# Justified: The Final Season - DVD Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=46442[/img] 
*Title: Justified: The Final Season* 

*Movie:* :4stars:
*Video:* :4.5stars:
*Audio:* :4stars: 
*Extras:* :3stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*80




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=46450[/img]*Summary*
After 6 years, the western/drama/thriller/police procedural show “Justified” is finally coming to a close. After a jaw dropping finale, the series settles in for a steady run towards the finish, and actually does what it sets out to do. Ends the series on a high note. It seems like more and more TV series are getting cancelled before the creators can get the main storyline told, or else the main storyline gets so convoluted and twisted as the powers that be try and stretch a series way past its expiration date. “Justified” manages to keep itself tight and well defined, aiming directly at a specific goal that has haunted Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) for the duration of the shoe. Creator Graham Yost has a few hiccups along the way, mainly by keeping season 6 a bit slower than the last few, but the last few episodes take the show out with a bang, as well as many of the characters too!

If you haven’t seen season 5, be warned, there are definitely spoilers ahead. After the last season’s big punch in the gut, we now have Ava Crowder (Joelle Carter) working for Raylan as a confidential informant against ex fiancé, Boyd Crowder (Walter Goggins). Boyd doesn’t have any idea of the arrangement, which leaves Ava wide open for feeding the U.S. Marshall services all the info that she can give about Boyd’s criminal enterprises. To make things a bit stickier, Weed king, Avery Markham (Sam Elliot), returns to Harlan County and starts making a play for the land in the rundown county. Utilizing a group of mercs, headed by Ty Walker (Garret Dillahunt, “Sarah Connor Chronicles), Markham sweeps across the land creating the perfect avenue for Raylan to trap Boyd in. 

Season 6 is a bit slower than some of the previous seasons, but what it does right is aiming directly for the finish line without any deviations or cramming 2 seasons worth of information into one desperate last dash for said finish line. Boyd has always been a loose end and an irritant to Raylan and the Marshall’s office, and it was inevitable that Raylan would have to finally take him down. The former friends have been squaring off in preparation for their showdown for at least 4 of the 6 seasons, and the ending for the show fits the series to a T. It’s not one of those jaw droppingly epic series finales, but the ending is very satisfying and will definitely please long time watchers. 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=46458[/img]
There are plenty of highlights to the 6th season, the main one being the inclusion of Sam Elliot. Sam Elliot pretty much elevates anything he’s in (he was the only bright spot in Ang Lee’s “Hulk”) and even though he phones in his performance, his slow southern drawled character fits right into the “Justified” universe. Walter Goggins and Timothy Olyphant still are the life blood of the series. Olyphant lives and breathes Raylan Givens, so much so that you have a hard time differentiating between the actor and the character. However, as much as Olyphant has made the role his own, he’s actually not my favorite performance of the show. That award has to go to Walter Goggins who has created one of the most memorable characters on television, up there with Bryan Cranston’s Walter White. Boyd Crowder is the most visceral, well versed and morally flexible character of the entire series and he scene steals every time he makes an appearance. Amusingly enough, even though I LOVE Boyd Crowder, he’s not my actual favorite CHARACTER on the show. That has to fall to a side character that went from being a one off type of cookie cutter character and then morphed into a series regular. Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns) originally was just a Dixie Mafia character that was supposed to make an appearance and then leave, but the fans loved his snarky performance so much that he became a regular villain. The end scene between himself, Katherine Hale and his bodyguard Mikey is one of the best of the entire season, and maybe even the entire series, in my opinion.

The show isn’t perfect, it struggles in trying to keep the last seasons smooth and brisk, and sometimes if felt like a bit too many villains were being added in. First there was Avery, then Ty, and after Ty is gone we have the little smart talking cowboy killer. A little crowding is to be expected when the show was informed that this would be their final season, so I can’t complain too much, as they did an admirable job at keeping the final season smooth and focused, especially in comparison to others I’ve seen recently that suffered the same fate.



*Rating:* 

Rated TV-MA



*Video* :4.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=46466[/img]I was unfortunately not able to get ahold of a Blu-ray copy to review for you guys, so this section will deal with the 480p video transfer available. The show has always looked good on DVD and Blu-ray for the last 5 years, and the 6th season is no different. Colors are warm and well saturated, showcasing the beautiful Kentucky backdrop for the show. Skin tones and contrast are very natural and the entire show has an incredible amount of detail, even for an SD presentation. You can see the creases and lines on Sam Elliot’s face with perfect precision, as well as the grimy and downtrodden expressions on the town folk faces of the worn out people in Harlan county. Black levels are strong and show off plenty of shadow detail and besides some macroblocking and standard definition softness, the image is superb and pushes the 480p lines of resolution to the max. 






*Audio* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=46474[/img]In a shocking turn of events, Sony actually left off a Lossless DTS-HD MA track from the Blu-ray and gave it the same lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital track that the DVD carries. Meaning, if that the only real difference between the Blu-ray and this DVD is the 1080p vs. 480p video encode. The show has always been a bit heavy on the dramatic side, so it isn’t wildly dynamic show, but the clarity and crispness of the track is beyond reproach. There is a significant weight added to the gunshots and more violent aspects of the show, but they also fade into the background when large quantities of dialog dominate the time frame. LFE is tight and consistent, and the surrounds are given ample room to show off their abilities. 








[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=46482[/img]*Extras* :2stars:
• Directing the Show: Adam Arkin 
• Dutch Speaks
• Deleted Scenes 








*Overall:* :4stars:

The final season of “Justified” goes out with a bang, and a well-deserved bloody one at that. Longtime fans of the show have watched the characters grow and adapt as the series changed forms, but the basic core of the show has stayed intact throughout its run. “Justified” never gained the notoriety of some of the bigger shows, but Walter and Timothy’s performances have elevated the show from good, to a really close contender, allowing for some fantastic television drama. I, for one, will be sad to see it go, but am very glad it was allowed the closure it needed to make a COMPLETE series. The audio and video presentations are very solid on the DVD, leaving the only weak link in the chain being the lackluster pittance of extras. For a show that lasted 6 full seasons there was very little actual meat on the bones, so to speak, in the extras department. A solid release and a season definitely worth watching. Highly recommended 

*Additional Information:*

Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Walter Goggins, Sam Elliot
Created by: Graham Yost
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 MPEG2
Audio: English: English Dolby Digital 5.1
Studio: Sony
Rated: TV-MA
Runtime: 583 Minutes
DVD Release Date: June 2nd 2015



*Buy Justified: The Final Season On DVD at Amazon*



*Recommendation: Watch It​*








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