Posts Tagged ‘Justified’

If you didn’t catch the pilot last week, do yourself a favor and start watching Justified.  Watch the pilot on the computer, on demand, or read a summary of it, then pick up with the second episode, which airs tonight on FX at 9:00 p.m.

The show is based on Elmore Leonard’s novels Pronto and Riding the Rap.  Its main character is U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, played by the awesome Timothy Olyphant.  Givens gets transferred to his rural Kentucky, where he is originally from, after his style of justice gets him into hot water in Florida (he gives a bad guy 24 hours to leave town or he’ll shoot him).  He quickly finds out there is a lot going on in Kentucky.

An old work buddy, played by Nick Searcy, has become the leader of a white supremacist group that isn’t afraid to go beyond rhetoric. His character is awesome. You definitely get the sense he doesn’t buy the racism he’s selling, but just enjoys the crimes he commits and the money he gets. His introduction shows you he’s not fooling around.

We are also introduced to a possible love interest (who has just shot her abusive husband) and Givens’ ex-wife. They are both compelling characters and the chemistry is instant.

Givens’ boss has just the right level of tough guy so as to not be annoying and the rest of the U.S. Marshal crew seems good enough. The white supremacist group is well played and incredibly believable.

Givens himself seems to be pulled straight from the Wild West. He seemed out of place in Florida, but in rural Kentucky his old school cop fits perfectly. The series will be somewhat anachronistic but the setting makes it totally believable. Givens could be just another good over evil Old West sheriff, but the pilot continuously hints that he is less-than-perfect.

Plus there are awesome gun fights and action sequences surrounding all of this.

It was one of the best pilots I have seen in a very long time and I cannot wait to see where it goes.

Rating: DVR top priority

Enjoy the show.

Adam Feser