Justified (TV Series) The Moonshine War (2011) User Reviews

Raaaaylan Givens, I've seen you and your big hat on TV the other day

[gplusr · 9/10 · 25 January 2015]

That's it, after an amazing season finale, this is where the show really starts.

We're introduced to the Bennett Family, they run the police (Doyle Bennett, the older son played by Joseph Lyle Taylor), the criminal activity (Mags Bennett, the matriarch and best villain on the show played by the lovely Margo Martindale) and the weed business in Bennett County, they also hire dumb child abusers, courtesy from Dickie and Coover Bennett (Played by Lost alums Jeremy Davies and Brad William Henke).

There's another family who holds an almost eternal beef with the Givens family, specially Raylan, since he's the one responsible for Dickie's leg not working as it was supposed to work.

We're also introduced to the McCready family, composed by the father Walt (Chris Bulkey) and his daughter Loretta (Kaitlyn Dever).

In this episode, Raylan finishes his business with Gio Reyes not the way he's used to, while he teams up with Rachel to rescue Loretta from the hands of a child abuser James Earl Dean (Billy Miller).

9/10, an excellent start to a season that some consider to be the best of the entire show until now (although Seasons 3 and 4 are also high-caliber TV in all levels).

MVP's:

Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant).

Mags Bennett (Margo Martindale).

Dickie Bennett (Jeremy Davies).

it comes in with a bang and not a whimper...

[amsterdam-92719 · 9/10 · 21 February 2022]

A new season and a new bunch of characters!

Not really a spoiler, but the Bennett clan are in the house, and you can tell right away that they are going to play a big part! Led by the matriarch Mags (played to PERFECTION by a relative unknown to TV audiences Margo Martindale), and otherwise comprised of her tads. Dickie, Doyle and Coover these bootlegging pot farmers take no time at all to make an impression on the audience.

Another newcomer is a teenage pot farmer (small time in comparison) Loretta McCready (played by a 16-year-old Kaitlyn Dever) who seems to be in over her head after about 3 seconds after she first appears on screen. This applies ONLY to the character, as the young actress is a true prodigy, inhabiting a character that no teenager should be able to do! A great character played by a great (at least for the role) actress!

She and Martindale are as a pair almost comparable to Olyphant and Goggins in terms of the chemistry they have together (and that is saying quite a bit) throughout the season. The casting of these two, in particular, ensures that season 2 loses none of the momentum from last season's climax.

We also get a bit more of Agent Brooks (Erica Tazel) who starts to show she is more than just a pretty face! (though she is certainly a literal pretty face) She carries her weight among now established characters without being outperformed or outshone. Kind of surprising that I don't think I've seen Ms. Tazel elsewhere!

Kentucky blue grass and apple pie: Season two starts off with almost instantly intriguing new characters, and I can promise you it doesn't let up!

Season 2 charges right out of the gates

[Mr-Fusion · 9/10 · 25 November 2016]

A self-assured opener, to be sure, 'The Moonshine War' fulfills the cliffhanger ending of the last season while throwing the doors wide open. This is the point at which "Justified" finds its footing as a deeper crime drama, leaving Boyd in the wind and presenting the Bennett clan. These are the kinds of people who hide their vile gangster ways behind folksy backwater ways; for example, the use of a bear trap as a method of punishment.

The casting is here is perfect. Mags Bennett is a woman of impressive startling guile, and Margo Martindale brings just the matronly warmth to make it work. To wit: after lining his drinking glass with poison, she actually soothes him as his body shuts down. When people praise this show, it's due in no small part to her. There are other worthy Big Bads, but she is something.

The casting is also a big reason why I love (non-Bennett) Loretta, wise beyond her years and saddled with a screw-up father. She can hold her own in the dialogue department. Speaking of which, one of my very favorite scenes is right here. Raylan, having just doused a fugitive in petrol, has to explain why it's a bad idea to draw down on him ("You didn't finish school, did you, Mr. Dean? It's not the liquid that burns, it's the fumes."). This very scene also shows off Raylan's softer side as he rescues Loretta from the trunk of a car. That's another reason why I like her: she elicits his protective instinct.

9/10