These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items.
YMMV: Justified
Beware of spoilers! Only spoilers from the current season are whited out.
Adaptation Displacement: Of both the novels featuring Raylan and of the poorly received adaptation of Leonard's novel "Pronto", which featured the Raylan Givens character.
The pilot episode, "Fire in the Hole," takes both its name and plot from a short story from Leonard's When the Women Come Out to Dance. Printings post-Justified are now retitled Fire in the Hole and feature a big sticker letting you know that, yes, Raylan shows up in a story here.
Alternate Character Interpretation: Is Boyd reformed? Or was it all a scam? Is it still a scam or did he actually reform in the middle of it? Or did he actually reform first and then lose his way? We could keep going...
Broken Base: Though only on it's second season, the show's fanbase has quickly broken into those who watch it for Raylan/Olyphant and those who watch it for Boyd/Goggins. In particular, there are those Olyphant fans who hate how Goggins has stolen the spotlight from Olyphant and want him gone from the series.
Furthermore, both sides evoke "Deadwood" in defense of their actor: some don't want to see Olyphant marginalized like he was in "Deadwood" while others point to "Deadwood" as proof that Olyphant simply doesn't possess the star power or ability to carry a show by himself and that he needs someone like Goggins to serve as a foil and do the heavy lifting actingwise that Olyphant can't.
Cargo Ship: It might be prudent to say that both people in the show and those who watch it ship Raylan and his hat. But hell, who wouldn't?
Crack Pairing: This troper has actually read two incredibly well-written Rachel/Raylan fanfics. In the right hands, the pairing actually makes sense.
Hilariously, come Season 4 some people have actually been seeing some UST between them.
Art: First thing we're gonna do is we're gonna acknowledge that this guy is awesome.
Rachel: What?
Art: I mean, he shoots Theo Tonin, fakes his own death in spectacular fashion, pushes a guy out of an airplane while he's flying it, parachutes into Harlan county with enough coke and cash to jumpstart the economy of small country, and then he has the balls to get a job in law enforcement, not once, but two times! He spends a couple days riding around with you while you're looking for him, and now he's run off with a hooker half his age. That's some badass shit.
Raylan: It's pretty badass.
Art: Yes, it is. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You wanna let those guys be the ones, or are we gonna be the ones to take that badass?
Raylan: There's nothing like the bond between two men when they work a deep shaft together.
Walton Goggins supposes that Boyd is pretty much gonna sleep with every girl that Raylan has slept with.
All of the courtroom scene in Save My Love. All of it.
Raylan: I like the suit.
The invoking mentioned on the main page may be a subtle Take That at the shippers, though, because Raylan immediately rolls his eyes and walks away with an annoyed expression.
During their confrontation in Watching the Detectives Wynn Duffy threatens to ride Raylan "like a circus pony". Ugh.
In "Measures," Boyd subdues Quarles and orders him to be stripped naked and chained to a bed. Ooooookay...
In "Coalition," Quarles opens his robe in front of Jimmy while humming a tune. Jimmy is not amused.
Every few minutes on the show, some character says a line that just screams gay subtext.
Art: He shoots Theo Tonin, fakes his own death in a spectacular fashion, pushes a guy out of an air plane WHILE he is flying it, parachutes into Harlan county with enough coke and cash to jump start the economy of a small country. And then he has the BALLS to get a job in law enforcement, not once but two times. He spends a couple of days riding around with you while you're looking for him. And now he's run off with a hooker that's half his age.
Moral Event Horizon: Bo Crowder passes with flying colors, first when he gets Johnny to beat the crap out of Boyd and executes his entire band of merry ex-cons, and later when he shoots Johnny for working with Boyd behind his back. Arlo doesn't quite win father of the year either, agreeing to sell out his son to the cartel.
Mags Bennett crosses it by the end of the first episode of season two when she poisons a man at his own kitchen table. We still do not know precisely why she really did it. It might have been to send a message or maybe she just wanted to adopt the man's daughter, Loretta.
Boyd arguably gets his when he arranges to have Ellen May murdered.
Nightmare Fuel: Maggs, fueling our nightmares with poisoned moonshine and mutilated hands by way of ball peen hammer.
Limehouse's slaughterhouse, where he can be found slicing up hog carcasses and the limbs of evil blond men as he intimidates his foes.
Quarles, who brutally killed two drug dealers in "Measures" and regularly tortures male hustlers.
One-Scene Wonder: Due to the sharp writing of even the most minor characters, there are a few.
Fletcher Nix the Ice Pick, a hitman for the Dixie Mafia and dark counterpart to Raylan. With his slow speech, sadistic games, nifty hat and terrifyingly cool demeanour, many want him back.
Sarno, another Dixie Mafia hitman, who has the virtue of being played by treasured character actor Michael Ironside. He's badass, very affable and practical.
Other one scene wonders tend to crop up again until they become recurring characters. Wynn Duffy, Shelby Parlow, Dewey Crowe and Ellen May were all somewhat minor characters that might have stayed that way, except for the impact they made in their first appearances.
Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: In season 2, Ava's role was reduced and she hooked up with Boyd allowing her to lose some of the ire she drew. Of course, now all of that is being directed at Winona...
Seasonal Rot: Season 4, in the eyes of some. Though it has been met with critical and popular acclaim in general.
Tear Jerker: The beginning of "Reckoning" when Raylan walks into his former home where Aunt Helen's body lay and the end scene where he is unable to kill Dicky because of what she taught him as a child.
Raylan: (hushed voice) Goddamn you, Dicky.
Let's not forget that Arlo Givens' last words to his son were "kiss my ass." Raylan has done an excellent job of hiding how torn up he is over the fact that even in death, Arlo was still a rotten piece of shit and wouldn't show him anything resembling affection.
