Episode Review: JUSTIFIED, "Ghosts"

With the main mystery mostly wrapped up, Justified decided to take a different approach during its fourth season finale, and "Ghosts" was a fine way to top things off.

Nicky Augustine decided to use Winona as a way to get to Raylan and force him to give up the location of Shelby/Drew. Of course he wasn't going to roll over, so he orchestrated a mob hit when he learned that Theo Tonin's son was going to take over the Detroit mob. Meanwhile, the state troopers were on to Ava's killing of Delroy, so the Crowders tried to recover the body but were too late. Boyd tried to muscle one of the Clover Hill boys into helping them switch out corpses, but Ava ended up in cuffs anyway after a double cross.

In all honesty, "Ghosts" didn't feel like a season finale, rather it came off as an epilogue or a season premiere since it was some what related to the main narrative but kicked off a whole new series of events. Thankfully it was self-contained enough that it worked as a finale instead of the start of a whole new plot involving Raylan tracking down a kidnapped Winona (which would be an awesome arc by the way). As for the story itself, I pretty much loved anything and everything that involved Raylan. It was a good example of how he can be tested and how he's a lawman to his very core. I didn't love Ava and Boyd's grave-robbing stint because it felt more convoluted and tacked on. That said, I am definitely intrigued to see where things go from here.

Other Odds and Ends:

• I didn't love Winona when Natalie Zea was a regular, but her brief appearances have made me appreciate her and the character more, and I'd still prefer seeing her on Justified than The Following.
• I'll say it again, I love it when Raylan and Art butt heads.
• Even though he didn't pull the trigger that killed Nicky Augustine, I can't help but wonder how his turning a blind eye if going to affect him.
• Part of me is disappointed that Nicky's dead because he could've made a good big bad. Definitely better than Quarles.
• I'm pretty sure this was not the last we've seen of Cassie.
• Baddie: "Do you know what she said earlier? If we're gone before you arrive, we might live through the day."
  Raylan: "That's why I love her."

Another season of Justified has come and gone, and while the Drew Thompson had its share of ups and downs, I did enjoy it as a driving narrative force over another bad guy-of-the-year approach that the show's taken in the past.