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.
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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.”
Why Justified is the Greatest Whiskey Show of All Time
While whiskey appears in many movies and TV shows, some make it more than prop, embedding it within the culture of the characters to reinforce key ideas. No show has done this better than
“Justified.” From the first episode, which premiered on FX on March 16, 2010, to the last, characters are frequently shown with a whiskey in hand, their drink choices reflecting their lifestyle, class, or attitude. Over six seasons and 78 episodes, it established itself as the preeminent show for whiskey lovers.
Set in Kentucky, “Justified” based on the Elmore Leonard short story “Fire in the Hole” had an ingrained way of featuring a dram. “Liquor is not a throwaway in the show,” David Blass, the show’s production designer, tells