Series finales, especially for a show like Justified, are always tricky. The temptation to go out in a blaze of gunfire must be nigh-impossible to resist, so its that much more commendable that “The Promise” was so tactful. Justified was never afraid to indulge its more pulpy tendencies, but that’s not what defined the show. If anything could be said to “define” this show, it would be the role of anger in our lives; or sons and fathers and how they can disappoint and ruin each other; or how criminal and outlaw are often closer than they think they are. Justified was a multi-faceted show, and “The Promise” did a damn fine job of touching on every one of them.
There’s still the matter of last week’s “Collateral” to wrap up, though. Boyd starts digging for the money at Grubes’ cabin, only to find Grubes’ body instead of the money. He gets a phone call from a captive Ava, who convinces Markham that she’s talking to Zachariah. Boyd’s voice is cold steel on the phone, and coming off of Markham’s gravelly baritone interrogation its a wonder that Ava is able to keep it together. She tells Boyd that she’s at the Bennett shed, and that only she and Zachariah know where the money is buried. The two of them send Boon off on a wild goose chase for Zachariah, and the stage is set for a showdown.
Art takes custody of Raylan, and Raylan talks him into letting him go. They have bigger fish to fry than taking Raylan back to Lexington on some trumped-up charges from Vasquez, so they resolve to track down Markham, Ava, and Boyd. Art and Raylan have always had a wonderful back-and-forth, and Art has always been more of a father to Raylan than Arlo was, so it’s a wise move on Justified‘s part to end the series with them not at each other’s throat for once. They talk to – well, almost torture – Deputy Stiles, who tells them that Markham has Ava at the Bennett shed. They’re all set to go together, until Art gets the call that Boyd escaped Grubes’ cabin by chucking sticks of dynamite at the Marshals. (I love this show.) So Art leaves, and Raylan heads to the shed.
Boyd shows up and quickly dispatches Markham and his two dirty cops. Markham’s death was rather anticlimactic, but it’s hard to top Katherine Hale’s, isn’t it? The most chilling part of the Showdown at the Shed is when Boyd points his gun at Ava, furiously pulling the trigger, only to find the clip empty. Raylan shows up and Justified‘s most anticipated shootout seems imminent. Boyd refuses to draw on Raylan. But he promises, when he gets out of jail, he’ll kill Ava and Raylan both. The scene ends not with Boyd in a bodybag, but in cuffs, and I think it’s one of the smartest decisions Justified has made in its whole run. Raylan’s pursuit of Boyd, especially in this last season, has been single-minded to the point of obsessive (listen to his flat, menacing voice as he orders Boyd to draw). By not killing him, Raylan accomplishes several things. One, he deflates Boyd’s outlaw mystique. He doesn’t get to go out in a blaze of glory; he gets to spend years behind bars because Raylan decided for once in his life to be an actual Marshal. And two, he knows Boyd will get out. As he says himself, “Ain’t no cell can hold him.” By keeping Boyd alive, Raylan ensures that he can chase him forever.
What surprised me most about “The Promise” was the four-year time jump, which effectively bisescts the episode. Raylan is a Marshal in Miami, but in a depressingly realistic twist, he and Winona aren’t a couple. He’s still looking for Ava, and tracks her down in Lebec, CA, living in the caretaker’s home on a ranch. He decides not to bring her in because she’s raising Boyd’s son – named Zachariah – who looks just like him, right down to the buttoned-up shirt. Sworn to secrecy, he returns to Kentucky to tell Boyd that Ava has been dead for three years. It’s this scene, the last one of Justified‘s entire run, that really shows the strange kind of affection that Raylan and Boyd have for each other. It dawned on me: these two are each other’s only friends.
Justified never set out to reinvent the wheel. It did noir, it did Western, and it did them both very well. It was true to the spirit of the inimitable Elmore Leonard, and some of its episodes – season four’s “Decoy,” season five’s “The Weight” – are genuinely classic television. If nothing else, it gave us one of the best hero/villain relationships in TV history, and that in itself is impressive enough. Guys, I’m going to miss the hell out of this show.
A Few Thoughts
- Constable Bob’s condition is troublingly not revealed. Pull through, Bob!
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“Crowder started throwing dynamite”
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“Goddamn, Raylan, your timing sucks!“
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“We dug coal together”
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We did get one showdown: Raylan vs. Boon. Great stuff
“The Promise” score: 4.5/5
Justified season six score: 4/5
Justified series score: 4.5/5
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