In the same way as the second season of this show improved upon the first, so the third sees a strengthening of the core and a better appreciation of what it does well versus what it doesn't. In this third season we see more major players introduced into the plot along with good links to the previous season. At first this is a little jarring since at least one of these characters seems unlikely to have not been at least mentioned before, but generally this is only a brief feeling since they all bed in very well and there are sufficient ongoing threads that they are soon tangled up and flow pretty well.
This "tangle" is one of the strengths of this season because everything seems to have a stronger root than before and as a result the various twists and turns (of which there are many) are more convincing and satisfying as the stories unfold. The show also retains its gritty violence – not in an exploitative way where the gore is a thrill to the viewer, but more in a way that helps make this criminal world much more real and threatening. We see small people dying over small things, we see the desperate exploited and cast aside as meaningless by those with greater ambition – it doesn't try to make massive points out of this, but the casualness of death and violence is consistent and it really helps give the characters and plots more impact and grit. Some of the threads don't work quite as well as others, but generally the quality is consistent and the nature of all the characters being connected in some way, helps the strong carry the weaker aspects where it is needed.
The cast continue to be good. Olyphant is a cool presence but his performance is strong enough to show character and deliver more than just the words; yes he is superficially cool, but there is more to his character than that. Goggins benefits from having a much clearer part within the plotting than before – I didn't care for his character in season 1 and to a certain extent he was an odd fit in the second, but here he is very well used and delivers a tough and imposing performance with it. The addition of McDonough and Williamson to the cast does more than just provide amusement to those that remember Boomtown, both men are very good in their characters. McDonough is perhaps too obviously the villain of the piece, but he does it very well and is very good with Burns' Duffy in particular. Williamson pitches his false-friendliness just right and is equally threatening albeit in a different way. The various supporting roles all do good work.
The third season of Justified is even-handed in its delivery, with a consistent tone and an engaging season-long narrative arch that folds well into the previous season and hopefully the one to come. The gritty violence adds to the drama by how callous and pointless so much of it is while the performances add a lot to the characters. It isn't as deep or dramatic as it feels, but it is a very satisfying drama throughout the season and I enjoyed it a great deal. Another step up for a strong show.
30 out of 30 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
