4. Justified
Justified is in my mind an ode to Timothy Olyphant and his (underrated) talent as one of the best character actors around. Olyphant owns this show every episode with his witty delivery and old-fashioned western sense of justice as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. And, season 4 was just more of an example of that.
As his character struggled through the idea of becoming a father and his relationship with ex-wife, Winona (Natalie Zea), fell further into the pitfalls as a side effect of his all-encompassing job, we saw a different side of him emerge. It’s almost as if for the first time he realized the extent that the domino effect could take as a result of his often callous actions. This was a case where he was able to save the day, but it did seem to shake his sense of self and opened him up to a new perspective – something that I’m sure his fictitious co-workers can appreciate as much as viewers themselves.
Another great feature of this season was the addition of some new faces. Most notable was Patton Oswalt, who joined the cast of Justified as the quirky Constable Bob. Everything about him screamed in contrast to Olyphant’s character, and the on-screen interactions between the two added a lot to the overall development of the season.
With Justified returning for its fifth season in January 2014, it’ll be interesting to see where Raylan lands in his personal life and how that effects him in other areas. Will he be able to continue with the same no consequence bravado he’s always made use of, or will he become a tamer version of the character we’ve grown to appreciate?