Reasons You Should Be Watching Justified

Reasons You Should be Watching JUSTIFIED

1)      Raylan Givens. Raylan is a US Marshal who is under investigation for a questionable shooting, so he's been reassigned to the area where he grew up. In doing so, he encounters ghosts from the past, including his ex-wife, now married to a Realtor (the way they say it is a hoot), his con-man father, and the man he used to dig coal with, now a white supremacist. Raylan is a sharp-shooter, but he usually tries other means of resolving a conflict before he draws. My favorite quote is to Boyd: "You make me pull, I'll put you down." He's famous for his hat and boots, out of place in Kentucky, but that only adds to the air of confidence. And then there's the voice. I've heard him raise his voice twice in 15 episodes—once out of fear and once out of frustration.

2)      Raylan and Boyd. Boyd Crowder is the man he used to dig coal with, and they have a camaraderie that goes back—only now Raylan's a marshall, and Boyd likes to "steal money and blow sh** up." Boyd is by far my favorite villain—he's also a smooth talker, especially when he finds Jesus. His choice of words is hilarious, and his enunciation is deliberate. I can't take my eyes off the screen when he's on—I'm always so happy when he's in an episode. He's Raylan's best foil.

3)      Raylan and Arlo. Arlo is Raylan's daddy, who apparently used to beat him. The man is a small-time criminal who tries and fails again and again to make it big. He's been in and out of jail all Raylan's life. Raylan left when he was young and hasn't looked back. Now that he's home, he has to face some of his past with his father. I love Arlo. He's a bad son of a gun, but fascinating to watch.

4)      Raylan and Winona. Winona left Raylan for Gary the Realtor, and now Winona, a court reporter, works in the same building as Raylan. Their encounters range from angry to sexy to needy. They have great chemistry and I'm interested to know more about their past.

5)      Dialogue. Justified is based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, who has a hand in the production of the show. The dialogue is rich and smart and quick. I have to wonder how big those scripts must be.

6)      Secondary characters. Dewey Crow, Aunt Helen, and now Mags and Dickey Bennett add another terrific layer.