Raylan Givens Is Back As Justified Season 2 Begins

“THE MOONSHINE WAR” Airs Wednesday, February 9 at 10:00 PM on FX

Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) tangles with a ruthless Harlan County crime family while hunting for a fugitive sex offender.

Season two picks up hot on the heels of the explosive season one finale. Raylan, Ava (Joelle Carter) and Boyd (Walton Goggins) have survived the shootout, but there is still an assassin left alive to report back to the big boss. Interestingly, this lingering tidbit gets resolved fairly quickly. Most telling is that Raylan is offered his old job in Miami back and he doesn’t take it. He’s come a long way if he’s voluntarily returning to Kentucky. Although, that may have something to do with his renewed relationship with his ex-wife Wynona (Natalie Zea). The rest of the episode introduces us to a new local crime family. With the Crowders out of the way, the Bennetts step to the fore, lead by coldly ruthless matriarch Mags (Margo Martindale). The Bennetts prove even more interesting considering that one of the boys, Doyle (Joseph Lyle Taylor) is the local chief of police. This provides his brothers, Dickie (Jeremy Davies) and Coover (Brad William Henke), with a wide latitude when it comes to crime and intimidation. This first episode starts season two of in a great way and sets several things up that are sure to provide lots of action and drama in resolving.

Recently, series star Timothy Olyphant talked to reporters on a conference call about the show. One of the things that Olyphant talked at length about was his co-star Walton Goggins.

“Walt’s fantastic, you know?” said Olyphant. ” Anytime he’s on the call sheet I know it’s going to be an easy day for me, because I just sit back and let him do all the work. Years ago one of my acting teachers said, ‘Just work off the other person.’ Well, when you’ve got someone like Walt it makes it real easy to do it.”

As far as the character that Goggins plays, Boyd Crowder, Olyphant had this to say, “He’s one of these guys where I don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth, but I can’t stop listening to him. He’s one of those guys who just seems like he could be whoever and whatever he needs to be, given the situation. We really had a lot of fun watching him sort of start out with him sort of lost in the woods, and kind of regain his footing and find his way and come back to life. And he’s in a completely more kind of dangerous and compelling way this year than last year.”

I pointed out that Olyphant has made Raylan Givens probably one of the most interesting and dynamic characters on TV right now, and wondered if any of that came from maybe a love of playing cowboys and Indians when he was a kid.

“I appreciate that. Thank you. Very kind words. I can’t take full credit for it. I’m really just saying the words and trying to kind of bring it to life,” Olyphant humbly replied. “It’s all cowboys and Indians when it comes down to it. It’s kind of the fun of the job; it’s child’s play, and I get a great deal of fulfillment out it. It just so happens every now and then you actually put on an actual cowboy hat and it kind of brings it all home, but you know this one’s fun. Cops and robbers–and in this case it’s kind of more like cops and hillbillies–and this one’s a blast.”

Speaking about the addition of the Bennetts this year, Olyphany once again had a lot to say on the matter. “The whole bunch of them are just fantastic, both the characters and the actors playing them. Margo’s just the real deal. She should be picking out dresses, as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know what else is on TV, but I’m pretty sure that’s something special. And it’s a pleasure to work with her and Jeremy and Joe and all those guys, Bradley playing Coover. They’re just great, and I just thought we were onto something special.”

“The inspiration for the character came from Elmore,” the actor revealed, talking the origins of the family’s matriarch. “He had a character in one of his books that was a man, I think he was calling him Pervis Crowe, connected to the Crowe family. And Graham [Yost, Executive Producer] wanted to make the character a woman and Margo is just like such a fantastic choice, you know? So, it feels like something that you just don’t see.

And as far as the families and the history, I mean that’s something that Graham and I were both really interested in exploring this year in that sort of Hatfield-McCoy kind of culture and styles. And I think that it’s what was alive in Elmore’s original short story with Boyd, and we tried to kind of keep that alive, and also kind of deepen it.”

It was obvious on the call that the actor is not only relishing his current job, but has and immense regard for the show’s creator Elmore Leonard and the rest of the writing staff. I think that everyone involved in this show loves the characters and stories and it shows each week. Season two premieres February 9 and continues every Wednesday at 10:00 PM on FX.