random: Justified, season one
Recently needing some escapist brain-candy, and, as a result of some comments with bitterlimetwist, having a Timothy Olyphant jones (although Timothy Olyphant alone is enough for that sort of thing to occur), I succumbed to watching the back half of Justified S1. Following my less-than-enamoured response to the pilot, my desultory watching of episodes got me to
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Interesting take. I mean, yes, I see that she wants him, and wants him to protect her, and she's doing what she can to make that happen. And she learned a few tricks from the Crowders. Is that the extent of manipulation you meant, or deeper?
Raylan handles their breaking the law with the sensitivity of a man who's been there, done that
I'm okay with the cases, particularly as the season progressed, and where they used the old frenemies, I liked it. (If they were pulling their punches in order to use their real payload next season, so much the better.) But Raylan sympathising with the schmoes because he's been in the same spot ... mm, I'm not seeing that one. Which goes to the anger thing, too -
but his anger is smoldering
- totally agreed, and the more I think about that, I'm content to see how they play it out, as you say, in the long run -
and his anger is 100% aimed ... at himself.
- hm. I don't see that, either. As I mull it over (and, I admit, slowly give some of the episodes a second watch), I think Raylan's angry at the world for being the way it is. I mean, he HATES his father, and it could be assumed that that's who he's most angry at, because that's how it usually happens (I'm thinking the Nate Ford model here). But I think he actually knows his father too well to be all that angry at him - or surprised when he double crosses him.
The way I currently read it is Raylan's boyhood with his dad convinced him that there are two kinds of people in the world: the herd, and the predators. His code, his check on himself to make sure what he does is justified, is in place because he knows he's a predator. But he's determined to be a shepherd, which is after all the light face of the predator coin. And, having watched a predator among the herd his entire growing years, he's very clear on the distinction, and what is required to stop them. However, he knows that sometimes the herd get caught up among the predators', and it's these guys he shows mercy to, protecting them as a shepherd should. Even Dewy, in his own way.
This way, he can safely and righteously channel his anger at predators. But I don't see the kind of anger at himself, or regret, he'd have if he'd done anything to consciously prey on people. And I don't see that fear of powerlessness that comes with being in a "but I had to" situation. Yeah, he's torn up about the consequences of the release of Boyd, which was his fault, but I also see that as something he never realised could happen - because he's never done something that's gone so much out of his control like that before.
That's my take on it, anyhow. I think he's a through-and-through crusader, not an atoner.
Hee, I ramble, you ramble, I ramble ... I like.
hat he the "most angry man she's ever known" made that scene hilarious to me because it made me think momentarily of all those other characters ... she's seen that anger and she knows where it came from and why he has it
Yeah ... I'm beginning to think that it was the pilot that really jacked up a lot of this stuff. If she'd never had to come out and SAY it like that, I think the discovery would have worked a lot better. Especially with Olyphant to play it out as he felt appropriate.
people complained that Dean was flat in season one. These kinda guys take time to come out of their shell.
Ah, see, that's a problem for me - I never found Dean flat. His internal life was right there to be seen the whole time. But I agree the actors are on par and I think we WILL get there. And watching the pretty in the meantime is not so very onerous, I suppose, if that's what it takes.... Our work is never done, is it?
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