"You know 'tornado weather'? Sky turns green. And you KNOW something's comin'"
Raylan Givens gave Tommy Bucks a warning. Why does no one believe him? Reputations precede us, and Raylan's has been that of an impulsive man who shoots first and asks questions second. In two seasons of Justified, Givens (Timothy Olyphant) has done what he can to mend his previous ways. But with people like Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) and the Bennett clan running around the hills of Kentucky and shooting each other, can one really blame Raylan for wanting to clean up things for the greater good?
When FX canceled Terriers and then Lights Out after only one season, they needed a big bang from Justified's second season. They got that (and then some). What had been a show of a semi-episodic format during its first year, turned into a multi-layered drama of blood and bloodshed. After finishing in the low 2's in ratings in the first season, the show routinely challenged the 3 mark this year. A lot of that seems to be because of the inclusion of the sadistic Bennett family, led by matriarch Mags (Margo Martindale) as well as the starring status of previous antagonist Boyd.
At the end of the first season, Raylan had reluctantly worked with Boyd to take down Boyd's father Bo (M.C. Gainey) as well as fight off assassins from Miami that are aiming their guns for Raylan. The show did a smart thing by picking right up where the finale ended, with Raylan going back to Miami where he stood down the drug cartel that had been hunting him. The story of the season isn't that Raylan has to fear for his life because of the cartel. It isn't that Raylan goes on random U.S. Marshal missions that show him for what kind of lawman he is.
Instead, the second season is about the drama in the hills of Harlan, between the chaotic Bennett family, Black Pike mining and how everyone else fits into it. It carves out a tight community of eccentric civilians, many of whom have their own agenda, and then sets up against Raylan's life at the Marshal service (with the two intersecting at various times). Greed becomes the theme: how much money can the Bennett's get out of Black Pike, how can Raylan's father Arlo (Raymond J. Berry) prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with, and how long can Boyd avoid going down the familiar dark path?
The feud between the Bennett family and Boyd's own interests drives the story, and catches Raylan in the middle. For his part, Boyd attempts to go down a different path after his exploits in the first season. He agrees to help former sister-in-law, and Raylan's scorned ex-lover, Ava (Joelle Carter) with paying her mortgage and returns to his life as the mine's demolition expert. But greed always comes calling. He is recruited back into his old life, which in turns put him right in the crosshairs in the war for land between Black Pike and the Bennett's.
For his own part, Raylan attempts to find some semblance of a normal life with his ex-wife Winona (Natalie Zea), but her own greed puts him in the doghouse of the Marshal service. Winona comes to the realization that her life hasn't quite worked out in the way she hoped. She's going through a second divorce, and Raylan is still running around with his hat and gun like he hasn't a care in the world for her and their future. But Raylan has a soft side that plays out in the season, as he helps Loretta McCready (Kaitlyn Dever), a fourteen year old girl who's father is murdered by Mags in the season premiere, despite her initial reluctance. He knows what it is like to grow up in Harlan and knows the end game for Loretta if she doesn't have someone looking out for her. His friendship with her, while not particularly empathic, is a clear sign that he knows that his lifestyle and career choices are risky.
Justified's second season is filled with quirky and unique secondary characters, making the canvas come alive with realism. It isn't just Raylan vs. Boyd vs. Mags. It isn't just Winona, Ava and the Marshal service. There are the Bennett sons, causing their own path of terror by their greed and stupidity. There is Arlo with his water and oil relationship with Raylan, buoyed by Raylan's aunt Helen. There is Winona's estranged second husband Gary and his financial woes that began in the first season. There's dangerous loanshark Wynn Duffy. There's sexy Black Pike executive Carol Johnson, smoldering passion on-screen with Raylan while she hires Boyd as a bodyguard.
Season 2 becomes a story of the past drawing us back in, despite our better judgment. Raylan tries to move forward with his life, both as a Marshal and as a man. Boyd tries to prove himself as a man to himself and Ava. Mags wants to prove her family is the force of the mountain, despite her sons' impulsive decisions. These all come together where the decisions that are made may end up effecting everyone else for a long time to come.
Episode to watch: Bloody Harlan (Episode 2.13)
Episode to avoid: For Blood or Money (Episode 2.04)
Season MVP: Margo Martindale as Mags Bennett
Season Grade: A- (plenty of high end quality episodes and acting performances, easily moving the series from the semi-episodic format of Season 1 into a serialized "must see" drama)
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