Justified (Season 5)

Justified has been one of the most consistently strong shows I've ever seen, without a single season I have disliked. However, Season 5 had a bunch of issues working against it, between setting up for the show's final season, a cast member leaving soon into the season, and Elmore Leonard sadly passing away shortly before production began. As a result, while Season 5 isn't bad by any means, it's easily the most uneven and flawed season of the bunch.

Season 5's main storyline had a ton of potential from the outset. The Crowe family has been established all the way back in Season 1, so having a season focused around them could have been awesome! However, the Crowes ended up feeling like an inferior version of the Bennett clan. The most obvious similarity is Danny, who's like Coover but so much more unlikable and childish, but there's also the sympathetic kid Kendal (who I actually quite like), and the main antagonist being the head of the family. Sadly, unlike Mags, Daryl Crowe Jr is a dull character played by the horribly miscast Michael Rappaport who just doesn't know how to do a western accent. Thankfully, not all the Crowes are bad. Dewey gets a ton of screentime this season and he's always a ton of fun, Jean-Baptiste doesn't appear for too long but he definitely makes an impact, and best of all, Wendy is the highlight of the season for being far more intelligent than the rest of the family along with her interesting parental role for Kendal, compelling morally-gray nature, and strong dynamic with Raylan. Season 5 of Justified is also crammed full of other subplots, rivaling Season 3 in sheer overstuffed-ness, between the fallout of the Detroit mob, Ava in prison, Boyd teaming up with the Crowes, and Raylan's tensions with Art. I don't hate most of these subplots though, with Art learning about Raylan having Nicky Augustine killed and eventually getting shot being particularly strong.

However, this season also boasts the worst subplot in the series: Ava in prison. While the payoff is alright, separating Ava from the cast and forcing her through nonstop hell in one of the darkest storylines in the series, completely lacking in hope or humor, was a bad idea. The writing makes some serious stretches in logic to keep Ava in prison, often times leaving me frustrated. It also felt odd that given how many characters go to prison in this series, no one goes through nearly as much turmoil as Ava does. It's not just the Ava storyline though, this whole season felt a bit too dark. The first episode alone kills off a whopping nine characters and it just gets worse from there. The show's distinct black comedy and clever quips are far less prevalent, and things just don't go well for a large portion of the cast, especially Ava. This isn't implying that Justified can't be dark (Brother's Keeper, Slaughterhouse, and Outlaw are some of my favorite episodes), but this season just feels so hopeless at times. Even the cinematography is dimmer than usual! Still, I don't want to be too harsh towards this season. It does a great job of setting up for the final season of the series, all of the characters are pretty much intact, the entire second half is pretty consistently enjoyable, and the dialogue is just as great as it's always been. Season 5 of Justified is a decent season of television, but in a show where I have exclusively given seasons 4 or 5 stars so far, decent just isn't good enough and its problems are far more glaring.

Despite my gripes, there were a bunch of episodes that stuck out to me as highlights:

Shot All To Hell: A lot happened this episode, not all of it is great (Ava being forced into prison is one of the most contrived things in the whole show and Jean Baptiste died way too early), but most of it is at the very least gutsy. Paxton and Mooney are killed in shocking and surprising ways, Wendy makes a strong debut, Alan Tudyk's assassin is terrifying, and the conflict between Art and Raylan reaches new heights when the latter reveals how Nicky Augustine was killed.

Weight: Danny Crowe is probably the worst character in the series. He's just so unlikable and gross, so his surprising death ended up being really satisfying. It's also one of the most hilariously uncomfortable instances of Justified's token black comedy this whole season. Meanwhile, Dickie reappears (who I actually kinda missed after Danny), and Boyd finally gets to confront the jerk that kept Ava in prison. 

Starvation: Boyd and Raylan team up episode! Starvation is easily the most fun episode in the season and feels like a return to the Justified of the first four seasons, between the interactions between Ava and Raylan, the great banter between Boyd and Raylan, and the hysterical Dewey subplot that results in him getting himself arrested.

Restitution: While probably the weakest finale, Restitution is noteworthy for its amazing set-up for Season 6. With Ava switching sides, Boyd going back to his roots, and Raylan planning to hunt Boyd down, it really seems like the final season is going to bring things back to the trio it started with. Daryl's death was also pretty satisfying, Boyd got a chance to outwit his enemies, and Ava is finally out of prison!

Overall, Season 5 isn't a bad season, maintaining the strong characters and writing that made the show great in prior seasons. However, more than any prior season, it suffers from a weak main plot, a downright bad prison subplot, and an oddly grim tone.

3/5 Stars