Justified

[pentadactyl]

I've made it half way through the second season so far.

Much as I adore Raylan Givens, the current battle for 'favorite character' in my mind is between Boyd Crowder and Mags Bennett. Oh, who am I kidding? Mags Bennett has far superseded even Boyd in my affections. I mean...damn! That's a brilliantly written and played character. Can't top that.

[pentadactyl]

Feb 3, 2012 16:04:13 GMT -5 @ohleesa said:

It's funny. A friend is currently watching season 1 and I stated this show was better than Sons of Anarchy (another FX show). She said Justified is good but there aren't any interesting female characters like Jemma on SOA. I laughed and said "just wait".

Mags is an awesome character

I can see why she would think that. The first season was a bit male character driven. Although Aunt Helen was always a force to be accounted for. Still, most of the women, even Helen to an extent, were pawns in a larger game being played by the men. Ava's most remarkable characteristic was perhaps how firmly she rejected that role. She may not have made any of the big plays or had an active role in any of the plot developments, but she sure as hell wasn't about to listen to anyone, Raylan included.

If I'm looking for it, I can even see a larger thematic shift between the first and second seasons in terms of gender...affiliation. The first season was about hunting down and fighting bad guys and leaving the familiar to carve your own path (Raylan, Ava, the dentist guy. Lots of 'left to make a better life for themselves stories). The second is about fighting to keep what's yours, to defend your home, keep out the intruders. That fits with the pattern that action movies etc tend to follow depending on whether they have male or female leads. Or even, think BtVS vs Angel. BtVS was about defending Sunnydale. Angel was about taking down Wolfram and Hart. Defensive, offensive.

[pentadactyl]

Feb 10, 2012 19:23:12 GMT -5 @ohleesa said:

You're very deep

Now why does that sound like a backhanded compliment?

I wish Supernatural still inspired this level of over-analysis in me.

Is this the same friend who doesn't like Fred?

[Mistermoonlight]

No strong women characters in the first season, huh? Ava shot her husband, Bowman Crowder, at the dining room table!

She's the kind of southern woman you don't want to cross, but you sure want on your side in a dire situation, or on a sultry night. She's one of the reasons I kept coming back to this show week after week.

And Mags, wow! Talk about your creepy hillbilly mountain woman Godfather. The actress who portrayed her deserves an Emmy.

You know who one of the funniest characters is to me? Art, the sheriff who's Raylan's boss. He gets some of the best lines.

And speaking of writing, what else would you expect but excellence from a show that's based on characters by Elmore Leonard, who's also an executive producer on the show? I mean, crime writing and dialogue just don't get any better than him.

[pentadactyl]

NPR interview with the woman who plays Mags:

www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=144072642&m=144311520

I just got to the scene they play (the townhall meeting) today and boy was that a powerful scene! :heart: I have more detailed praises I need to sing of it, but I'm gonna give in to a few rewatches first.

And yeah, Art's very cool too. I really liked the scene with him and that old bank robber who was trying to make a getaway.

Everyone in the office, the show has really given them realistic, complex personalities and the actors that play them do a wonderful job of making them likable.

[Mistermoonlight]

I'm still trying to get caught up with season 3. I just finished watching episode 3.

I think Justified has some of the most interesting bad guys of any show I've seen. One I particularly like is Jere Burns as Wynn Duffie. There's something just so smarmy yet funny about him. And he uses his eyebrows to great effect.



Here's a photo of him without the mustache. Big difference, huh?

[AntiArbitrator]

Last night, I caught up on all the episodes of Justified. I am enjoying every episode of this show. Who would think I would watch a show about a Federal Marshall and admire the criminals almost as much as I admire him. The criminals are just trying to survive the only way they know how (like the Dukes would say).

Olyphant is perfect for the role of Givens. He's very calm when he issues threats but everyone takes him seriously anyway. I was very excited to learn he had a series because I was very impressed with him in Hitman. He is quite a contrast to Dickie who goes off half cocked and makes me wonder if he is using some of his own product. How he is still alive after crossing half the people he does business with is a mystery.

Givens, Crowder and Dickie Bennett have been fighting since grade school and so their on again, off again alliances make sense. Sometimes they are on the same team and at other times, they are trying to kill each other.
Teaming Quarrels up with Wynne Duffy makes a very sick duo of criminals. One is smarmy and the other is a perv.


And let's not forget about Limehouse. He is deadly and slick. I was surprised Dickie kept pushing him, but $3 million is a lot to walk away from. Everyone keeps double-crossing each other. Keeps it interesting.

Next episode looks exciting and I know it's time for someone to die.

[Mistermoonlight]

I'm still several episodes behind, but I'm loving Robert Quarrels as the new bad guy. He's just so smarmy and slick and full of himself, it's delicious. And the fact that he's down in Harlan county interacting with other bad guys who probably didn't make it to junior high before dropping out makes it that much more fun.

I too am amazed that I love this show. It's not my usual fare. But you just can't help it, the writing and acting are just too good.

[AntiArbitrator]

Justified knows how to increase the level of excitement. Sometimes I am 100% certain someone is going to die and they manage to survive. They are not predictable. The women on the show are wild and crazy. The men have balls of steel and only Raylan and his boss can be trusted.

The handling of the $3 million was a nice touch.

[Mistermoonlight]

I've only been not posting in here recently because I haven't seen the latest episode, just the one before it. I'm glad you didn't go into any more detail about the $3 million without invisotext.

This show just gets better and better as it goes on. Thank god for the critics who kept writing about how good it was and persuaded me to give it a chance. Confession: I did not get hooked by the first episode. But for whatever reason I later decided to try it again, and after episode 2, I was hooked.

The characters are so incredibly rich. I'm from the south, and every line of dialogue rings true. I've known folks who have been to prison, and the whole feel of that contingent, as well as the small-town power brokers seem right on the button.

And what about Raylon? The closest character I can come to classifying him is Capt. Malcolm Reynolds on Firefly. They both have the same kind of laconic humor, but they are still very different. There is a bit of the classic gunfighter from the westerns in Raylon, but even those two classifications don't give you the complete picture of who he is. Because he's that all-too-rare thing in television these days, an original character, like none else.

And the beautiful thing is, he's not the only one. ALL of them are that way. From the smallest character up to the major ones, they are all so uniquely well-defined and original. And isn't it great that there are such strong women characters? I'm becoming a real fan of Ella May here lately.

By the way, there's a salute to Martin Scorsese, my favorite American director here. Did anyone catch it? It's the device that Robert Quarrels has on his arm that allows a pistol to spring to his hand via a device he literally has up his sleeve. It's exactly the same as the one Travis Bickle used in Scorsese's classic Taxi Driver.

Try as I may, I just can't say enough good things about this show. And whatever I might come up with, it deserves even better.

[AntiArbitrator]

Yes, all of the characters are original and colorful. I get excited about each episode. They never disappoint. I was intentionally vague in my comments so that I do not spoil anything. Thanks for the information on Quarell's contraption. He is fast and deadly with that gun.

One of the most surprising and gratifying aspects of this show is the important roles that have been given to women in this type of series. And they are quite convincing. Well, they are convincing to me, probably because I had a shotgun toting grandmother.

[Mistermoonlight]

Apr 5, 2012 19:04:30 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

Yes, all of the characters are original and colorful. I get excited about each episode. They never disappoint. I was intentionally vague in my comments so that I do not spoil anything. Thanks for the information on Quarell's contraption. He is fast and deadly with that gun.

One of the most surprising and gratifying aspects of this show is the important roles that have been given to women in this type of series. And they are quite convincing. Well, they are convincing to me, probably because I had a shotgun toting grandmother.

I don't know if I got you beat or not, but my grandmother slept with a hatchet underneath her pillow. That's the honest to god truth.

[AntiArbitrator]

I believe you. I will give you that one because it certainly beats the shotgun.

[Mistermoonlight]

She was very much like a character from Justified, or even a Quentin Tarentino movie, and in my mind she carries all of the history of the South.

My cousins, for some reason, decided to number their grandmothers. Their paternal grandmother (and mine) would be One-Mama. The maternal grandmother would be known as Two-Mama.

For some strange reason Two-Mama never took to her name.

But One-Mama wore it proudly for all her life. She was an amazing lady. She taught me what unconditional love was. If I had done something horrible, she'd always have been on my side, no matter what.

Here's a fan recreation of the spring-loaded pistol thing from Taxi Driver, so you can see the connection to Robert Quarrels:

[AntiArbitrator]

It looks to me as though the fan did an excellent job on that gun holder. He must have watched taxi driver a few times.

[AntiArbitrator]

I have been patiently waiting for someone to comment on the season finale. It was awesome! They tied up some loose ends instead of leaving us hanging like Supernatural does.

Spoiler alert: >>>In the final scene, Raylan said his father shot a man in a hat to protect Boyd. Raylan's interpretation is that his father thought it was him. How awful for Raylan. His father's unusual apology was probably prompted by that event. <<<

What do you think?

[Mistermoonlight]

Hey Anti, I'm sorry I haven't commented yet, as I'm afraid of being spoiled. I didn't look at your spoilers. Thanks for using invisotext.

I LOVE Robert Quarrels as a villain. He's one of the most unique I've ever seen. I'm into the final episode a ways, and I know he's probably gonna get his sometime soon (he's already killed a cop), but I'm only up to the part where he's carjacked a family. Hopefully I'll have more to post later tonight after I've seen the rest.

[Mistermoonlight]

UPDATE: Now I have seen the whole episode!

Finale spoilers in invisotext: Yes, I saw that there was supposed to be some significance to what Raylan said about Arlo shooting 'a man with a hat.' but I didn't get what is was till I read your invisotext comment, so thanks!

What about that shootout with Limehouse, Raylan, and Quarrels? Amazing and unforgettable scene with Quarrels reaching out for his severed arm as he sinks down. I noted that although we don't know for sure, it's assumed Quarrels died. Part of me hopes not, as he's such an unforgettable character that I want to see more of him. Same thing I think applies to Dicky Bennet.

And what a great line to end the seaon on: "They're saying I disarmed him."

[AntiArbitrator]

Hello I read your comments last night, but I wanted to watch the final two scenes again before responding.

Spoiler >>> I guess we knew at some point Limehouse, Quarrels and Givens were going to have to prove who was the toughest. The shoot out was surprising and awesome. I agree Quarrels reaching for his arm is unforgettable. Raylan would not give it to him. Maybe Raylan thought Quarrels would still manage to do some damage with it. "Disarmed him" is priceless! I, too, wish those characters could stick around. Ava is one tough chick. She punched that woman like a man would. I remember Raylan had a fling with her at one time. By the way, I don't think I really understand why Raylan's lady left him. I think he finally caved in and said he would do whatever she wanted. Maybe she doesn't believe him. <<<

[Mistermoonlight]

I think we can dispense with the invisotext now, since the finale has been over for a while.

I found out I've been misspelling Robert's last name, it's Quarles, although Quarrels seems better to me. Still sounds the same, huh?

I think he's gone for good, and here is why: all that talk about 'going home' is a metaphor for death (and boy, did Alan Arkin Jr. do a great job as Theo, or what?) plus, no one seemed to be very concerned about applying a tourniquet to Quarles arm to try and keep him alive.

But what a memorable villain. I will never forget him. It was a work of art to see his deterioration from perfect to what he became.

Elmore Leonard is probably the best crime fiction writer of our time, and although he didn't write the dialogue in these shows, the writers' themselves seem to have decided that they would take nothing less than equal quality

These guys (and possibly gals, I need to look up the writers) know what they're doing. From Mags drinking her own 'Apple Pie' last season, to the finale this season (including the 'piggy bank') we know we're in masterful hands.

And can we please get an Oscar nomination to whoever came up with Dickie Bennets buzz-cut rooster haircut this season?

I think Raylon's ex is showing the side we've heard about before, from the first time she left him. Perhaps she's worried she doesn't make good choices in men? All I know is that this will bear fruit undoubtedly again next season, and that complications are good.

What a wonderfully powerful character Ava is. I'd be a goner if I met her in real life.

[AntiArbitrator]

Oh yes, I think Ava would be quite a challenge for you. She's probably the only woman who could keep Boyd in line.

I am so glad you mentioned Dickie's haircut. That and his over-the-top mannerisms made him unique. I was hoping he would still be around, but unlike Supernatural, they don't bring people back from the grave. Dickie's entire family was amazing and especially his mother.

Quarels (I don't know which one of us first used that other spelling) was a cold, ruthless, killer when we met him. His decline when his plans started to fall apart was well played. First, irritation, then anger, then his sadistic side started to show, and I kept waiting to see what he would do next. He is amazing. He was downright sad at the end. He fell apart and that expression on his face when he reached for his arm would have been a tear jerker if it had been anyone but him. No one was in a hurry to apply a tourniquet.

[Mistermoonlight]

No kidding. I think Robert Quarles is one of the most unique villains I've seen in a long time. He was fast and efficient at the beginning, capable of pulling off just about anything. Then as we began to see his pecadilloes and weaknesses he just kind of unravels, and becomes, if anything, even scarier.

This show does villains better than any I've ever seen.

I'll never forget that shot of him reaching for his arm towards Raylan, after it's been chopped off.

[AntiArbitrator]

I see Justified is on your mind. Makes me want to see either a marathon or new episodes.

[Mistermoonlight]

I read all of the Elmore Leonard books featuring Raylan Givens. Now I've got nothing left to do except drink Apple Pie till the next season.

[AntiArbitrator]

2012 Emmy Awards
Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Mark Margolis, "Breaking Bad"
Dylan Baker, "The Good Wife"
Michael J. Fox, "The Good Wife"
Jeremy Davies, "Justified" (WINNER)
Ben Feldman, "Mad Men"
Jason Ritter, "Parenthood"

[AntiArbitrator]

Mistermoonlight If you have not seen the March 18, 2014 episode "Weight", avoid reading the spoiler.

SPOILER: Click to show

The surprise in "Weight" made me immediately think of our April 2012 conversation about Dickie Bennett. I am happy to see him return.

[Mistermoonlight]

It was like redneck Christmas getting to see Dickie Bennet again. I don't know if you remember, but the same actor had a pretty big part in the last season of "Lost." He was a time traveler. I bet Dickie Bennett wishes he could do some of that.

Yay for Jeremy Davies, and his well-deserved Emmy in this role.

'They shot Art, my favorite character. I'm coming to put em' in the ground.

[AntiArbitrator]

I saw Art get shot in the previews but I have not seen the episode yet.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using proboards

[AntiArbitrator]

Famous last words:

"Boyd Crowder?"

"Yes"

"Why didn't you just say so?" 

Edit: It's not over; there's an additional 15 minutes to the episode.