Raylan Givens is back in the third season premiere of FX’s Justified
Before I begin the recap of “The Gunfighter,” I just wanted to discuss my thoughts on the first two seasons of Justified so you know where I’m coming from. I liked but didn’t love the first season of the show. I was drawn to both Raylan Givens (Seth Bullock from Deadwood) and Boyd Crowder (Shane Vendrell from The Shield) but the mostly stand-alone episode nature of the show left me cold. Fortunately, the second season managed to improve on this by delivering great stand-alone episodes and an excellent overall story arc in the form of the terrifying Mags Bennett and her sons. The season point even approached the intensity of Breaking Bad at some points, which means I have very high expectations of this third season. Did the premiere deliver?
In one word: yes. In two words: hell yes. If the remaining twelve episodes are as good as this, then we’re in for another great season of Justified.
“The Gunfighter” picks up three weeks after the events of the second season finale. Raylan has been trying to adjust to being shot, which has resulted in him taking a backseat to the other marshals. The demise of the Bennett clan has resulted in a power vacuum in the marijuana business, which Ava, Arlo and Devil have been trying to fill with great difficulty. Boyd has got himself locked up after assaulting Raylan but it appears to be part of his masterplan to get Dickie Bennett, who has befriended Dewey Crowe in prison. There’s also a hitman named Fletcher Nix (Quinn from Dexter, now all sobered up and very deadly), who has come to Harlam to basically cause trouble for Raylan and a nameless Detroit gangster played by Neal McDonogh, who appears to be the big antagonist this season.
Like most premiere episodes, “The Gunfighter” focuses on the new status quo and spends most of its time setting up the potential conflicts that will arise in the rest of the season. The best scene occurred near the end, when Raylan and the pregnant Winona returned home to find Nix waiting for them. Nix challenged Raylan to the most one-sided shootout possible but Raylan gained the upperhand by employing the most clever tablecloth trick ever. This is why Raylan Givens will always win: he’s not just fast… he’s smart.
The episode ended with a small preview of things to come. This third season of Justified looks very exciting and I’m looking forward to Raylan meeting his new foes and of course, whatever Boyd has planned. Welcome back, Justified. I’ve missed you.
Image credit: FX
Craig McQuinn
Craig McQuinn is a poor student currently living in Australia. He was born in New Zealand and had to kill many wild animals to survive. He enjoys almost all forms of pop culture and his interests include superhero comics, TV shows on ...
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