Justified tells the story of Raylan Givens (played by Timothy Olyphant), a Deputy US Marshal. The character of Raylan was originally created by the late novelist Elmore Leonard and only appeared in three of his works: Two novels - Pronto (1993) and Riding the Rap (1995), and one novella - Fire in the Hole (which Justified is based on) which was included in the story collection, When the Women Come Out to Dance (2002). If you haven't had a chance to read these I would encourage you to make the time. Elmore Leonard was a fantastic writer. After you read the stories with Raylan in them check out his other work. You can find a complete list of Leonard's work here: Elmore Leonard complete works. Kudos to the show creator Graham Yost and his team of writers for always writing stories that embody Elmore Leonard and bring his characters to life.
The show began in 2010 with Raylan in Miami, FL. After he shot a criminal (a result of his quick draw - see it here: The Beginning / Quick Draw clip) he is sent back to his rural, coal-mining, hometown of Harlan, KY to work where he is assigned a case on his childhood friend Boyd Crowder (played by Walton Goggins). Check out the first introduction of Boyd here: Introduction of Boyd Crowder
The relationship between Raylan and Boyd has always been where the true entertainment of Justified lies. While Raylan has chosen the path of law enforcement, Boyd has become a career criminal, a criminal mastermind at that. These two may be on opposite sides of the law, but they are the same in many ways. They share a history of being friends and all the baggage that comes from being from Harlan.
I can not think of two other actors better suited to play Raylan and Boyd than Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins. These two are fantastic as these characters. They were believable and likable - despite their crazy shenanigans. You can't help but hope their journey continues with each episode. While the goal has always been for Raylan to get his man (Boyd), it's hard not to enjoy the game of cat and mouse these two play. I'm not sure if it would have been as entertaining with other actors in these roles and look forward to seeing both of them in their future endeavors.
Check out Timothy Olyphant's work here: Timothy Olyphant - IMDB
He has many credits to his name but some of my favorites are:
- Scream 2 (1997) (Yep, he was in the Scream franchise!)
- Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
- Hitman (2007)
- A Perfect Getaway (2009)
- Damages (TV series) (2009-2010)
Check out Walton Goggins' work here: Walton Goggins - IMDB
He also has many credits - here are some of my favorites:
- In the Heat of the Night (TV series) (1989-1992)
- Murder She Wrote: The Last Free Man (TV movie) (2001)
- The Shield (TV series) 2002-2008
- Straw Dogs (2011)
- Sons of Anarchy (TV series) (2013-2014) (He was AWESOME as Venus!)
Justified also had a great cast of supporting characters throughout the years. Don't worry, I'm not going to list all of them...just a few of my favorites.
Nick Searcy as Raylan's boss Art Mullen cracked me up in almost every episode. Can you imagine being Raylan's boss?? And I can't not mention Jacob Pitts as Deputy Tim Gutterson, and Erica Tazel as Deputy Rachel Brooks. These characters have pretty much been by Raylan's side from the beginning...and never had a problem telling Raylan exactly how the felt.
I have mixed feelings about Natalie Zea who played Winona Hawkins - Raylan's baby Mama. I love her as an actress, but while I really wanted to root for her and Raylan, I just couldn't. The real life part of me loves them together and is happy at the thought of them having their "happily ever after". But the TV lover in me wanted strife and discomfort between them, if not no relationship at all. Raylan is a better law man when he is unhappy and looking for happiness.
Joelle Carter was amazing as Ava Crowder. She has almost always played the devoted supporter / lover of Boyd but lately has been leaning a little more towards Raylan. There have been a lot of underlying tones with these three, and no matter how it plays out in the series finale, I'm sure it will be entertaining.
Jere Burns is fantastic as Wynn Duffy - but crazy as a loon. Neal McDonough played the devilish Robert Quarles. Both of these characters blended in perfectly in the Justified world. Here's a clip that highlights both of them with Raylan: Wynn Duffy and Robert Quarles
One of my favorite actors, Jim Beaver, spent 14 episodes as Sheriff Shelby Parlow, and made me hate his character in the process. Raymond J. Barry played Raylan's father Arlo Givens (such a lovable fellow - HA!). Damon Herriman played Dewey Crowe and Jeremy Davies played Dickie Bennett. Patton Oswalt played Constable Bob Sweeney (and was hilarious!). One of the most entertaining characters is Kaitlyn Dever as Loretta McCready, young and smart as a whip (as my Papa would have said). Watching her grow up on this show has been incredible. And the baddie of the current season has been none other than Sam Elliot as Avery Markham (who I really like better WITH a mustache).
Nick Searcy as Raylan's boss Art Mullen cracked me up in almost every episode. Can you imagine being Raylan's boss?? And I can't not mention Jacob Pitts as Deputy Tim Gutterson, and Erica Tazel as Deputy Rachel Brooks. These characters have pretty much been by Raylan's side from the beginning...and never had a problem telling Raylan exactly how the felt.
I have mixed feelings about Natalie Zea who played Winona Hawkins - Raylan's baby Mama. I love her as an actress, but while I really wanted to root for her and Raylan, I just couldn't. The real life part of me loves them together and is happy at the thought of them having their "happily ever after". But the TV lover in me wanted strife and discomfort between them, if not no relationship at all. Raylan is a better law man when he is unhappy and looking for happiness.
Joelle Carter was amazing as Ava Crowder. She has almost always played the devoted supporter / lover of Boyd but lately has been leaning a little more towards Raylan. There have been a lot of underlying tones with these three, and no matter how it plays out in the series finale, I'm sure it will be entertaining.
Jere Burns is fantastic as Wynn Duffy - but crazy as a loon. Neal McDonough played the devilish Robert Quarles. Both of these characters blended in perfectly in the Justified world. Here's a clip that highlights both of them with Raylan: Wynn Duffy and Robert Quarles
One of my favorite actors, Jim Beaver, spent 14 episodes as Sheriff Shelby Parlow, and made me hate his character in the process. Raymond J. Barry played Raylan's father Arlo Givens (such a lovable fellow - HA!). Damon Herriman played Dewey Crowe and Jeremy Davies played Dickie Bennett. Patton Oswalt played Constable Bob Sweeney (and was hilarious!). One of the most entertaining characters is Kaitlyn Dever as Loretta McCready, young and smart as a whip (as my Papa would have said). Watching her grow up on this show has been incredible. And the baddie of the current season has been none other than Sam Elliot as Avery Markham (who I really like better WITH a mustache).
Outside of Raylan and Boyd my favorite Justified character was Mags Bennett played by the fantastic Margo Martindale. This character was both entertaining and scary! I loved her talks with Raylan and found her love of apple pie moonshine hysterical. Check out this clip of when we first meet Mags.
We may say goodbye to new episodes of Justified tonight but I will continue to embrace these characters when watching them again (I have a tendency to do that with shows I really like). I will miss that silver-tongued chameleon Boyd and my favorite modern day gunslinger Raylan.
And finally, one more clip to remind you of Raylan's motto:
"You make me pull, I put you down.": A Tribute To Raylan
IMDB page: Justified IMDB page
