By Sean Tuohy, Daniel Ford, and Dave Pezza
On Wednesday, Sean and I posted a video podcast of us watching the pilot episode of “Justified,” which was based on Elmore Leonard’s short story “Fire in the Hole.” That got us thinking about our favorite moments from the entire series and scouring the Internet for clips. We even convinced Writer’s Bone contributor David Pezza to tear himself away from his opus on vinyl to join in the fun.
Pour yourself a glass of apple pie (after you confirm Mags Bennett didn’t poison it), and spend some time in Harlan, Ky. Feel free to share your favorite moments in the comments section or tweet us @WritersBone.
Raylan Givens Makes an Entrance
Sean Tuohy: Ah, first impressions are the most important and we meet Raylan as he guns down a mafia member on the run.
Daniel Ford: As Sean and I discussed on our video chat, there’s nothing more entertaining than a conversation between two guys who are about to shoot at each other.
“You’re the Asshole”/”Do You Know Where I’m From Asshole?"
Dave Pezza: Raylan has an obsession with calling people “asshole,” particularly outlaws. I love it. In fact, it has started to come out in my everyday vernacular. It’s music to my ears when we get to hear Olyphant say ‘asshole’ in his southern drawl and through Raylan’s badass persona, turning one word into a perfect description for criminals who have a flare for the idiotic.
“I Didn’t Order Assholes With My Whiskey”
DF: Ditto.
Showdown With Quarrels
DF: Speaking of conversations between guys who want to want to shoot each other. Season 3 is highly underrated and this scene between Raylan, Wynn Duffy, and Robert Quarles is one of the tensest of the series.
Hillbilly Dance Off
ST: Boyd Crowder is smooth-talking and dancing crime lord. We got to see the fun side of the gun-toting preacher. Boyd Crowder.
Dewey Crowe Loses His Kidneys
DF: Dewey Crowe might be the ultimate showcase of an Elmore Leonard incompetent henchman. He’s a loveable loser much like Robert De Niro’s character was in “Jackie Brown” (based on Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch). You root for Dewey even though you know his intentions are suspect and he’s dumber than the keyboard this paragraph was typed on. Crowe being convinced his kidneys were cut out…was…hehe…I mean…ha, ha, ha…I can’t…
Wynn Duffy
DF: I love everything about Wynn Duffy. His hair, his reactions to all the insanity that occurs around him, and his incompetent badassery.
Mags Bennett Apple Pie Exit
ST: One of the greatest villains in the show's history this scene is haunting and proves a point: No one leaves Harlan alive.
DF: The second season of “Justified” was perfect television. It had everything you want in a series finding its stride: villain progression, tortured hero, and an ending that defies cliché. Never has apple pie been so depressing.
"You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive"
Also listen to Sean Tuohy and Daniel Ford watch "Fire in the Hole:"
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