Comments on: Justified – “Fire in the Hole”

By: Mike Dennis

Mike Dennis — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:52:24 +0000

Good point, Nerd. If they can avoid the temptation (and it IS great) to do a Bad-Guy-of-the-Week season, the smoldering group of characters they’ve already established can interact with each other in a season-long arc. Let’s hope they do it that way rather than falling back on stereotyped racists, moonshiners, drug runners, and whoever else might be found in Harlan.

And Jack has a good idea about occasional (no, make that rare) trips to Cincinnati or St Louis.

In any case, Olyphant’s presence is reason enough to watch this show.

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:17:21 +0000

I bet it’s going to take all season to deal with Boyd — weekly skirmishes. If Kentucky gets too confining, Cincy’s not far, or St. Louis. Plenty of reasons for a US Marshall to travel. Maybe a quick trip to Florida, LA, NY to return a fugitive. I think Mike’s right about the limited story lines in Harlan. Moonshiners?

By: Nerd of Noir

Nerd of Noir — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:18:21 +0000

Mike -

My hope would be that the small town setting just means that they’re going to be doing less of an episodic, new-bad-guy-every-episode kind of thing and instead of opt for larger, season-length storylines amongst the group of characters they establish (hopefully Goggins will be a major part of that). If this becomes a series where every episode is disposable and it’s just “how’s ol’ Ray gonna catch the baddie this time?” every week, I’ll lose interest quickly. I’m looking for more late period The Shield, not something like Castle.

By: Mike Dennis

Mike Dennis — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:37:01 +0000

Excellent analysis. Olyphant’s steely 19th-century presence carries the show, and his surrounding players are well-cast, especially Groggins. And I’m pretty sure Raylan’s issues with his father will unfold over the course of the season.

But I’m worried, very worried, about how they’re going to keep things moving in the setting they’ve chosen. Harlan, Kentucky is a hick town if ever there was one, and Raylan can only pursue so many redneck criminals before it all starts to blend in. That’s the danger of setting a big show like this in a small area. Large cities (LA, Miami, etc) provide a panoply of characters for the protag to play off of, but I don’t know if Harlan can offer the same thing without going same-ol’ same-ol’.

By: Nerd of Noir

Nerd of Noir — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:01:40 +0000

I think you’re right, Jack. I was in a “racy FX show mood” so I guess I was expecting at least a little simulated, not fade-outs and cigarette lighting like it was the 1940′s. Besides, Joelle Carter was smoking hot – indulge the pervs with some side-boob, FX!

By: Mack

Mack — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:44:35 +0000

I didn’t realize that Walton Groggins was in the show. He was terrific as Shane Vendrell in The Shield. I can definitely see him as a dangerous white supremacist gang leader. Thanks for the review.

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:45:42 +0000

You got it right, NON, dead-ass on (Great show; Yost is good; Elmore’s heros never go dark) except for one little thing. Well, little or big, who knows. Raylan did not keep it in his pants IMHO. Remember that scene on the couch, she tells him she knows where Boyd is, then says, “But what am I going to get?” I do believe the black out there left enough time for Raylan to handle some wick dipping.