The Man Behind the Curtain (Justified)
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| "The Man Behind the Curtain" | |
|---|---|
| Justified episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Peter Werner |
| Written by | Ryan Farley |
| Featured music | Steve Porcaro |
| Cinematography by | Francis Kenny |
| Editing by | Bill Johnson |
| Original air date | February 28, 2012 |
| Running time | 38 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Man Behind the Curtain" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American Neo-Western[1] television series Justified. It is the 33rd overall episode of the series and was written by story editor Ryan Farley and directed by Peter Werner. It originally aired on FX on February 28, 2012.
The series is based on Elmore Leonard's stories about the character Raylan Givens, particularly "Fire in the Hole", which serves as the basis for the episode. The series follows Raylan Givens, a tough deputy U.S. Marshal enforcing his own brand of justice. The series revolves around the inhabitants and culture in the Appalachian Mountains area of eastern Kentucky, specifically Harlan County where many of the main characters grew up. In the episode, Raylan continues investigating Quarles, although this may prove to be risky for him and Tim.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.15 million household viewers and gained a 0.9 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the build-up for the second half of the season and performances, although some expressed dissatisfaction with the episode's pace.
A disoriented Arlo (Raymond J. Barry) walks through a road in the middle of the night, only to be stopped by men working for Limehouse (Mykelti Williamson). At Limehouse's Holler, a wounded Tanner shows up, begging for forgiveness for letting Raylan get involved. Limehouse forgives him and lets Tanner lick his wounds, only if he agrees to provide information on Quarles' movements. Limehouse later confronts Arlo, who accuses him of having his deceased wife Frances on Limehouse's Holler. When Arlo reaches for his gun, Limehouse's men knock him unconscious.
Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) has moved up to a new hotel located above a bar, which prevents him from sleeping well. He goes to the bar and meets with Quarles (Neal McDonough), who wants to make him an offer of partnership. Quarles thinks Raylan works for Boyd (Walton Goggins) and Raylan just declines his offer. Raylan later asks Tim (Jacob Pitts) to get help from his FBI contacts to get more information on Quarles. Quarles then discusses with Duffy (Jere Burns) about a new possible partnership as his boss Theo Tonin's son, Sammy (Max Perlich), will soon arrive. He decides to bribe Harlan County Sheriff Tillman Napier (David Andrews) to help with his business.
Raylan attacks Boyd at his bar, assuming he told Quarles that he was on his payroll but Boyd states he never told him that. Napier later visits Boyd and, under Quarles' influence, closes down his bar for failing to meet regulations. Boyd then asks Limehouse for help in dealing with Napier. Raylan tries to investigate more about Sammy but FBI agents stop him and take him to the office. Agent Jerry Barkley (Stephen Tobolowsky) interrogates Raylan and Tim for investigating beyond their jurisdiction, warning them to stay away from it. Raylan ignores the warning and finds Sammy at a horsetrack, but realizes that he does not enjoy working with him.
With this blessing, Raylan meets with Quarles and tells him that he used a judge to shut down Quarles' developing underground clinic for working near a school, angering Quarles. Duffy also tells Quarles that all money transfers from Sammy have been cancelled and they deduce Raylan was involved. Quarles meets with Sammy, telling him to make sure the FBI listens to him saying that Raylan works for Boyd. Boyd, meanwhile, has met with his former boss, Shelby Parlow (Jim Beaver) and suggests he runs for Sheriff in the elections.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Gary (William Ragsdale) is revealed to be working as a motivational speaker. Quarles (unknown to Gary) suddenly appears at one of his talks and invites him for a drink at a bar. Gary is then shocked when he sees Quarles' associate and Duffy show up next to them.
Production
Development
In February 2012, it was reported that the seventh episode of the third season would be titled "The Man Behind the Curtain", and was to be directed by Peter Werner and written by story editor Ryan Farley.[2]
Writing
Series developer Graham Yost teased that Raylan's and Boyd's relationship would play a pivotal role on the episode.[3] Raylan's new home was adapted from Elmore Leonard's 2012 novel Raylan, with Yost commenting "he had Raylan living above a college bar and doing bouncer work but not really being a bouncer. It's more that it's nice to have a marshal living above the bar."[4][5][6] The choice was also done in order to make shooting in the office easier as it took many days to film scenes there; Yost also said, "part of it is we need a place for Raylan to be where he can talk to people. That was one of the limiting things, frankly, about the motel. You're not gonna hang out in the motel. So this gives us a little more freedom to do bigger scenes with more people."[6]
When Quarles realizes that Sammy Tonin will arrive at their town, the character says, "I'm just gonna put a smile on my face and eat a nice plate of steaming shit unsalted." The line was inspired by a story involving Yost's father, Elwy Yost, while working on Saturday Night at the Movies. After conducting an interview with Richard Brooks, Brooks told Elwy Yost that the hardest thing about working in the film business "it's all this shit you have to eat unsalted."[6]
Casting
Despite being credited, Erica Tazel and Natalie Zea do not appear in the episode as their respective characters.
In December 2011, Jim Beaver confirmed that he would return to reprise his role as Shelby Parlow on a multi-episode run for the season.[7] The episode also introduced Jenn Lyon as Lindsey Salazar, with Yost teasing that a new woman would enter Raylan's life.[8]
Filming
The episode was filmed back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "Watching the Detectives", in order to save time for filming. Yost said, "we knew that 308, and 307 to a certain extent, needed to have a lot of Marshals office stuff."[9]
