'Justified' and the Battle of "Bloody Harlan"
Justified's second season finale, "Bloody Harlan," is a master class in acting, directing, writing, and American myth-making.
FX Networks
TV shows don’t get much cooler than
Justified, and TV protagonists don’t get much cooler than Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens, who’s brought to swaggering life by
Timothy Olyphant across the series’ six seasons. Fans of
Graham Yost’s neo-Western saga tend to discuss Raylan like a real-life folk hero, spreading tales of his badassery with awestruck reverence or boisterous enthusiasm. Eventually, the characters in the show start to do the same. He’s a cowboy for the ages, a word-of-mouth local legend, and a man who wears his body count like both a badge of honor and a red flag. Few chapters of his story are as thrilling and bone-deep satisfying as the series’ second season finale, “Bloody Harlan.”