The beginning of the episode immediately confirms that Helen was killed and from there, "Reckoning" stands as one of the most powerful episodes of the season. This is the episode where everything comes full circle--the Givens and Bennets coming into conflict, as well as the Crowders on the side--and the table to set for the season finale next week.
Raylan spends the episode tracking down Dickie, going through various sources like Boyd and Arlo, before catching him. We see just how invested Raylan is in catching Helen's killer, so this isn't something he can easily write off. However, when Raylan has Dickie on the ground, begging for his life, he stops and decides to follow his code. He's not going to shoot this pathetic, defenseless man.
The rest of the episode has the funeral, which is touching and we get to see Raylan's future tombstone. But the tables are quickly turned as an old woman shows up and seems to set things in order. Jed recants and admits to the murder, letting Dickie off the hook, and as the final scene shows, Mags is as invested in Dickie and crime as ever. To Raylan, this must be a shitty situation. He had the chance to put down Dickie once and for all, likely putting the Bennets out of business permanently, but decided to go with the law, and then that was exploited to the full extent by the Bennets. Not killing must seem like a hard thing to do.
Score: 9.3/10
