The death of Elmore Leonard earlier this year was a big loss to the literary world, but there’s some comfort in knowing one of his most popular creations will be in safe hands for at least a little while longer. Season four of Justified had the highest number of bum episodes since the show’s foot-finding first year, but considering that number was 2, I’m not overly worried about its prospects going forward. The hunt for legendary criminal Drew Thompson created many standout moments and episodes for the season, with “Decoy” perhaps setting a new high-water mark for the entire series.
Even when surrounded by some of the year’s best new characters (including Patton Oswalt as the plucky Constable Bob), this was Timothy Olyphant’s year from start to finish, as Raylan’s family history exposed him in ways that his awful mullet had no chance of hiding. Justified isn’t a show that’s in danger of running out of material so much as being overrun with it, adding more actors, more characters, more backstory with each season, but showing no signs of slowing down.