The Outlaw Michael Howe tells the story of its eponymous bushranger’s rebellion against the British empire in early nineteenth century Van Diemen’s Land (an embryonic title for Tasmania). Played by Damon Herriman (who you might recognise as a far less noble outlaw, Dewey Crowe, from Justified), Howe is defined by anger and sadness. His rebellion,…
10. Spartacus: War of the Damned – “Victory” Not the last finale on this list, “Victory” is a triumphant conclusion to a slightly overstuffed season of the great, underrated Spartacus. With a substantial list of casualties, “Victory” was defined by tragedy and, yes, victory, even if that victory was a moral one, not born of…
Who would have thought, watching the Justified pilot, that the line separating Boyd Crowder and Raylan Givens would become so blurred? The two men, inextricably bonded, have always been two sides of the one coin, but after the season finale “Ghosts,” it’s not clear that they don’t deserve to inhabit the same, grimy side of…
“Peace of Mind” followed many paths that the show has travelled in the past, but effectively put a new twist on familiar ground. Like “Decoy,” the episode concerned a hunt for one individual; except this time Boyd, Augustine and Givens were after Ellen May rather than Drew. Like “Decoy,” there was a constant threat (and…
There’s nothing like the ever-present threat of death hanging over an episode of television to keep things interesting. Every moment in this week’s episode of Justified was heightened, every line carrying extra weight, as everyone manoeuvred to either protect or abduct Drew Thompson, whose history was fleshed out as he was frantically ferried from one…
I love those episodes that end a good season of television; episodes where all the disparate plot threads converge, where everything’s at stake and you’re genuinely unsure of the outcome. This week of Justified wasn’t one of those episodes, but it was a damn good launching pad for the three episodes to follow. The great…
This week of Justified might not quite reach the highs of last week’s tour de force, but it’s still an entertainingly dense episode of television, bringing the Drew Thompson plotline to a head with the reveal – hinted at in “Outlaw” – that Sheriff Shelby is indeed the elusive Drew. It may not have been…
“Jesus, I hope I got that right.” You sure did, Justified. After a couple average episodes in the middle there, Season Four excels with a momentous, captivating episode, brilliantly directed, acted and written. So much happens in this episode. Arlo meets his grisly end, a conclusion that seems obvious in retrospect but shocking in the…
“Money Trap” combined a couple plots that should have been compelling television into an unfortunately average episode. Raylan hunting down a fugitive with a grudge and a porn director associate (Paul Kinsey!) has promise, but it felt like an excuse to show that Raylan still knows his way around a gun (and women). Boyd and…
“Foot Chase” felt like a return to the “just okay” Justified of season one. It wasn’t a bad episode by any stretch, though; I enjoyed the banter and gradually increasing trust between Raylan and Sheriff Shelby (the more airtime for Jim Beaver, the better). And the suggestion that Josiah might actually be Drew was a…
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