Is Boyd Crowder from “Justified” the greatest villain in the history of TV?
I’ve found myself debating this question recently, and I think the answer is yes. For those of you who don’t know, I’m a gigantic “Justified” fan. (REVIEW: ‘Westworld’ Season 3 Ends With The Possible Deaths Of Multiple Characters)
I think it’s one of the greatest shows ever made and Walton Goggins gave a hall of fame performance as the show’s villain for six seasons. Timothy Olyphant also gave an all-time great performance as protagonist Raylan Givens.
The reasons why Crowder is the best villain boils down to the fact that he’s not just believable, but you actually find yourself cheering for him.
He’s not killing people just for the hell of it. There’s always a grand plan and there’s always consequences, which ups the realism of the show.
Crowder was quick with his tongue and quick with the trigger. That created six awesome years of “Justified” on FX.
The scenes with Boyd and Raylan were always great proof that the only real difference between the two men was that one had a badge and one didn’t.
Again, the realism is what made Boyd so much fun as a villain. He truly seemed like a variety of different guys you’d meet in small town America.
He wasn’t the most vicious villain, not the bloodiest and not the most evil. In fact, I’d argue he wasn’t really that evil at all, and certainly not in his own eyes.
There was always a purpose. Nothing was ever done without a plan in Boyd’s world.
In 20 years, I truly believe “Justified” will have withstood the test of time, and Boyd Crowder will be remembered as the GOAT of TV villains.