisma fits right into the show’s goon menagerie...) Back in Frankfort, Quarles gives Wynn Duffy quite an introduction: he shoots Arnett and Yvette with a pistol rigged up his sleeve, Travis Bickle-style. Duffy looks genuinely unnerved.

And finally, we get some hint of what Boyd was up to during his seemingly unprovoked spat with Raylan: as he’s led down the hall of the state prison, he passes by two characters with whom he has unfinished business--Dickie Bennett and Dewey Crowe. They appear to have taken quite a shine to each other-- Dewey has been describing the relative pros and cons of getting tattoos in various places, espousing it as one more way to pass the time. Boyd makes no verbal greeting, but the look in his eyes as he marches into his cell speaks volumes--after all, he’s more or less on his home turf now. Stay tuned...

#tv #tv review #justified season 3 #long post #did you miss my heart on purpose

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auburnfamilynews · 4 years

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Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

The Pirate is in the SEC

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be taking a quick look at every Auburn opponent on the 2020 schedule.

2019 Record: 6-7 (3-5)

2020 Signing Class: 28th (10th SEC)

Head Coach: Mike Leach (1st Season)

Key Departures:

QB Tommy Stevens - 97/161 (60.2%) 1,155 yds 11 TD 5 INT 83 carries 381 yds 4.6 avg 4 TD

WR Deddrick Thomas - 30 rec 401 yds 13.4 avg 2 TD

WR Stephen Guidry - 30 rec 387 yds 12.9 avg 5 TD

OL Stewart Reese - 37 game starter (Transferred to Florida

DE Chauncey Rivers - 43 tackles 8.0 TFL 5.0 sacks 2 PBU FF

DT Fabien Lovett - 19 tackles 2.5 TFL sack (Transferred to FSU)

LB Leo Lewis - 65 tackles 5.5 TFL sack 3 PBU 2 FR FF

CB Cam Dantzler - 40 tackles 2.0 TFL 0.5 sacks 2 INT 8 PBU FR FR

CB Jarian Jones - 12 tackles 2 PBU FR (Transferred to FSU)

S Jaquarius Landrews - 77 tackles 0.5 TFL INT 8 PBU

S Brian Cole - 67 tackles 7.5 TFL 2.0 sacks INT 2 PBU 2 FR FF

Key Returners:

QB K.J. Costello (GS) - 269/413 (65.1%) 3,540 yds 29 TD 11 INT

QB Garrett Shrader (So) - 88/153 (57.5%) 1,170 yds 8 TD 5 INT 113 carries 587 yds 5.2 avg 6 TD

RB Kylin Hill (Sr) - 242 carries 1,350 yds 5.6 avg 10 TD 18 rec 180 yds 10.0 avg TD

WR Osirus Mitchell (Sr) - 29 rec 430 yds 14.8 avg 6 TD

DE Kobe Jones (Sr) - 30 tackles 7.0 TFL 4.0 sacks

DL Nathan Pickering (So) - 30 tackles 7.0 TFL 4.0 sacks

LB Erroll Thompson (Sr) - 84 tackles 3.5 TFL 0.5 sacks 2 PBU FR FF

Preview

Your school has not technically started a coaching search until Mike Leach is linked to it. Over the past few years, it seemed every single major head coaching opportunity that came available included the Pirate amongst its top candidates. There was even major smoke that Tennessee had closed the deal but the AD at the time was fired before it could be completed and Phillip Fulmer chose Jeremy Pruitt instead. But this offseason it finally happened. Mike Leach is now in the SEC.

pic.twitter.com/MR0NqYTWa9

— John Cohen (@JohnCohenAD) January 9, 2020

Unsurprisingly, it did not take long for Leach to make waves. In attempt at making a joke about his wife being stuck at home with him for an extended period of time due to COVID-19, Leach tweeted out an image of a woman making a noose. Turns out that type of imagery isn’t a great look for someone as the new head coach at a school in the state of Mississippi. That tweet was used as the impetus for starting defensive tackle Fabian Lovett to transfer away. Later, Jones joined him in the portal and both landed in Tallahassee.

Interestingly, they wanted to transfer to Ole Miss with Jones even tweeting his commitment to the Rebels at one point. However, the move was nixed reportedly due to concerns over tampering. It should be noted that two former State coaches are now on the Ole Miss staff and both happen to be the players former position coaches.

No rivalry does a better job of just flat out hating each other like those two Mississippi schools.

However, arguably the most important transfer for State this offseason is not who left Starkville but who decided to transfer in. Leach’s Air Raid system is predicated on having quick trigger man at QB who operates best throwing the ball 40+ times a game. That man is not Garrett Shrader who was forced into starting action last season where he showed the ability to hurt defenses with his legs but threw some absolute ducks from the pocket. That’s why Leach’s signing of K.J. Costello is so important.

Costello started for Stanford in 2017, 2018 and the start of 2019 before a leg injury sidelined him for the year. He was incredibly productive in 2018 throwing for over 3,500 yards while posting a QB rating of 155. He will have the opportunity to put up video game numbers under Leach while allowing Shrader to redshirt and develop more as a passer. This State team was in danger of winning maybe 1 conference game in 2020 before landing Costello in my pretend expert opinion. Probably the most important offseason pickup in the conference.

The other major win for Mississippi State this offseason was the return of Kylin Hill. A thousand yard rusher in 2019, Hill elected to return to Starville for one more season instead of taking his talents to the NFL. Under Leach, he will have a chance to demonstrate his ability as a pass protector and receiver both of which are highly valued skills for RBs in the NFL these days.

Even with Costello and Hill in Mississippi State’s backfield, I am very skeptical Mississippi State’s offense will be any good this fall. Three of the Bulldogs top four receivers are gone. Osirus Mitchell is the lone returner and while he has a nice skillset he’s far from a proven commodity in the SEC. Two other offseason additions in Alabama transfer Tyrell Shavers and JUCO signee Malik Heath should give the Bulldogs a boost at wideout but this is a major question mark for Leach’s offense hading into 2020.

Just two years ago, Mississippi State had the #1 defense in the country per SP+. But pretty much every major contributor to that unit over the past two seasons is gone. Plus Mississippi State is breaking in a new defensive scheme. Long time San Diego State assistant Zach Arnett is set to bring Rocky Long’s 3-3-5 scheme to Starkville. That’s not going to be an easy transition considering the lack of spring ball. Even more so considering the amount of talent that has departed.

The good news is Mississippi State has recruited well at defensive line in recent cycles. Starter Kobe Jones returns a long with a host of talented youngsters. Nathan Pickering, a former top 100 prospect in the 2019 class, looks set to have a breakout sophomore campaign. He was 3rd on the team in sacks despite only seeing a limited number of snaps last fall.

At the 2nd level of Arnett’s defense, Mississippi State returns their leading tackler from 2019 in Erroll Thompson. The Alabama native will have a chance to shine in this new 3-3-5 system though there are questions about who will play beside him. In the secondary, a bunch of new faces are expected to step up with the departures of Cam Dantzler, Jarian Jones, Jaquarius Landrews and Brian Cole.

I don’t think Mississippi State will be very good in 2020. They could surprise me especially if Costello lives up to the hype and some of these new WR additions prove to be impact players. But State is undergoing some major scheme restructures on both sides of the ball and doing so without the benefit of spring practice. Throw in the amount of proven production that is no longer on the roster, it’s just hard to image the Bulldogs being all that scary this fall. However, I got a feeling this trip to Starkville is going to be MUCH more concerning in 2022 when Leach has had time to restructure this roster to his liking. No matter what though Mississippi State will at least be interesting to watch this fall with the Pirate walking the sidelines.

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/7/7/21316060/sneak-peek-the-mississippi-state-bulldogs-mike-leach-kylin-hill-kj-costello-erroll-thompson

#IFTTT #Blogger #auburn #auburn fast #wareagle #AuburnFamilyNews #war eagle #sec #football news #aubu

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