Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Justified: The Final Season

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major giveaways from season six.+++

The final season of Justified has a lot to do in the last handful of episodes. First, there is the Raylan vs. Boyd final act in which Raylan (with the help of Ava who now has to act as an informant against Boyd in order to avoid going back to prison) tries to take down Boyd for good via a RICO case for the murder of the corrupt federal agent. There is also the story of the larger mob, this season represented by Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen who plays Winn Duffy's widow. The series also brings on Deadwood alumn Garret Dillahunt (who is one of the most versatile bad guy character actors out there). The show does a good job tying up the loose storylines and ends with a sense of life goes on, and uses a four-year time jump to give an idea of how the various characters ends up.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the A/V quality is extremely good, as it has been in all of the prior season releases. The extras are not as extensive as they have been in prior years. There are deleted scenes on five of the season's thirteen episodes (9 scenes totaling 12:39 in length) a featurette titled "Directing the Show" (which runs about 11-minutes ) is a piece where actor/director Adam Arkin shows the viewer his process and approach to the show, while the crew discusses him as a director. A short feature on the locations used to portray Harlan and a feature titled "Dutch Speaks" (that runs just under 12-minutes), in which Elmore Leonard explains his origins in writing and inspirations for the story and characters that became Justified, and shares his thoughts on the characters.

Overall, this is a good final season of a great show. The writers did a good job tying things up while also finding a way to incorporate some characters from earlier seasons such as Limehouse (Mykelti Williamson), Dickie Bennett (Jeremy Davies), Constable Sweeney (played by the always awesome Patton Oswalt) did the same, and even has Arlo (Raymond J. Barry) return for a flashback. Like the prior seasons, this one does have a lot of adult content. I'd say the sex is toned down from prior seasons, but it is still violent and there are quite a few s-bombs that get dropped (but that is the worst of the swearing). Joelle Carter is really the standout cast member (although the entire cast does a good job) with her portrayal of Ava, who is an even more complex and conflicted character this season than she was in the earlier season. So, if you are a fan of the show, this is definitely worth the pickup.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Justified: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from the prior season+++

The fifth season of Justified introduces more of the Crowe family with Darryl (played by Michael Rapaport), who has a history in Florida with Raylan, coming to Kentucky after he learns that Dewey won a $300,000 lawsuit after suing the Marshal's office for police brutality. Daryl ends up taking over the businesses that Dewey bought with his money and basically becomes the season's big bad, along with his sister, Wendy (played by Alicia Witt). Boyd is working to get Ava out of prison while also working with Wynn Duffy (Played by Jere Burns) to control the Oxycotin market in Harlan County. This season also introduces a new love interest for Raylan, a social worker played by Amy Smart, and has an expanded storyline for Art. Unfortunately, the roles of Tim (Jacob Pitts) and Rachel (Erica Tazel) take a major backseat.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show again looks and sounds great in HD. There are a bunch of extras spread across the three discs, including commentary tracks on selected episodes, deleted scenes, and a bunch of making-of featurettes that range in length from a couple of minutes to almost forty minutes. So, a lot of good material if you like the bonus features.

Overall, the series continues to be very strong. It is very well-written and acted, with Olyphant and Goggins doing the heavy lifting, but all the actors doing a great job regardless of how big or small their roles are. The series has a great slate of recurring and guest stars including Danielle Panabaker, Sam Anderson, Mary Steenburgen, Stephen Root, and Adam Arkin (to name just some). As has been the case in prior seasons, there is quite a bit of violence and sexual content in the show, and it can push the boundaries of what can be shown on basic cable. If that does not bother you, however, it is well worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Justified: Season 4 Blu-Ray

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilerish material from prior seasons, but no major giveaways from the fourth season.+++

The big serial plot point for season four is a mystery that is clearly based on the real-life DB Cooper case that was never solved. In this version, a guy named Drew Thomson jumped out of a plane with a defective parachute and a bunch of drugs. Raylan, while searching his father's house, comes to learn that the official version of events may not be true, and has to try to get the truth out of Arlo. The other big arc this year is Boyd's criminal empire expanding, and Ava (played by Joelle Carter) going all-in on being bad, basically running a prostitution ring for Boyd. Her character has probably developed the most over the course of the four seasons from where she was in the pilot to what she has become, and Carter does a great job with the character. There are a couple of good cast additions this season, including the wonderful Patton Oswalt who plays "Constable Bob" who is a volunteer cop whom everyone thinks is a joke, and Ron Eldard as Colton "Colt" Rhodes who is an old friend of Boyd's.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the series looks and sounds great in the HD format as it has from season one. The bonus material is spread across the three discs. There are a few shorter (7-10 minutes) behind-the-scenes and character features, and a short gag reel. Then, there are a couple of longer features, one specific to the season finale that runs about 14 minutes and one on the second to the last episode of the season that runs about 40 minutes. So, if you like watching the bonus material, you have some but not as much as in prior seasons.

Overall, the series continues to be written very well, and the acting is top-notch. The show does a good job balancing the large ensemble cast so that all the characters (and actors) get something even though Olyphant, Goggins, and Carter do most of the heavy lifting. I think it was wise of the show to mix the plot up from the "big bad" format that the first few seasons used, and have a few separate storylines that all crossed over with each other at some point. It made the show feel fresh and not just a recycled version of the prior seasons. It is still violent and does have some sex (and as much nudity as is allowed on basic cable) and some swearing (basically everything but f-bombs). So, if that turns you off to a show you should skip it, and it is definitely not for younger kids. But, if you are a fan of well-acted crime dramas, then this is a great one, with the proviso that it is a good idea to watch the prior seasons first. The series will not be as good if you try to jump into it in the middle.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Justified: Season 3 Blu-Ray

 

The third season of Justified continues to expand the criminal world in Harlan with Boyd basically returning to his criminal ways with the void left by the takedown of the Bennett clan, and the introduction of Ellstin Limehouse (played by Mykelti Williamson) who is basically the criminal leader of Noble's Holler, which is where (seemingly) a good chunk of the black population in the area lives, and Robert Quarles (played by the great professional character bad guy Neal McDonough) who is an Oxycontin dealer looking to get cheap oxy in Kentucky. The serial arcs really involve the old adage "there is no honor among thieves" with the bad guys basically trying to get one over on each other, and Raylan getting caught in the middle. There are also arcs about Raylan's personal life which intertwine with the other arcs. While there are definitely side stories this season, the show has pretty much abandoned any pretense of being a procedural show with stand-alone episodes. You pretty much have to watch them all in order to understand what is going on in any subsequent episode.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the A/V quality continues to be very good. Even though the show is not very effects-heavy, the fact that the colors and the scenery really pop in the HD format is worth getting the Blu-Ray versus DVD. The extras, which are spread across all the discs, include commentary tracks on many (but not all) episodes, deleted scenes and outtakes, a few making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes that range from about nine minutes to about twenty minutes, and an almost half-hour-long conversation between Olyphant and Goggins. So, there is a lot there if you like the bonus material.

Overall, the series continues to be well-written and acted. I still think the smaller slate of episodes per season (13 this season) works to tell the story yet leaves the audience wanting more because they are not stretching things out to fill a 22-24 episode season. If you are a fan of the first two seasons, then you will probably be a fan of this one as well.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Justified: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains a minor season one spoiler, but no significant giveaways from season two+++

Season two of Justified continues to be a combination of a story or case-of-the-week show with the Marshal's tracking down some fugitive or the like, which is a self-contained story, and a serial that has one or more major story arcs that stretch throughout the season. It picks up right where season one ended with Boyd and Raylan teaming up to deal with the team from Miami who took out Bo and are trying to get to Raylan for killing the mobster in the pilot. That arc is wrapped up in the first episode, then the big story arc the rest of the season involves the Bennet clan, from the county neighboring Harlan County and led by the great character actress Margo Martindale (who is recognizable from many movie and TV series, including The Americans). She basically runs a criminal enterprise with her kids Dickie (played by another great character actor Jeremy Davies), Coover (played by Brad William Henke), and the Bennett Police Chief Doyle (played by Joseph Lyle Taylor) that she is trying to turn legitimate. Kaitlyn Dever was also cast as a recurring character named Loretta McCready whose role increases as the series goes on. The Bennets and the Crowders basically feud the entire season, and Raylan ends up in the middle.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the show looks and sounds great, and again, like season one, has a lot of great cinematography shots that really pop in HD. The extras are spread out across all of the discs and include about ten minutes of deleted scenes, a couple of making-of featurettes that total about 45 minutes between them, a short gag reel, and a discussion between the showrunners and Elmore Leonard, the author whose stories the series was adapted from. So, if you like watching the extras there is a decent amount there for you.

Overall, the series continues to be very good. I do think that this is a show that is helped by having the smaller run of episodes as helps things flow well and leaves the audience wanting more. The writing and acting continue to be top-notch with all of the characters continuing to evolve and the show does a good job balancing a large ensemble cast event though Raylan and Boyd are clearly the main characters so Olyphant and Goggins get most of the screen time. If you were a fan of season one, this is definitely worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Justified Season One

 

Justified was a series about a US Marshal named Raylan Givens (played by Timothy Olyphant). The show starts with him in Miami confronting a drug dealer whom he had given 24 hours to get out of town. Needless to say, the drug dealer did not listen and the outcome was not good for him. As a result of that, Raylan was reassigned to the Marshal's office in Harlan County Kentucky, where Givens grew up and tried desperately to leave. Upon his return to Harlan County, an old rivalry with a neo-nazi drug-running family led by Walton Goggins begins anew when Raylan gets involved with the wife of one of the Crowder family members played by Joelle Carter and has to deal with his ex-wife played by Natalie Zea.

The show is a balance of a story-of-the-week show and that has a larger serialized story arc that plays out throughout the season. It has a strong supporting cast including Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel, Jere Burns, and professional Twitter troll/right-wing nutjob Nick Searcy. The show also featured a lot of great guest stars like Alan Ruck and in later seasons Patton Oswald. The season has 13 episodes and packs a lot into them.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great in the HD format. The cinematography is great and provides a lot of great visuals of rural PA which is doubling for Harlan County. For extras, there are commentary tracks on selected episodes, all of which feature series creator Grahm Yost and either cast members, writers, or producers, then there is a feature on adapting Elmore Leonard's stories (from which the show was based) to TV. Then there are features on Justified's storyline, the characters in the series, a feature on the real Harlan County, and a feature on the history of the US Marshal service. So, a lot of material for people who like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the show is a good mix of action and drama, with some comedic moments along the way. The show is very well-written and acted. While it is an ensemble cast, Raylan is clearly the main character and everything revolves around him. That said, the show does do well developing the other characters and giving all the actors good material to work with. Olyphant does a great job playing a guy that has a ton of swager, bucks authority, and seemingly never lets anything phase him, but also has cracks in that veneer. It is definitely an adult show that has some swearing (the s-word gets dropped a lot) and some sexual content. It was not a carbon copy of anything else that was on TV at the time, so if you are coming to the show late and wondering if it is worth watching, I definitely recommend it.