Back in 2010, I was pumped for the debut of Justified, an FX series based on infamous crime novel writer Elmore Leonard’s short story, Fire in the Hole. The main character of the show is U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a rugged, tough loner with a cowboy hat who happens to know how to use a gun expertly to get out of precarious situations that he encounters protecting Harlan County in Kentucky. In the Pilot, his chief adversary and rival Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) starts blowing up churches and other buildings with a rocket launcher. Raylan eventually finds Boyd and puts a bullet in his chest. With great action, novel-like dialogue, and excitement throughout the pilot, the foundation was laid for a great series.
Unfortunately, the show became procedural in nature, settling on the lazy CBS-patented villain of the week formula with little plot carrying over from week to week. About midway through the first season though, Walton Goggins signed on as a series regular, a concerted effort was made to create season-long arcs, and the show morphed into one of the best hours of television. Giant steps were taken in season two when Margo Martindale, in an Emmy-winning turn as drug-lord Mags Bennett, gave Raylan fits over the course of the season with her twisted sons, poisonous apple pies, and scary presence. Boyd found himself on a journey to become a better man, and sought guidance from the Lord. Raylan found love with his ex-wife Winona once again by helping her get away from her crazy new husband while also battling the Bennetts. Season 2 ended with Mags out of the picture except for her incarcerated son Dickie, Boyd ready re-enter and dominate the criminal world, and Raylan suffering from a bullet wound.
The most instrumental event that helped this show become something special was Goggins earning a major role on it. Supposedly, Walton did the pilot as a favor to one of the producers, but the chemistry was so electrifying between him and Olyphant, they changed the ending of the pilot so that Boyd didn’t die. Goggins matched wits for seven seasons with Michael Chiklis on The Shield, so he’s no stranger great episodic drama. The Boyd/Raylan relationship provides the heart of the show as these two characters were cut from the same cloth and grew up around each other witnessing the horror and viciousness that some of the town’s inhabitants brought to the world. It’s no secret that while Boyd followed in the footsteps of his criminal father while Raylan chose law enforcement, there is a quiet respect and feeling of understanding between both men. Getting to watch an ever-changing deranged sociopath in Boyd on a weekly basis is one of the most exciting things on television at the moment. Having two powerhouses portray this very complicated relationship between Raylan and Boyd only helps matters. That both Olyphant and Goggins earned acting nominations at the Emmys last year is a testament to both the strong writing and dynamic talent on display in the show.
Season 3 is well underway Tuesday nights at 9 on FX and the theme this year is danger everywhere. Boyd has his crew and they are out for blood and money by any means necessary. Neal McDonough and Mykelti Williamson joined the cast this season as new villains to fill the big hole Mags’ departure left. McDonough exemplifies creepy as “carpetbagger” Robert Quarles, a ruthless killer hell-bent on running a drug scheme on all of Harlan County. Quarles has a hidden sleeve-gun on his person that he has already taken out multiple people with. Willamson plays Ellstin Limehouse, a hard-working farmer and protector of abused women. Limehouse also had a deal in place to protect Mags’ fortune, a pot every villain in the county is after once news of her downfall leaked. Limehouse obviously has taken some of the money for a criminal scheme of his own that will come out as the season progresses. Jeremy Davies continues to appear as Dickie Bennett, Mags’ dumb, limping son who has an intense hatred for Raylan due to him making Dickie the way he is. Meanwhile, in addition to dealing with all this evil, Raylan’s pregnant girlfriend Winona has taken off due to a lack of attention from her man.
Watching this show is akin to reading a novel. Each character has three dimensions and a fully-formed personality showing us the audience why they behave the way they do. An example of this would be one-time Boyd follower Dewey Crowe. Last week, he got out of jail and into the hands of some maniacs who told him that they cut out his kidneys. He was given instructions to acquire an amount of money for his kidneys or die. While he participated in despicable activities in the past, you couldn’t help but wonder about the poor man’s fate as he raced around town in an increasingly frantic state. The best part about this season is that there isn’t just one adversary. There are 4-5 different ones and they all have relationships with each other in addition to Raylan coming at them. How things shake out remains up in the air in an exciting way. Get on board one of the best dramas on television when you can as no other show is as well-presented on television at the moment.
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