2) Bulletville (Season 1, Episode 13)
By the end of the first season, Justified had made it crystal clear that letting Boyd Crowder live was the pivotal decision of the series. From Raylan’s side of things, we had a clever and fun crime procedural with a southern fried twist. But sharing the series between Harlan’s two prodigal sons afforded the show a wide cast of characters and plotlines to bring to a head by the time the first season wrapped up. “Bulletville” set an absurdly high bar for future Justified finales, as almost every significant story collapses on the titular holler for a good ol’ shootout.
Boyd’s conversion and Arlo’s betrayal having pitted sons against fathers, the finale sets Boyd, Raylan, and Ava in a backwoods siege with Miami gun thugs. Where “Fire in the Hole” made such a guest list a tense affair, “Bulletville” delights in the chemistry that Crowders and Givenses share when they aren’t trying to kill one another. Closing out on that great final image of Raylan letting Boyd out of his gun sights, “Bulletville” ended Justified’s first season as assuredly as it began.
Best Scene: The fireworks are a joy to witness, but it’s when Arlo tries to sacrifice his son, only to see Raylan turn the tables on him, that the tragedy of the hour is most apparent.
Memorable Line: “I set all of this into motion, didn’t I?” Boyd asks Raylan before the guns come out. “Actually, I think me shooting Tommy Bucks might have had something to do with it.” Raylan admits.