Fire In The Hole In One

...it was announced yesterday (at least as far as I could see) that next season of Justified is it. One more go-around and then no more Raylan Givens. No more Boyd Crowder. No more Dewey Crowe (I think I'm actually going to cry). In the grand scheme, six seasons is pretty good and not at all anything to grovel over. There were moments in the beginning of this past season of Sons Of Anarchy were I was tempted to start thinking "Yeah...yeah. Get on with it already! If I hear Jax utter the phrase 'We're going to find who did this.' one more time, I'm going to set the house ablaze!". Sons Of Anarchy is ending next season after seven and while the show has always pulled it together, it has dipped on occasion. Not so with Justified. If anything, Justified just accelerates towards greatness with every passing scene.

Actually, that's not entirely true. For me, the first 5 or 6 episodes of Justified in season one were good, but feeling a little too purposefully sly. Then Boyd Crowder was released from prison and since that moment, Justified has been completely on fire. Every plot and subplot is building towards something. Every character introduced is perfectly woven into the fabric of the show's universe. Every casting decision that I raised an eyebrow towards ended up knocking me on my ass (Neal McDonough as the villain? The guy from Desperate Housewives?!? Seriously?!?). Halfway through this fifth season (I'm a little behind), Justified continues its march towards glory.

So, for me, I like the things that I like to be great throughout. With only one season left, anyone who watches knows that the series will finish big. The actors too talented, the characters too rich and the storyline too compelling for it to go out any other way. Justified is the great contemporary Western and as much as it will leave a void, it is going to go out strong. Best part? It's niche audience without a merchandising arm means a continuation of no Facebook spoilers.

Read: America Again: Re-Becoming The Greatness We Never Weren't by Stephen Colbert

Listen: Bad Religion Against The Grain

Watch: Justified