A thread for JUSTIFIED, a TV show on FX starring Timothy Olyphant

I'd have been happy with McRaney as Drew Thompson, actually. love that dude and thought he was a bit wasted here.

Incidentally, the sheer number of supremely entertaining and/or superlative adaptations based on or inspired by Leonard books and stories sort of belies the supposition that "Justified" is uniquely special. "Out of Sight," "Hombre," "3:10 to Yuma," "Get Shorty," "52 Pickup" etc. - Leonard FTW.

making an entertaining TV show inspired by a short story is pretty different than making a film

When they tried to embellish the world of Get Shorty we got Be Cool.

Yeah, but there's more shit going down behind the scenes in a major Hollywood production than a relatively under the radar show. Point being, "Justified" has been pretty consistent from episode one, and that's the one based on the story. There hasn't been a lot of character development or anything. "Justified" has been awesome and awesomely entertaining just running around in circles

Also, honestly, "Get Shorty" was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld with a script by Scott Frank, with an across the board A-list cast. "Be Cool" is pretty much B-list across the board, from the director down. Even Travolta had just done "Pulp Fiction" when "Get Shorty" came out. "Be Cool" followed "The Punished," among many pieces of late career shit. Never read "Be Cool" the book, but I have a feeling the source material was not the problem.

"The Punisher," sorry. But yeah, adapting anything and keeping it good is tough. But Leonard's characters and writing does a lot of the heavy lifting.

point is 36 hours based on an elmore leonard story is uniquely special even if a lot of 2 hour adaptations are out there

Sure, but again, not a lot of range in this show, great or no. It's pretty much the same episode over and over, bless its heart.

really don't see the complaint about range. huge rotating cast of bit players, as we've been discussing. ongoing arcs with boyd and arlo. really different villains from season to season. and some episodes, raylan doesn't even shoot anyone!

Raylan hasn't shot anyone since late last season!

It seems to me to have more range than almost everything else on tv at the moment...

I'm not complaining! About range or anything else. I love the show as is. But the dynamic with Boyd, once he settled into his current role c. the prison stint, has been pretty consistent, as have most of the other relationships/characters. I suppose Eva has changed a bunch, but Arlo et al. have been consistent, as have all the cops. As far as Raylan goes, yeah, not shooting people vs. shooting them is about the extent of his range.

It seems to me to have more range than almost everything else on tv at the moment...

No way. There's more range on, say, "Walking Dead" or "Breaking Bad" or whatever else you consider "at the moment." I'd say "Justified" has about as much range as "Archer." But it is still A+ entertainment, so no harm, no foul, keep it going, "Justified." Pure fun, love it.

Justified has way more range than Walking Dead, and prob about as much as BBad.

Less than Breaking Bad and Mad Men. And Community. More than everything else. But yeah, no harm done if you disagree, I guess.

Like, yeah, sure, it's "fun," but it can do poignant/grim/tense when it wants or needs to. xp

There's more range on, say, "Walking Dead"

Justified has prob about as much range as BBad.

and let's not even bring up community

Like, yeah, sure, it's "fun," but it can do poignant/grim/tense when it wants or needs to. xp

― Simon H., Monday, February 18, 2013 11:06 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is key. Any episode can swing between very funny and grotesque or gothic or just like an action sequence at a moments notice. The foot thing in the middle of the squabbling, etc. I mean I know that's sort of a Leonard "thing" -- but that thing itself is about a diverse range.

I agree with all you've said. I don't even like "Walking Dead," but it's characters have gone more places, emotionally, then the character on "Justified." There's barely been any emotional highs and lows in "Justified" quite as on par as the rollercoasters on those other shows. It could be, as someone OTM upthread pointed out, that Raylan carries himself like he is invincible, which he essentially is. All those other shows hinge in a sort of "anything goes/anyone can die" tension. But this show? Not so much. It's like a comic book. A really, really good comic book. Recall, this is a show where Raylan is expecting a baby, and that major life even has barely played a role at all.

Maybe we're just disagreeing about the word "range." There's a lot of funny and exciting on this show. I don't get a lot of "sad" or "moving" or "makes you think" or "challenges your very notions of morality" or whatever.

Um... The last scene of last season? That was pretty damn crushing. Also, the story about the bartender a few weeks ago... He is invincible to bullets, but he has been put through the ringer emotionally.

You really thought the thing with the bartender had any emotional depth to it at all? You though he was put through the ringer? I didn't.

I don't remember the last scene of last season, tbh. The stuff on the mountain in season two had a lot of range, come to think of it. There was a lot going on there on a lot of levels. Less so last year, I want to say. And certainly not this year, which is more of a farcical adventure season. So far.

(spoiler) His father tried to kill him (/spoiler)

And the bartender wasn't about emotions, you're right, but it was definitely about pride, and it hit at just the right point. While it was never deep, she was the only thing he had going for him. Like, he could cover up that his pregnant girlfriend leaving him and his dad trying to kill him and his boss hating him, because he imediately scored a sexy blonde. And then she stole his money and left him. Had it happened in season one, then no, it would not have had any depth to it at all. Coming when it did, I thought it worked quite well.

I dunno if his father trying to kill him carried any weight for me, ironically. Considering the show more or less began with Raylan wanting his dad in jail forever.

And generally not caring about him from the start.

Bollocks to all this 'range' nonsense. It doesn't take it self too seriously does Justified and that is probably what gives it more range.

I think Raylan's emotional arc is extremely slow, but it's definitely there; he's achieved greater and greater self-awareness as the show's gone on. Remember, the series premiere ended with him breaking into his ex-wife's house, semi-confronting her current husband, then having a pretty fascinating conversation with her, where he says something like "I don't think I'm a particularly angry person" and she replies "You're the angriest person I've ever known." I think if you pay attention, the whole series has shown him - very, very slowly - realizing that she's right, and trying to get that anger under control. Whether that means shooting fewer people, or becoming a good dad (whatever that means - in his case, it probably just means "not being Arlo Givens").

Those are good observations. I guess I just read Raylan's changes as practical. He's still sort of under the watchful eye of internal affairs, he was in a lot of hot water for shooting so many people, and possibly most importantly, his impending fatherhood (barely mentioned on the show though it may be; do his co-workers know? I can't remember) has convinced him to be more careful/conservative when it comes to whipping out his gun. Though of course he is still taking ample risks, so who knows.

In the end I think his arc, as such, is a pretty familiar one: man who loves his job more than anything or anyone else. I thought one of the best bits this past ep was Raylan and the deputy volleying past menial employment, since it showed that no, this super-human was not always a marshall. I recall the world's angriest man line, but thus far the show has given little rationale for his hostility. Vs., say, his sniper vet co-worker, who seems as full of pent up rage and other bad stuff as anyone on the show, save perhaps Boyd, who is drawing from a deep well of anger/resentment/betrayal/etc. far more, well, justified than what we've seen from Raylan.

the overall arc, i have always thought, is a gradual adjustment of what raylan and boyd can justify as true and forgivable in the face of their own harsh realities. hence boyd's proposal and raylan's willingness to allow boyd to be boyd.

Gotta say, this season feels really low stakes just after half-time. Totally forgotten why I should give a shit who Drew Peterson is, Boyd's problems are pretty scattershot and the random "I'MMA KILL YOU RAYLAN" hoods aren't exactly sparking the imagination, goofball threat video aside

Off episode this week, but really enjoying the season so far.

Yeah, bad dialogue this ep.

back on track this week though.
damn, lotta bodies. And A MAJOR DEATH
those of you requesting character development, here you go

that major death's last words were so, so perfect

That was...a large body count. And yes, that major development was handled v. nicely.

Lots of heavy-handed hints in this episode as to who Drew Thompson really is, huh? Wonder how long they'll keep stringing it out before the end of the season.

Yeah. I didn't get it, but every review pointed it out, and it's... yeah, it makes sense. Still, I like hints. Shows a sense of self-awareness. I mean, it's not like that season of Dexter with the shocking twist that everyone saw coming.

it had occurred to me but i was sorta hoping it wasn't the case as i'd rather keep that actor around for a few more seasons

a friend of mine was an extra in the episode before last nights!

Damn, that opening scene was brutal. Great ep though. Anyone rewatch the last scene between Raylan and Arlo in the previous episode?

really good plotting this episode. appreciated bringing in and then disposing of the hitman so rapidly.

I liked Raylan's response to shooting the hit man - that he really hoped the dude wasn't just an overzealous cop. But honestly, every episode of this show needs more Art-making-fun-of-Raylan.

they're on a good roll here now.
showing their hand with drew thompson two shows ago and then really coming to the table with a smoking gun last episode i was half afraid they'd play this past the point of it being acceptable to watch, given that the show tends to give a viewer so much credit for intelligence. Glad they realized they played it as far as it was gonna go and just put the cards on the table for endgame. And same for ella mae!

for a second i was really convinced it was patton oswalt there haha

I know, I had my "I told you!" cocked and loaded.

Did you read that there were several characters in the running to be Thompson until the last minute? Does raise some questions, though, since they portrayed Shelby as such a good, upstanding guy. Are they going to break him bad? Where is Ellen May now?

in a car with drew i think

shelby as depicted was still a little crooked, it's just in harlan a little crooked is pretty damn upstanding. caught up last night, didn't really have any problems w/ the season earlier but man these last few were a ton of fun. stoked we're gonna see some straight marshalling going on, no shoehorning 'why are the us marshal's concerned with this again' in. no real reason (and tbh i doubt they do two major deaths this season) but i have had the weirdest bad feeling about ava lately.

Oh, as soon as Boyd proposed I got a strong Dead Ava Walking vibe.

Yeah, it hit that "everything is going our way" feeling which is usually a precursor to tragedy.

that would set up a good "NOTHING TO LOSE BITCHES" plotline for next season and is a safe bet considering the way they like to ping pong these two guys from tragedy to tragedy.
maybe close up on raylan with his new son and boyd at the grave, maybe him holding raylan accountable somehow
/fanfic