By Jeff Michael Vice

JUSTIFIED – Live-action drama developed by Graham Yost, based on characters created by Elmore Leonard; rated TV-MA; airs Tuesdays on FX; 60 minutes. Episode 5.3: “Good Intentions” (original airdate, Jan. 21, 2014). Directed by Dean Parisot, written by Benjamin Cavell (8 out of 10)

The story so far: After one high-profile shooting of a criminal too many, trigger-happy Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens has been re-assigned — from his home in drug-infested Miami to his now, more-overrun-by-drugs childhood home in eastern Kentucky (specifically, Harlan County). Back in semi-familiar territory, loose cannon Raylan butts heads with his new co-workers and his new, no-nonsense boss, Art Mullen, and also has an uneasy reunion with his estranged family members, as well as his childhood friend, Boyd Crowder, who has become a local drug kingpin.

In this episode: Raylan is still living in the lap of luxury, in the mansion owned by now-jailed, former Detroit “bag man” Charles Monroe. He’s also trying … still … to woo the lovely social worker, Allison. If only Boyd had it so easy. He’s confronted with crises on several fronts, not the least of which is finding out who intercepted an expected drug shipment from his new Canadian contacts and killed some of his men.

Things go from good to bad … or from entertaining to at least a little bit irritating … in hurry for Raylan in this episode. Not only does he get dressed down by his boss, Art, he also gets an unexpected, unwanted “roommate” at the Monroe compound: his fellow Deputy U.S. Marshal Rachel Brooks, whom Art has assigned to keep tabs on his most wayward employee.

But Art has his reasons for the wrist-slapping. Our hero (well, anti-hero) has gotten into a scrap  with Henry Granger, a baseball bat-toting thug who shows up at the mansion late one night, while Raylan is trying to finally bed Allison. He initially attributes the “scare tactics” to Monroe, who’s due to be released soon, but soon discovers his would-be lover has her own dark side.

Speaking of dark sides, Boyd is gradually losing control of his anger and his actions. He initially accuses his new partner, former “Dixie Mafia” leader Winn Duffy, of intercepting the drugs, only to discover that a former colleague may be the culprit.

And while Boyd continues to appease his jailed lover, Ava, he’s getting entangled with Mara, the Russian mail-order bride of Harlan mover-and-shaker Lee Paxton – the man he left comatose after an ill-fated business meeting.

Worse, there appears to be a bigger threat looming. Daryl Crowe Jr., newly arrived from the Sunshine State, has not only set sights on cousin Dewey’s ill-gotten, mini-fortune (a $300,000 court settlement for harassment and abuse, mostly from Raylan), he’s also clearly got designs on moving into Boyd’s territory. And Daryl has a similarly deadly way to deal with his competition.

This is easily the best of the third season episodes so far. To be fair, the others were set-up intensive, but it’s refreshing to see Raylan return to his screwing-and-shooting ways (he takes out some frustrations on poor Henry, who is seeking revenge on Allison). There are more office-bound scenes as well, including the aforementioned, dressing-down sequence, and a classic reaction from an exasperated, disgusted Rachel. (Sadly, sharpshooting Tim Gutterson is still nowhere to be seen.)

Credit filmmaker Dean Parisot (“GalaxyQuest”), who directed the episode, which deftly changes gears from serious to silly throughout. And an interrogation scene features what might be co-star Jere Burns’ best series moment, as well as the best use of a BB gun in television ever (trust me).  

And the show’s script editor, Benjamin Cavell, proves he’s got his fair share of writing skills as well. Among the episode’s best one-liners:

“So you’re protecting me from the situation you created?” (Wynn)

“Does this restaurant have blowjobs on the menu? Apples and oranges, man!” (Boyd)

“On second thought, I can see how someone paid 150 grand for those.” (Raylan)

“Please tell me that was a lucky guess.” (Raylan)

“You ain’t got curb appeal up in here.” (Daryl)

Overall rating: 8 out of 10

CAST:

The regular characters: Timothy Olyphant (Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens), Walton Goggins (Boyd Crowder), Nick Searcy (Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Art Mullen), Jacob Pitts (Deputy U.S. Marshal Tim Gutterson), Erica Tazel (Deputy U.S. Marshal Rachel Brooks), Jere Burns (Winn Duffy) and Joelle Carter (Ava Crowder)

Guest stars:  Xander Berkeley (Charles Monroe), Damon Herriman (Dewey Crowe), Scott Anthony Leet (Henry Granger), Michael Rapaport (Daryl Crowe, Jr.), Amy Smart (Allison) and Karolina Wydra (Mara Paxton)

Jeff Michael Vice, aka Jerk-bot, can be heard reviewing films, television programs, comics, books, music and other things as part of The Geek Show Podcast (www.thegeekshowpodcast.com), as well as be seen reviewing films as part of Xfinity’s Big Movie Mouth-Off (www.facebook.com/BigMovieMouthOff).

By Jeff Michael Vice

JUSTIFIED – Live-action drama developed by Graham Yost, based on characters created by Elmore Leonard; rated TV-MA; airs Tuesday nights on FX; 60 minutes. Episode 5.2: “The Kids Aren’t All Right” (original airdate, Jan. 14, 2014). Directed by Bill Johnson, written by Dave Andron (7 out of 10)

The story so far: After one high-profile shooting of a criminal too many, trigger-happy Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens has been re-assigned — from his home in drug-infested Miami to his now, more-overrun-by-drugs childhood home in eastern Kentucky (specifically, Harlan County). Back in semi-familiar territory, loose cannon Raylan butts heads with his new co-workers and his new, no-nonsense boss, Art Mullen, and also has an uneasy reunion with his estranged family members, as well as his childhood friend, Boyd Crowder, who has become a local drug kingpin.

In this episode: Raylan has his hands full with Loretta McCready, an orphaned teen he befriended after her father was killed by the murderous Bennett family. Meanwhile, Boyd faces the consequences of some of his recent actions, including the near-fatal beating of one of Harlan’s movers and shakers.

Things go from good to bad quickly for Raylan, who discovers that Loretta has gotten mixed up in the drug trade, and has been busted for selling pot to the son of a police officer. She’s also pulled a con on the wrong people, a pair of shoot-first, ask-question-later drug suppliers. One plus for Raylan, who’s inclined to let the teen rot behind bars: The new social worker who’s been assigned to Loretta’s case is Allison, and there are definitely some sparks there.

Meanwhile, Boyd and his new partner, “Dixie Mafia” leader Winn Duffy, still haven’t received the drug shipment they were promised by their new Canadian contacts. While the two try to quell an uprising among mid-level drug dealers they’ve been using as distributors, Boyd is also being harassed by a vengeance-seeking lawman and is blackmailed by the gold-digging, Russian wife of the wealthy, now-comatose Lee Paxton.

Unlike last week’s set-up-heavy season premiere, this episode pretty much hits the ground running. We also get to see some welcome, returning faces, including the conniving Loretta and the clearly ambitious Daryl Crowe Jr. (Michael Rapaport), and at least get some brief appearances by Raylan’s fellow Deputy U.S. Marshals, Tim and Rachel. (Plus, we get more interaction between Raylan and his Art, which is always an episode highlight.)

More new characters are added to the mix, such as guest stars Amy Smart (the “Crank” movies), who plays Loretta’s alluring case worker, and veteran RV heavy Xander Berkeley. And sharp-eyed viewers of the well-regarded HBO series “The Wire” will recognize that show’s drug kingpin, Wood Harris, who turns up here in the role of a smart-mouthed pot dealer that’s also looking for Loretta.

On the intrigue side, there’s some mystery about who’s been intercepting Boyd’s drug shipments, and there’s some question of how loyal he really is to his jailed lover, Ava. (She’s about to go on trial for a murder that Boyd committed.) As for Raylan, he’s now enjoying the perks associated with living in the mansion of a former Detroit-connected criminal, which is a refreshing change from his current living quarters, above a noisy college bar.

It’s yet another solidly entertaining episode of one of television’s most enjoyable and witty police dramas, albeit one with less shooting and screwing than usual. This one also has a few several surprises in store for regular viewers. Among the best zingers/one-liners: “I’ve got a gun … Get out of my car!” and “People who talk this much usually wind up in the trunk.”

Overall rating: 7 out of 10

CAST:

The regular characters: Timothy Olyphant (Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens), Walton Goggins (Boyd Crowder), Nick Searcy (Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Art Mullen), Jacob Pitts (Deputy U.S. Marshal Tim Gutterson), Erica Tazel (Deputy U.S. Marshal Rachel Brooks), Jere Burns (Winn Duffy) and Joelle Carter (Ava Crowder)

Guest stars:  Sam Anderson (Lee Paxton), Kaitlyn Dever (Loretta McCready), Damon Herriman (Dewey Crowe), James Le Gros (Wade Messer), Michael Rapaport (Daryl Crowe, Jr.), Amy Smart (Allison) and Karolina Wydra (Mara Paxton)

Jeff Michael Vice, aka Jerk-bot, can be heard reviewing films, television programs, comics, books, music and other things as part of The Geek Show Podcast (www.thegeekshowpodcast.com), as well as be seen reviewing films as part of Xfinity’s Big Movie Mouth-Off (www.facebook.com/BigMovieMouthOff).

By Jeff Michael Vice

Quoting the show’s theme song, by Gangstagrass: “I see them long, hard times to come!”

“Justified,” the acclaimed, semi-popular FX Networks drama about lawless law men and even more lawless, drug-running criminals in eastern Kentucky, will end in 2015.

The program, which uses characters and setting created by late author Elmore Leonard (in the short story “Fire in the Hole”), follows Raylan Givens, a trigger-happy, Deputy U.S. Marshal played by Timothy Olyphant.

After shooting one criminal suspect too many, the loose-cannon character finds himself  re-assigned  from his home in drug-infested Miami to his now, more-overrun-by-drugs childhood home in eastern Kentucky (specifically, Harlan County). Back in semi-familiar territory, loose cannon Raylan butts heads with his new co-workers and his new, no-nonsense boss, Art Mullen, and also has an uneasy reunion with his estranged family members, as well as his childhood friend, Boyd Crowder, who has become a local drug runner.

The show recently returned for its fifth season (read the Big Shiny Robot! recap/review of the first, fifth-season episode here: https://bigshinyrobot.com/56793/tv-reviewrecap-justified/). But FX Networks officials announced on Tuesday that the sixth season will be its last.

During an FX Networks spotlight at the TCA press tour in Pasadena, FX CEO John Landgraf, told Entertainment Weekly and other television writers that the decision was made by the show’s creators and not the network, saying that he “regretfully accepted their decision.”

According to Landgraf, “Justified” developer and show runner Graham Yost and star/producer Olyphant had the final say in the matter. “We talked about it a year ago and they felt that the arc of the show and what they had to say would be served by six seasons instead of seven,” he said.

For those who haven’t seen the program, it’s one of the better-written, police-centric dramas currently on the air. Despite its deceptively simple trappings, “Justified” mixes socio-political commentary, character drama and humor and some very strong performances (from Olyphant, co-stars Walton Goggins and Nick Searcy, and an array of guest stars, among them Margo Martindale, Patton Oswalt, Neal McDonough and Michael Rapaport).

It’s also constantly re-inventing itself. The first season established the characters and the character of its peculiar setting. The second (and arguably, best) season featured Martindale as the matriarch of deadly pot growers and moonshiners. The third pitted Raylan and his fellow U.S. Marshals against the “Dixie Mafia.” And the fourth re-established Raylan’s childhood friend, Boyd Crowder (Goggins) as a major threat.

And yes, the announcement of the show’s end comes as a huge shock, considering how new the current season is, as well as announcements last year that FX had renewed it for the foreseeable future. But at least we get the remainder of this 13-episode season and another, debuting presumably next January. After that? “Long, hard times to come” indeed!

Jeff Michael Vice, aka Jerk-bot, can be heard reviewing films, television programs, comics, books, music and other things as part of The Geek Show Podcast (www.thegeekshowpodcast.com), as well as be seen reviewing films as part of Xfinity’s Big Movie Mouth-Off (www.facebook.com/BigMovieMouthOff

By Jeff Michael Vice

JUSTIFIED – Live-action drama developed by Graham Yost, based on characters created by Elmore Leonard; rated TV-MA; airs Tuesday nights on FX; 60 minutes. Episode 5.1: “A Murder of Crowes” (original airdate, Jan. 7, 2014). Directed by Michael Dinner, written by Graham Yost and Fred Golan (7 out of 10)

The story so far: After one high-profile shooting of a criminal too many, trigger-happy Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens has been re-assigned — from his home in drug-infested Miami to his now, more-overrun-by-drugs childhood home in eastern Kentucky (specifically, Harlan County). Back in semi-familiar territory, loose cannon Raylan butts heads with his new co-workers and his new, no-nonsense boss, Art Mullen, and also has an uneasy reunion with his estranged family members, as well as his childhood friend, Boyd Crowder, who has become a local drug runner.

In this episode: Raylan returns to Miami, where he’s partnered with another lawman, Sutter, as they investigate illegal sweetener smuggling (yes, really) and the disappearance of a corrupt Coast Guard officer. The trail leads the duo to the doorstep of Daryl Crowe, Jr., the cousin of Raylan’s frequent, favorite whipping boy, Dewey Crowe.

Daryl and his legal eagle sister, Wendy, quickly shift suspicions away from themselves, and to yet another Crowe, Dilly, and his Cuban associate, Elvis Machado. But, after consulting with a mysterious Haitian (played by “X-Men: First Class” co-star Edi Gathegi), Daryl decides to deal with dopey brother Dilly personally, as Raylan and Sutter close in on the elusive Elvis.

Meanwhile, Boyd – who’s entered an uneasy alliance with Winn Duffy – heads to Detroit, as they check out why they didn’t receive their latest drug shipment. (Heavily armed truck drivers initially get the drop on Boyd and his men, who manage to survive the encounter. Though not without some damage — Boyd nearly has his ear shot off during the melee!)

By the time their Detroit adventure is over, Boyd and Winn are unclear whether they’ll be able to get further shipments. Their new connections are two Canadian drug kingpins, played by comedians Dave Foley and Will Sasso, who sound less than enthusiastic about venturing into Kentucky coal country.

Worse, a clearly frustrated Boyd hits dead end after dead end as he attempts to free his jailed lover, Ava, who’s being held in connection with a murder he actually committed. With nowhere else to turn, Boyd turns to an unlikely source for help: shady businessman Lee Paxton, who’s still bearing a grudge against him for some of his Season 4 actions.

Series developer Graham Yost co-wrote the slightly longer episode, which is very heavy on set-up, and which tries to tie up a few dangling threads from the series’ quite-excellent fourth season. Yost, co-writer Fred Golan (a “Justified” regular) and director Michael Dinner (also an executive producer on the show) have to juggle a huge number of new characters, including Daryl Crowe, played by character actor Michael Rapaport.

It’s obvious that Daryl be a recurring character and villain this season, as witnessed by his rather vicious dispatching of Dilly, though whether the conniving Wendy will return appears to be up in the air at this point. The same goes for Koechner’s nice-guy cop character, who (spoiler alert!) doesn’t mean the tragic end his dialogue would suggest for him. Not yet at least.

Unfortunately, their additions means there’s virtually nothing for some of the series regulars to do. Jacob Pitts and Erica Tazel, who play Raylan’s fellow marshals, are no-shows, and the always-welcome Nick Searcy, who plays Art, appears only briefly. And Natalie Zea, who’s been in previous seasons as Raylan’s ex-wife, is pretty much written out of the show.

And for one episode, the ironically titled “Murder of Crowes” throws so many plot developments out there that it may take the entire, 13-episode season just to resolve them all.

Those complaints aside, as always, there’s a good balance of snarky one-liners and character- and situation-based dark humor. Raylan continues to bedevil poor Dewey, who’s won a hefty court settlement based on the physical and other abuse he’s received from our hero throughout the series run. (Among this episode’s better zingers: “That’s 300,000, you nitwit,” “You and Wade are the only pussies in this whorehouse” and “You are talking about the same guy that thought he had four kidneys.”)

It’s still a solid episode and an intriguing one with several surprises in store for regular viewers. And, regardless of anything else in the episode, it’s worth it to tune in simply to see touching tributes – from actors Olyphant and Goggins, primarily — to writer Elmore Leonard, who created several of these characters and situations in his short story “Fire in the Hole” (which served the basis for the series’ first episode).

It’s still a solid episode, albeit one with less shooting and screwing than usual, and an intriguing one with several surprises in store for regular viewers. And, regardless of anything else in the episode, it’s worth it to tune in simply to see touching tributes – from actors Olyphant and Goggins, primarily — to writer Elmore Leonard, who created several of these characters and situations in his short story “Fire in the Hole” (which served the basis for the series’ first episode).

Overall rating: 7 out of 10

CAST:

The regular characters: Timothy Olyphant (Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens), Walton Goggins (Boyd Crowder), Nick Searcy (Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Art Mullen), Jacob Pitts (Deputy U.S. Marshal Tim Gutterson), Erica Tazel (Deputy U.S. Marshal Rachel Brooks) and Joelle Carter (Ava Crowder)

Guest stars: Jere Burns (Winn Duffy), Damon Herriman (Dewey Crowe), David Koechner (Deputy Sutter), Michael Rapaport (Daryl Crowe, Jr.), Alicia Witt (Wendy Crowe) and Natalie Zea (Winona Hawkins)

Jeff Michael Vice, aka Jerk-bot, can be heard reviewing films, television programs, comics, books, music and other things as part of The Geek Show Podcast (www.thegeekshowpodcast.com), as well as be seen reviewing films as part of Xfinity’s Big Movie Mouth-Off (www.facebook.com/BigMovieMouthOff).