SPOILERS BELOW
The last three episodes very nearly absolve the season of any faults and make up for some clunky moments and way too much plot. Too much plot was a common complaint in season three, but I thought it had never been more evident and clunky than this season. Justified has never been a realistic show, but I've never found myself asking so many plausibility moments as I did throughout the first ten episodes.
However, I'm not sure the show has ever had an episode as action-packed and awesome as the eleventh episode. Watching Boyd try to decipher where Raylan has decided to hide Drew Thompson was thrilling, exciting, and probably the reason many consider this to be the greatest season. The show also had Tim play cat-and-mouse with Colton, which provided many great moments.
The last three episodes provide the height of what this show can be, but I do consider grading this season as a whole and not just the end. I don't want to mislead you though. I loved this season. Claiming this season was a bit of a let-down in quality is purely a case of the standard Justified has already set for itself.
Oddly enough, this season did a lot of things that I complained about in previous reviews. Winona was in two episodes and used expertly in the two of them. Tim was given an actual arc this season with his mini-showdown with Colton. And Rachel probably had more screen time she's had in the three previous seasons combined. (I would like Rachel to get something resembling Tim's fantastic story with Colt, but her slowly becoming Raylan is interesting - Still I had no idea she was married until this season and then they act like that was a big character moment for her)
The "low points" of the season - and keep in mind with this dialogue, it's not like I'm saying it's still not a good episode - were the seventh episode when they brought back a seemingly one-off villain and the ninth episode when Raylan is allowed to transport former sheriff Mosley. It's not like I didn't like Jody Adair, but the second time through was much less interesting and brought nothing new that Justified has already done before. The ninth episode was the show cutting corners to get to certain plot points, something the show rarely does. (Or at least as obviously)
This season did provide a great conclusion to Arlo's time on this show. It's pretty clear his narrative purpose was reaching its end with him being in prison for life and I can't say I see a much better way to end his story than this. I don't really understand why he had to kill a guy back in the first episode - for narrative purposes to raise the intrigue for the mystery, but killing that guy seemed pointless. I know he wants no one to talk about that bag, but man that seemed to be going overboard.
Sheriff Shelby being Drew Thompson was a decent reveal - they made it pretty explicit the episode before - and somebody the audience knows is certainly more interesting than a random guy. Shelby was about the most logical and big-name of a character to make the reveal meaningful. Jim Beaver played his part in making the character's seemingly transformative character from his earlier days authentic and genuine.
I enjoyed Boyd's season-long arc. A man who has seemed in control of what he's doing slowly saw everything fall apart. At one point, he had Colton trying to hide Ellen Mae's disappearance, Johnny trying to betray him, Jimmy recovering from multiple snake bites, and Ava trying to deal with having Ellen Mae killed (or thinking she had him killed). He was far from in control and everything seemed to go against him. That's a much more interesting Boyd than one who gets his way all the time (although less fun if you're a Boyd fan, and who isn't a Boyd fan?)
As for the performances, Goggins and Olyphant of course deliver. Olyphant is never better than when he has to deal with hearing about his father's death as contradicting emotions flood over him. Goggins was on fire all season as a man who keeps finding himself caught off-guard from Duffy shooting his own man to the preacher getting bit by the snake. I feel like a redemptive arc for Boyd will be coming, although it'll probably be too late and also not any time soon. (Also, I could be way off; his second season attempt at being good could indicate he's never going good again)
Among the supporting players, David Meunier and Joelle Carter are at their best this season. Meunier as Johnny Crowder is a backstabbing, terrible person, but yet you feel sympathy for him with his pathetic "I love you" to Ava. Carter has a tough job, acting-wise, to have Ava try and cross the line into "bad guy," but she can't quite do it and sleep at night.
Then of course Mike O'Malley, known for his work on Yes Dear, switches up and plays a pretty menacing figure who's a little too cocky and unpredictable. I'll never get tired of Jere Burns and his reaction shots, which this season provided plenty of for me. Lastly, Ron Eldrard does such a good job with his role as Colton that, even after he's brutally murdered many people, you kind of are sad when he basically commits suicide.
In all, this was a weird season for me. The highs were the best the show has ever been and the lows were the worst the show has ever been. I'm not really sure how exactly that evens out, but for me, it lands below the more consistent second and third seasons. I want to emphasize how high the bar is for Justified and that's the only reason for my consternation.
Playlist - My Top 50 tracks for the year finishes; 1-10; 11-20; 21-30; 31-40)
41. "Sticks and Stones" - Arlissa
42. "Animals" - Martin Garrix
43. "Clarity" - Zedd ft. Foxes!
44. "John Doe" - B.O.B. ft. Priscilla
45. "Rip Your Heart Out" - Hopsin ft. Tech N9ne
46. "Waste of Paint" - Peace
47. "Love Game" - Eminem ft. Kendrick Lamar
48. "Contact" - Daft Punk
49. "I Sat by the Ocean" - Queens of the Stone Age
50. "Alive" - Empire of the Sun
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