Tv.com News

Justified S04E13: "Ghosts" 

Having previously wrapped up the mystery of Drew Thompson, the hunt for Ellen May, and the dangerous situation with Limehouse in an outstanding five-episode arc to conclude the major events of Season 4, there was little for Justified to do in its season finale other than get poetic and set up Season 5. While last week's episode, "Peace of Mind," was a thorough showcase for the series' secondary characters, the finale shifted focus to Justified's two leading men, Boyd Crowder and Raylan Givens, and how they're two sides of the same rusty old nickel. 

More so than previous seasons, Season 4 really played up Boyd and Raylan's history with each other and Harlan, and how early choices in their lives steered them to where they are today. Give or take a few cosmic nudges somewhere along the line, and it's easy to see how Raylan could have been Harlan's public enemy number one, and Boyd its shining star. Those two are more alike than they'd care to admit, thanks to being the two smartest crackers in the county. One just happens to work for the law, and the other just happens to work against it (though Raylan isn't afraid to re-draw the line when it suits him).

The final beautiful minutes of "Ghosts" illustrated the parallels between Boyd and Raylan, and they were plain as a lazy summer's day in the backwoods of Kentucky. Both men lost the loves of their lives because of the law. Boyd kissed Ava before she was hauled off in a police cruiser after getting busted for tampering with the body of Delroy the pimp, the man she murdered. Raylan and Winona locked lips before she was whisked away into police protection following the attempt on her life (and the life of her and Raylan's unborn baby). 

It doesn't matter that Raylan's in line for a massive promotion or that Boyd is the new heroin king of Harlan, because right now they're both alone. The contrasting shots of the aftermath are telling with regard to how intertwined Boyd and Raylan's lives really are: Boyd broke into the house he'd hoped to raise his family in, while Raylan repaired that hole in the wall of his own family house. But both men are alone, their women torn away from them, their families dwindling, because that's the life they're destined to live. Their only constant is each other. 

Aside from those strong themes, "Ghosts" was light on plot, especially compared to the hectic hours that preceded it. The cliffhanger of last week's mystery delivery of a rocking chair was settled in spectacular fashion as Raylan and Winona unleashed lead fury on the inept Detroit mobsters (seriously, what kind of lame hitmen were they?) like a southern Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Nicky Augustine, who made a late push to become the season's big bad and ended up being one of Justified's better villains, was put away by Sammy Tonin—the very man he was going to kill thanks to a tip from Raylan, who decided to look the other way because he was suspended. 

That leaves us with only the future of Ava in doubt for Season 5, and the question of how Boyd is going to exact revenge on Lee Paxton for double-crossing him. Raylan also has his unborn baby girl and Winona to deal with, but given Natalie Zea's continued role on the renewed The Following, we should only expect occasional visits from the beauty instead of a regular role.

While "Peace of Mind" tricked us into thinking things weren't over, Season 4 really ended last week. "Ghosts" was more of an epilogue and a keen examination of two men walking the same path in different directions. But what stands out now that all is said and done is the way Justified was able to reinvent itself in Season 4 by not focusing on a central villain while still putting together what was arguably its finest season to date. 

– Raylan's final words of "I will sleep well tonight..." as he looked over the graves of his family after putting Winona and his unborn daughter into police protection was SO Raylan Givens. Get in touch with your emotions, dude!

– What about (Constable) Bob? I would have loved to see him one more time.

– Boyd to Raylan: "What do you tell yourself at night when you lay your head down that allows you to wake up in the morning pretending you aren't the bad guy?" The whole scene with Boyd driving Raylan to see Nicky was fantastic. 

View the original article here

What to watch on Tuesday, April 2...

SEASON 1 FINALE, 9pm & 9:30pm, NBC
The New Normal
Ryan Murphy’s sitcom winds up its freshman season with back-to-back episodes. First, in “Finding Name-O,” Bryan and David’s struggles to think up a quality baby name sparks tension, while Brice’s advice leads Clay to consider pouring his heart out to Goldie. Then in the finale, “The Big Day,” Bryan and David’s determination to seal their nuptials before the baby arrives may be thwarted, since no wedding in sitcom history has ever eluded at least mild thwarting.

9:30pm, Fox
The Mindy Project
Mindy dates a man of the cloth in “My Cool Christian Boyfriend,” but when he questions her ethical bona fides, she decides to prove him wrong by joining the medical practice’s volunteer excursion to a women’s prison. Meanwhile, I question the ethical bona fides of Fox flipping this episode with the one scheduled for Thursday, "Pretty Man," at the last minute, solely to flummox viewers and writers of summary blurbs alike.

SEASON 4 FINALE, 10pm, FX
Justified
Detroit brings the fight to Raylan for a final showdown as “Ghosts” concludes the stellar fourth season. Meanwhile, Boyd and Ava try to bury a past misdeed once and for all, while Constable Bob is probably off recuperating with a hearty take-out order from KFC.

10pm, NBC
Smash
“The Parents” finds Tom’s hands full when the Bombshell cast welcomes Leigh Conroy (guest-star Bernadette Peters)—as well as her years of animosity with Ivy, dating back to a 1989 flare-up of the Tastes Great-Less Filling Wars. In developments that won’t inspire me to date myself via beer commericial references, Karen and Jimmy’s relationship is put to the test, and Derek uncovers more details about Jimmy’s past as the first chunk of “Hit List” goes public.

10pm, CBS
Golden Boy
A subway shooting may be linked to the years-ago murder of McKenzie’s brother, leading her to pursue justice for her family in “McKenzie on Fire.” Meanwhile, Owen is troubled by the prospect of retiring in two years, even though TV bylaws dictate that if this show runs long enough, he can take advantage of the George Feeny Clause governing non-retiring retiring mentors.

10pm, ABC
Body of Proof
When a rash of rabies cases in “Skin and Bones” leaves Tommy bitten by one rabid victim, Kate and Megan turn to new health commissioner Luke Perry for help with the investigation. “Could it really be zombies?” ABC’s press site asks, nudging us in the ribs assiduously and hoping we’ll all play along as if the network’s execs are “down” with the zombie zeitgeist the kids are into these days.

10pm, TBS
Cougar Town
Dear TV.com readers: We accept that the fact that we have to mention Cougar Town’s extended Breakfast Club riff, featuring inner monologues by all the Cul-de-Sac Crew, in this blurb about “The Criminal Mind.” But we think you’re crazy to make us write something about what we think happens in it. You see TV episode summaries as you want to see them, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what've we found out is that each one of us is hang-out sitcom... and a reality show competition... and a pop-culture parody... and a family drama... and a gritty cable serial. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, What to Watch Tuesday. *Pumps fist*

LATE-NITE:
– From Atlanta, Paul Rudd and Von Grey on Conan, 11pm, TBS
– Busy Philipps on Chelsea Lately, 11pm, E!
– Historian Jonathan Sperber on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 11pm, Comedy Central
– Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey on The Colbert Report, 11:30pm, Comedy Central
– Blake Shelton and Jim Rome on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 11:35pm, NBC
– Regis Philbin and a performance by the Broadway cast of “Cinderella” on Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35pm, CBS
– Bill Maher, Giancarlo Esposito, and Cold War Kids on Jimmy Kimmel Live, 11:35pm, ABC
– Tracy Morgan, Andy Cohen, Deerhunter, and B.J. Thomas on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 12:37am, NBC

View the original article here

Raylan Givens will be putting on his party hat tonight (it looks the same as his regular hat): FX has renewed Justified for a fifth season. Network president John Landgraf made the announcement this morning at FX's Upfront presentation in New York. The show, which is set to finish its fourth season this Tuesday, will return for Season 5 in January 2014. 

View the original article here

What to watch on Tuesday, March 26...

8pm, CBS
NCIS
In “Squall,” the team investigates a killing aboard a Navy ship in the aftermath of a storm. Complicating matters: The suspect list includes an admiral who also happens to be McGee’s estranged father.

8pm, The CW
Here Comes Peter Cottontail
What fits The CW brand better than an animated rabbit voiced by Danny Kaye? How about animated rabbits voiced by Vincent Price and Casey Kasem! You’ll find all these goodies and more nestled in the colorful Easter basket that is this 1971 Rankin-Bass holiday special.

9pm, NBC
Go On
“Matchup Problems” finds Anne setting Ryan up with a recent widow—and then competing for her affections when said widow turns out to have designs on both of them. Geez, guest-star Courteney Cox, does fidelity between former sitcom spouses count for nothing anymore? These are dark times we live in. Dark, sexy times.

9pm, Fox
New Girl
The passing of a relative prompts a Miller family reunion in “Chicago,” and since Nick’s mom is Margo Martindale and his younger brother is Nick Kroll, the gang is sure to be glad they tagged along to share in the shenanigans. Jess will probably treat Mrs. Miller more gently than Keri Russell did a few weeks ago, anyway.

SEASON 4 FINALE, 9pm, Syfy
Face Off
The final three are whisked away to Vegas to design waterproof styles for the stage show Le Reve: The Dream. Then the season’s winner will be crowned, only to shock everyone with the reveal that he's Nicolas Cage posing as an ambitious professional makeup artist.

10pm, ABC
Body of Proof
Romance has its ups and its downs, as Kate experiences in “Fallen Angel.” Sometimes you meet a dashing man at a political event, partake in some invigorating flagrante delicto, and that’s that. Other times you discover that the guy is probably tied to a young girl’s murder, and you have to call on your cop friends (like Megan) to get to the bottom of things. C’est l’amour, mes amis.

10pm, TBS
Cougar Town
The cul-de-sac crew awakens to the unexpected joys of aging when an elderly couple buys Grayson’s house and joins their midst. Elsewhere in “This Old Town,” Travis searches for a Penny Can partner, and Bobby’s latest flop spurs him to rechristen his boat, possibly as the S.S. Shop Target for Great Savings on All Your Favorite Brands.

10pm, FX
Justified
Having eluded the Detroit mafia in Harlan, Raylan tries to get the Drew Thompson case back on track in “Peace of Mind.” Accomplishing that means spiriting Ellen May away from the clutches of Limehouse—before Boyd can get to her. (Also, too, it probably means shooting people.)

LATE-NITE:
– Vanessa Hudgens, Jerry Trainor, and Emily Heller on Conan, 11pm, TBS
– Past interviews featuring Hayden Panettiere, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Vanessa Hudgens on Chelsea Lately, 11pm, E!
– Journalist and author Michael Moss on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 11pm, Comedy Central
– Cardiologist and author Eric Topol on The Colbert Report, 11:30pm, Comedy Central
– Keith Urban, Paula Deen, and Django Django on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 11:35pm, NBC
– Brian Williams, national grocery-bagging champion Andrew Borracchini, and Pegi Young & The Survivors on Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35pm, CBS
– Jeremy Piven on Jimmy Kimmel Live, 11:35pm, ABC
– Ice-T, Chris Hardwick, and Little Green Cars on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 12:37am, NBC
– Sarah Chalke and author Lawrence Block on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37am, CBS

View the original article here

Justified S04E12: "Peace of Mind"

After last week’s barnburner and ahead of next week’s season finale, “Peace of Mind” downshifted a bit to let recent developments breathe and move a few game pieces into place. With Drew Thompson safely ensconced in the clutches of federal law enforcement, the next target in the Great Harlan County Scavenger Hunt of 2013 was Ellen May, the “trailer park bunk bunny” with the “tragic Southern name.” Drew has made her safety a condition of his cooperation; the cops needed to find her so he would play ball, and the criminals needed to find her so he wouldn’t.

So where the Marshals should've been celebrating a victory lap—and where Raylan should’ve been enjoying a hard-earned suspension—they instead ventured once more unto the Harlan breach. Raylan was particularly insistent that he be allowed to tie up this last loose end before being relieved of duty, since what's waiting for him back in civilian life is an estranged ex and their unborn child, domestic concerns that leave him completely out of his depth. 

Yet it’s a testament to the way Justified has honed its use of supporting characters this season that neither Raylan nor Boyd was involved in the best stretch in “Peace of Mind,” when all the parties in search of Ellen May converged. She had sought sanctuary and salvation at the erstwhile church of Preacher Billy, and the sequence of events that unfolded there distilled many of the show’s chief strengths into one long, deliberately paced act. The focus and the sources of tension shifted repeatedly without feeling abrupt, and brought a measure of closure to several characters.

I think it’s worth examining the scene as a stylistic contrast to “Decoy.” While that episode demonstrated again how much pleasure Justified can wring not just out of violence but out of the threat of violence, this week’s centerpiece proved equally effective at a far more difficult task: mining drama from the decision-making processes that lead to those threats and that violence.

Ava laid that out quite explicitly. Notwithstanding Ellen May’s assessment of God’s will, it was the choices people made that put both of them (and Cassie) in their situation. And all three of them have long been, to differing extents, more the objects of other people’s choices than masters of their own volition. Boyd and Ava sent Ellen May on the run; Shelby took her in, then delivered her to Limehouse; Limehouse succombed to a pang of mercy, leaving her free but adrift. Cassie was only in Harlan to receive Ellen May’s confession because she was carrying on her brother’s legacy; “he was the true believer,” she admitted. Ava, too, has often followed in the wake of a more determined will, her actions guided by total faith in Boyd. 

But there in the church, all three had the chance to do, as Ava emphasized, what was right in their hearts, fully aware of the consequences. Ellen May, whose defining naivety had curdled into a weary fatalism after so many betrayals and manipulations, at last unburdened her soul. Cassie, whose role in Billy’s evangelizing had been at least partially cynical, stood strong with a lost girl who had no place else to go. And for all her criminal activity and adjacency to the same, for all the damage her former charge could do to her, Ava was unwilling to become a cold-blooded killer. 

Hence Colt’s presence as the backup plan, because Ellen May still posed a threat to both Boyd and the Detroit mob. Narratively speaking, Ellen May was expendable enough to be in very real danger throughout the episode, so the stakes never faltered even as the center of gravity shifted. With Ava holding the gun, the tension stemmed from an internal, character-based source; with Limehouse’s rueful warning still ringing in her ears, how much of a villain would she let herself be? When Colt arrived, the crux of the danger became an external, plot-oriented one: He would ice her without breaking a sweat unless something intervened.

Intervention arrived in the form of Tim, and the locus of the tension seamlessly shifted once more as these two by-now-old foes squared off a final time. Inverting their rapid-fire battle of wits in “Decoy,” this was a duel of pure nerve. But once the name of Tim’s murdered buddy was invoked, the outcome was all but sealed. Tim, with retribution as much as justice behind his eyes, was determined to squeeze the trigger at the slightest provocation. Colt, whose assessment that “most of [Mark] died somewhere in Kandahar” carried a whiff of projection, was determined to provoke. 

Amid routine (but routinely funny) Justified motions—cops rousting criminals for information, criminals rousting other criminals for information—“Peace of Mind” trusted its crescendo to a mostly verbal setpiece among two of the show’s less developed regulars and three recurring characters. That’s a daunting feat for any series to pull off, especially in a season’s penultimate episode, and it's a mighty feat that Graham Yost, credited writers Taylor Elmore and Leonard Chang, and director Gwyneth Horder-Payton did so in such a rewarding fashion.

As a result, Ellen May enjoyed a warm, if brief, reunion with her ersatz father figure Drew—chaperoned by Raylan, who couldn’t help but feel stung by his own paternal insecurities. With Drew’s deal on track at long last, the Marshal can turn his attention to his personal life. But so too can Detroit, as Nicky’s man Picker infiltrated Winona’s home in perhaps TV history’s most nerve-wracking cliffhanger based around a rocking chair. The object of Theo Tonin’s revenge appears to have shifted. After this week’s wary, meditative installment, the finale looks set to once again ratchet up the threat level.

– Kudos to Abby Miller. Her character began in a space somewhere between comic relief and hapless innocent, but this episode demanded a quiet, disarming pathos and she delivered.

– My second-favorite scene of the episode was the confrontation on the porch of the barbecue shack. I loved the way the blocking and framing put Raylan right in the midst of Limehouse and his muscle, while setting the other two Marshals starkly apart. And I loved how Rachel decisively slapped down yet another man who thought he can size her up easily.

– Seriously, did anyone else think that rocker was going to, like, explode or something when Winona sat down?

– “What’s the matter with you, Raylan? Are you not used to positive attention?”

– Rachel demanded to know what we were all wondering: “Does this mean you’re finally getting a haircut?” And Raylan promptly shot us all down: “Don’t hold your breath.”

– Art thinks Julia Roberts looks too much like Eric, albeit with better legs.

– “You know, suspendees don’t get to choose when they get suspended. That would be ‘vacation.’”

– “Don’t you know how to win? Can’t you enjoy anything?”

– “It’s Everybody Wins Day here at Johnny’s bar. Everybody except Johnny.”

– “I’m gonna need Google Translate on my phone if I’m gonna keep talking to you.”

– “He’s gonna back me up, I’ve got to put my boot up your ass out here in front of everybody.”

– “Did you not wake up this morning thinking today was another opportunity to mess up some bad guy’s day? I did.”

– “Don’t do that. Don’t even think about that. That ain’t gonna end well for you.”

– “It’s my job, being a dick. It’d be weird if you liked me.”’

– “Good plan. Small problem.”

– “I guess I’ll quit today.”

– “He’s still lookin’ out for you. Else none of us would be here.”

View the original article here

Justified S04E06: "Foot Chase"

After watching Justified's "Foot Chase," the mystery of Drew Thompson, the bag, and Arlo's part in this cold case that Raylan's chasing is still a mystery. And it's going to be that way for some time, I'd guess. Let's say maybe three or four more episodes without much new info, and real details coming out in Episode 10 or so. That'll give Justified the time it needs for three episodes' worth of learning what this thing is all about.

But until then, we'll have to settle for TV mystery storytelling and its slow steps from Point A (the introduction of the mystery) to Point B (the resolution of the mystery) by way of Points C, D, E, 23, 7x, and 2pR. Those middle points are what make up most of TV mystery storytelling, and how they're used reflects greatly on the show's quality. Remember The Killing? Great case, great acting, great cinematography, but the show had more red herrings than a Scandinavian deli hosting a tomato fight. No one wants to feel like they're wasting time while watching serialized television, but false leads and misinformation written into the story to prolong the real deal is damn annoying. Thankfully, Justified's central case for Season 4 isn't too fishy, making this waiting game much more tolerable.

Tonight we inched closer to solving things as Raylan and Boyd both put their feelers out for Drew Thompson, but they may as well be the nutjobs looking for Sasquatch in Finding Bigfoot because Drew is the great ghost of Harlan County, an apparition and thing of legend among Kentucky's underbelly. Everyone knows someone who might know where to find him, but that only leads to more people who think they know where he might be. For about 30 minutes we figured Josiah, he of the missing foot, might be Drew, but alas, he's just a guy that's a foot lighter in another case of mistaken identity. About half of Harlan has been accused of being Drew in this wild turkey chase, and I wouldn't be surprised if the guy never existed at all the way everyone purports to know a guy who had a cousin who once saw him 20 years ago. The way things were left, Raylan has another lead in the form of the imprisoned Hunter (from Season 1) and Boyd is gonna invite himself into a swingers party for older people because old pervs fit the profile for Drew. Sounds like we won't be finding Drew next week either. It's a little less exciting than the urgency we expected from having both Boyd and Raylan on the hunt for Drew that was created in the last episode, but a case like this in a tight community like Harlan will have both their paths intersecting again sooner than later.

What "Foot Chase" really had the responsibility of doing was putting other stories in motion, perhaps to tighten up the sagging middle while Raylan and Boyd continue to chase Drew's legend. But it meant an episode that was put together like shattered glass rather than a clear picture. We all asked for more arcs for Tim and Rachel, and now we got one, rather jarringly, of Tim helping out an old Army friend kick Oxy and pay off some debts. I love Tim (and can say his name all day long), but adding this arc so suddenly feels like a conversation interrupted. It wasn't exactly a smooth introduction and might take a while to find our bearings, but dammit, it's going to be worth it to see Jacob Pitts do his thing even if he's not trading one-liners with Raylan.

Meanwhile, Colton is already unraveling like a mummy on a Tilt-a-Whirl. His drug habit is well beyond being a hobby, and his inability to put away Ellen May has him beating hookers in the search for her. Specifically, a hooker named Teri who also happens to be sweet on Johnny Crowder. Under order from Colton, Teri told Johnny that the Colton-shaped backhand bruise on her face came from one of her regular Johns, and Johnny and Colton paid that guy a visit and rearranged his face. It wasn't easy to watch given that Colton has entirely lost control of his situation, and credit to Ron Eldard for making me feel honestly afraid for everyone in Colton's path. The man is hollowed out and unpredictable, and much more dangerous than a calculated threat like Boyd.

And how about that Shelby? Just as I thought, he and Raylan are pairing up to find Drew and he's going to need Raylan's help to fend off Boyd because Boyd ain't too pleased that Shelby is sticking up for himself. Shelby still has Ellen May in his back pocket, though neither Boyd or Raylan know that, so he's going to end up being a very strong ally for Raylan and a real pain in the ass for Boyd.

"Foot Chase" fanned things out like a deck of cards for the better of the season, giving us teases of several stories rather than focusing on one. Personally, I like the show better when it throws in some completion through some standalone story, even if it's a tangential storyline like that of Randall and Lindsey in "This Bird Has Flown." But the hard work done in "Foot Chase" will pay off down the line.

– Awwwwwww! Boyd proposed to Ava! And you know what? It was a pretty good, no-big-deal-but-super-appropriate) proposal. Will it have a major affect on the story or was it just a bone for the Boyd-Ava shippers? I don't know. Let's just be happy for the couple.

– Oh my gosh Josiah's leg stump looked disgusting, and I'm usually okay with that sort of thing. Loved it.

– The scene in Shelby's office between Raylan, Boyd, and Shelby was fantastic. Jim Beaver is really holding his own against Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins.

– How great is Boyd's pronunciation of "Assholes"? "Ass-hoes!!!"

– Boyd's lawyer is the worst! It's not surprising that she went off on her own and went after Drew so that she could cash out and drink fruity drinks on the beach. But did Arlo tell her Josiah was Drew because he thought Josiah was Drew, or because he wanted Josiah out of the picture?

– Lots of great dialogue tonight, let's run through Raylan's best:
Raylan: "Yay high, braces, went through puberty six months ago."
Raylan: "I'm sure you and Rapes With a Smile were just talking."
Raylan: "I think Lynard Skynard is overrated, I know you're in Boyd's pocket."

View the original article here

What to watch on Tuesday, February 12...

8pm, ABC Family
Pretty Little Liars
Spencer lashes out at Mona in "What Becomes of the Broken-hearted." Hanna seeks to reunite Caleb and his father, who had love that's now departed. Emily and Jason know they've got to find some kind of peace mind regarding Ali's trip to the Jersey Shore.

LIVE, 9pm Eastern, Various Networks
The State of the Union Address
President Barack Obama delivers his annual address to a joint session of the 113th Congress, followed by the GOP response from Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Criminally, Animal Planet has announced no plans to counter-program with the State of the Puppy Union featuring an official Kitty rebuttal.

9pm, ABC Family
The Lying Game
Emma deploys deception in order to shine light on Rebecca's falsehood in "Catch Her in the Lie," just in case you were doubting how seriously this series takes the central thrust of its title. Meanwhile, Kristin makes an unsettling discovery, and her support of Alec puts Theresa's relationship with Dan on the rocks.

10pm, FX
Justified
"Foot Chase" picks up with Raylan on the trail of Josiah Cairn, or what's left of Josiah Cairn after his involuntary amputation. Elsewhere, Boyd and Ava set their sights on the upper strata of Harlan County society. I don't ask you for much, show, but please let this scheme depend on Boyd donning a top hat and monocle.

10pm, Spike
Joe Schmo: The Full Bounty
Skylar is communicating with her deceased husband, which raises red flags for Chase in "Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?" On the bounty-hunter-training front, Wanda serves up an unorthodox tutorial on frisking.

10pm, TBS
Cougar Town
"Restless" finds Jules in the throes of insomnia, which seems chemically impossible for someone who consumes, on average, 51 fluid ounces of a depressant every day. In other cul-de-sac goings-on, Grayson is laid low by a roller hockey injury, and Ellie does her damndest to elude Andy's Valentine's Day-inspired friskiness.

SEASON 2 FINALE, 10:30pm Comedy Central
The Burn With Jeff Ross
Nikki Glaser, Al Madrigal, and Ralphie May join Jess for conversations about Valentine's Day and hipsters. Also, Snoop Lion (née Dogg) is the target of a "Friendly Fire" segment.

LATE-NITE:
– Bill Maher, Celeste Anderson, and Jackie Kashian on Conan, 11pm, TBS
– Jenny McCarthy on Chelsea Lately, 11pm, E!
– Mike Piazza on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 11pm, Comedy Central
– Oxford American editor Roger Hodge on The Colbert Report, 11:30pm, Comedy Central
– Charles Barkley, The World's Fastest Free Throw Shooter, and Jewel on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 11:35pm, NBC
– Bruce Willis, the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model, and Little Big Town on Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35pm, CBS
– Jessica Alba, Bobby Flay, and Elle Goulding on Jimmy Kimmel Live, 11:35pm, ABC
– Josh Duhamel, Craig Robinson, Christina Tosi, and Boyd Tinsley on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 12:37am, NBC
– Ted Danson and Teresa Palmer on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37am, CBS

View the original article here

Justified S04E05: "Kin"

Those of us waiting for Justified's Season 4 bad guy to show his or her face (with or without teeth) have been disappointed so far. Billy the snake hugger is dead. Randall is halfway to a Florida prison right now. Limehouse has been minding his own BBQ business back at the holler. And unless Herbert West is living in Harlan County, it doesn't look like Mags Bennett or Robert Quarles will be back anytime soon.

A friend of mine is totally bummed about this, and I suspect he's the voice of a growing segment of Justified fans. He says Raylan is at his best when he has a formidable nemesis to toss wisecracks at while he strains against his personal version of the Marshal code, especially when the baddie is full of enough twisted personality to fill a whole season of Criminal Minds. It's a trusted formula that Justififed has moseyed away from this season, opting instead to focus on a cold case that Raylan's dad Arlo is somehow mixed up with. But is it working?

I say yes. But then again, I'm probably in a minority of those who think Justified would actually work as a by-the-numbers procedural, provided the show's setting and personalities all remained intact. NCIS: Harlan County? I'd watch the shit out of that. But "Kin" did give us at least some sort of nemesis, though maybe not in the fashion we're used to on Justified. Hello again, Boyd Crowder.

Boyd and Raylan have an interesting relationship, to say the least. In a real-world situation, Raylan would be a pretty terrible Marshal to let Boyd continue to operate whore-housing and drug-selling operations in his backyard. And in the television world, Boyd and Raylan have to happily coexist, with neither of them being the last hand on the baseball bat, since they're both integral to the show. It's a difficult task to keep their relationship believable, and I suspect a lot of us gloss over any problems that might arise because we prefer to see Boyd ruffling stuff up. Remember when he was in prison? We don't want that again. The solution for Justified since Season 1 has been to intertwine Boyd and Raylan's stories here and there, with the biggest connection being Boyd's employ of Arlo, Raylan's dad.

But "Kin" may turn that intertwining into knotting and tangling, what with the twist that both Raylan and Boyd are now looking for Drew Thompson, the mystery man at the center of the cold case. Boyd wants Drew because he'll get half of the heroin trade in Harlan County from Wynn Duffy if he can bring Drew in (except when Wynn says LOL JK). Raylan wants Drew a teensy bit because he's a Marshal and that's his job and mostly, I suspect, because Raylan is six-feet-some-inches of daddy issues who wants Arlo to stay caged. (Interestingly enough, both Raylan and Boyd, arguably Arlo's biological and adopted sons, respectively, want Arlo to stay in prison, probably reasoning that he can't screw their lives up if he's safe behind bars.)

Hot darn I'm looking forward to this, because any scene featuring both Raylan and Boyd is gold. Maybe it will be a match of wits and country connections, as we saw when they both ended up in the same hill-people pen after talking to Josiah (guest-star Gerald McRaney). Maybe it will be like a mini version of Cannonball Run as the two race each other from station to station in pursuit of Drew's fresh tracks. Justified certainly can do both. And though Boyd and Raylan's opposition isn't direct (it isn't a "him or me" situation), the consequences of either of them failing is substantial enough to give this scenario plenty of weight.

Drew isn't the only subject of a manhunt now. Ellen May is still out on the wild somewhere, as far as Colton is concerned, and holed up in Sheriff Shelby's place eating pizza and taters like they're having a children's sleepover party, as far as we're concerned. Justified creator Graham Yost promises that Ellen May is an integral part of the story this season, and now that Shelby is getting involved, her importance has quadrupled. We still don't know how much she's told Shelby, but we do know that Shelby is aware that Boyd wants her dead. Given that Shelby clearly is not happy with his own relationship with Boyd, I'd expect him to hook up with Raylan somehow and use Ellen May and her knowledge of Delroy the Pimp's murder to his advantage. That'll teach Ava to throw a druggie hooker out in the cold.

After last week's enjoyable and largely conclusive episode, "Kin" pulled back the slingshot to load a set-up episode that swept another layer of dust from the case. But we're five episodes into the season and only have guesses as to where things are headed. Some viewers might have trouble with the lack of a big bad, but that allows Justified to tell more of the smaller stories it's so good at.

– Guest-star city! It was like a super-reunion tonight, with a whole buncha recurring characters and guest-stars showing up. Sheriff Shelby (Jim Beaver), Constable Bob (Patton Oswalt), Daniel the Hill Boy (Sons of Anarchy's Christopher Reed), Nick Augustine (Mike O'Malley), Agent Barkley (Stephen Toblowsky), Josiah (Gerald McRaney), that teen troublemaker from the season premiere, AND the big return of Winona (Natalie Zea).

– Regarding the return of Winona, I'm not sure why she came back other than to remind us that Raylan's baby problem is very real and that he's not ignoring it.

– There is the possibility that Theo Tonin could end up being the big bad guy this season, but we haven't even seen his face, so I'd consider him more of an unseen threat. I think we just have to accept that this is the big mystery season.

– The Hill People thing only sorta worked for me. I loved the idea, but the threat never seemed palpable, even when they were walking Boyd and Raylan to the mineshaft. Justified has definitely done more with characters who didn't come pre-packaged with cannibalistic backstories. And all I could think of was "Lothar of the Hill People," which isn't a bad thing.

– So far, one person's been stabbed, an FBI agent committed suicide, another FBI agent was murdered, a woman was kidnapped, teens stole, and a guy cut off his own foot over this mystery bag. This is one important bag.

View the original article here