Top 10 Reasons Why Boyd Crowder is Awesome Sauce.
The season of Justified is winding down. Which is sad. But also nice. Because I'd rather have it short and sweet than long and drawn out to the point where a show is just a shell of itself. So anyway...as the season comes to a close, I want to reflect. Reflect on the character that has become one of my favorite fictional characters ever. So I thought I'd do a top 10 and in no particular order.
10) He's smarter than you. I think a tired TV trope is one about the character who is smarter than you but is socially inept or goofy or something to make them more relate-able or at least more sympathetic. So what if House is a genius, he's got a terrible beside manner. Who cares if Bones is super smart, she would be totally lost without Booth. Boyd is smart and he's socially competent. And because he is clever, he knows how to work situations to his advantage. But its never in an annoying sort of way or showy sort of way. I mean his actions are showy, but not the thought he puts behind them. The only reason he's not taking over the world is because he never had the opportunity to do so.
9) He uses words. This is what drew me into the character in the first place. For being a small town racist neo-nazi he had a remarkable vocabulary. And the weirdest part is, it totally works. I don't think I'd ever heard the word 'alacrity' used outside a paper in my life, yet he uses it like its all casual. I imagine that being friends with Boyd would be slightly annoying if he started using random big words and you had no idea what they were. I suppose it totally contradicts my last statement about him not being showy about being smart, but I think in this case, its a subtle reminder to his cronies that he is indeed smarter than they are. And not only does he have a big vocabulary, he knows how to use it. He knows how to use words. He understands the power of words. He knows how to work a crowd. One of the main differences between Raylan and Boyd I think is the way Boyd uses words. People are likely to follow Raylan because they trust him, people are likely to follow Boyd just because he can make you believe that he's worth following.
8) He's shit at fighting. This seems like a ridiculous statement considering the first time we met Boyd he shot a dude in the back of the head for absolutely no reason. And hell maybe he was violent in the previous days, but outside of that time, mostly he just gets the shit beat out of him. I can think of three instances where he's been in a physical altercation, and he's lost terribly at them all. First one in jail, his daddy had to save him. Second time his daddy got Johnny to beat the shit out of him. Third time Ava had to come to the rescue. I'm not saying he isn't capable of killing. If you give him a gun and a reason to shoot he will, but I also think that because he's smart he realizes he isn't really an intimidating physical presence without a gun. He weapon of choice is his brain, with his gun being a handy second.
7) He dances. I don't think this needs much explanation but god help me if I don't love any guy that has no shame in getting up and dancing just because he's happy.
6) He's crazy. Volatile. Explosive. Untrustworthy. Really everything that would have me running the other way if he was a real human. But because he's fictional it makes him amazing.
5) He changed. It could be said that he tried and he failed. But he also succeed in the ways that mattered. I think there is a fundamental change from Boyd in the pilot episode and this Boyd. I think he's grown up in the way that he understands himself. I watch a lot of television, and usually what happens is that characters don't grow...they regress. Or they turn in to caricatures of themselves. Granted Justified has not been on air long enough for anyone to be a caricature, but still. Boyd grew enough in a way that you didn't feel bad about rooting for him. They managed to take a hateful character and organically change him into a better version of himself.
4) Ava. I had never even kind of thought of them as a pair until the season finale. And then he apologized and then there was the scene where they were in the house getting shot at he was looking out for her, and I was like woah they kind of sparkle. But I didn't expect anything to happen because he's Boyd and Ava. But then they were living together and she was so firm and he was so quiet and then they became friends and he actually grew because of the friendship. And he let her make the first move and he's honest and I suppose we haven't seen enough of their relationship in action to really make any further observation, but the two scenes we got in the last episode were lovely. First when he conceded the no whores bit. The way he sort of smiled and then sighed and it was so CUTE. Who would have thought Boyd could be cute? And then the scene where Johnny first mentions Bo, Boyd glances at her, and then he brings up Bowman and Boyd is all "Johnny" warningly and then when he can tell she's upset he goes to comfort her. Sigh.
3) Raylan. It seems ridiculous but sometimes I get bored and just go back and watch all the scenes they have together because they seriously work the absolute BEST together. I love how calm and cool Raylan is always a little confused as how to handle Boyd and Boyd depending on his mood is either having fun winding him up a bit or slightly irritated at his interference but always a little hurt at the lack of trust that Raylan has. Though seriously, can you blame him? Mostly though I love how they understand each other so well, and I do genuinely believe there is an affection of sorts there. I am firmly on the camp that Raylan missed Boyd's heart on purpose. Outside of the interactions themselves, they have so much history that my imaginative mind just explodes with all the possible stories to make up for them. There relationship is by far my favorite part of the show.
2) Walton Goggins. I don't really get involved with actors. I say involved like I know them on a personal level, but really, I like to keep actors and characters separate. Mostly because I end up realizing that they are two separate entities and more often than not the actors interpretation always manages to irritate me. And also, and this is a terrible generalization, but usually actors are way lamer than the characters they portray. Goggins is the happy exception. Mostly because he's like a real life less maniacal version of Boyd. Pretty much the dude is balls out awsome sauce and I can't think of any other actor who seems to connect to their character they way he has. I mean you read interviews and he's just so engrossed in making Boyd so very Boyd that its impossible not to respect him.
1) He's Boyd Crowder.
10) He's smarter than you. I think a tired TV trope is one about the character who is smarter than you but is socially inept or goofy or something to make them more relate-able or at least more sympathetic. So what if House is a genius, he's got a terrible beside manner. Who cares if Bones is super smart, she would be totally lost without Booth. Boyd is smart and he's socially competent. And because he is clever, he knows how to work situations to his advantage. But its never in an annoying sort of way or showy sort of way. I mean his actions are showy, but not the thought he puts behind them. The only reason he's not taking over the world is because he never had the opportunity to do so.
9) He uses words. This is what drew me into the character in the first place. For being a small town racist neo-nazi he had a remarkable vocabulary. And the weirdest part is, it totally works. I don't think I'd ever heard the word 'alacrity' used outside a paper in my life, yet he uses it like its all casual. I imagine that being friends with Boyd would be slightly annoying if he started using random big words and you had no idea what they were. I suppose it totally contradicts my last statement about him not being showy about being smart, but I think in this case, its a subtle reminder to his cronies that he is indeed smarter than they are. And not only does he have a big vocabulary, he knows how to use it. He knows how to use words. He understands the power of words. He knows how to work a crowd. One of the main differences between Raylan and Boyd I think is the way Boyd uses words. People are likely to follow Raylan because they trust him, people are likely to follow Boyd just because he can make you believe that he's worth following.
8) He's shit at fighting. This seems like a ridiculous statement considering the first time we met Boyd he shot a dude in the back of the head for absolutely no reason. And hell maybe he was violent in the previous days, but outside of that time, mostly he just gets the shit beat out of him. I can think of three instances where he's been in a physical altercation, and he's lost terribly at them all. First one in jail, his daddy had to save him. Second time his daddy got Johnny to beat the shit out of him. Third time Ava had to come to the rescue. I'm not saying he isn't capable of killing. If you give him a gun and a reason to shoot he will, but I also think that because he's smart he realizes he isn't really an intimidating physical presence without a gun. He weapon of choice is his brain, with his gun being a handy second.
7) He dances. I don't think this needs much explanation but god help me if I don't love any guy that has no shame in getting up and dancing just because he's happy.
6) He's crazy. Volatile. Explosive. Untrustworthy. Really everything that would have me running the other way if he was a real human. But because he's fictional it makes him amazing.
5) He changed. It could be said that he tried and he failed. But he also succeed in the ways that mattered. I think there is a fundamental change from Boyd in the pilot episode and this Boyd. I think he's grown up in the way that he understands himself. I watch a lot of television, and usually what happens is that characters don't grow...they regress. Or they turn in to caricatures of themselves. Granted Justified has not been on air long enough for anyone to be a caricature, but still. Boyd grew enough in a way that you didn't feel bad about rooting for him. They managed to take a hateful character and organically change him into a better version of himself.
4) Ava. I had never even kind of thought of them as a pair until the season finale. And then he apologized and then there was the scene where they were in the house getting shot at he was looking out for her, and I was like woah they kind of sparkle. But I didn't expect anything to happen because he's Boyd and Ava. But then they were living together and she was so firm and he was so quiet and then they became friends and he actually grew because of the friendship. And he let her make the first move and he's honest and I suppose we haven't seen enough of their relationship in action to really make any further observation, but the two scenes we got in the last episode were lovely. First when he conceded the no whores bit. The way he sort of smiled and then sighed and it was so CUTE. Who would have thought Boyd could be cute? And then the scene where Johnny first mentions Bo, Boyd glances at her, and then he brings up Bowman and Boyd is all "Johnny" warningly and then when he can tell she's upset he goes to comfort her. Sigh.
3) Raylan. It seems ridiculous but sometimes I get bored and just go back and watch all the scenes they have together because they seriously work the absolute BEST together. I love how calm and cool Raylan is always a little confused as how to handle Boyd and Boyd depending on his mood is either having fun winding him up a bit or slightly irritated at his interference but always a little hurt at the lack of trust that Raylan has. Though seriously, can you blame him? Mostly though I love how they understand each other so well, and I do genuinely believe there is an affection of sorts there. I am firmly on the camp that Raylan missed Boyd's heart on purpose. Outside of the interactions themselves, they have so much history that my imaginative mind just explodes with all the possible stories to make up for them. There relationship is by far my favorite part of the show.
2) Walton Goggins. I don't really get involved with actors. I say involved like I know them on a personal level, but really, I like to keep actors and characters separate. Mostly because I end up realizing that they are two separate entities and more often than not the actors interpretation always manages to irritate me. And also, and this is a terrible generalization, but usually actors are way lamer than the characters they portray. Goggins is the happy exception. Mostly because he's like a real life less maniacal version of Boyd. Pretty much the dude is balls out awsome sauce and I can't think of any other actor who seems to connect to their character they way he has. I mean you read interviews and he's just so engrossed in making Boyd so very Boyd that its impossible not to respect him.
1) He's Boyd Crowder.