‘Justified’ Review: “Measures”

'Justified’ season 3 captures its eleventh episode of the year, as Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) faces off against two hitmen from the Detroit mafia with a different target than everyone assumes, and Dickie Bennett negotiates to find his mother's lost money while Quarles (Neal McDonough) keeps his head above water.

Last week’s ‘Justified’ “Guy Walks into a Bar” saw Raylan Givens struggling to keep Dickie Bennett (Jeremy Davies) behind bars while Boyd's election for Harlan Sheriff played out, so what will the latest episode bring?

Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘Justified’ “Measures!”

As Quarles makes his intent known to leave for a few days, Raylan awkwardly confronts his bartender hookup Lindsay, who isn’t interested in the usual speech.  Enter two Detroit hitmen from Theo Tonin (hey look, it's Michael Ironside!) who make their presence known to Raylan, but stop short of causing any real trouble once they see Lindsay in the bar.  Later, Art reasons they can pick up Quarles on the charge of threatening a U.S. Marshal, and resolves to go with Raylan for his own safety.

Meanwhile, Dickie Bennett gets out of prison, and rejects another offer from Limehouse’s crony Errol for the $46,000 remaining of his mother’s money, while Rachel and Tim observe the interaction.  Quarles pays Napier a visit wanting to collect on the money he fronted for Napier’s campaign, and when the sheriff claims not to have it, Quarles resolves to rob one of Boyd’s drug runners to settle the debt.  Having arrived home, Dickie tries to recruit Memphis gang runner Hot Rod to help him retrieve the rest of his money from Noble’s Holler.  Meanwhile, Boyd schemes about the best way to kill Dickie, but not before getting that money for himself.  Otherwise, he just wouldn't be Boyd.

Across town, Quarles creepily makes his presence known to a local druglord under Boyd’s protection, feigning intent to buy and making smalltalk about the man’s samurai sword, before swiftly taking out both the man and his accomplice with that famed hidden derringer of his.  Meanwhile, Dickie  pays a stealthy visit to everyone’s favorite prostitute Emma Mae to confirm that the fable of Limehouse’s money being under the church is indeed true, while Tim and Rachel take advantage of his absence to confront, and make a deal with Hot Rod’s men.

Observing the scene together elsewhere, Art tries to impart some friendly advice about Raylan keeping himself together for the sake of his child, while they observe the two Detroit hitmen from earlier showing up to Wynn Duffy and Quarles’ trailer.  The men try to intimidate Wynn on behalf of Theo Tonin in their search for Quarles, while across town Boyd and co. investigate Quarles’ handiwork in dispatching the two drug dealers from earlier.  Incidentally, Neal McDonough really does look like a husky!

While Rachel and Tim listen in via an open cell phone, Dickie brings Hot Rod up to speed on the supposed location of the money, who backs out of the deal and informs the Marshals begrudgingly that they got what they needed from him.  Meanwhile, Boyd shows up to Napier at work, and manhandles him into helping them find Quarles.  Dickie meets with Errol with the intent on taking the little money left, before Rachel and Tim show up to seize it.

Still, their bust doesn’t go half as sour as when the two Detroit hitmen find Quarles’ tied up male prostitute, and moments later find themselves in a standoff with Raylan and Art.  Art shoots the younger of the two in the leg and gains control of the situation, before they marshals realize that Theo Tonin sent the men to kill Quarles, not aid him.  At that very moment, the man himself tries bartering asylum with Ellstin Limehouse, though Limehouse insists he won’t take the man’s drug score, but only the money that comes from fencing it.  Quarles calls Napier for a solution, who under Boyd’s influence directs him toward the brothel now run by Ava.

Wynn tries selling out Quarles to Theo Tonin over the phone, but not knowing the man, Tonin invites Wynn to be the one to capture Quarles dead or alive as a sign of good faith, thereby allowing him to take over the oxycontin trade Quarles came to Harlan seeking in the first place.  Meanwhile, Quarles arrives at the brothel looking to unload his drug score, and while on the phone with Wynn gets tasered into unconsciousness by Boyd.  The crew prepare to strip Quarles and tie him to the bed rather than kill him outright, as Boyd negotiates with Wynn over how to split the reward money for Quarles.  Provided Quarles doesn't escape, of course.  Because why would he?  That almost never happens on TV.

Finally, Raylan passes on joining Rachel and Tim on the Noble’s Holler money case, when their warrant goes through and they take the money, leaving Errol and Dickie alone.  Dickie barters for Errol to help him find the score, still believing it to be real, when Errol reveals that they’ll need the help of someone Dickie won’t like: Boyd Crowder himself.  Snap!

Alright, so a fairly quiet episode by comparison to last week, but someone's got to get all these alliances in place before the really hell erupts from Harlan county.  With just about everyone after Quarles, and aligning with their enemy in search of Mags Bennett's money, how will things play out in the next two episodes?  The board is set, and the pieces are moving, and we’ve only a few more weeks to find out how Quarles will turn the tables on his captors, or at least take a few bodies down with him!  And where's Winona in all this?

Give us your thoughts on the latest ‘Justified’ or just what you think is next after “Measures” in the comments section below, and keep checking back for the latest gun-slinging action of ‘Justified’!