In ‘Justified’ Season 1 Episode 9 ‘Hatless’ Raylan Givens, newly suspended from the Marshal’s Service for various indiscretions, finds himself drunk in a bar. This condition causes him to do a stupid thing, which is unusual for him.
Drink and women seem to be Raylan’s weaknesses. Spoilers abound.
Hearing a couple of rednecks bad mouth a lady, Raylan invites them to step outside. Then the said rednecks beat the hell out of Raylan and take his hat. Winona, his ex wife, finds him worse for wear, so she takes him home and tends to his many wounds.
In the meantime Gary, Winona’s current husband, a good hearted, ambitious, but somewhat dim gentleman is beside himself. In order to finance a shopping mall, Gary borrowed money from the sort of people he ought not to have. The problem is that with the real estate market being what it is, the shopping mall project is on hold. Unfortunately the investors want their money back, with interest.
Gary makes the mistake of suborning an old friend, a sizable retired football player named Tobey, to help him warn off the investors. Unfortunately Tobey, while of a certain intimidating appearance, lacks the sang froid necessary to deal with people like Gary’s investors. The retired boxer who comes around to explain things to Tobey does not have that problem. Tobey will be walking on crutches for a while and no longer cares to involve himself in Gary’s problems. He has a wife and kids to worry about.
Gary is informed that if he does not cough up the money, Winona will be next. This ensures the involvement of Raylan, who still has fond feelings for Winona. Raylan stops Gary from doing the ultimate stupidity in shooting himself, reminding him that insurance does not pay out when the death is by suicide.
Raylan and Gary show up at the investor’s office with a deal. The investors can leave Gary and Winona alone and they can have the deed to the land. The head investor likes this idea. One of his minions does not, having been expected to have been paid from the money Gary was going to pay. The two minions, including the ex wrestler, throw down on one another, wounding each other.
All in all it was a victory worthy of Sun Tsu, manipulating two of the enemy into taking themselves out.
In the final scene, sober, Raylan goes to the bar and recovers his hat from the two red necks. Raylan is far more persuasive when he does not have too much whisky in him.
Source: Justified, Hatless, TV.Rage
