As Justified’s second season came to a close, so did Margo Martindale’s brilliant turn as Raylan Givens’ biggest adversary, Mags Bennett. But as we’ve seen over the last year, for every question answered in Justified comes at least two more. Season one skillfully drew the lines of Harlan County’s backwoods criminal underground, and season two managed not only to expertly color them in, but greatly expand their horizons in the process. Now, in season three’s premiere, “The Gunfighter,” the writers of Justified were given their first chance to prove they haven't set the bar too high for Raylan to hang his hat on. That, they certainly did.
“The Gunfighter” opens innocently enough, as Raylan calls in Boyd Crowder to the office to discuss what happened to Mags’ weed. While there, Raylan refuses to serve up Dickie on a platter to Boyd, even after Boyd saved Raylan’s life from him. Before you know it, Boyd throws the first punch, and the fight carries them crashing through the office glass window. At this point, it almost feels like a harmless sibling rivalry, but we know better by now. There will be more to come of this in time. Left unsatisfied with Dickie’s fate, Boyd heads back to prison to do what he does best; plot, scheme, and stew.
Even behind bars, Boyd looms over the Crowder gang through Ava. Justified has slowly but steadily built Boyd and Ava into a force to be reckoned with, and she was given plenty of time to remind us of that tonight. When Arlo and Devil aren’t happy taking Boyd’s orders to burn their (molded and worthless) marijuana from Ava, she backhands Devil with a frying pan. One of Justified’s strengths is that it never lets its complex plot development overshadow or take the place of key character moments like this one, stitching them together so that the sum is greater than its parts.
With Boyd on the backburner, attention turns to what looks to be this season’s major overarching plot and the episode’s key components. Here, Justified takes a sharp turn out of “Bloody Harlan” and into the world of property moguls, Blackberries and secretaries. However, it doesn’t feel abrupt or forced. Neal McDonough’s turn as Detroit gangster Robert Quarles sets the table. At first, it may have appeared that the sharp, dead-eyed Fletcher “Ice Pick” Nix was this episode’s biggest new player. Doing his boss’ dirty work, he and Raylan square off in the finale, perhaps one of Justified’s most clever and satisfying scenes. Playground tricks don’t cut it against Raylan Givens, and Nix makes a quick exit.
Meanwhile, Quarles’ cunning plan of action not only gets him through this episode alive, but in a position where even the sneering big-shot Wynn Duffy has reason to fear him. Quarles gets the upper hand on his boss through the secretary, then rubs them both out in a flash. He asks Duffy with a smirk and a wink to the viewer, “You know me now?”
Well, we do now. And it’s only a matter of time before Raylan does too. A handful of TV critics have already revealed Quarles won’t be his singular nemesis this season, so Raylan and the viewer at home both will have a lot on their plates soon. But Justified makes it look so effortless that to call it a juggling act would be a disservice. With the foundation they laid tonight, it looks like they will continue to prove Elmore Leonard’s Harlan County is as captivating as anything else on television right now.
Tonight’s Raylan Givens’ Cowboy Hat Mentions: 3
Season Three Total Tally: 3
Raylan’s Zinger of the Night: “Well, this is a different conversation.”