Season 3 of Justified had a lot to live up to following in the footsteps of the EPIC 2nd Season. I didn't think it could at least match what we got last time. Well, it's safe to say that they did just that in my book. But I will say that the start of Season 3 was a bit slower than I would have liked it. But then again, that was the intent. They had to set up a lot of variables along the way to make the payoff at the end something memorable. One of the biggest surprises for me and one that I knew nothing about because I stayed spoiler-free was the addition of two new characters played by Neal McDonough and Mykelti Williamson, both of them bad men to say the least.

So, why was I happy to see them on Justified? Well aside from being fantastic actors, I am a HUGE fan of Boomtown which is another series by Graham Yost, so it was a kick to see these two reunited here, playing the complete opposite of what they played on Boomtown. That would be Cops if you can't read between the lines. Anyway, they each added something different to the series, which of course altered Season 3 some as they got a lot of screen time to the detriment of regulars like Ava, Rachel, Dickie, Dewey and Art. Not to worry, they get their moment in the sun, but their roles were drastically reduced. The biggest reduction and totally justified was of Loretta.

Season 3 is all about Mags Bennett, and yet, she wasn't anywhere to be found here given what happened at the end of Season 2. With everyone on the hunt for the money she left behind, you can imagine the hornets nest that's been stirred up looking for it. There is a great joke that comes when it's revealed where the money is hidden (I suspected its location all along) but still delivered a big laugh when the moment presents itself and one of the characters (I won't tell ya) says his line that nails it.

The cliffhanger wasn't what I would call a 'cliffhanger' per se, but the realization that Arlo tried to kill his son Raylen does leave the character with a lot to think about, which in turns leaves the audience wondering how this will play out over the course of Season 4, which I can't wait to see. As for Season 3, this is a definite Buy.