Tuesday, April 12, 2011

J: Justified

I'm not a big fan girl for movie stars or shows on TV, but the FX show, Justified, has really captured me.  I can't put my finger on what exactly has earned my love about the show.  Sure Tim Olyphant as Marshal Raylan Givens is a great looking guy but that alone doesn't have me setting my schedule to never miss the show. 

The show is set in the red neck counties of Kentucky and the main protagonist is a federal marshal who dresses like a cowboy and dispenses justice like the marshals of the old west.  He's surrounded by complex characters, fellow marshals, childhood friends who are now enemies, family feuds, a criminal father and an ex-wife he's not quite over.

Some of the bad guys in this show are so thoroughly nasty I can't look away from them.  Others are sympathetic and so much fun I don't want them to ever get caught.  The economy of the area plays into the plots as motivations and the sets showing the living conditions of the population creates an atmosphere I assume is very realistic.

As a writer, I love interwoven relationships of the people on the show and the way the characters are driven by their histories.  Raylan Givens is raised by his outlaw father and becomes a lawman.  His childhood friend is raised in a law-breaking clan and becomes a criminal himself.  It's a wonderfully designed conflict that leads to all kinds of internal angst and external confrontations. 

Is there a TV show or movie you admire because of the character intricacies? 

8 comments:

Luana Krause said...

I get inspiratation from TV as well. One of my favorite shows lately is Mad Men. It's the most intelligent show I've seen in years. The characters, the set (1960s), the story lines, and the absolutely stunning photography/art direction.

Ella said...

I haven't heard of this; I'm going to check it out. I loved "Six Feet Under", for the family dynamic. It showed character flaws, while surrounded by the family business. Funeral business that is, at first I didn't think I would last, will such a morbid theme. The characters made it sooo real~
Thanks for sharing; Fun post~

Ella said...

I haven't heard of this; I'm going to check it out. I loved "Six Feet Under", for the family dynamic. It showed character flaws, while surrounded by the family business. Funeral business that is, at first I didn't think I would last, will such a morbid theme. The characters made it sooo real~
Thanks for sharing; Fun post~

M.J. Fifield said...

I haven't watched Justified but I keep hearing such great things about it that I'm going to have to check it out.

I love Joss Whedon shows (particularly Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) because of the characters. The action's great but the character intricacies are gold.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

I ussed to like Columbo, I could watch his programmes all day.

I enjoyed your post very much,it was a pleasure to read. Good luck with the rest of the Challenge.

Yvonne.

nutschell said...

Hi susan!
ive seen previews of these but never had the time to check it out. it looks interesting though! youve got a great blog here and im glad i found you through the a-z!
nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

FilmMattic said...

I've not watched any of this show, but your honest and refreshing review is making me question it. In honor of your post, I'll check out an episode.

And great blog!

septembermom said...

You have me interested in watching this show. Do you remember that show Jericho? I loved all the character layers in that show. I think it's a great idea as a writer to study the narrative and character layering in a TV show. Thanks for giving me some homework tonight :)