Season Two Advance Episode Review
“The I of the Storm” Airing February 23, 2011
JUSTIFIED Wednesday nights at 10 PM EST on FX
February 20, 2011
By Lena Lamoray
JUSTIFIED FX RELEASE: Developed by Graham Yost (Boomtown, Speed) and starring Timothy Olyphant (Damages, Deadwood), Justified is based on the works of crime novelist Elmore Leonard, including Leonard's short story Fire in the Hole. Fresh off the epic gun battle that concluded season one, season two of Justified finds Bo Crowder dead, and the Crowder criminal grip on Harlan County broken. Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Olyphant) must now face off against the criminal organizations that are moving to fill the void, and finds himself entangled once again with the mercurial Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins). The series co-stars Nick Searcy (CSI) as Givens' longtime friend and boss 'Chief Deputy Art Mullen;' Jacob Pitts (21) as 'Deputy Marshal Tim Gutterson;' Erica Tazel (Life) as 'Deputy Marshal Rachel Brooks;' Joelle Carter (CSI: Miami) as 'Ava Crowder;' Boyd Crowder's sister-in-law; and Natalie Zea (Hung) as Raylan's ex-wife 'Winona Hawkins.' Walton Goggins (The Shield) also stars as 'Boyd Crowder.' Yost (Boomtown, The Pacific, Band of Brothers) wrote the pilot and serves as Executive Producer/Writer on the series. Leonard (Cuba Libre, Rum Punch, Get Shorty) is also an Executive Producer on the series along with Fred Golan (Boomtown, Raines), Sarah Timberman (Kidnapped), Carl Beverly (Kidnapped) and Michael Dinner (Karen Sisco), who directed the pilot episode. Justified is produced by Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions.
JUSTIFIED “The I of the Storm” Season Two Episode 3 Advance Review, Airing 2/23/2011
This week on JUSTIFIED, we get to spend some extended time with Boyd Crowder. This is my favorite episode of the season, so far but I am a huge Walton Goggins fan so I may be biased. “The I of the Storm” – The hijacking of a bus full of drugs ends in murder, and Raylan pursues the likely culprit: Boyd Crowder. Written by Dave Andron. Directed by Peter Werner.
Poor Boyd (Walton Goggins) can’t enjoy a drink in peace. Dewey Crowe (Damon Herriman) comes into the bar and questions Boyd about his new found ideals. Dewey thought he had given up the poisons and made notice that for someone that has supposedly changed he still sounds the same. Leave it to Dewey to point out the obvious.
Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) and Winona (Natalie Zea) try to have a nice night out several towns over but they are not alone. Winona is worried that she is still married but there is so much more to it than that. She obviously knows that her husband is aware of the affair but she is unwilling and afraid to move ahead.
Raylan and Tim (Jacob Pitts) sit down with Art (Nick Searcy) to discuss the shooting of Jess Timmons (David Sullivan). I didn’t think we would see Jess again but he did get a speck of screen time this week. Tim did some exceptional apricot shooting and took Jess down in one shot. I loved that scene in last week’s episode and I didn’t see it coming so while I was writing my review, I literally threw my pen. Apparently, I am a bit nervous. What a fantastic job they did with, “The Life Inside”. David Sullivan did such a superb job portraying Jess Timmons that I’m sure pregnant women will be cautious of him for years to come. Art informed Tim that the shooting was good and “a hell of a shot”. Tim replies, “I don’t miss.” There is nothing like having a confident shooter on your team. I loved Jacob as Cooper in “EuroTrip”. Art comes to Raylan with concern and Raylan walks himself into a corner that involves possible roofies. That conversation leads to one of my favorite lines of the episode, “You’re a thrill a minute Raylan, we need to sell tickets.” That slogan should be put on a t-shirt because it does sum up Raylan’s life.
A bus full of drugs was hijacked and people were murdered so while Raylan is at the crime scene Doyle Bennett (Joseph Lyle Taylor) stops by to talk to him. Doyle also mentions where Boyd is living and of course Raylan takes interest.
Dewey stops by Boyd’s and wants tells him that he knows he is connected to the bus robbery. Dewey is notorious for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and he was on the bus that got robbed. Boyd makes it clear that he didn’t have a hand in it and that Dewy should back down and not attempt anything stupid. Will Dewey take Boyd’s advice?
Raylan spends some time with Ava (Joelle Carter) and catches up on what she is doing with Boyd.
Dewey decides that he needs to be fashionable but instead runs into the “ski mask police”. He ends up committing the sincerest form of flattery but in a really creepy way. We are talking about Dewey, so what else do you expect from him? He needs to take an occasional break from “poaching gators”.
Raylan looks for answers about the Oxy bus from Boyd at Audrey’s. Raylan makes the locals pretty uneasy but Boyd thinks he knows the reason why, “maybe it’s just your hat”. Raylan’s hat is just taking one hit after another this week.
Doyle and Raylan end up having an interesting conversation about “knowing a man” but Raylan is certain Doyle is “speaking Martian”.
Raylan runs into Dewey and he gets to witness his biggest fashion faux pas to date, tighty whities and cowboy boots. That isn’t a good look for anyone especially Dewey. Raylan makes a note that Dewey’s “ship has sailed”.
Boyd is still plagued by people not allowing him to simply drink in peace. I guess you only have to expect that if you are deemed the “local legend”. Kyle (Michael Mosley) doesn’t heed the friendly warning and he insists on bugging Boyd. Boyd handles the situation perfectly.
JUSTIFIED continues to grow as a series and it has made Wednesday nights one of the most riveting nights of television. Don’t miss this week’s JUSTIFIED on Wednesday night at 10 PM EST only on FX.
