review of Justified 6.1 

Justified returned for its final season this week, with a crackling strong episode that got right to the core of the entire series, and will no doubt dominate these concluding episodes: Raylon vs. Boyd.

And although it was good to see Raylon back with his patented style and swagger, the center of gravity in this episode belonged to Boyd, who not only delivered the best line of the night - "I\'m so hungry, I could eat the ass out of low flying duck" - vintage Justified - but killed poor Dewey.

Coupled with the silently powerful last scene of Boyd looking at Ava as she sleeps, the killing of Dewey says it all about what we can expect from Boyd this season: he\'s a survivor, if nothing else, and he\'s not going to let anything or anyone get in the way of that.   He was looking at Ava with something other or more than love.  There was just a hint of evil gleam in Boyd\'s eyes - superb acting, as always, by Walton Goggins - and this is telling us that, yes, Boyd could even sacrifice Ava if he got any inkling that she was working against him.

And, in fact, in the other most telling scene of the episode, Raylon is doing just that to Ava, applying his customary maximum pressure on her to work with him against Boyd.  This, I\'ve got to say, puts Raylon in not the best light.  Surely he knows that, if Boyd gets wind of what Ava is doing, he could well kill her.   And Raylon thinks, what, that\'s ok?  Or that he\'s so omnipotent he could stop that?   A hazardous game to play, with someone else\'s life.

At this point, Boyd likely has no specific idea of what Ava may be up to.  But his instincts are right on target in being uncomfortable about Ava.   And if she makes even one mistake, well ...

Meanwhile, it was good to see everyone else back in motion in Justified, including Art, who\'s recovering, and Winona, with her and Raylon\'s adorable little baby.  Winona also gets off a memorable line, wondering aloud what could be more important to Raylon than spending this precious time with his little baby.  What, indeed, is the story of Justified.

See also Justified 5.1: Finest Words Around ...  Justified 4.1: Literate Boyd Quotes Asimov and Keynes

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Paul Levinson, PhD, is Professor of Communication & Media Studies at Fordham University in New York City.  His 8 nonfiction books, including The Soft Edge (1997), Digital McLuhan (1999), Realspace (2003),  Cellphone (2004), and New New Media (2009, 2nd edition 2012), have been the subject of major articles in the New York Times, Wired, the Christian Science Monitor, and have been translated into 12 languages. His science fiction novels include The Silk Code (1999, ebook 2012), Borrowed Tides (2001), TheConsciousness Plague (2002, 2013), The Pixel Eye (2003), The Plot To SaveSocrates (2006, ebook 2012), and Unburning Alexandria (2013).  His short stories have been nominated for Nebula, Hugo, Edgar, and Sturgeon Awards.  Paul Levinson appears on "The O'Reilly Factor" (Fox News), "The CBS Evening News,"  “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” (PBS),  “Nightline” (ABC), NPR, and numerous national and international TV and radio programs. His 1972 album, Twice Upon a Rhyme, was re-issued in 2009 (CD) and 2010 (remastered vinyl). He reviews the best of television in his InfiniteRegress.tv blog, and was listed in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Top 10 Academic Twitterers” in 2009.

Chronicle of Higher Education puts Paul Levinson in Top 10 (#7) of Academic "High Flyers" on Twitter ... Online University Data puts PL in "Top 50 Online University Professors on Twitter Worth Following"...

Dear Paul, I just dreamed of airships flying between raindrops. I just returned from 2042 CE, where I sold my hardcover copy of The Plot to Save Socrates for seventy million Neo-Euros, because it had your response to this e-mail from way back in 2007 scotch-taped onto the inside of the cover. A Paul Levinson collector paid top Neo-Euro, because of the authentic archaic e-mail printout from you. It turns out that not many of your e-mails from before your tenure as CEO of HBO/Cinemax and terms as United Nations Secretary General will survive that far into the future. So, please respond to this e-mail, to help found my great-grandchildren\'s fortune. My Will will stipulate that they must share with your great grandchidren. Thanks! Tom

President, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, 1998-2001

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Twice Upon a Rhyme reviewed in Jan-Feb 2011 Shindig Magazine

Paul Levinson appears on "The O\'Reilly Factor" (Fox News), "The CBS Evening News," "Nightline" (ABC), the "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" (PBS), "The Dylan Ratigan Show" (MSNBC) and frequently on NPR and all-news radio...