Good news -- we finally get to see Joelle Carter's acting chops. Her take on a squeezed in the middle good-old-gal informant who would rather be anywhere else but where she is ... is solid.
Bad news -- the limelight for Carter comes at the expense of screen time for our hero, now our executive producer, the ever charismatic Mr. Olyphant, who is now playing a part so low-key (compared to the way he EXPLODED onto the screen in Season 1) that he may as well phone it in. I cannot remember any series remaining successful when its star decided to become a backseat driver...?
Good news -- took over 6 and a half seasons but your intrepid reviewer finally and belatedly figured out what is so startling about Goggins' portrayal of Boyd. He is doing Burt Lancaster. Seriously. Hear me out. The smile, the speech patterns, the deliberate tilt of the head, the physicality... it is all there. Whether Goggins admits it or not, he owes a large part of his success to incorporating Lancaster into his acting. Took me so long (apologies, Dominus) because he has a small frame and one could not easily imagine doing Burt without the size. But here we are ...
Bad news -- Goggins and Carter are not enough. I know the fans will punish this review but I always say what I see. This series is fading. As the competition in TV drama heats up -- POI, BLACKLIST, the incredible BANSHEE, and even the sly pacing of LONGMIRE -- this series is slowly losing its edge, like a tire with a slow leak.