The Coolest show of 2015

This year had quite a bit going on. I suppose looking back is a natural tendency and so the next few posts will probably be things that happened in 2015 that are worth talking about. I’m going to start with the end of the my favorite show, Justified.

Justified was a magnificent show from start to finish. I used to describe it as just a modern day Western. Certainly that’s there, but at it’s core it does much more than that. Channeling the genius of Elmore Leonard, the show constructs a world that we don’t see quite so often anymore. Where bad guys are bad and good guys are good and the choices they make they live and die by. The show follows one Deputy U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens (played by Timothy Olyphant), a man who lives by a code that doesn’t quite line up with the world he exists in, who is transferred to his home district of Kentucky. From there we meet Boyd Crowder (played by Walton Goggins) a man who dug coal with Raylan when they were younger. From there we see Boyd and Raylan’s lives take very different paths, yet they are similar and their lives are constantly intertwined. Repeatedly they come into conflict with their own ideals and goals and dreams as both with each other and the rest of the world. There are other characters you see that play prominent roles. Ava Crowder, the girl who starts off as a somewhat damsel in distress who grows due to her determination to survive in this world. There’s Art Mullen, the worn out, frustrated boss of Raylan, who has become a surrogate father figure for him. Raylan’s own father, Arlo Givens also plays a prominent role. Arlo, a small-time ill-tempered crook appears regularly on the show, reminding Raylan of who he is, where he came from and possibly also showing Raylan the only difference between him and the criminals he goes up against is the badge he wears.

There are a myriad of characters some appear for a moment and then disappear from the show entirely, others repeatedly show up and it is a delight to see them again and again (Dickie Bennett, and Dewey Crowe are notable examples). As each character comes and goes, you start to get an idea the central character isn’t necessarily Raylan, Boyd, Ava or anybody else so much as it is Harlan, Kentucky itself.

We see the county pull Raylan and the marshall service in and at the of each season the song “You’ll never leave Harlan alive” plays at the end of each season.

People often speak of The Wire, Lost, and just general HBO programming when talking about the “Golden Age of Television”, and this might be true, but Justified has quietly, but consistently constructed a wonderful story that plays out in a way one would more readily find in a novel than a television show.

This show ended this year after six seasons. I have rewatched it multiple times to the point where I almost know it by heart, laughing at the same old jokes, and marvelling at the cleverness of dialogue and enjoying the western gunfights that still happen. Justified is generally one of the cooler shows you’ll see. It’s worth a watch if you’re looking for something to watch in 2016.

What a Year it’s been! I just want to take a moment and thank my readers, also Artur Rosman, and Sam Rocha who have set me up with this blog. I didn’t think I’d be at a point where my writing was placed in any meaningful place. I look forward to blogging more in 2016, and thank those of you that read these. I hope it is as enjoyable for you as it is for me.