Hatless has it all! Raylan has another interesting story for the folks at the Marshals office. There is a sub-story of why Raylan is not wearing a hat!?! Why? Everyone can relate with wanting to enjoy a meal and or beer and some loud is ruining your moment. We know Raylan will say something and starts of a good story. Great sub story for the Raylan who's on holidays, but must deal with the exs problems with her new husband. Well the Wynn Duffy lone shark character is introduced and we got the new husband and we got a great story and great character development of how much a heal Duffy is. The side story of the ex N F L player with Duffy is so close to real life that the minor details makes for a great story. Well written directed, and acted which make Hatless a well executed story, with a memorable ending. Raylan is a class guy, and not just a bully. 9 stars.
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mm-3926 October 2019
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michaellaney1529 March 2018Raylan Givens tries to help his ex-wife by assisting her husband in solving a dispute with loan sharks over owed debt. Raylan comes to find that some conflicts can be solved effectively peaceably. Another Solid Episode
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Scarecrow-889 September 2013"Hatless" has Raylan losing that signature ten gallon cowboy hat when engaging in a drunken brawl outside a bar with a couple of yahoos. He's in a bad way at this moment with the Ava ordeal and soon having to deal with Winona's safety (and her realtor husband's predicament with a loan shark (and the loan shark's "middle man", Duffy)) doesn't help matters. So Raylan will try to get Winona to a safe place, find Gary, and hope to find a way to smooth all this over without bloodshed. Duffy is the current "advocate" for Emmitt Arnett (Steven Flynn), and it is about loaning money for this grand "investment" in Gary's shopping and family center. The money's due and Gary simply doesn't have it because of the current state in real estate. Winona has her share of angst with Raylan, always emphasizing her true love and care for Gary, just wanting him to remain safe (and she doesn't want Raylan to gloat about Gary's troubles). Although it would appear, "Hatless" is a one-off for the Duffy character (he gets "winged" during a shootout after pulling his gun in protest to Arnett's acceptance of the contracted property, sure to accrue in value over time), he would become one of many thorns in the sides of Lexington law enforcement. This is more about the ongoing triangle between Raylan, Winona, and Gary; the likes of Duffy--as a character proving that he plans to collect on what he believes he's owed--are part of the criminal element always at odds with Raylan and the US Marshals. Gary gets an old buddy (a UK football star with a Super Bowl ring) involved, meeting Duffy, using Toby (Malik Yoba) as his intimidating muscle. However, Duffy has "muscle" of his own, a broken-down (but tough little fella) featherweight named Billy Mac (Travis Webster). Billy Mac may not be much to look at but he's a nasty little bruiser who seriously roughs Toby up. Raylan, though, makes a statement by taking Billy Mac's own gun and threatening to use it on him if the guy doesn't clue him in. The "meeting" is rather funny because Duffy, not Arnett, is irate that the money isn't available. Duffy is a man that wants his cut; of course, Raylan gets out of this crazy scenario yet again. Raylan's got a guardian angel. Oh, and you can guess that hat's coming back to its rightful owner, too.
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If there's an argument to be made for Raylan as a thug with a badge, its roots are sown in 'Hatless'. The man spends a forced vacation straightening out the situation with his ex-wife's husband and threatening debt-collectors. He also finds himself on the losing end of a bar fight, although he was being chivalrous. His reasons for charging around town are noble enough to validate his methods, and he's helping out the right people. Plus, he does get his hat back, so it all works out.
Well written and stocked with great talent, this is a taut, satisfying episode. And it showcases Jere Burns as the psychotic Wynn Duffy, an enforcer who's far more interested in inflicting pain than actually producing results. He really brings that character to life.
It seems like such a gimmick episode with Raylan losing his hat and no Harlan drama, but this is one of my very favorites.
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amsterdam-9271920 February 2022All the asides about Raylan's ex's new husband come to fruition. And somehow it ends in a Mexican standoff in which Raylan, though there, is neither shot nor shoots anyone!
Wynn Duffy shows more of his true colors, and they are pretty dark. "Mercurial" (yep, dictionary) really doesn't cover even half of it!
All in all, about what you'd expect from a couple of days of Raylan's vacation.
If you are a fan of the X-Files you might recognize similarities in the story structure. In X-Files there was a series-long story arc to answer the question of "Are they out there?" and all the associated questions associated with that. And then there were what Gillian Anderson called the "Monster of the Week" episodes dealing with the "normal" (i.e., non-alien) paranormal. Justified has what you might call the "Harlan" story dealing with Raylan, Arlo, Boyd et al, and all the associated things linked to Harlan KY that runs through the entire series. And then there are the 'work' episodes that are pretty much self-contained and involve (usually) a fugitive that Raylan and the Marshalls Service need to bring in.
Like the X-File series story arc, many fans prefer the "Harlan"-centric episodes as in both series the main characters are more fully explored and developed in these episodes. I include myself in this category, but still enjoy the side-track episodes of both shows.
High quality Justified, and maybe the first episode to show depth of the characters and character development to the full extent that this show can, and regularly does, reach.
Kudos also for Natalie Zea (Winona - Raylan's ex) for her performance, not only for this episode (her first REAL chance to shine) but for the entire series. You can see how a guy would keep coming back to her, no matter how long the odds!