I watch a great deal of television. My free time usually is split between social life and TV/movies. Weekly, I follow nine shows, one of which premiered last year called Justified.
Justified first caught my attention via a friend who was watching the pilot the day after its first airing on the FX network. I watched the show and was instantly overtaken by its use of urban vs rural and good vs bad binaries, along with its use of violence and sex. I originally only sat down to watch the show because of Timothy Olyphant, who is fantastic in Deadwood and (*SPOILER ALERT*) one of the two killers in Scream 2.[Scream series being one of the reasons I wanted to study film].
Since my first taste of Justified, I have been an avid viewer. However, currently in its second season the show seems to go unnoticed. I have thus so decided to take some time and highlight why people should watch Justified.
Starring Timothy Olyphant, Justified is about a U.S Marshall named Raylan Givens, who shoots a man while working in Miami and is thus transferred to working as a Marshall in his hometown that he hates. The story from thus point on focus on his past life and how it affects his present. Being a U.S Marshall, Raylan often clashes with his family and former friends, most of which are either married to criminals or are criminals.
As I have stated, the first thing that caught my attention to the show was the use of binary oppositions. The first one being the urban vs rural worlds. In the beginning, which starts in Miami, Raylan is the representation of the rural, his cowboy hat sticking out while he wears a suit. When Raylan is transferred. He becomes the urban man stuck in the rural world he once escaped. Whats so powerful about the show is that Raylan was raised to be a criminal, but his never wavering view of the law becomes something rare in crime shows these days, which often show cops who act on both sides of the law. The opposition of law is created later on in the series by the father son relationship. Raylan's father, war veteran and long time criminal, is essentially Raylan's foil. Raylan's father, Arlo. Through Arlo we see the reasoning for Raylan's actions. He doesn't want to become his father. The relationships position of good vs bad is unique for the show because unlike other shows where the law is forthright and justice is served, Justified shows these criminals more typically being killed by Raylan instead of facing the law. The accountable title of the show referring directly to that idea because all of the murders are justified as they were all (but not proven) guilty.
The show itself is appealing for so many different reasons. My focus upon the binaries comes from my first impression of the show back from last year and not my impression of the show in its current form. That does not necessarily mean I do not enjoy the second season the same as the first, its that my opinion of the show has yet to change.
I highly recommend this show because it offers something to everyone. While I would not recommend the show to someone who is highly right-wing, as the show blatantly attacks middle american culture, but it can be appreciated from many different levels.
Take time to view the pilot of the show and possibly follow the show I do. It has taken my heart over the past year and is the only thing I look forward to on Wednesdays.
Justified airs Wednesdays at 10pm est on FX Network.
