Dee Mac

I agree with those who find the Justified sequel a bit flat. I'm a huge fan of both the show and the Raylan Givens character. I disagree that the show needed to return to its old setting/characters. I think it's fine (and realistic) to move on to a new locale. I just think the writers' lost focus. The story line with the daughter just didn't work and felt superfluous. Ditto with Raylan falling in to a relationship with someone he's supposed to protect after like a week. Feels very forced. You can see underneath a tighter, better through line on the story. Instead of a convoluted, random road rage incident to get Raylan to Detroit he picks up a Detroit fugitive in Miami on an outstanding warrant. As punishment, he's given prisoner transport duty. Once there it turns out the fugitive was part of a gang that had its hooks into a crooked judge. He's bailed out by the judge which sets Raylan off and gives Clement (also in the gang) a chance to kill his ex-partner and the judge so he can blackmail the big wigs in the judge's book. Givens, already in Detroit, is assigned to the team investigating who killed a federal judge. And you're off. If you need a romantic entanglement, Sandy, Clement's girl, or even the lead detective, was a much more logical choice. Carolyn sets up more as a formidable adversary/ally who secretly wants Clement to get clipped but has to keep her fingerprints off the scheme. She could turn out to be feeding evidence to the investigation off camera, which, given the corruption involved, could rebound on her and Sweet. Shipping Raylan and Carolyn felt like a major misstep and lazy also. I'd love for them to do more limited series with Justified. But I think the writers need to take a look at what makes the character and stories work. I really felt like they tried to broaden Raylan out as a father and sensitive boyfriend in order to give the character wider appeal. That's a mistake. A character like that works being who and what he is. Keep it taut and tense and Givens that sense of being a man out of his time, a 19th century lawman in 21st century America. That's where he started long ago on that Miami rooftop and he's more interesting if he stays the same while the world changes around him...