In reference to episode one’s shootout, the public display of violence is
problematic, even disastrous for the historic, heroic image of the US Marshal service.
While the Marshal service has been able to conform to contemporary society, Raylan is
a remnant of the Old West. As Rosa states, once he completes his mission, “The
gunfighter then rides off into the sunset to face a new challenge” (38). After the last shot
is fired, the camera’s gaze captures Raylan with the gun in his hand as female screams
pierce the air. To Hinds, Charles Rzepka, who wrote a book about Leonard’s body of
work, identifies Raylan as having “a somewhat ruthless, cold-blooded streak” (Leonard,
“‘Justified’ character”). When Raylan walks into the proverbial sunset, he presents
himself as one who is at ease with his actions, as one whose ultimate purpose ha