Dan Bakkedahl and Jim Jefferies
Legit, Season 1, Episode 5: “Justice”
Written by Peter O’Fallon, Jim Jefferies, and Rick Cleveland
Directed by Peter O’Fallon
Airs Thursdays at 10:30pm (ET) on FX
While Jim, Steve and Billy have, on occasion ventured out, Legit has yet to have outsiders enter the personal space of the trio for any length of time. Rodney, Janice, and Ramona have all had a level of familiarity with one or more occupants of Steve’s house, and Jim has proven, time and time again, his inability to pleasantly interact with strangers in an outside environment over an extended period of time. How those same interactions with strangers would go in an environment Jim is comfortable in, however, is something that the show hasn’t explored yet, an avenue this episode goes down, expertly balancing humour, character advancement, and terror.
The home invasion and court scenes were both very well done, and intercutting between the two helped the invasion scenes boost the court scenes. How Steve’s house in general, and Jim in particular, is perceived by people around them was an interesting idea to explore, and watching Billy take charge, both in the courtroom and during the robbery, and use his muscular dystrophy as an asset instead of a weakness was also endlessly fun to watch. While he also struggles with depression and frustration at his condition, Billy’s confidence far outweighs that of either Jim or Steve, and this episode proves that once again.
DJ Qualls
The episode also opens up the possibility of friction between Ramona and Janice over Billy. The show has displayed Janice’s overdeveloped maternal instinct with regards to Billy in prior episodes, and a conflict with Ramona over who Billy is closer to is perfectly in line with her. Unlike others, however, Ramona is a key factor in Billy’s health, and forcing her to quit would have an adverse effect on Billy, so how Janice chooses to reconcile Billy’s need with her budding feelings of jealousy promises to make for a fascinating watch. How Billy reacts to the friction when he finds out should likewise also be interesting, as he would know how best to take advantage of the situation.
Overall, this was another solid episode. It was good to see Ginger Gonzaga return as Peggy, and having her periodically call Jim out on his statements is entertaining in and of itself. Having Jim and Peggy both be upset over the damage sustained to their car and hair straightener, respectively, was also a fun way to illustrate the similarities between the two. Dan Bakkedahl continues to shine in the role of Steve, with his time on the stand being a highlight of the episode. Whether Ramona and Janice have further disagreements over Billy, and how the robbery continues to affect Jim and Steve, as well as whether Rodney returns, are all points to look out for, and worth tuning in to see next week.
– Deepayan Sengupta