There is no doubt in my mind that the worst depiction of the father and son relationship is the basis of one of my favorite new shows; Justified.
In this modern day western, US Marshal Raylan Givens (Tim Olyphant from Deadwood) is a quick draw artist with a huge body count. I think he killed at least two people in every episode. His daddy Arlo is a career criminal who still lives in his hometown of Harlan Kentucky and just got out of prison. After killing a drug dealer in Miami Raylan is transferred back home where he has to deal with his dad and all his ghosts. Raylan is also in a deadly conflict with an old friend from work Boyd Crowder played by the superb Walter Goggins from the Shield. Boyd has a conflict with his Daddy Bo who runs the drug business in Harlan and employs Raylans dad as well. Bo even arranges to have Arlo set up his son to be murdered in the season ending episode.
But I don't want to spoil it for you.
If you get a chance to watch it in repeats or On Demand then you really should take the time. It's is as close to a Western as you are going to get today and the father and son dynamic is very compelling.
I know some of you guys said that you didn't have a good relationship with your dads, but you have to go a long way to match the guys on this show.
4 comments:
If it isn't the worst, it IS the saddest, assuming you live state side.
Cannot even imagine the pain these two grown sons feel for having vile dads who can't even care enough to get out of their way.
Except maybe for those sons whose dads, way too easily, got out of the way? So much so, they disappeared.
Which kid had the worst of it?
Thinking it might be the kid fighting the "GHOST".
It isn't on TV yet, but maybe it should be.
Friday Night Lights is heavy on bad father-son relationships, while also having one of the greatest father-daughter depictions on TV.
I love the way Justified is not interested in father-son reconciliation. The Crowders may pay lip service to the concept, but we clearly see both are as cold as the Givens are to the very thought. It does not follow the usual TV arc, and I like that.
It seemed to me that the theme in the show, besides badass Rayland kicking butt, was the relationship between the two fathers and sons.
Rayland and his father began to, reluctantly work together. There was a scene in the VFW where Arlo talked a guy down from committing suicide and killing other people that was similar to the scene where Rayland stopped a bank robbery. Rayland and his father bonded more and seemed to be growing closer. Of course we can't really tell because Arlo is usually telling lies.
On the other hand. Boyd, having become born again and anti drug, has become even more antatagonistic and estranged from his "Daddy". Even to the point where it looked like he was going to kill his own father.
Of course, we also can't know. Was Boyd's conversion real or self justifiying. Did he really plan to kill his own father?
I love that the show has all this ambiguity about the relationships and motives of the fathers and sons.
Best show since Deadwood.
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