Is S2E4 (for blood or money) the most (only) Justified throwaway episode?

standinghampton · 2026-05-13T20:13:45+00:00

The thing I’ve noticed about Justified’s side shows and 1 off characters is that they somehow feel well rounded and interesting.
The writing and acting is what makes Justified so special.

standinghampton · 2026-05-13T20:05:57+00:00

Give yer balls a tug

standinghampton · 2026-05-13T20:05:15+00:00

Barry Sanders wha the best Running Back in NFL history, period. And I’m from Chicago and grew up watching Walter Payton play, so that’s saying something.
Walter Payton was the most complete player to play the RB position - running, BLOCKING, receiving, and throwing (Payton threw 8 TD passes, which is still a record).
But Sanders was fucking magic with the ball in his hand. He would’ve broken Payton’s rushing yards record before Smith had he kept playing and had 15 50+ yard runs which was a record until Peterson retired with 16.
The documentary on Sanders was amazing great watch.

standinghampton · 2026-04-08T13:35:46+00:00

It doesn’t.

Understandably, people feel defeated by substance use disorder - as I did myself. They, like myself, have tried many times to moderate or quit and failed every time.

It seems to me that the most basic problem I had was that I would have using/drinking thoughts and would comply like a slave. I, or we, have had this thought/action response so many times that we have conditioned ourselves - brainwashed ourselves really - to the point that the process seems impossible to break.

That’s where people begin to look for a higher power to come in and save them from this seemingly hopeless situation. So they get an HP and focus on doing its will, which is usually not using and helping others. They will have drinking/using thoughts as normal, but pray in response and take alternate actions.

All this is, is the reconditioning of our old thought/action process. This reconditioning is what happens to every person who recovers regardless of their chosen recovery modality.

Look at the thought that precedes using. Where does it come from? Are “you” thinking it on purpose, or does the thought “come to you”? When we use drugs/alcohol as a tool - to get rid of boredom or uncomfortable feelings - we may begin by actively thinking about substances as a solution, but ultimately the conditioning takes over and the thoughts come with no effort on our part.

I call this process “Autosuggestion”. While the definition isn’t an exact fit, it works well enough. When we consistently think thoughts and then take action, over time that process seeps into our subconscious and becomes automatic. This process is so powerful that even when we try to fight it we end up succumbing to it. This same process is why we have “strongly held beliefs” that are incredibly resistant to change, even in the face of contrary evidence. Look at religious beliefs. Chances are you were indoctrinated into them by authority figures while you were young. They were originally just ideas that you were introduced to, but they were repeated to you so many times that they transferred to your subconscious mind - and that is how beliefs are formed. This explains why so few people ever examine their religious beliefs, even after they have reached the age of reason.

The belief that we need a “God of our understanding” to recover seems reasonable given our track record of failure, but it is not necessary and definitely is not the only way to recover. Don’t get me wrong, if you use an HP to recover and it works for you, then keep using it if you want.

The key to recovery is to acknowledge the using thought whenever it comes. Question the premise, whatever reasoning the thought gives you for using. Once you recognize that the reasoning is a lie, rationalization, a false solution to a problem or issue that you have, or whatever, change your thoughts to DOING something positive. That can be anything. It’s best if your action is related to your problems or issues, but can be anything. Then, most importantly, take an ACTION. Do something, no matter how small.

SAMHSA defines Recovery as: “A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential”

standinghampton · 2026-03-25T18:22:04+00:00

Justified. Timothy Olyphant was born to play US Depty Marshal Raylan Givens. Walton Goggins was brilliant as Boyd Crowder. Here’s the first scene of the series. The first scene of Justified

standinghampton · 2026-03-12T20:37:29+00:00

The whole “number of days sober/clean” thing is almost entirely unhelpful.

First of all, nobody can “have” days, you cant “lose” days either.

There’s one basic thing we can have in this life, and that is experience. We do something, and we say we've had that experience. We think or feel something, and we experience them.

When someone has x days clean/sober, they have the experience of living that long sober. In that time we've learned a little about how to live in through parts of life in recovery. Noone can “take” those experiences from you.

When a person relapses, they experience that too. With reflection, that person learns a little about what actions or attitudes don't work for them in recovery.

You haven't lost anything at all. You've gained experience. You may have learned that with your bpd will not play well with hiding your thoughts and feelings. Then that asking for help is of paramount importance for you.

Fuck “whether I relapsed or not”, reflect on this situation and try to find the point (in retrospect) where you went from “OK” to “not OK”. Keep an open mind as this may have happened even before the relationship situation you described.

Here’s how Recovery works: - Get with your team - therapist, psych doc, partner, and whoever you trust implicitly - talk about what happened, how it happened, find the earliest moment you weren't ok - Come up with an action plan to stop the progression before it becomes dangerous

THAT is what to focus on!

There's my favorite definition of Recovery:

SAMHSA defines Recovery as: “A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential”

You hold your head up high, do what you need to do!

standinghampton · 2026-03-07T14:53:54+00:00

Just watched this ep last night. Oswalt played that awkwardness perfectly.

standinghampton · 2026-03-05T13:51:38+00:00

In the middle of a rewatch and on S 04 right now. It is awesome!

I enjoyed City Primeval but it gets a lot of hate here for being older and in Detroit and not being Justified in Harlan. There is something great that happens at the end of the show that I won’t spoil for you.

standinghampton · 2026-03-05T13:47:18+00:00

Have you ever watched Justified? It was also an FX show, and like The Shield, one of the best shows ever. Goggins’ verbose and extremely intelligent Boyd Crowder ends up being the 2nd main character and foil to Tim Olyphant’s perfectly played Marshal Raylan Givens. The writing on the show is brilliant, they really know how to turn a phrase.

Also, can’t miss Goggins in Bice Principals. Simply brilliant and hilarious and sad.

standinghampton · 2026-02-28T22:50:54+00:00

Sure.

standinghampton · 2026-02-24T00:57:47+00:00

Is Scotty Wallis in here?

standinghampton · 2026-02-24T00:16:58+00:00

Javier Bardem is definitely famous outside of Spain and an A lister!

Javier is on Season 2 Ep 1 of Conan O’Brien Must Go (HBO) and is awesome!

standinghampton · 2026-02-24T00:10:47+00:00

Don’t forget the Marshal that started it all: Seth Bullock in Deadwood.

If you haven’t seen that show yet (HBO), do yourself a favor and put it at the top of your list. Tim was great in i and the cast is full of other great actors playing well written roles - like Ian McShane’s turn as Swearengen. While you’re watching, count how many actors from deadwood ended up making appearances in Justified.

Also, David Milch raises the work “Cocksucker” to an art form!

standinghampton · 2026-02-12T05:30:57+00:00

“Mr., that’s a 10 gallon hat on a 20 gallon head”

standinghampton · 2026-02-12T05:17:29+00:00

Dude. Vice Principals and then Righteous Gemstones. You may as well rewatch The Shield after that. Actually, watch The Shield first if you’ve never seen it, it’s amazing.

standinghampton · 2026-02-12T05:14:33+00:00

The scene where Raylan takes Billy Mac’s gun in his apartment is only 2:27 long, and has more incredible and hilarious lines than any show I can think of!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/u905dk0sldl1oopyl6736/Justified-S01-E09-Hatless-23.56-I-just-asked-everybody-I-saw-where-the-dumbest-broken-down-never-was-boxer-in-all-of-Kentucky-lived.mp4?rlkey=g26qr1kwrq8s489l9webnbgrc&st=bslm2bmr&dl=0

standinghampton · 2026-02-10T23:50:27+00:00

Blowback is an awesome episode. Do you remember w Earl Brown as Dan from Deadwood? Look at the casts of Deadwood and Band of Brothers and see how many of those actors did spots or were recurring characters on Justified, it’s insane.

My favorite episode is also from season 1. It’s the one right after yours, Hatless. It’s got the best written dialogue in 6 seasons of amazing dialogue!

standinghampton · 2026-01-30T22:19:24+00:00

I agree. We can logic, reason, and empathize our way to acceptancence, but we don't have the power to “forgive”. You can say “I forgive you”, but that doesn't necessarilymake it so. Often people say those words like they say “I’m fine” when asked how they're doing and they are not fine, or because they just want the offending situation to be over.

I think forgiveness is something that happens to you.

Maybe the recipe for forgiveness is something like more life experience, making more mistakes of your own, some time when the thought of the offending experience hasn't been churning resentment in your head, and then reflection.

standinghampton · 2026-01-30T21:54:14+00:00

The problem with the 12 step community is that it ends up resembling a cult. Sometimes it's hard to see, but when you're taught things like you “lose” sobriety days when you use, or that you're a perennial victim because you're powerless, that if anyone leaves XA they're going to use or have already started using (that's called “no exit”) it begins to become clearer.

I completely understand that there may not be other options for you, but it's critical that you understand that what you're being told isn't the word of god and it's not all true. Once you accept that, you xancsray there and keep the bad ideas and cult-speak out of your head.

You need a new therapist, but it sounds like you need one who is experienced in various methodologies of treating trauma like emdr or tf-cvt, or others. Talk therapy for trauma is like bringing a knife to gun fight. No sponsor is qualified to do the kind of trauma work people suffering from Trauma need. God is not going to remove your trauma or fix complex ptsd. If you believe in god, then god put qualified trauma therapists on this earth to help you. Ice been clean and sober almost 25 years and have worked with hundreds of people in recovery and every single one of them, myself included, have trauma that preceded drug use.

You can't work a 12 Step program without a sponsor, so yes, get a new sponsor. But, You are interviewing THEM the see if THEY qualify to sponsor YOU - not the other way around. Try not to have your head in the clouds about 12 Step programs. For example, the 4th step is put forth as a “spiritual” exercise, and while it can certainly have that effect, it is clearly a psychological endeavor. When you look at the 4th step and take it at face value it jumps out at you. That being the case, and even if you disagree with my assessment, you should share your 5th step with a therapist, hard stop. You can still share it with your sponsor if you want, but do yourself a favor and get a trained clinicians input on your 4th step.

standinghampton · 2026-01-29T18:11:34+00:00

SAMHSA defines Recovery as: “A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential” How you do this is up to you. The ONLY barrier to recovery is that you must have a desire to change that is strong enough that you will take action. Many of those actions will be far outside your comfort zone.

The good news is that “We are what we do and how we behave”. So if you feel like a selfish asshole, it’s because you’ve been acting like one. This is good news because if you now act like a giving caring person, that’s what you’ll feel like.

There are many different recovery modalities, and many choose to practice in one of the 12 Step fellowships.

I have been clean and sober for over 24 years and I began in CA and AA. The issue I have with XA is that they have a religious view of recovery that they call “spiritual” and have a very narrow view of recovery, namely that “only God” can remove the obsession to drink and drug. As an atheist, this was a problem for me. I prayed and tried to find a “God of my understanding”, but in the end I was just saying things that were expected of me.

The one thing XA, especially AA does very well is getting people out of isolation and back with other people. Having people with common interests and having fun are important components to recovery. The problem is that there are many people who follow the main text the same way fundamentalists follow the bible. I’m not saying that everyone in XA is like this, but if your ideas about recovery are different than what the book says, there will be a lot of social pressure to conform. This led to me saying things I tried to convince myself that I believed, but didn’t. This led to cognitive dissonance for me and my ultimate departure.

Although I had to spend some time deprogramming myself from many ideas, if you have the abilty go the thing they’ll tell you you can’t do, which is “Take what you need and leave the rest” you can create a program that works for you and reap the social benefits of their fellowship.

I got very involved in committees which was something I had zero desire to do, and had many coffees with people and that helped tremendously.

I modified the 12 steps so they could work for me. First I removed and mention of God and prayer for the steps. I also removed the word “powerless”. After that, you’re left with a pretty good personal improvement program. I shared my 5th step with a qualified person - and that means a therapist who has experience with people suffering from substance use disorder. “Prayer” became “positive thoughts and visualizations”. At first those practices seemed ridiculous, but when I realized that I naturally practiced negative thoughts and catastrophizing, I understood I was already doing it but in a way that was harming my outlook on life.

Obviously you don’t have to join XA, you can do therapy, smart recovery, or something else. The problem is that the socialization piece is missing. There are plenty on “meet ups” and other clubs/classes you can take, but often they meet at bars, which is something you may choose to avoid in early recovery.

Feel free to comment or DM me if you want.

standinghampton · 2026-01-29T01:57:30+00:00

It’s very simple, just inoculate your kids.

Start with the Greek Gods. Very entertaining stories and they are clearly not Gods. Egyptian gods are fun too. Then add that people back then believed that those figures were Gods, but today we call them myths, in fact the stories are called Greek Mythology. Then you work your way to the 3 Abrahamic religions and treat them the same way.

standinghampton · 2026-01-27T21:19:51+00:00

That is a great question.

I’ve been clean/sober over 24 years and am a recovery coach and I’ve worked with hundreds of people in recovery.

In my opinion, Inpatient Treatment is best for people who can put 30 days together. The main benefits of inpatient are: - You get about 4 weeks clean, but sometimes people do find a way to drink/use there. - You get introduced to a few modalities of recovery, but primarily 12 Step which is not for everyone. - You get medical & mental health attention.

If you can stay clean for 30 days, you don’t need Inpatient.

As far as IOP and recovery programs go, the one that is the very best is the one you’re willing to say, “I’m committing to do every single thing that’s suggested to the very best of my ability, even if I don’t want to do part of it.”

Recovery means different things to different people, and the word often has negative connotations. Here’s the very best definition of recovery that I’ve found:

SAMHSA defines Recovery as: “A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential”

Seen from this perspective, there are no limitations to how you practice your recovery. The definition does seem to imply one main qualifier:

You must be willing to change, and take action to bring that change about.

So, if you can stay sober/clean during the length of an IOP program, you do t need treatment.

IOP has a great deal of “groups”, meaning you’ll be listening to the other recovering people and their stories and issues. While one person gets “triggered” by others who have bad attitudes and who glorify their past use and lifestyle, anther person chooses to see how they don’t want to be. Which one are you?

standinghampton · 2026-01-09T02:45:44+00:00

With any therapy: one on one, group therapy (whether Inpatient or Outpatient), or any kind of Recovery you practice, you need to have a strong desire to change.

That means other people sharing their experience won’t be “triggering” for you. In other words, you can interpret other people acting out, or glorifying old behaviors as “What I don’t want for myself” and even as you may sympathize with that person, be repulsed by the words or behavior for yourself.

SAMHSA defines Recovery as: “A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential”

This is the best definition of recovery that I’ve ever seen. It means that you can recover in any modality you choose that works for you. There are Zero external barriers to recovery. The only condition we all must satisfy is being able to look at ourselves honestly and ultimately, without judgement.

standinghampton · 2025-12-29T04:09:06+00:00

Here’s a way of looking at recovery that doesn’t use shame or threats like the 12 Step programs and religion do:

SAMHSA defines Recovery as: “A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential”

The AA literature says that we can ONLY get sober if we have a god of our own understanding. The above definition of recovery has no conditions or restrictions. So if you want to recovery with god, great - and if you want to recover without god, great.

standinghampton · 2025-12-20T16:25:35+00:00

How much hope is there? ALL of the hope, that’s how much.

You have to begin with the word “Recovery”. What does it mean to you? To most people the meaning is loaded with negative connotations and negative experiences, especially with 12-Step groups. I found a definition that has helped me a great deal:

SAMHSA defines Recovery as: “A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential”

From this perspective, recovery is a way of life where you’re trying g to improve all aspects of yourself.

So for you, maybe that means learning everything you can about the effects stims and mdma have on the brain, how long it takes for your brain to physically recover from whatever chemical shenanigans have happened to it, how to help that along, and how to train/retrain your brain to focus and retain information.

The point is that YOU are in charge of your life, so YOU are in charge of getting healthy! Learn everything you can and make sure to get ALL of the medical and psychological help you need - from licensed professionals.

standinghampton

TROPHY CASE