Product Description In the aftermath of the deadly showdown that freed Harlan County from the Crowder family crime reign, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens must now take on even greater criminal forces looking to seize power - including hellbent nemesis Boyd Crowder and the arrival of brutal, new adversary Mags Bennett (Emmy® Winner Margo Martindale). Filled with treacherous twists at every turn... the second season of "Justified" proves "spectacularly entertaining" (TV Guide) and has established itself as a show for the ages. .com The sophomore season of Graham (The Pacific) Yost's hardboiled neo-Western series Justified is a worthy companion piece to its stellar first season, and at times even surpasses its predecessor thanks to some terrific performances. Timothy Olyphant returns as author and executive producer Elmore Leonard's taciturn Marshal Raylan Givens, albeit with less of an itchy trigger finger than in the first season, in part because of a rekindled romance with his ex-wife (Natalie Zea). Walton Goggins's Boyd Crowder is also back on the scene and enjoying a tenuous truce with Givens, as well as his own love interest in his ex-sister-in-law, Ava Crowder (Joelle Carter). Peace, of a sort, has also come to Harlan County with the dispersal of Crowder's drug-dealing family at the end of season one, but the vacuum is soon filled by an even more diabolical threat: the Bennetts, a vicious clan led by matriarch Mags (an Emmy-winning turn by Margo Martindale), who rules their own marijuana business through intimidation and outright murder. The growing conflict between Givens and the Bennetts is exacerbated by the arrival of a mining concern speculating the region for possible use; their appearance drives a wedge between Givens and Boyd, whose loose-cannon tendencies once again come to the forefront. Season two continues the fine balancing act between richly detailed characterizations and visceral violence established in the debut season by the show's cast and creative team, as well as its assimilation of Leonard's trademark dialogue and plotting. Acting and direction also remain top-notch, with the returning players adding new layers to their roles, while Martindale and Jeremy Davies as her malevolent son offer two of the most memorable villains in recent memory. The three-disc DVD presentation of Justified's second season is highlighted by a pair of making-of featurettes that delve into the production design and major themes of the season, with plentiful contributions from cast and crew. Brief collections of outtakes and deleted scenes round out the set. --Paul Gaita
C**R
Appalachian Poetry
I was late to discover Justified. I had heard about the series and finally watched the pilot episode on Amazon. I ordered all three seasons on DVD. I was immediately taken with the series and the extraordinary chemistry that exists between Raylan and Boyd. Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins are amazing as they continue their dance between friend and enemy. They are able to portray volumes not only in what is said but in what remains unsaid. Glances, looks, grimaces and smiles all become tools and part of the repertoire of these consummate actors. That being said this season belongs to, or more accurately is seized by Margo Martindale who literally owns the season. Martindale's well-deserved Emmy attests to the fact that it is impossible to take your eyes off her when she barks an order to her son "Dole" (Doyle) or screws the lid off her Mason jar to serve some "apple pie." She was named by New York magazine as "One of the Eight Actors who Turn Television into Art." Mags Bennett along with her motley brood of Dickie, Doyle (the Bennett police officer), and Coover, run the major weed operation in the hollar and most of the state. From the first episode we realize that the Crowders, Bennetts, and Pa Givens have comprised a great deal of the underbelly of Harlan County. The clans exchange genteel conversation and gunfire without batting an eye. Thrown into this mix is Ava who oversees the town brothel which consists of a derelict trailer fitted with a set of 1960's hanging beaded curtains and a fan for ambiance. The ever naive and rather dim Ellen Mae, played by the wonderful Abby Miller, works her pelvis to the bone as the "town whore" all the while learning more secrets than she should. Nick Searcy as Chief Deputy U.S. Marshall Art Mullen secretly liking but all the while gruffly attempting to reign in the "unreignable" Raylan. Justified is the finest sort of ensemble acting, something seldom seen in television. It is funny, violent, and always with a great deal of heart. This is a rag tag bunch not only attempting to get by, but dedicated to advancing up the food chain by any means necessary. As someone who has limited experience in playwriting, and was fortunate to have my work produced. Nothing is a greater gift than to see a truly gifted actor put their soul Into the script and a group of writers who can deliver the same gift to the actors with consistency. In my book Justified is the finest thing on television. See for yourself.
A**N
Procedural Grows into Character Study with Regional Flavor
Justified Season One began as a police procedural centered on US Marshall Raylan Givens and his transfer in disgrace to his native Kentucky. Once there Raylan pursues friends and foes both old and new for the 21st century crimes of meth cooking and oxy dealing and the robberies and murders that go along with it.The success of Season One allowed Season Two to expand into a character study with a strong regional flavor. All of the stereotypes of Appalachia are here, but updated for the 21st century. People live in hollers, mine coal, make moonshine and music and hold blood feuds that last for decades. The strength of Justified is that the viewer believes these tropes and wants more.The Bennetts are a family of pot growers and organized criminals who manage the marijuana growing business in Harlan County and dabble in other crime when it overlaps with their marijuana business. Mags Bennett is the matriarch of the family and she rules all around her with an iron fist. The Bennetts and the Givenses have been feuding since the era or Prohibition and the revenuers but Mags and Raylan's Aunt Helen have kept the feud in check these past twenty years. Loretta lives with her widowed father who is growing pot without Mags's approval. Loretta is also pursued by a convicted paedeophile. Mags takes matters into her own hands and Raylan has to rescue Loretta from the molester. The story of this young girl and the feud between the Bennetts and the Givens fuels the entire season and it is rocket fuel.Also present is Raylan's old friend and foe, Boyd Crowder who is still struggling with his identity as an outlaw and his identity as a converted Christian whose conversion came to a bloody end in Season One. What Boyd chooses as his path and identity will affect everyone around him: the Bennets, Raylan, Loretta and Ava.This season of Justified is phenomenal. Even realizing that the regional flavor is stereotyped, it is this flavor that gives the show nostalgia and drive. Without it this would be just another show about an angry cop. With it, this is something brilliant. The characterizations are well-rounded and human and even the villains are affecting and lovable. The real problems of poverty and addiction aren't glossed over, nor are they presented "poverty porn" for the elite. Highly recommended.
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