The fifth season seems to be full of strong events, with Boyd trying to preserve that terrible silence from Mara Paxton and wait for her new shipment. Dewey Crow may meet his cousin from Florida. On the other hand, Relan is threatened by a mysterious man in the palace of Charles Monroe during that period, and Boyd faces a sudden temptation that may completely change things.
Justified has reached the point where we know some of its tricks. But thanks to Leonard and Olyphant and writer Graham Yost's fine balance of humor and mayhem, it's still an hour worth looking forward to.
The show lost its guiding star with the passing of Elmore Leonard last year. So it isn't all that surprising that what we have here is an episode with all the right pieces in place but little of the heart that usually drives the show.
Justified is slumming it: not nearly as sharp or rich as it has been or could be, but still much more clever and enjoyable than its procedural peers. It's begging to be graded on a curve, when it should be setting it.
A major joy of Justified as it gets older is watching it sit back and celebrate the large ensemble of colorful characters it's built up over the years.
