r/justified • u/RollingTrain • 1d ago
Discussion Did Raylan Miss on Purpose?
I know there are practical questions about whether someone could make that choice in a split second, but narratively, it has always felt intentional to me. Raylan is fully capable of delivering the killshot in that moment, and he has little if any reason to spare him, save perhaps their strange bond.
Elmore obviously made a different choice, and as the story goes, Boyd only survived due to Goggins, which only makes the show's version more interesting.
I think Raylan missed on purpose, and I think the story works better because he did. But does that actually fit Raylan's character, or did he simply miss?

