Justified: Season 6, Episode 1 “Fate’s Right Hand” (B+)
I had the chance to watch this premiere a few weeks early thanks to a press kit sent to me by FX, and I opted not to flip through the pages of the kit detailing the many guest stars in the show’s final season before watching so that I could instead be surprised by fresh faces. The only notable new actor in this premiere is Garret Dillahunt from “Raising Hope,” who brings his signature brand of uncertain creepiness to a bearded buyer who shows up to purchase Raylan’s land with cash in hand and a suspicious Raylan eager to send him on his way. While I’m sure there are many talented performers who will show up over the course of the season, it seems like this final stretch is going to be much more about the characters we already know and love. Opening with Winona suggests that Raylan’s home life isn’t as out of reach as it feels, but he’s not going to make getting home a priority if his reckless behavior in Mexico at the start of the episode is any indication. He did get a cold reception from his federale contact, but bringing him back in his trunk wasn’t exactly diplomatic. Every moment of the hour with Dewey was sheer brilliance, particularly Raylan’s assertion that 1000 feet is just a figure of speech. Truth be told, Dewey serving as a decoy for Boyd’s bank robbery was the most useful thing he could have done, but his reaction prompted Boyd to make a decision I expected him to make before the episode was done, to shoot Dewey in the head and rid us of one of the most idiotic but brilliantly written characters on television. It means that Boyd means business and no one is going to get in his way. Ending the episode with him watching Ava sleep is foreboding, especially since her informant relationship with Raylan isn’t exactly going well. I sense a dark season on the horizon, which may be even more fearsome that what we’ve experienced up until now since it’s Boyd who is being cast as the central villain.
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