Impressive Olyphaunt in the room

Timothy Olyphant, who plays U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, and the rest of the cast from “Justified” wasted no time picking up where season one left off as one of TV’s best dramas.

Season two returned to the dark, violent hills of eastern Kentucky, where Givens struggled to maintain safety in the town of Harlan.

Emotional undercurrents between Givens and his ex-wife Ava Crowder (Joelle Carter) only heightened the action in FX’s hit. Givens also clashed with Ava’s brother, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), which was a small fraction of the family tensions that stewed between the major families of Harlan. Secrets uncovered fueled the flames of anger between these families.

The backwoods and backward setting of Harlan has added to “Justified”’s dramatic tone. Audiences couldn’t look away as Givens fought criminals in this secluded world. Some of the strongest episodes such as “Brother’s Keeper” and “Bloody Harlan” marry the emotional and the violent, the personal and the communal.

After two successful seasons and some of Olyphant’s strongest performances, Givens isn’t going anywhere, and rightfully so.