'Justified' back with an edge

It's one of the hardest things in the world for a TV show to follow up a critically acclaimed successful season.

Season two of the FX action drama "Justified" was a masterclass in storytelling and acting, leading to increases in viewers and award recognition.

However, last night all that was left behind as "Justified" began season three, right where season two left off with Raylan shot after bringing down the Bennett clan.

Following a trip to the hospital to assure fans that Raylan was indeed ok, the action jumped ahead three weeks with him still recovering and on light desk duty. He's not quite the sharp shooter viewers have come to rely on and he pays less attention to details, which gets him in trouble later in the episode, but as evidenced in his showdown with Boyd, he's still Raylan.

"Justified" is at its best when Timothy Olyphant's Raylan and Walton Goggins Boys are going at it, which happened before the opening credits in last night's "The Gunfighter." There is this on again-off again love/hate relationship between the two that has a familial dynamic that is always compelling to watch.

They're like relatives who fight to the death all the time, but the minute somebody else gets involved they've got each other's backs.

In the absence of the dearly departed (and sorely missed) Mags Bennett, season three's big bad is Detroit gangster Robert Quarles played by the excellent Neal McDonough. Quarles is a sharp dresser whose deadly nature is obscured by his appearance.

However, his business with the dixie mafia immediately lets everyone know he's just as ruthless as Mags, plus with no connection to Harlan he is a complete wildcard.

McDonough is often the tortured hero, so it was a nice change to see him go all out as the villain.

"Dexter's" Desmond Harrington also showed up as fugitive killer yet very stylish Fletcher "Ice Pick" Nix. He enjoys torturing his victims by engaging them in a gun draw that he will inevitably win thanks to his trusty ice pick.

This technique of course backfired when he tried it on Raylan and led to him being shot. However, executive producer Graham Yost has already said that Nix is not dead and he hopes to bring Harrington back later in the season.

Meanwhile Boyd's crew of Arlo, Devil and Ava are trying to figure out what to do with the Bennett's stolen marijuana. Once Boyd tells Ava to burn it, Devil doesn't want to take orders from a woman, which leads to the best moment of the night. Ava tells Devil her fried chicken is to die for then changes his mind via frying pan.

The Ava/Boyd relationship is perhaps the most interesting and underrated one on the whole series. They seem to have evolved to part Johnny and June, part Bonnie and Clyde. All of which makes their scenes second only to Boyd and Raylan.

The only major flaw from last night was that it needed more Boyd, which will hopefully happen in the coming weeks as viewers get a glimpse of the real reason why he had himself thrown in the same prison as Dickie Bennett.

There was a definite edge to last night's premiere, with the show going into a completely different direction from season two, yet still keeping the core qualities that makes "Justified" one of the most anticipated series of spring.

Why 'Justified' is the best show on TV?

When fans and critics look back on the season of "Justified" the talk will be about one key performance, Margo Martindale as Mags Bennett. She's such a force of nature as the matriarch of the Bennett clan.

In last night's season finale things came to a head in the feud between the Bennetts and the Crowders/Givens. Helen's death, Coover's killing and Dickie's arrest had raised the stakes and it was clear we were headed for a war. The aptly titled episode "Bloody Harlan" opened with Raylan telling Art he wanted to transfer out of the field and teach weapons training to new recruits. Art said he would think about it, but we all knew this wasn't happening since Raylan belongs in the field, and more specifically in Kentucky.

Boyd and Mags had a come to jesus meeting in the church, but Mags had other plans, as she had sent assassins to Johnny and Ava's houses. Johnny blew up his attackers, but Ava wasn't so lucky, because Dickie shot her.


Boyd and Ava have quickly become one of my favorite TV couples, so her shooting broke my heart. Fortunately, Dickie is a bad shot and she should survive, but how will this change their relationship?

Meanwhile, Raylan finds out that young Loretta McCready has runaway from her foster parents with a gun and $300 ready to kill Mags for murdering her father. Raylan doesn't hesitate to go after her, which causes Winona to tell him that she might not be waiting when he gets back. This still doesn't stop him and heads straight for "Bloody Harlan."

Unfortunately, he runs into Dickie and ends up tied from tree while Dickie uses him for batting practice. However, Boyd shows up and saves his life again. I'm convinced that the real love story of this show is between Boyd and Raylan. They can't seem to stay out of each other's lives and as much as they want to kill one another, they know that they're the only ones who truly understand each other.

So, Loretta finally makes it to Harlan and confronts Mags about her father's death and this scene is the definition of Emmy worthy. Kaitlyn Dever as Loretta displayed remarkable depth and control for someone so young. At first Mags lies and says it was Coover, but then when Raylan shows up she tells the truth about poisoning Loretta's father, finally easing the girl's burden.

It was the final haunting scene that really put this show in a class all its own. Raylan tells Mags that Doyle is dead and Dickie is arrested, basically the feud is over. She offers Raylan some of her apple pie moonshine and then goes to shake his hand. While it was obvious that something was up because she got the glasses from two places, I thought she was going to poison Raylan and herself. I never expected her to let Raylan live. When the haunting strains of Bead Paisley's "You'll Never Leave Harlan" began it became such a sad and telling moment.

It is in that moment that Raylan knows he belongs in Kentucky and can't leave. It will be interesting to see how things shake out next season with Winona's pregnancy and Boyd's takeover of crime in Harlan.

If the Emmy voters cared about actually honoring the best shows on TV, Martindale, Walton Goggins and Olyphant would all be nominated along with the show. However, they'll probably just nominate "Grey's Anatomy" instead.

FX cancels 'Lights Out,' fans of good TV suffer

In mind-bottling crazy news, FX has canceled the critically acclaimed drama "Lights Out." The show follows the attempted comeback of "Lights" Leary, a former heavyweight boxing champion, as he deals with complicated family drama and tries to figure out who he is away from the ring.

The show is bolstered by a star-making performance by Holt McCallany as Lights and was really just starting to hit its stride.

This news is surprising since FX is the kind of network that usually takes a chance on shows like this.

The show's producers should be on the phone right now with Starz, HBO and Showtime, because it would be a perfect fit for any of their networks.

As for McCallany, his charm, build, good looks and acting chops make him perfect for any number of superhero movies currently in production. He is someone who should be wearing a cool costume and flying through the air.