3) Brother’s Keeper (Season 2, Episode 9)
Justified would prove to be better than most shows at juggling storylines counties apart, but it was often at its best when able to keep the action contained to a single location. Mags Bennett’s family shindig provided just such an occasion deep into Season 2, which was already shaping up to be the show’s new gold standard. With the Bennett clan playing host to Raylan and the newly coupled Ava and Boyd, and millions of dollars of mountain money on the line, a bulk of the episode plays like a powder keg waiting to go off.
As is its want, though, Justified doesn’t bring the heat until after it’s thrown you a few curveballs first. “Brother’s Keeper” suggests a happy ending might be in store for all, until that hope is dashed and undone by old transgressions. When Loretta McCready’s discovery of her father’s murder also puts her in harm’s way, it sets up a chilling confrontation between Raylan and Coover Bennett in the dark woods overlooking an even darker mineshaft. The jubilation of the hour’s first half gives way to a violent, mournful second, which the show would temper into the incredible final run of episodes that close out the season.
Best Scene: Mags is a ruthless terror when she needs to be, but the skill with which she negotiates her deal with Black Pike (selling out local Harlanites who put their trust in her) reveals an even more calculating mastermind at the season’s center.
Memorable Line: “I never even got to say goodbye.” Mags loses not just a son, but a surrogate daughter to Raylan, and a fresh wound is added to the violent history between Bennetts and Givenses.