While last week’s “Peace of Mind” felt like a finale, “Ghosts” was like an extended epilogue tying up some loose ends in what was another terrific season of Justified.  And although the season’s Drew Thompson mystery arc was solved four episodes ago, the series continued its greatness until the end as it examined the various burdens a life of crime brings for both sides of the law.  From its tense nursery shootout to Raylan’s sly way of handling Nicky Augustine, up until its haunting final shots, “Ghosts” was a fun and somber send off – with its own fair share of dark humor, of course.  More on the season finale of Justified after the jump. 

Can career criminals change their ways?  Or are they destined for jail or the grave?   These questions were examined in the penultimate “Peace of Mind”, which saw Justified’s finest confronting their various faiths and destinies.  Whether it be their faith in each other or the spiritual kind, several characters found themselves wrestling with who and what to rely on.  Then there’s that sonuvabitch fate that batters into you sometimes – Colt can tell you all about it.  It was a deep episode as well as an arresting one with some surprises and one helluva cliffhanger.  Hit the jump to help us celebrate Everybody Wins Day.

Some of the greatest moments on Justified occur when characters are simply sitting in the same room and talking.  That’s a testament to the sharp writing and stellar cast and it’s a fact that’s been prevalent since episode one.  “Decoy” was filled with these moments, but the scenes were amplified by the fact that a bulk of the characters were holed up somewhere, waiting for the Detroit shit to hit the fan.  Add in several intense stand-offs and two horribly nerve-wracking scenes and you’ve got one of the most entertaining episodes of the season.  More on this week’s Justified after the jump.

After pretty much everyone in KY figured out who Drew Thompson is last week, this episode saw folks on both sides of the law in a mad dash to get to him first.  “Get Drew” is a fitting title as the dragnet tightened and everyone from Raylan to our old friends from Noble’s Holler made their moves on KY’s most wanted.  The question now is who will make it out of Harlan alive?  More on this week’s Justified after the jump. 

More than his refined quick-draw and ability to pull off the hat, what makes Raylan such a grade-A marshal is that his roots run deep in Kentucky.  He was raised around these tumultuous folks – the Crowders, the Mosleys, the Bennetts, and his own flesh and blood, the Givens.  Whether he wants to admit it, Raylan is part of this world.  Like Hunter says to him, “we are who we are.”  This idea of carrying the sins of the father runs throughout “The Hatchet Tour,” one of the best episodes of an already great season.  Oh, and they revealed who Drew Thompson is.  More on this week’s Justified after the jump.

“Outlaw” had some huge moments in it for major and secondary characters alike.  Unfortunately, most of it felt rushed.  Justified has always done a bang-up job of juggling its many players, but sometimes too much gets packed into one hour and some of the impact can be lost and important junctures can get brushed aside.  Regardless, season four continues to be entertaining as hell.  More on this week’s Justified after the break.

Unless a character on Justified is killed there’s a good chance they’ll be popping up again.  Characters we don’t see for nearly entire seasons can resurface and no one feels like a secondary character.  “Money Trap” saw the return of the old sheriff, the fugitive from episode 1, and some local officials who put Boyd in his place.  Even Raylan’s quick draw also made an appearance!  It was one of the more exciting episodes of the season so far, but it also went to some dark places.  More on “Money Trap” after the jump.

There are a lot of folks missing in east Kentucky: Drew Thompson, Ellen May, and Josiah.  In the cleverly titled “Foot Chase” the sense of urgency to find these missing persons increased and connections between them were revealed.  We also got to spend some quality time with two of the show’s most interesting secondary characters: Tim and Colt.  By “quality time” I mean smoking heroin in bar restrooms and stripping in front of oxy dealers.  This is Justified after all.  More on “Foot Chase” after the jump.

Four episodes deep into season four of Justified and we finally got what we wanted: Raylan and Boyd in a room together.  It wasn’t under the best circumstances for either man, but satisfying nontheless.  “Kin” moved along the Drew Thompson plot, introduced a ruthless new Dixie mafia character, and made things a whole lot more complicated in the Crowder camp.  The show’s universe also expanded deep into the hills and in doing so, Raylan’s past.  More on this week’s Justified after the jump.

Last week’s episode was light on the action.  This week, “This Bird Has Flown” came out swinging.  While it didn’t further the arc about the elusive Drew Thompson, it did show Raylan slightly losing his cool and force Boyd to make a business decision that will most likely be biting him in the ass by season’s end.  The fist fights and bean bag rounds made for a thrilling episode, but overall it was a pretty somber night.  More on this week’s Justified after the jump.

One of the many strengths of Justified is that it’s just as engaging when people aren’t pointing guns at each other.  The characters are funny and interesting enough that even an action-less episode like “Trust and Consequences” is entertaining as hell.  The threat of violence is oftentimes more fun anyways and there was plenty of that on display, as well as some revelations about Harlan’s new preacher, Lindsey the bartender, and the elusive Drew Thompson.  Hit the jump for more.

Justified showrunner Graham Yost says this season’s extended fugitive arc would take up a good chunk of season 4 – reducing the number of one episode stories and dipping our beloved crime show into the mystery genre.  This week, the metaphorical rug was pulled out from under us as we learned (in a real “pain in the ass” way) who the real fugitive is.  This quest into Arlo’s criminal past will surely lead to some grim places for Raylan, but for now Yost and co. are still having plenty of fun introducing more of Harlan’s unruly shit kickers and a tough-as-nails pugilist.  Put down the bottle and hit the jump for our recap of “Where’s Waldo?”

The slate’s wiped pretty clean going into season 4 of Justified.  After the all-out war of season 3, there’s plenty of room for heroes and villains alike to step up and stake their claim of east Kentucky.  The previous season ended on such a down note for Raylan, so you’d think this season would start off with a subtle build for our beloved hero.  But Justified kicks off its new year with Raylan and the rest of Harlan’s rogues gallery up to their old tricks, violence, and rapid-fire banter.  Hit the jump for more on the season 4 premiere of Justified.

One of TV’s most badass and clever shows, Justified, returns with its fourth season on Tuesday, January 8.  This time around, Collider will be doing recaps each week, as well as some other fun Justified related stuff.  But before we return to the moral chaos of eastern Kentucky for season 4, let’s take a look at where the heroes and villains of Justified currently stand.

Season 2 set the bar incredibly high.  The arc of the Bennett clan and the coal mining industry added a lot of flavor and depth to the Justified universe.  Season 3 wasn’t as deep, but there sure as hell were a lot of twists, turns, and colorful new characters to fill any void left behind in the wake of apple pie moonshine.  The playing field expanded too, as we were introduced to Noble’s Holler and its seedy BBQ enthusiasts led by Mr. Ellstin Limehouse.   More after the jump.