I’ve been tempted away from Justified over the last two weeks; apparently, the only man who can get me to reschedule my weekly dates with Raylan Givens is Adam Levine. But while I was away, I was hearing buzz about how good “Slaughterhouse” was. That’s how good of a show Justified is in general: it gets people humming about it while we’re covering an entirely different show!
Having finally gotten the chance to see the last two episodes of season three, I understand the buzz and I fully support it, because this is still that show that continues to give me “Oh, sh…” moments on a regular basis. I’m not sure how good that is for my heart, but as a fan, I enjoy being truly jolted by something, whether it’s a shocking plot twist or a moment of brilliant acting.
We’ve continued to add to Justified‘s body count. While I figured Trooper Tom Bergen wasn’t long for this world (supporting characters that become beloved tend to be the easiest to kill off; see 24), losing him still affected me because I liked him — and I knew what that loss would mean to Raylan. Timothy Olyphant‘s acting in the opening moments of the finale was so spot-on it gave me chills; Raylan wasn’t saying too much but I absolutely knew what was going on in his head and in his heart. That sequence was beautifully shot as well. And the showdown in the trailer between Raylan and an utterly terrified Wynn Duffy may be one of my favorite single scenes in show history; in that moment, Olyphant was a force of nature. I continue to remain in awe of what this man can do.
And then there was Robert Quarles. We knew he was going to get his; you can’t run around high on pills, abuse teenage boys and force us to look at you naked and think you’re going to live through the show. The question was always how he was going to go out. I was longing for an explosive showdown between Neal McDonough and Timothy Olyphant, and I got that plus a bonus Mykelti Williamson. I haven’t talked about a severed arm since season two of 24, but it was certainly an interesting way for Quarles to go out. And taunting Raylan at the very end to boot.
At the same time, did anyone else feel just a little bit sorry for him when he was on the phone with Theo pleading to come back to Detroit? There was such desperation and confusion in that phone call that I felt pity, even with all the nasty things Quarles had done and was going to do in my head. That is some fantastic acting. It was a great run for McDonough and everything I had hoped for when I heard that he was going to be joining the cast.
Other things worth talking about: yay for some screen time for Jacob Pitts and Erica Tazel, whose Tim and Rachel have not been around nearly as much as I would like this season. I’m always glad to see them, and always hoping to see more of them.
Also, we can’t ignore Raymond J. Barry, who between this and his stint on Cold Case, seems to have a knack for playing really horrible fathers. To know that Arlo could have shot his own son? Ouch. To hear him refer to Boyd as family with Raylan in the same space? Double ouch. With the death of Helen last season, we’ve seen the Givens family totally fall apart, and there’s a certain sadness in that. Now Arlo’s confessed to two murders, including the death of a law enforcement officer…there are hard times to come for him, but I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him either. (Boyd’s going to need a friend when he finds out what Johnny’s been up to.)
Arlo’s ending also represents the moving forward of Justified as a whole. The first season of the show was really a story about fathers and sons, both the Givens family and the Crowder family. Now both Arlo and Bo Crowder are out of the picture, and Raylan is about to become a father himself. The show is making a natural progression forward in these people’s lives, which is something neat. It truly makes me feel like I’ve been taking a journey alongside these characters for the past three years, and as that baby is born in season four, I’m curious to see what kind of father Raylan will be (and how exactly the show plans to work the existence of and care for a child into his complicated life).
Which brings me to my last point, and probably the one thing on the show that I’ve never quite warmed to: who Raylan is in bed with. We’ve got Raylan and Winona’s murky relationship and I don’t know if I’m supposed to factor Lindsey the bartender into that or not. Part of it will depend on whether or not Natalie Zea‘s pilot goes to series, too. While it’s true that I’ve never been a fan of Winona (or, honestly, any of Raylan’s romantic pairings, although I do love Ava as a character), I appreciated that we saw their relationship pause at what appears to be a civil point. Whatever my feelings toward Winona, they’re still having a kid together and I’d like that kid born to parents who can at least get along. It goes back to Raylan being a father and as a viewer, I feel like I want that kid to have better than we know Raylan had.
The end of season three did what Justified has always done: with a stellar cast and writers who know their characters so well, it delivered a satisfying and moving conclusion to the season at hand while making me honestly intrigued for the one that’ll be coming next year. It was an end that left me talking about new beginnings. And when a show makes you talk about it long after it’s wrapped, well, that’s what I do this job for.
Clacked by Brittany Frederick 
on Apr 13, 2012 @ 15:19 EST5EDT
