Thursday, March 17, 2011

Watch The Moonshine War

The best show currently on television right now is Justified, and this episode, "The Moonshine War", is the second season premiere episode. Justified airs every Wednesday at 10:00 pm on FX. In my opinion, it easily rises to the level of quality of such shows as The Sopranos and Dexter. Unfortunately, I was unable to embed the player here on the blog, but it is well worth your time to click on the link and watch the episode if you have not already seen it. It's on the FX site, which is a site worth visiting on its own merits. The Justified section features games and even a history of criminals in the US.

The Moonshine War
Video:
Raylan tangles with a ruthless Harlan County crime family while hunting for a fugitive sex offender. Story by Elmore Leonard and Graham Yost; teleplay by Graham Yost; directed by Adam Arkin.
http://vod.fxnetworks.com/watch/justified/785628725001

By the way, there have been six episodes so far, which means next week's episode will put it right at the half-way mark of the 13 episode season. My favorite episode so far is episode 5, "Copperhead". But they are all good.

It's based on a couple of novels and a short-story, "Fire In The Hole", by the great American crime novelist Elmore Leonard. If you have ever read anything by Leonard, you know that nobody does scumbag characters like he does. Most of his novels are set in Florida, but this series is set in Kentucky. Raylan Givens is a US Marshall from Harlan Kentucky who is not above stepping outside the law in order to make things right with the world. The title, Justified, refers to the legal finding in regards to his shooting and killing of a criminal. Once based in Florida, Raylan was reassigned to his Kentucky roots. The first season took place in Lexington, but this season is set primarily in Harlan.

Givens finds himself having to juggle problems with his ex-wife, and his former friend Boyd Crowder (played by Walton Goggins, formerly of The SHIELD), an ex-con who can't quite go straight, for all his good intentions. Meanwhile, Raylan finds himself in the middle of a hornets nest involving a family of hardened criminals involved in drugs and murder, led by the family matriarch Mags.

I'll just end by saying this show is a perfect antidote for those who think American television drama is of an inferior quality.