I think my thing with Quarles is too much back story. They never tried to tell us more than we needed to know about what made Mags Mags or Daddy Crowder Daddy Crowder. We do know a hell of a lot about what made Raylan into Raylan, but that was revealed over multiple seasons. Before perspective, often paintings would show more of a figure than you could see from the same angle in real life. With perspective part of the figure is normally hidden, maybe even some of what would be visible from your angle is shadowed. That is what gives the illusion of three dimensionaliy. I think the same thing often applies in writing. Tell too much about the character, too clumsily and suddently the character becomes less real, not more.

Pretty much what you all have already said, but after watching the last two episodes, I have to note how much I love Raylan getting schooled by old ladies. He thinks he can charm anyone, but no. Old ladies are not taking his shit!

The Quarles stuff was a bit over the top, but he really played it well. That last moment made me shudder.

If this were Big Bang Theory, that scene with the elderly woman would have been called The Milkshake Gambit. Such a thing of beauty.

after watching the last two episodes, I have to note how much I love Raylan getting schooled by old ladies.

I KNOW! I loved both the old ladies. They have been through the wringer, and they have heard this line before, and who the hell does Raylan think he is? Old ladies see right through him! Ha! It's kind of like Pratchett's Moist Von Lipwig, but without the bit where the ladies like him despite knowing exactly who he is.

The issue I have with Quarles is the standard "abuse victim as villain" issue. Which is to say, it's a crutch, and it doesn't help abuse victims.

I was also pissy that Ava overrode her no whores policy.

The old ladies getting one over on Raylan is gold. "One milkshake to drink, one to tell you to frog off, thanks ever so".

I can't totally piss on Quarles perpetuating his own abuse, since isn't that the fate of a percentage of abuse victims?

But, I thought that Justified lost its humanizing-of-criminals-touch from the start of season 2. --Not that it started relying on caricatures or stereotypes 100% of the time, but season one actually had me dreaming of bank robbers getting shot by Raylan and I was sad.

As awesome as Mags was, I was not sad when she died. I will not be sad if Quarles dies. I'm not sure about Dickie. Dewie I adore and will be sad, because he is just too stupid. Wynn has grown on me something fierce, what with him playing off the psychotic Quarles. Not sad about Winona's husband. Not sad about Devil, or the other dude trying to get into Quarles camp.

And again: old ladies FTW!

And I still love you, Vasquez.

I can't totally piss on Quarles perpetuating his own abuse, since isn't that the fate of a percentage of abuse victims?

Yes, but only a percentage, and it's of course not treated that way in media. It's treated as though you can create the most horrific villain you can think of and then explain that he was abused and that's why, and that should give me automatic sympathy for the villain.

I suppose on this show it's hard just because there are such a nice large quantity of villains! It's not as though all of them are abuse victims living out their retribution. So I guess one was inevitable. But it makes me uncomfortable with the character.

Vasquez is awesome. Old ladies are awesome.

In the books, Raylan is a bit more universally-winning-over-the-womenfolk.

Oh, I also meant to say, I love Wynn right now. You can see the little "Help me!" thought bubble that follows him around everywhere. He knows he's in deep, but he also knows that trying to get out of it will end up with him dead.

It's really amazing to me how many characters they have, and how well-drawn they all are, even with issues I may have with Quarles right now.

Yeah, that's absolutely true. And when I step back from it a little, I like how I can see how they're all so different, and coming from different places, but there stewing in the same pot.