Justified season 4 & 5 recap

Quite a while back I reviewed the rather lacklustre season 3 of Justified. While far from terrible, there was certainly a dip in quality following the previous two stellar seasons. Over the hiatus I finished season five and now it's time to have a brief look back and see how things have changed for Raylan Givens.

In short season four was a strong return to form for the series. It pushed the story forward, introduced new and interesting characters, and was far more consistent with each episode. This time around mafia types were stepping in causing trouble for both Raylan and Boyd, while also posing opportunities for the latter. The chemistry between the two leads was also great, aided by sharp writing and genuinely tense moments towards the end of the season.

Season five moved things away from the mafia to Mexican drug trafficking and the Crowe family gang. While not quite on the same level as the last season, it was still fun and exciting the watch with the occasional plot twist. Both Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins are continually great, as are the supporting cast but this one did lack the grand conclusion as to how the events are tied up. That said, this is sadly the penultimate season so I can see why the writers may have preferred a story on a smaller scale this time around.

Despite the aforementioned season three, Justified is still a great show and one that has unfortunately not seen much success over here in the UK, no thanks to being left on a smaller channel that usually offers re-runs of crime shows. This crime show is still one I strongly recommend.