TV review by Merrill Barr, co-host of The Idiot Boxers

Show: Justified
Airs: FX, Tuesdays, 10pm
Episode: Season 1 Finale

Great, compelling, creepy, a modern day Deadwood, are all good ways to describe the first season of the new FX series Justified. But, none of them really just get to the heart of what Justified is, damn good TV writing.

The early episodes of the season were playing the show as an episodic procedural with some edge. But something amazing happened in the ladder half of the season; we started seeing all sorts of story arcs, all beginning with the release of Boyd Crowder from prison. Suddenly, Raylan has something to lose, his love, his family and his life. They are all vulnerable during the final hour.

We see tremendous development in Boyd’s character when he suffers a personal tragedy and is forced to do the unthinkable. To avoid spoilers, I will only say that the tragedy leads to one of the best stand-offs of the series. I will leave most potions blank so I can let you discover it for yourself, so why don’t we just skip to the final act.

We see some shocking twists come in the form of snipers and drug dealers. The episode, especially during these moments, never loses its pace. Even during those slow moments when Raylan attempts to make a sacrifice of his own.

This finale also gave a chance for us to see Raylan and Boyd on the same side of a fight. That was the best part. We learn Boyd’s true intentions and, they are actually kind of surprising. When we see the duos dynamic put to the test, it leads to some great screen writing as well.

The episode ends with a surprising moment from Raylan, a moment of… insanity. The final thing we see from the episode is Raylan, holding his gun up, pointed at no one, and just going “prrrsh.” That might be the shows finest moment so far. No words, no gun fire, no laughs, just Raylan and his gun. Could it get any sweeter than that?

Justified has brought the edgy western back into the populist in a big way. I hope the show can maintain its pace well into the years to come. FX has created a true gem. I am willing to bet that this show will only grow in popularity with age.

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Tags: FX, Graham Yost, Justified, Raylan Givens, Season Finale, Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Western