I love TV. I watch a lot of TV, probably more than I should, and I want to say right off that Justified is my favorite show on TV. More than Modern Family, more than Game of Thrones, more than Doctor Who (ducking thrown fezzes and sonic screwdrivers), and definitely more than the sad bastardized show that used to bring me Glee. To me, Justified is the perfect show. Season 1 had one of the best pilot episodes I have ever seen and a story that was intimate and personal and yet massive and biblical in scope, and somehow, they managed to up their game in season 2. Far from a sophomore slump, season 2 of Justified solidifies its place as one of the best dramas in recent TV history.
At the end of season 1, Raylan (Timothy Olyphant), Boyd (Walton Goggins), and Ava (Joelle Carter) were in a shoot-out with a Florida drug lord's thugs, and Boyd's chance to kill his own father was stolen away by one of the shooters. Throughout the ordeal, Raylan and Boyd have gone from enemies to unlikely allies, and neither one seems to know how to feel about it. In the aftermath of the shoot-out, there is a power vacuum where Boyd's father and his drug business used to be, and the question is who will fill it. The local weed dealer Mags Bennett (Margo Martindale) and her sons Dickie (Jeremy Davies), Coover (Brad William Henke), and Doyle (Joseph Lyle Taylor) are more than willing to fill the void. The Bennett family certainly seems to fit the bill. They are already involved in the drug trade, and like the Boyd family, the Bennetts have a long, troubled history with the Givens. Before long, Raylan is checking up on Mags, and the tenuous peace held together by Mags and Raylan's stepmother Helen (Linda Gehringer) begins unraveling.
There is so much to love about season 2 of Justified, but what I admire most about the show is how none of its characters stay stagnant. The writers don't play it safe by treading water and replaying conflicts from season 1, particularly when it came to Boyd. In season 1, Boyd went from a white supremacist gang leader to a religiously devout vigilante and ended the season in a crisis of faith. What could possibly top that character arc? In season 2, Boyd does what no one expects. He moves in with Ava, gets a job at the local mine, and stays out of trouble. Naturally, everyone is waiting for him to fall back into a life of crime. Boyd is constantly under suspicion by Raylan and the other U.S. Marshals, and the other local criminals are making it seemingly impossible for Boyd to walk the straight-and-narrow. Boyd's character arc in season 2 is all based around one simple question: Can Boyd find redemption? Can he escape his former life, and does he want to? The answer is complicated, and Walton Goggins' performance has made Boyd Crowder the most enigmatic TV character since Ben Linus on Lost.
Speaking of complicated characters, I realize now that Bo Crowder and the Crowder clan from season 1 (with the exception of Boyd) really paled in comparison to Mags Bennet and her sons in season 2. As villains go, Bo was fairly two-dimensional and didn't have his sights set on anything grander than being the drug lord of Harlan County. Mags Bennett is a much more dangerous villain, a weed dealer with delusions of grandeur wrapped up in sugary sweet grandmotherly sass. She will give you a smile and Southern hospitality, but if you cross her, don't drink her homemade apple pie cider. Mags was a fantastic character and a frightening villain, and I was so happy to see Margo Martindale win the Emmy and show what she can do when given the right part.
I have barely begun to scratch the surface on season 2 of Justified, but as I sat here thinking about what I love about the show, I realized that I admire its ability to surprise me. I don't want to give away any more of the season and its character developments than I need to. All I want to say is watch this show because Justified is more than a modern western or another show revolving around drug dealers and law men. This show represents storytelling at its best and should be at the top of any TV addict's must-watch list.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Special features include several deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, outtakes, and the featurette “Clans, Feuds & Apple Pie” which talks about the show's unique approach with its “villains.”
"Justified: The Complete Second Season" is on sale January 3, 2012 and is not rated. Crime, Drama, Western. Written by Graham Yost. Starring Margo Martindale, Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Joelle Carter.
