Fire in the Hole

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired

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6.8
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Fair
428 votes
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In the series premiere, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens heads back to where he grew up, basically a 21st century wild west , where he faces off against one of his oldest friends.
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Fan Episode Reviews (6)

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  • Pilot episode

    8.5
    "Great"
    By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Nov 16, 2011
    The first time I watched this show, I feel like I was way too harsh with it. I spewed out some nonsense about how it was never going to be as good as this show or that show and came to the conclusion that it has a lot more potential. I will admit that I was right about only one thing: the show had a lot more potential than the pilot episode had to offer, and the fact that the pilot episode was pretty good says a lot about the overall quality of the show.

    The show is basically about a deputy Marshall named Raylan Givens who still seems to abide by the old cowboy/wild, wild west rules: leave town by the deadline or risk being shot. The first five minutes basically sum up Raylan; he's a charming guy who has a sharp wit and a sense of humor but when it comes to disobeying the law, there's no humor in that. He's willing to do anything, including shooting, to prove his point. Is he a bad guy? Far from it. He's a good guy with a very strict sense of justification.

    I thought the pilot did a good job of setting up a potential villain throughout the season in Boyd Crowder. Walton Goggins was incredible in his seven years on The Shield, and it appears he found another delicious role to sink his teeth into. Boyd Crowder may not have much of a background yet (that goes for just about all of the characters), but this is the pilot episode, and what it lacks in making these characters three dimensional it more than makes up for in giving them a personality. Sure, we know Boyd's a white supremacist, he was in the army and that he loves blowing stuff up, but it's tough for a show to truly give us a glimpse into a character in just one episode. Some shows can do it, but this one didn't. It did, however, suck me in and make me 100% interested in where his character will go from here.

    And I said it in my first review and I'll say it again: Timothy Olyphant just exudes charisma. I've liked him in just about every movie and television show I've seen him in, even the slightly crappy ones. He's just a charming actor who makes his characters likable no matter what. There were plenty of little hints about Raylan's background, and there was too much mention of his father not to take notice... I like it when shows don't lay all their cards down on the table right away. From what I've heard, the show gets progressively better as time goes on, so it should be interesting to see what happens.

    I made a mistake in underestimating the show the first time around. Now that I'm catching up with it again, I must admit defeat and agree that the show, along with Sons of Anarchy, is one of the top dramas for the station.moreless

  • Olyphant + Goggins = pure gold.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By logossun, Nov 16, 2011
    This is the Drty Hary for the new millennium, folks!Let's face it - Olyphant needed to come back to a good TV role. His Deadwood marshal was so good it propelled him to Hollywood, but there he was simply stuck with bad scripts - and this is just what the doctor ordered. The bottled-up rage oozes out of him at every pore and it's a role he was (so far) obviously made for. But being paired up with Goggins (of Shield fame) is the master-stroke. As much as Olyphant plays pent-up rage, Goggins is pent-up psycho; add history in the mix and the chemistry is unbelievably good. I'm not sure how much they will use that throughout the show, but they should, as much as possible. The back-up crew is sufficiently good and potentially interesting so I'm settling in for a great ride. If there is one thing I disapproved of (although it makes for better TV), it's the fact that the little hick town in Kentucky - is FAR too smart and eloquent. These people should be cussin' and spittin' and being generally on the lower end of the polite-and-smart scale, but it seems everyone has a brain working well in hand with the mouth - even the fast-talking whatshisname, the alligator tooth little piss-ant bad guy. Still, that's a very small price to pay for a good script and excellent leads. Looking forward to more!moreless

  • Series premiere

    6.8
    "Fair"
    By thefanof, Apr 13, 2011
    Justified, the latest original series from FX, premiered last night. The program has been receiving much hype and even got an A grade from those pretentious nerds at Entertainment Weekly. That being said the show just gets an "okay" from me.

    If anything it felt like Dexter in Kentucky, just a much more boring version of the Showtime series. There were too many dull conversations and the supporting cast of cops is just so generic and plain.

    What's more is that I don't find myself willing to invest a lot of time in these characters. I don't know if I'm going to commit to them on a crowded Tuesday night.

    Justified is not bad, but it's hardly the great show the hype train would have you believe.moreless

  • Really? This episode gets a 9.8, and 'The Forgotten' gets an average of 6 to 7?

    6.5
    "Fair"
    By elahoda, Apr 13, 2011
    I wouldn't say it was bad. Maybe a little slow. I would have to watch at least a couple more episodes, but so far it's just average plot and average acting. There is nothing really horrible about this particular episode, but definitely nothing memorable either. Just a cliche cop, with a cliche ex wife, and cliche old flames, going to his cliche home town that he tried to escape from when he was younger, got out in the world, worked the big cities and got sent home for being a cliche rogue cop.

    I might give it another chance, but so far I am not holding out too much hope.moreless

  • U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens is transferred back to his home state Kentucky after he justifiably shoots a suspect who pulled a gun on him first. When he gets home he finds a friend who is on the other side of the law and a woman who wants him.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By jyarter, Jan 09, 2011
    Terrific! Not since True Blood have I seen such a show with promise deliver above its expectations. Justified is one helluva ride and Timothy Olyphant as U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens is the conductor.

    Olyphant plays the character like he was born too. Here is a revival of the old Western Marshall fighting outlaws in the badlands. One on one or one against many doesn't seem to make a difference. Olyphant is confident, cocky, and truly the definition of a man on a mission. He tells it like it is and then backs the talk up. It seems that he doesn't ever make a promise he can't keep as he follows through even when it may be going a little beyond the law. The supporting cast is strong with Nick Searcy as Chief Deputy Art Mullen, Raylan's boss and former partner at as an instructor. There's Erica Tazel as Deputy Marshal Rachel Brooks. On the other side of the law there is Walton Goggins as Raylan's former partner in the coal mine Boyd Crowder. Crowder has become a White Supremist and uses his position to reek havoc on the countryside blowing things up and killing people. That is coming to a very quick end now that Raylan is back in town. Finally we have Joelle Carter as Ava Crowder, Boyd's sister-in-law who is being tried for justifiable manslaughter for killing Boyd's brother who was beating her regularly. She's cute and has had a thing for Raylan since she was a little girl. There are a few other characters like Raylan's former wife we meet for a fleeting moment, but I'm sure we'll get to know her better as time goes by.

    Truly one of the best premieres in a long time and a rock solid program. If you like lawmen and shoot'em ups then this is the show for you. Action packed and always moving. You're just waiting to see what Raylan does next. I'll be watching for sure. Thanks for reading...moreless
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    • Audience - 4,160,000

    • Featured Music:
      Long Hard Times to Come by Gangstagrass (Justified Theme)
      Say Ho by Phase 73
      U.S.A. by Reagan Youth
      Brass Swamp Blues by Evan Olson
      Someday I'll Be Forgiven For This by Justin Townes Earle
      Detroit City by Brandon Calhoon
      Took A Long Tim" by Koko Taylor
      San Soleil by Miike Snow
      Paul Chesne by Old and Grey
      Just Like Z's Blues by Brendan McKinney
      When It's Cold Outside by Buttless Chaps
      Same Ol' Blues Again by J.J. Cale

    • Original International Air Dates:
      United Kingdom: May 5, 2010 on FIVE USA
      Latin America: September 6, 2010 on SPACE
      Czech Republic: October 6, 2010 on AXN

    • The pilot episode of "Justified" is called "Fire in the Hole". It aired on the FX network and included actors Walton Goggins and Natalie Zea. In 2004, episode 13 of Season 3 of "The Shield" went to air. It also aired on the FX network. It also was called "Fire in the Hole", and it also included actors Walton Goggins and Natalie Zea.

    • The Pilot episode is based on the 2001 short story "Fire in the Hole" by legendary crime author Elmore Leonard, who also created the character "Raylan Givens".

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Fire in the Hole

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