Justified's sluttier, crazier cousin is back

The season is off to a hell of a start and episode 3 was a monster. This show has consistently had the best fight scenes of any television program (Arrow coming in second) but great god almighty the Nola/Burton fight was just above and beyond. It takes balls to attempt a Raid-inspired fight scene on TV but they to stuck the landing so hard. No cheap knock-off it was an epic scene executed so well by both performers/stunt team and director. I'd put it up with any fight scene in any American film of the past couple of years. The fact that is was so grounded in character (granted it came out of nowhere in a narrative sense but hey actors leave shows) and there were true emotional stakes only makes it more impressive.

This is a show that I'm consistently amazed by because it shouldn't work at all. Its premise is so convoluted and its story so unwieldy that in lesser hands or without the grace of God itself it would be an mirthless, mindless over-stylized, undercooked slog. And yet, the stupider and crazier it gets the smarter and more grounded (within the confines of its world) it becomes. As it continues to ramp up its action, violence and sex it continues to expand and explore its emotional core. It's a hell of a tightrope they are walking and last season they teetered precariously close to falling off but for now they've managed to restore their balance and march forward. But just watching them keep up the high-wire act is half the fun. It's got to be incredibly hard work making a show that should be so bad be this good.

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A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

The fight scene was pretty awesome. I think I said 'Oh shit' 20 times, each one louder than the last. When he opened the trunk!!!??? I almost woke the kids up.

The fat suit guy was cornball. Those scenes kinda let the air out of the episode. Having said that, I will look at big rig trucks differently now.

I thought that was a really odd choice. The character was a great idea and there was enough there to set up a formidable recurring villain but in typical Banshee fashion he was dispatched in the most gruesome fashion imaginable.

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A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

And Lili Simmons hasn't even gotten naked yet this season!
The female cop from the res?! Son! Fucking gorgeous!

I thought the fat guy worked in relation to how batshit crazy the show is.

Fuck Tommy. I hate when a bad guy decides to fight on some stupid asshole's rogue mission. Taken, John Wick - defeated injustice should never be followed up by more bullshit. You lost! Take the L and STFU.

I have a 400 year old chip on my shoulder.

Episode 3 was downright amazing television. The suit was still off-putting because it just wasn't well done like say Schmidt's fat suit but it's a minor grievance. I really wish that character hadn't bit the semi tire because a gangster living in a Semi going around knocking off people in his ledger was gold.

Also, yes the cop on the Res is fine as hell. She definitely goes a long way in filling the void left by Nola.

Watching Episode 4 I was excited to see Magnus Martens at the helm again per the opening credits and expected more of the utterly insane work from Episode 3. Kind of unfair to expect lightning to strike two episodes in a row and while initially slightly underwhelmed by the 'smaller, quieter' episode. Upon reflection, it was another really solid episode and did a great job dealing in several major shifts for characters based on the events of the previous episode. The Rebecca/Burton team-up was full of gold and I'm really interested to see that develop.

I'm going to go on record and say that Magnus Martens and the creative team are big John Carpenter fans between the Proctor/Hood fight that was to They Live what the previous episode's Nola/Burton fight was to the Raid 2 and the final scene setting up a very Assault on Precinct 13 siege. Cowboys and Indians indeed.

Didn't hit the unfathomable highs of 3 but does an excellent job putting the pieces into play and establishing the emotional stakes for characters for a hell of a back half of the season.

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A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

....just to get it out the way, yes, episode 3 was THAT bidness....

...i really liked episode 4's contrast to it though... it's funny how the fights in one episode were neccessary, but the ones in another were more about people lettin off some steam.... DUDE, i LOVED the scenes with Burton and Rebecca...it's a weird lil partnership, but it works SO well.... am i the only one who understands but doesn't agree with Chayton's struggle?

...anyway, GREAT season so far...i agree that last season was a little everywhere, and honestly, so is this season, BUT they're lining things up alot better this time and the stakes are more interesting

...shout out to Brock and his "therapist", hope she comes back soon, cause she was great

..and YES, the res cop is FIONE....oh, and does anyone NOT think Kai is gonna end up gettin it with Emily and causing a bigger rift with Rebecca? i'm also exticed to see if he'll kick her out like his mom asked....(the actress playing his mom is REALLY good...she knows how to softly elevate a scene)

"yes, sometimes my rhymes are sexist, but you lovely bitches and hos should know i'm tryin to correct it"- hiphopopotamus

him shaking his head to her shaking his ass killed me.

She definitely should be a recurring character as their interaction adds just the kind of levity this show needs and gives Brock an extra dimension.


I wish my therapist was a stripper.

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A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

PSN ID - dirty_MF_bucks

Man, I just deleted a long, unwieldy write-up of my reaction to this episode. I guess I'm still all over the place with it. This one hurt. I don't think a piece of television has gotten a reaction out of me like this before (I didn't watch the Red Wedding until everyone else had so I knew what was coming). Hell, I guess knew what was coming here. Or I had an idea but didn't think they'd do it. Although once Hood told Siobhan they should leave Banshee together and revealed his real name to her in a whisper I knew without a doubt her fate was sealed. Then it was one long, excruciating march toward the inevitable. Even then, I didn't think they'd kill Siobhan in such heart-wrenching soul-crushing way. That was a knife in the gut. The end credits tag the twisting off the knife. Even the murders of Emmett, his wife their unborn baby didn't hit like this and that was definitely a gut-check moment for me on whether this gratuitous series was just too gratuitous for me. Here, watching Hood rendered helpless reduced to begging for Chayton to spare Siobhan added such emotional weight that I couldn't bear it. I was straight up angry after this episode and I can see myself skipping this one or at least its final moments during future rewatches of the show. Whether you knew she wasn't going to make it out of this episode before it aired or not no one thought it'd be literally at the hands of Chayton in the most brutal manner possible.

Over at the AV Club, the reviewer said this was the best episode of the show to date and I can't say I agree. I don't even think it's the best episode this season. As masterfully done as the last 10 minutes were, I don't think the writing here was as strong as some of the top tier episodes of the show. As fearsome a force as Chayton is for most of this episode he's the world's worst strategist and after spending much of this season making tactical errors his incompetence is highlighted here. It becomes comical in this episode and the last thing you want with a character like Chayton or an episode like this is the audience thinking your monster is a moron. His ruthless is no longer in question-if it ever was-but his intelligence is and that's unfortunate. He's played too well and their is too much potential for him to be big dumb redskin. The Bunker backstory was great but man alive did they use a heavy hand to get to it via (understandably) distrusting Black Lawyer woman. And hey, here's an idea pick up the fucking automatic rifles your dead adversaries leave on the ground so you don't have to worry about running out of ammo in your handgun. I'm fine with this show being dumb fun. I'm not fine when it and its characters are stupid. Especially in an episode like this where it's so easy to undercut the tension if the audience is constantly the questioning the motivations and actions of the characters. If you're going to do Hawks and Carpenter make sure you do it right.

-Bunker just looks badass and this episode really is the perfect showcase for this kind of character. A great update of a standard Hawksian character
-Chayton materializing out of the dark behind Siobhan was great. The stuff of slasher movies and my nightmares.
-Speaking of nightmares, Rebecca's vision of Momma Proctor's warning. Make it stop!
-C'mon Billy Raven be more savage, less noble.
-Shhhhh.....

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A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

here's an idea pick up the fucking automatic rifles your dead adversaries leave on the ground

I have a 400 year old chip on my shoulder.

not the end for S-Dot...i knew that was coming from the tone of the past few episodes, although how it happened hurt....it was masterfully done

...that laywer trying to free Kai at THAT particular moment....

...Kai killing the indian dude choking out the DA...

....Bunker standing basically in the open shooting at those guys

...that they left S-Dot and thwe other officer upstairs alone and they KNEW dude had just re opened that hole....

...Brock talking about protocol in the middle of what was almost The Alamo



...i also loved Brock explaining why Hood is a crappy cop...sometimes watching the show i DO wish it less about Hood being good at killing people and destroying everything he touches....i wish he'd become a better investigator

"yes, sometimes my rhymes are sexist, but you lovely bitches and hos should know i'm tryin to correct it"- hiphopopotamus

had i known this was an action show. i would have taken a look. all the print ads give no idea what this show is. maybe i'll take a look at it now
--------
<--------- my cousin
www.richardlouissaint.com
photobloggin' it:
http://blog.richardlouissaint.com

When Chayton started whispering to Siobhan?

Ugh...

PS3/Xbox ID: BackDo Do
Wii: Solaam

______________________________

They're bureaucrats! I don't respect them.(c)Rick Sanchez

i watched the first season and liked it, then suddenly stopped getting Cinemax and kinda forgot about it

Just watched ep6. This show is moving past mindless. This episode had character building as good as any top tier show.

I wonder whose decision it was to make less episodes next season. Why get so far into it, actually get better, then cut it short? I'm not invested at any level past a viewer, but I'm kind of insulted a little.

Once again, reality shows go on forever, shit shows go on, but the stuff I like comes and goes.

And the post credit on ep6 was a pretty bad ass end to another great episode. However, Hood's question to Anna (as she was on her knees recovering after Chayton...) could have been asked to himself.

I have a 400 year old chip on my shoulder.

8 episodes AND they'll be shooting the show out here in Pittsburgh (WTF?!) apparently

I don't get it either. If anything, Cinemax should be UPPING the episode count (10-13 or something) not less...

then again, I think The Knick is only 7 episodes, and Quarry, which they just green lit, will be 8 too.

I think Robert Kirkman's Outcast is going to be 10-13 I think....or so I've heard. I don't know.

Get Out the Room
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-out-the-room/id525657893

Some of y'all need this in your life: http://www.psychology.com

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A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

I fully accept the moments of cheese, absurdity, and cliche - don't mind it. As long as they keep cranking out great entertainment the way they have done the past 2 1/2 years, I don't ever want this show to end.

It's a great show, much in the way Spartacus was.

That said, they telegraphed Siobhan. And when it happened I remembered Chayton with the deer a couple eps back, so I kind of had a duh moment.

Whenever the final Chayton-Hood showdown happens, I am positive that shit will be BRUTAL. It's been simmering nicely now.

Been all about this show since that opening action/chase scene in S1 ep1 with the bus slide.

The action and pace has surprisingly not let up.

Brock has become one of my favorite (surviving) characters, and I hope he never gets killed.

...Bunker is an awesome addition from an actor who can easily bring it...

the funeral was interesting...i'd love to hear more backstory on Kai and Sugar...

Rebecca played herself and watching her come down off that high horse was great...can't wait for Brock to figure out what his ex is up to...

i was really mad at Hood for "relishing the moment" b4 the victory...seemed really uncharacteristic...

ugh...i'm tired of Deva...i like her, but her choices suck EVERY season...

i was about to be mad when i thought they were gonna kill the cop from the Rez too...

...does anyone realize that Lady Longshadow is dead?? or do they think she just ran off again...

"yes, sometimes my rhymes are sexist, but you lovely bitches and hos should know i'm tryin to correct it"- hiphopopotamus

The heist was done fantastic. Damn colonel was like the terminator.

I think next weeks episode is going to be ridiculous and can't wait.

I have loved this season so far.

__________________________________

*Note to self: Add Sig*

I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to write about this or justified and I really want to because both are firing on all cylinders.

This show has hit an insane sweet spot.

That heist was pretty much perfect. Part metal-gear solid, part Doom it was equal parts, tense and at times terrifying. Ultimately I consider it groundbreaking as it is the first time on TV that I've seen the visual language of video games translated perfectly to the small screen. It reminded me of Crank in that regard which is still one of the best video game movies ever.

this show deserves ALL the praise right now

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A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

Am I biased because I was here from the beginning and have witnessed it's growth?
I know what I like and I know I love what they're doing with season 3, but I wouldn't put it with...

For as many stinker episodes Lost had, I'm putting Banshee just below the range of Lost - not in zeitgeist relevance, but in terms of quality of entertainment. Lost had budget and character moments that made me feel for them, but I've felt my body loosen after being tensed up watching Banshee. Different emotional payoff, but payoff nonetheless.

SPOILER

The way E9 began and ended with torture was so fucking beautifully constructed... Yes, it's not rocket science, but damn it if they haven't figured out their own formula and that formula is working for me.

Where/how do you rank Banshee?

I have a 400 year old chip on my shoulder.

I personally have found both the previous season finales lacking. So I'm hesitant about how next week's is going to go.

Overall, for me, it's too soon to say where I will place the show amongst others of its time. For me, it's already a personal all-time favorite. No lie.

I know it does for a lot of people (can I hear about how you didn't like the Seinfeld finale again?), but instead of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, I widen out and look at the whole season, rather than one ep bringing down the whole operation.
Kind of like the Pats going perfect until the Super Bowl - a perfect regular season is fucking awesome!! Sure the SB would have been the tits, but that doesn't negate the previous effort.
I'm ready for whatever the finale has to offer, though I don't know if all 4 will make it out alive.

I have a 400 year old chip on my shoulder.

- So it was only renewed for 8 episodes

- they killed off Chayton and Siobhan this season

- they have officially reminded us Kai is the villain everyone should be concerned with no matter who else has shown up

- feels like one of the 3 major side characters (left) has to die the next episode

... seems like next season is the last and they just haven't announced it yet. Strike Back's last season is coming up, too.

Usually wrap up articles are bullshit.
Much like the show, this wrap up article not only gives you something to chew on about the direction of the future, but also CONTENT!!

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/14/banshee-ep-greg-yaitanes-weighs-in-on-shocking-season-3-finale

I have a 400 year old chip on my shoulder.

https://youtu.be/wXQIb0uNwTI?list=PL_1_vgzQdhacZdDifhkyq6nU_6Udq9kRo

I have a 400 year old chip on my shoulder.

I only stopped watching because my Cinemax was discontinued, but now I have it again after moving

I have a 400 year old chip on my shoulder.

it took me months to finally watch it, but once I was IN, it was OVER.... This may b arguably the best season of the show....

"yes, sometimes my rhymes are sexist, but you lovely bitches and hos should know i'm tryin to correct it"- hiphopopotamus