Still in Marking Hell but I needed to post this
Justified ends tonight (nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!) and two of the best tv critics I know have already posted a tribute to the FX series. Those pieces of writing that are both worth reading.
Noal Murray used to be the best reviewer on the AV Club, and he came back to his former house to deliver here a lovely tribute to the show.
I especially liked the way he talked about Boyd and Raylan:
"Yost and his writers haven’t shied away from confronting matters of class and race, or from asking whether’s Raylan’s really all that different from his loquacious nemesis, drug dealer Boyd Crowder. But Justified also hasn’t avoided answering that question, with an unequivocal, “Yes.” Boyd’s a devious opportunist who kills when it’s convenient, while Raylan-though he’s a self-centered prick who’s quick on the trigger-aims to do what he knows to be right.
Boyd’s a fun character, especially as played by the wiry Walton Goggins; and he’s even fairly sympathetic. Like a lot of criminals in pulp stories, Crowder dreams of piling up enough money to allow him to buy a big house and live the straight life with his true love, Ava. But relatable aspirations don’t make him any less deserving of punishment. Raylan, meanwhile, has never been an “antihero” of the type that’s dominated TV in the post-Sopranos era. He bends rules, drives his boss and coworkers crazy, and he’s clearly haunted by a childhood spent under the thumb of a cruel outlaw father. But he also closes cases, and as played by Timothy Olyphant he does it with a combination of quiet arrogance and vengefulness-as though he were trying to prove to everyone he grew up with that he’s better than them."
And, of course, I loved his use of the word "troubadour", and the ending of his post:
"Each season thus far has ended with a different version of Kentucky musician Darrell Scott’s “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” and over the past six years the series has established an aesthetic similar to a low-key guitar-slinging troubadour: making music so simple that it seems like anyone could do it. But not everyone is Darrell Scott, just like not everyone is Elmore Leonard. The main reason why Leonard was able to work so well within his own rules is that he had a vivid imagination and a masterful ear for dialogue, which meant he didn’t need much more than a twisty plot and some strong personalities to fill the page. Justified’s team has also trusted that this is enough. Like a great songwriter, they’ve just picked out a few chords, and then sung something honest."
Alan Sepinwall is one of the most revered tv critics and he's equally quick to sing the praises of the show in his farewell here. I'll leave you with this bit:
"But the writers never lost sight of who their hero was, and they let him show off the same cocky, stubborn, sarcastic demeanor against thugs big and small. They had a great character at the center, played by an actor who fit the role as perfectly as that hat fit his head".Oh yes, that was the perfect man for the perfect hat!
Noal Murray used to be the best reviewer on the AV Club, and he came back to his former house to deliver here a lovely tribute to the show.
I especially liked the way he talked about Boyd and Raylan:
"Yost and his writers haven’t shied away from confronting matters of class and race, or from asking whether’s Raylan’s really all that different from his loquacious nemesis, drug dealer Boyd Crowder. But Justified also hasn’t avoided answering that question, with an unequivocal, “Yes.” Boyd’s a devious opportunist who kills when it’s convenient, while Raylan-though he’s a self-centered prick who’s quick on the trigger-aims to do what he knows to be right.
Boyd’s a fun character, especially as played by the wiry Walton Goggins; and he’s even fairly sympathetic. Like a lot of criminals in pulp stories, Crowder dreams of piling up enough money to allow him to buy a big house and live the straight life with his true love, Ava. But relatable aspirations don’t make him any less deserving of punishment. Raylan, meanwhile, has never been an “antihero” of the type that’s dominated TV in the post-Sopranos era. He bends rules, drives his boss and coworkers crazy, and he’s clearly haunted by a childhood spent under the thumb of a cruel outlaw father. But he also closes cases, and as played by Timothy Olyphant he does it with a combination of quiet arrogance and vengefulness-as though he were trying to prove to everyone he grew up with that he’s better than them."
And, of course, I loved his use of the word "troubadour", and the ending of his post:
"Each season thus far has ended with a different version of Kentucky musician Darrell Scott’s “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” and over the past six years the series has established an aesthetic similar to a low-key guitar-slinging troubadour: making music so simple that it seems like anyone could do it. But not everyone is Darrell Scott, just like not everyone is Elmore Leonard. The main reason why Leonard was able to work so well within his own rules is that he had a vivid imagination and a masterful ear for dialogue, which meant he didn’t need much more than a twisty plot and some strong personalities to fill the page. Justified’s team has also trusted that this is enough. Like a great songwriter, they’ve just picked out a few chords, and then sung something honest."
Alan Sepinwall is one of the most revered tv critics and he's equally quick to sing the praises of the show in his farewell here. I'll leave you with this bit:
"But the writers never lost sight of who their hero was, and they let him show off the same cocky, stubborn, sarcastic demeanor against thugs big and small. They had a great character at the center, played by an actor who fit the role as perfectly as that hat fit his head".Oh yes, that was the perfect man for the perfect hat!