With a show like this, you expect a season to end in an explosive shootout and some tidying up in the closing moments. Season four closes with both, but it also does so with some serious weight. It's as much about the repercussions of these characters' actions as it is the lengths they'll go to when pushed into a corner.
For Nicky Augustine (O'Malley), it's a last-gasp seize for power as the leadership changes; for Raylan, it's a measured response to Winona and the baby being threatened by Augustine's men; for Boyd, it's scrambling to replace Delroy's body as the police are closing in. And this is truly heartbreaking as Ava sits handcuffed in the back of a patrol car (when just a few episodes before, they were house-shopping in the suburbs).
In the end, when we hear the tones of "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive", they play much heavier than in seasons past. As a finish to a two-parter, 'Ghosts' has less action, but it is drama of the highest order.
10/10.
For Nicky Augustine (O'Malley), it's a last-gasp seize for power as the leadership changes; for Raylan, it's a measured response to Winona and the baby being threatened by Augustine's men; for Boyd, it's scrambling to replace Delroy's body as the police are closing in. And this is truly heartbreaking as Ava sits handcuffed in the back of a patrol car (when just a few episodes before, they were house-shopping in the suburbs).
In the end, when we hear the tones of "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive", they play much heavier than in seasons past. As a finish to a two-parter, 'Ghosts' has less action, but it is drama of the highest order.
10/10.