Grade: 97%
After far too long a hiatus, FX’s JUSTIFIED returns for a fourth season this Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET. Like in past years, the series holds off on showing all of its cards right off the bat, allowing viewers to adjust to where the characters are now, as well as dropping hints as to the major arc or arcs that the season will cover.
When the premiere, “Hole in the Wall,”
begins, Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) is still in a relationship with
Lindsey (Jenn Lyon), and skirting the law. He doesn’t now break the
rules in the name of justice or love, his past weaknesses, but instead,
out of selfishness. This Raylan is more of a broken man, Winona (Natalie
Zea) having gone, and his father, Arlo (Raymond J. Barry), whom Raylan
has never had an easy relationship with, behind bars.
Right off the bat, though, this status
quo is tested. Raylan picks up a not-so-good guy as a favor, then tries
to keep him locked in his trunk while dealing with a mystery that has
come up at his father’s house. It’s a call back to the righteous game,
which we see very quickly does not merge easily with Raylan’s current
activities. Thus, by the end of “Hole in the Wall,” it is pretty clear
that Raylan needs to pick one path or the other.
I love that the mystery, which will
definitely be a continuing story for awhile, features a heavily involved
Arlo. Arlo has only been in about half of JUSTIFIED’s episodes, but his
ornery ways are highly entertaining, and the way he shakes up Raylan’s
calm demeanor, pushing his son’s buttons, makes for great television.
Any way to bring Arlo more central does risk his continued presence, as
death comes to many a villain on JUSTIFIED, but it also means that this
season will have to be as fantastic as the others have been.
Raylan gets to step up and again be the
man that fans love in this very first episode of the season. He may
begin the episode on shaky ground, but despite his many flaws, Raylan
Givens is a hero, and one of the genuinely coolest ones on television
today. The way he handles negotiations, and faces down the bad guys, is
unparalleled, and viewers are treated to some examples of classic Raylan
almost right away in this installment.
Raylan’s restoration is also helped
along by the crooks that come into Raylan’s circle. Cast lists are not
yet available for the episode, making it hard to pinpoint who all of the
performers are, but there is a young couple, as well as Raylan’s
hostage, each of which contributes something interesting to the episode.
Add to that, Raylan’s new cop buddy, Bob, played by the great Patton
Oswalt, and “Hole in the Wall” serves as a satisfying return.
Lest one worry about the other important
gang on the show, there is also plenty of Boyd (Walton Goggins) in
“Hole in the Wall,” too, still being aided by Ava (Joelle Carter) and
Johnny (David Meunier), as well as a new, unstable, very dangerous man.
They will definitely be involved in whatever Raylan is getting himself
into, but they also have their own stories, as Boyd continues his
criminal enterprises.
These include running drugs, of course,
and also the prostitution trailers that Boyd has taken over. The whores
actually figure importantly into the first episode, when Ellen May (Abby
Miller) makes a big mistake. Boyd uses this mistake to his advantage,
of course, and will quickly expand his plot to encompass others, which
should build up nicely over the next few weeks, eventually bringing them
all back into conflict with Raylan and the law.
At some point, the balance that has kept
Boyd in business while Raylan looks the other way will have to be
broken. It may not be until the final season of the series, but
something will draw enough attention to Boyd that he will have to be
shut down. Until that day, he continues to be a fantastic character to
have around, and the way that he manages to still do what he wants, and
keep some kind of peace with Raylan, is a real draw of the series.
JUSTIFIED’s newest episode has
everything one wants in the Western-influenced series. There are gun
fights, show downs, boob flashing, drinking, conversations behind bars,
at least one bad-ass killing, and some of the finest acting being done
anywhere. Fans should not be disappointed, and if you’ve only been
considering getting into the series, “Hole in the Wall” could serve as
an enticing entry point.
Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!
Article first posted at Seat42F
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