Review: FX's 'Justified' loads up on bad guys for season 3
Neal McDonough and Mykelti Williamson join Raylan Givens' rogues gallery
- Critic's Rating A-
- Readers' Rating A
Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens in "Justified."
Credit: FX
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Last season, FX's "Justified" introduced an instant classic villain in Margo Martindale's Mags Bennett, a hillbilly crime lord whose folksy maternal warmth masked a ruthless, indomitable mind. Mags made the show's second season a creative triumph, but she also left some enormous shoes to fill. And with the show's third season, which debuts tonight at 10, "Justified" producer Graham Yost has reasonably decided that the only way to replace Mags is by going with quantity over quality.
Which isn't to say that the new rogues gallery for 21st century gunslinger Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) is a snore. We still have Walton Goggins around to give his mesmerizing performance as Raylan's silppery nemesis Boyd Crowder, Jeremy Davies returns as Mags' twitchy and entitled son Dickie, and Jere Burns gets more to do as Wynn Duffy, cold middle manager for the Dixie Mafia. Beyond them, we have new additions in Neal McDonough as Wynn's slick new boss and Mykelti Williamson(*) as the chilling leader of a black community who has family history with Raylan, Boyd and Dickie.
(*)McDonough and Williamson gave two of the more memorable performances on Yost's short-lived NBC cop drama "Boomtown," and McDonough also made an impression as shell-shocked Buck Compton in "Band of Brothers," which Yost wrote for. Like most TV producers, Yost is fond of recycling actors who've done well for him in the past, and it's paid great dividends on this show.
Other than Boyd, I don't know that any one of them is individually as compelling a character as Mags was, but they're all strong in different ways. And when you add them all together and bounce different factions against each other, you get a show that is far from dull.
In fact, watching the first four episodes of this new season, there were moments where it almost felt like Raylan had become just another member of the ensemble, and that's a good thing. Olyphant is fantastic as the U.S. Marshal with the itchy trigger finger, but there are plenty of shows on television that have a great central character surrounded by cardboard cut-outs. Where something like "Dexter" flails about whenever Michael C. Hall isn't on the screen, "Justified" has found a way to be just as strong when the focus turns to any of the bad guys (or to Nick Searcy as Raylan's oft-frustrated boss Art Mullen) as it is when Raylan is wandering into a room and warning someone what will happen if he has to pull his gun.
And because Raylan was created by the great Elmore Leonard(**), he's defined as much by his brains as his toughness - as are the various bad guys he'll have to deal with this season. Both Raylan and Boyd begin the season diminished in some way - Raylan still recovering from a gunshot wound from last season's finale, Boyd struggling to rebuild his family's criminal empire from the ground up - yet they're able to thrive from positions of weakness because they are able to quickly identify all the angles of any situation they walk into.
(**) Fans of Leonard adaptations will get a treat in the second episode, which guest stars Carla Gugino as a thinly-disguised Karen Sisco, the character she played in the brilliant-but-canceled ABC drama of the same name (and that J-Lo played in "Out of Sight").
As in show's first two seasons, these early episodes play as a preamble. Raylan and his fellow Marshals work cases, some tied to what Boyd and company are up to back in Harlan County, some not, while the various criminal factions clash and scheme and realign for whatever's coming down the road. And the sheer number of colorful characters maneuvering keeps things lively.
Of our two new heavies, McDonough gets to be polished and Williamson rough. As he did with a memorable cameo at the end of FX's late, great "Terriers," McDonough shows just how dangerous a soft-spoken man in a tailored suit can appear - particularly when this man has his own skills with a gun. Williamson's Mr. Limehouse is pitched larger and louder, with an accent, bad teeth and a penchant for telling unsettling stories of the bad old days in his particular hollow. Both are superb.
The writing and acting that went into Mags Bennett gave the second season a kind of Southern Gothic grandeur that the two newcomers may not be able to match. But watching them run up against Raylan and Boyd and Dickie and everyone else early in season three was an awful lot of fun. I'll take that for now, and we'll see if there's some epic tragedy coming on down the line.
Alan Sepinwall may be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
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About This Blog
All through his childhood, Alan Sepinwall's relatives told his parents, "All that boy does is watch television! How's he going to make a living doing that?" His career as a TV critic has been 15 years and counting of his attempt to answer their concerns. "What's Alan Watching" is a blog whose title is self-explanatory: Alan watches TV shows, then writes about what he watched. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
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January 17, 2012 at 10:26AM EST Reply to CommentHow I've waited for this show! I hope the season continues the long-term character arc of Raylan and his inner conflicts in a believable manner as well.
Is Ava still in it? Or does that constitute a spoiler?
Ted Schmoesby sorry to troll...but where the deuce is the HIMYM review?? :)
January 17, 2012 at 2:01PM ESTjRoxy13 I don't think there will be a HIMYM review. Alan's taking two days off after TCA, so he said anything that posts was pre-written before that break, and anything that doesn't post and aired during that time won't be visited.
January 17, 2012 at 8:45PM ESTchip_christian
January 17, 2012 at 10:28AM EST Reply to CommentBoomtown! I knew I'd seen the two of them work together before. Looking forward to someone eating shrimp this season. Speaking of which, Gary Sinese could do some damage just as soon as the CSI franchise folds...
cyloncaprica
January 17, 2012 at 10:35AM EST Reply to CommentWhat about Erica Tazel and Jacob Pitts this season? Can I finally stop using the term "underused" when talking about their characters?
January 17, 2012 at 11:19AM ESTJonathan
January 17, 2012 at 11:20AM EST Reply to Comment@Sepinwall: Can I watch Justified season 3 without having seen the first two seasons, or will I just be totally lost? I know there are a few shows out there that I would never risk jumping into it in the middle of a series' run, and I'm not sure if this is one of them. Thanks.
sara For what it is worth, I think you could jump in. It is certainly worth watching the first two seasons, both because they are interesting and because they give depth to the characters, but I don't think you would be completely lost starting with this season.
January 17, 2012 at 12:03PM ESTTimm S Realizing the question was not intended for me, I'd say you'll still like it very much, although you'll miss a lot of the depth, particularly in the Boyd/Raylan arc. You should still find it a very enjoyable watch, but you need to see the first two seasons. They're wonderful.
January 17, 2012 at 1:00PM ESTJake Agreed w/the above. I would just add that you would be missing out on most of the dramatic moments of season 2 which was, for my money, one of the best drama seasons of the post-Wire/Sopranos/Shield era.
January 17, 2012 at 1:53PM ESTerinpayton I didn't watch the first season, but jumped into Season 2, which was amazing, and didn't have many problems catching up with back stories of the characters (except for Ava and Boyd...I was a little confused how they were related). I'd probably watch Season 2 before 3, but each one seems pretty all-inclusive.
January 17, 2012 at 2:41PM ESTjoshmassey No reason to jump in now in the days of DVD and DVR. Start from the beginning.
January 17, 2012 at 5:35PM ESTSabrina It's definitely one of those shows where you'd be missing out on so much awesomeness. Try the pilot. You will not regret it.
January 19, 2012 at 1:30AM ESTMicguar
January 17, 2012 at 11:34AM EST Reply to CommentIIRC, Alan mentioned that Neal McDonough's character is a gangster from Detroit who comes down to Harlan to try and become the new crime lord. If this is true, then I would like to applaud the writers for doing some research. Either that or synchronicity, because my Kentucky hometown (not Harlan) recently had some criminals from Detroit come down and try to take over things. It's certainly a lot more realistic than the Neo-Nazis back in season one.
Rev. Slappy It's also classic Elmore Leonard as he hails from Detroit and most of his writing is set in either Michigan or South Florida.
January 17, 2012 at 12:08PM ESTMicguar This is true.
January 17, 2012 at 4:54PM ESTbitchstolemyremote
January 17, 2012 at 11:46AM EST Reply to CommentCan't wait for new episodes. Still have to catch up on the final few episodes before tonight's premiere and then recap tomorrow!
conrad
January 17, 2012 at 12:05PM EST Reply to Commentdidn't think jan. 17 would ever get here!!
Tasteoftv
January 17, 2012 at 12:44PM EST Reply to CommentHillbilly Crime Lords, coming this fall to TLC.
Loretta_
January 17, 2012 at 1:08PM EST Reply to CommentI couldn't quite tell from this review--how many episodes have you seen? I couldn't tell if the potential "tragedy" you were referring to was something that you haven't yet seen of this season, or speculation for (what I assume is a likely) season 4?
Loretta_ And that's what I get for skimming. 4 episodes. Excuse my question. :)
January 17, 2012 at 1:18PM ESTTERRIER
January 17, 2012 at 1:28PM EST Reply to CommentDidn't Neal McDonough also figure into a small but sinister role in the climax of Terriers?
January 17, 2012 at 2:48PM ESTBen Kabak No.
January 17, 2012 at 3:24PM ESTCraig Ranapia
January 17, 2012 at 4:12PM EST Reply to CommentNo disrespect to McDonough and Williamson, but if you watch waaaay too much television the most inspired thing about Mags was the casting of Margo Martindale - a case study in how awesome casting against type can be. That said, I'm still really looking forward to seeing what they can do. I was expecting 'Justified' to be a train wreck, given how few Elmore Leonard adaptations catch his very specific tone and sensibility. For once, I'm very pleased to be proved wrong.
bearcouch
January 17, 2012 at 4:14PM EST Reply to CommentSome tough times around here, I'm glad Justified is back to cheer me up a bit. Thank you!
mcspinelli
January 17, 2012 at 5:37PM EST Reply to CommentI'm a big Justified fan and have read the "Raylon Givens Trilogy" of short stories by Elmore Leonard. I was and still hoping they'd leave Kentucky and focus on some of Raylan's Florida storylines. They have sprinkled in bits and pieces over the 2 seasons, but I was hoping for an appearance from Harry (If you don't know about Harry, read the short stories; they're only 150 pages each and are entertaining). Overall, I'm excited to start the new season tonight.
Morrolan
January 17, 2012 at 6:55PM EST Reply to CommentI disagree that having Raykan only be part of an ensemble is a good thing. He's compelling character, I watch the show for him (and Olyphant) not for Boyd or Mags etc
January 17, 2012 at 6:59PM ESTRob There's a new Raylan story in Playboy this month.
January 20, 2012 at 8:52AM ESTOaktown Girl
January 17, 2012 at 7:21PM EST Reply to CommentHurray for Justified being back! So glad to read that you are giving season 3 (so far) a positive review.
Because of my work schedule (and no DVR), I don't know if I'll be able to watch on Tuesday nights, so I probably won't get to participate in the weekly discussions. But I'll sure be reading the posts here...after I finally get the chance to see the episodes, that is.