Justified

Boyd Crowder and Raylan Givens’ eternal struggle will have audience members investing 6 seasons of their time into the FX original, Justified. The violent yet charismatic duo weave their connection deep into the fabric of the narrative. The dichotomy of good versus evil is prevalent throughout the entire series with Boyd and Raylan each taking their own respective sides of the line that are drawn in the sand.

Much of the narrative structure in Justified is centered around the meddling of the Crowder family in a range of criminal activities. The show’s writing manages to find a way to keep the audience engaged with new situations that Raylan and Boyd find themselves in. Often times their stories are interconnected with a rare episode featuring the duo completely disconnected. I never experienced narrative fatigue while the show maintained a similar structure for many episodes and for select seasons in the series. In the early seasons, Justified follows Raylan performing a variety of tasks that a US Marshall would be assigned to do. A new criminal and/or activity would be introduced to the show with many finding their immediate demise within the 44 minute runtime. The criminal in question would normally lead Raylan back to Boyd or a member of his family.

On the surface, you may dismiss Raylan as a Wild West reincarnate, finding every excuse that he can muster to neutralize criminals with hot lead but beneath his cowboy hat and behind Marshal’s badge, Raylan’s character may surprise audience members throughout the series. Raylan’s unquenchable thirst for justice drives his motivation through and through. The only force in the universe that can distract Raylan on a consistent basis from the Marshal service is his ex-wife.

If you’re looking for a clean cut, modern day western then Justified is the television show for you. Raylan’s inability to remove himself from his hometown will have you engaged with the back country drama that often ends in Raylan putting the criminal down with the iron on his hip. Have I piqued your interest? If I have, you can catch Justified on Hulu.