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<i>Justified</i> – “The Promise” Review. Goodbye, Harlan.

Justified, Season 6, Episode 13 – Series Finale

Air date: Tuesday, April 14, 2015, 10PM E/P on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“The Promise” isn’t a tear-jerker series finale, that’s for damn sure. If anything, Justified leaves its fans laughing more than anything, throwing in a gasp or two for good measure. What you thought could happen, didn’t; and what you hoped would happened also probably didn’t. As I’ve said numerous times throughout my reviews of this final season, Justified has become unpredictable; guess the episodes had to stay that way until the very surprising end. People die, and even hats aren’t safe in Harlan. It’s a bittersweet end but, we have to say a final goodbye to Harlan County, Kentucky.

You gotta love Art! And if you thought Raylan was a dirty cop…shame on you.

After the final Jusitifed red carpet on Monday, April 13, 2015, I was lucky enough to watch the finale with a large crowd consisting of cast, their family and friends, fans, press, and so many more. Over the six years I’ve watched Timothy Olyphant display cool swagger and confidence as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, I’ve never really seen Raylan lose his shit in an epic way.

Sure, he’s lost his temper and raised his voice, but true to his character to the very end, Olyphant doesn’t go over the top crazy even when things aren’t going Raylan’s way. As we saw in the previous episode, “Collateral,” Raylan gets picked up by state troopers after the FBI issues a BOLO on him. Of course, we all knew Raylan wasn’t going to stay in police custody for long. Hell, Art (Nick Searcy) said it himself, “I’ll be the one coming after ya,” and by golly Art is true to his word. I don’t think Art intended to simply let Raylan off the hook but knowing their history, I’m not surprised by what Art does for Raylan.

Needless to say, I never doubted Art’s belief in Raylan. While the writers tried to paint a picture with other characters such as Rachel (Erica Tazel) and ADA Vasquez (Rick Gomez) insinuating Raylan and Ava (Joelle Carter) were sleeping together, I knew Raylan could never be a dirty cop. But wouldn’t that have been a great, unexpected twist in all this?

Avery isn’t the gentleman right now as he shoves a gun in Ava’s face asking where his money is.

If you’ve been a fan since the beginning, Justified has had its ups and downs as far as executing its point clearly. I thought season five could have been done much better but everything that happened in that season culminated to making Ava (Joelle Carter) the woman she needed to be for season six – the final season. Ava’s transformation over the last six years has been amazing.

From a woman who shot her husband, to a woman who shot her brother-in-law/fiancé, she might sound like a backwoods hillbilly legend. It may not be the legend of Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), as you might expect, but rather the legend of Ava Randolph Crowder we should all pay attention to. Carter does an amazing job this season portraying Ava as a woman caught between a rock and hard place. Her love for Boyd can’t compare to her love of freedom though.

The contentious face-off between Boyd and Ava makes for an epic dramatic moment, only to be interrupted at a most inopportune time by Raylan. “Goddamnit, Raylan; your timing sucks!” Raucous laughter fills The Montalbãn Theater in Los Angeles during the screening of the series finale. Goggins is brilliant, plain and simple. He becomes Boyd Crowder – a man whose larger than life persona is infectious and alluring.

If you were hoping for a guns-blazing ending, the plot of “The Promise” doesn’t quite go that way. Well, you do get some of the Wild West showdowns; just not with the characters you might have thought. Throughout “The Promise,” the lives of many hang in the balance. Boyd is still atop the mountain digging up what he thinks is the large sum of money he stole from Avery Markham (Sam Elliott) but alas, the phone call he receives leads Boyd down the mountain to the old Bennett family marijuana drying shed where he squares off with Markham and two dirty cops. The way things play out reminds me of a symphony orchestra—slightly off key. Bullets fly but it’s not Boyd who goes down in a bloody heap.

Boyd faces off with Raylan who’s more than ready to put him down.

There are several intense moments, the above being one of them—in a minimalist sort of way—but the real tension comes as two showdowns take place. One is between Raylan and Boyd. The look in Raylan’s eyes as he gazes at Boyd scares me. I know I’m not the only one who thinks about the last time Raylan looked like this. Think back to the season one premiere and Miami.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man so determined to take someone down, and here Raylan is again with that same look in his eyes. The second moment is between Raylan and our creepy newcomer Boon (guest star Jonathan Tucker). If you haven’t seen “The Promise” yet, don’t worry, I won’t spoil it for you. I’ll just say I wasn’t sure who would make it out alive, if anyone.

Note to any and all voting members – Tucker deserves an Emmy® or Golden Globe® for his amazing performance this season. That is all.

Overall

As series finales go, Justified does a good job of leaving things synched up. I’m very pleased with how they wrapped up the relationship with Raylan and his ex-wife/baby mama Winona (Natalie Zea). It’s very plausible and credible for things to wind up the way they do. I will say that the show started with Raylan in Miami and it ends there as well…sort of. With one piece of the case still open, Raylan gets a tip leading him to California to find a familiar face. I won’t tell you who, but it was something to watch. What I really love is the way Raylan and Boyd end things. “We dug coal together.” Indeed you did.

Check out the interviews from the final JUSTIFIED red carpet

Let me know what you thought of “The Promise.” Were you satisfied with how things ended or would have liked to see one of our main guys leave in a blaze of glory? Leave a comment below and/or tweet me @judybopp.

For more on the show, go to http://www.fxnetworks.com/justified.

Follow on Twitter @JustifiedFX #JustifiedFX and follow cast member Joelle Carter @Joelle_Carter. For fans of Walton Goggins, follow @WaltonGFan.

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Photos ©2015 FX Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.