Characters / Justified Givens Family

In General

Once a large family deeply involved in Harlan's criminal underworld, time and war with the Bennett clan has reduced the Givens' to a single family, consisting of career criminal Arlo, his second wife, Helen, and US Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens, who goes out of his way to avoid them both. With the Bennett feud and their connections to the Crowders being far from a thing of the past, however, Raylan's hopes of keeping his family at arm's length, are more or less bound to fail.

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• Archenemy: The Givens' are the collective archenemies of the Bennetts', with the feud between the two families going all the way back to Prohibition.
• The Clan: They were once a large, prominent family within Harlan. The war with the Bennetts thinned their ranks to the point where only Arlo, Raylan, and Helen are left.
• Country Cousin: Frances and Helen (and therefore Raylan) are related to the hillfolk.
• The Family That Slays Together: The Givens' have a history of criminality, with Arlo's preacher father having been a rumrunner behind the scenes during Prohibition. Today Arlo is a thorough crook, with Helen reluctantly supporting him, and Raylan worrying that he might take after his father in spite of everything—a fact his brutality as a cop doesn't do anything to dispel.
• Feuding Families: The Givens' have a longstanding feud with the Bennetts, which the women in both families worked hard to keep a lid on. They narrowly avoided starting a similar feud with the McClaran family, when one of the McClarans made crude comments about Frances (said feud would also have involved Arlo's friend, Bo Crowder, and the McClarans allies, the Sorensons).
  Raylan: Well, I guess it goes back to during prohibition, the Bennetts were running moonshine across the state line, and agents busted them. They got it in their heads it was a Givens tipped off the feds. My great-uncle Harold took a bullet to the chest, and back and forth it went.
• Hillbilly Horrors: Invoked by the hillfolk, who live alone in the hills around Harlan and are only too happy to kill anybody who comes upon them.
• Hillbilly Moonshiner: During Prohibition the Givens' were prominent figures in the Harlan County moonshine trade. Even after Prohibition ended, Harlan County stayed dry and the Givens' continued to brew alcohol for the black market, with Raylan's grandfather going so far as to partner with Mags Bennett during a truce between the two families.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Their alliance with the Crowders has run hot and cold for decades, with the Arlo/Bo partnership and Raylan/Boyd enmity being just the most recent incarnations of it. Not matter how many times the families fall out, they always seem willing to work together again.

Immediate Family

Arlo

Arlo Givens

"I'm nothin' if not predictable."

Played By: Raymond J. Barry

Vasquez: ...which now includes Givens's father Arlo, a lifetime criminal...is that a fair description?

Raylan: I'd add 'petty' to be more accurate.

Arlo Givens is the father of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Arlo has a lengthy criminal history and, as a result, has what can be described as a complicated relationship with his son. Other ways to describe their relationship might be strained, broken, or untenable. Arlo is a narcissist in that he is always out for No. 1 without much regard for those around him, including family members. After the death of his wife and Raylan's mother, Arlo marries his sister-in-law Helen. He is a Vietnam veteran who suffers from bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress syndrome and has connections with the Crowder clan.

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• Abusive Dad: In Raylan's youth, Arlo was variously violent, neglectful, unstable and psychologically abusive. He hasn't gotten any better in Raylan's adult years. It's implied heavily Arlo's dad was abusive to him too.
• Adaptational Villainy: In the books, Raylan's father made an honest living as a coal miner. Here, Arlo is a lifelong petty criminal willing to kill even his own son for his own survival.
• Archnemesis Dad: To Raylan, who he's willing to use or betray if it will benefit him. He frequently acts as if Raylan somehow betrayed him by becoming a decent man rather than a scumbag criminal like Arlo. Arlo hints him and his own father had a similar relationship, as Raylan rarely saw his Grandfather Givens.
• Bait the Dog: Any time Arlo expresses genuine affection for Raylan, it turns out to be an act. It's especially noticeable in "Bulletville", where Raylan figures out Arlo is trying to murder him simply because he's actually treating Raylan kindly.
• Blood Knight: Downplayed and played rather darkly. Arlo isn't particularly bloodthirsty, but he seems to go out of his way to pick a fight. Even in Raylan's childhood, he would ask questions and force Raylan to answer him just so he could have an excuse to beat him.
• Bullying a Dragon: "The Lord of War and Thunder" has Arlo attempt to pull a scam on a tenant of his who - unbeknownst to him - is actually a drug dealer. Arlo continuously provokes the man even after realizing how dangerous he is, until Raylan is forced to threaten the man into leaving Arlo and Helen alone.
• Character Death: Hunter Mosley plans to kill him in prison to prevent him from disclosing the identity of Drew Thompson. Arlo puts up a great fight, badly injuring two much younger men, but Hunter manages to shank him with a pair of scissors. Arlo spends roughly a day or so in the prison infirmary, eventually succumbing to his wounds.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He betrays just about everyone except Boyd. Raylan, the Marshal's service, Bo Crowder...
  Arlo: You've known me 50 years.
  Bo: Should that incline me to trust you more or less?
• Con Man: He was a successful grifter in his younger years, at one point stealing mining machinery and selling it to Columbia to get paid in cocaine. His first episode has him trying to run game on Stan Perkins.
• The Consigliere: This seems to be his primary role in Boyd's new gang, at least before his senility kicks in. He figuratively and literally knows where the bodies are buried in Harlan County. He was previously this to Bo Crowder.
• Cop/Criminal Family: Part of the reason his relationship with Raylan is so contentious is because Raylan is a US Marshal while Arlo is a lifelong criminal. Not that it stops Arlo from coasting off any good will Raylan's job gets him, that is.
• Cop Killer: He shoots and kills Tom Bergen in the Season 3 finale after mistaking him for Raylan.
• Dad the Veteran: He is Raylan's father and served in the Vietnam War.
• Dented Iron: He worked as Bo Crowder's muscle back in the day and he's still strong enough to beat up a man twice his size with a baseball bat, but at the end of the day Arlo's still an old man with a bad heart and he can't exert himself too much without risking a heart attack.
• Dies Differently In The Adaptation: In the books, Arlo died of the iron lung which he gained from his days as a coal miner. He dies of a fatal stab wound here.
• Dirty Coward: Part of what makes him such an unpredictable, treacherous bastard is his tendency to abandon others to ensure his own survival. He'll sell out his own son in a heartbeat if he has to.
• Domestic Abuse: To his first wife, Frances. Averted with his second wife, since Helen said she would not hesitate to shoot him if he raised a hand to her.
• Dying Alone: Arlo dies of his wounds in a prison hospital with nobody by his side. Considering he spent his entire life backstabbing others, alienating his family (he outright refused even partial reconciliation with Raylan when he stopped by) and being randomly aggressive, it's hard to say he didn't bring it on himself.
• Establishing Character Moment: He notably has one before he even appears. In "Fixer", when Art tells Raylan Arlo's been arrested, Raylan offhandedly asks if it's because he killed anyone. At once, Arlo is established as a dangerous criminal and someone with a bad relationship with his son.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: It takes her death for him to show it, but Arlo loved Helen and goes gunning for Dickie after the little weasel kills her, especially since he knows he's partially to blame himself.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • When his first wife Frances was alive, he roughed up a man who questioned her virtue.
  • He's also pretty disgusted when he finds out Boyd is working for Black Pike and asks him if he knows what Bo would think of that.
  • Arlo is noticeably disturbed and reluctant when Bo asks him to help kill Raylan, although he still goes through with it.
• Evil Old Folks: Well into his old age, and still a greedy opportunist. He's a quick-thinking killer who's too easily underestimated by opponents who should be more formidable, but see him as a skinny old man. He murders Tom Bergen and effortlessly kills a fellow inmate with a shank in prison.
• Expy: Of Anthony Cooper. Both are unrepentant, treacherous con men and abusive parents who think nothing of manipulating and betraying their own children. Arlo does occasionally show a softer and more human side unlike Cooper, though he's still firmly a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk.
• Faux Affably Evil: Arlo can fake being a friendly old man very well to those who don't know him, and he's very good at turning on the charm with those who do. It all belies how manipulative and ruthless he really is; Arlo won't hesitate to throw even his own son under the bus if it benefits him.
• Fearless Fool: Much like his son, Arlo is unafraid of anyone and refuses to kowtow to threats. Unfortunately, it means Arlo often picks fights with people for no reason and will always escalate conflicts without thinking things through.
• Foil:
  • Arlo is very much what Raylan would be if he was consumed by his negative qualities: a manipulative, violent, and ill-tempered Jerkass concerned only with himself.
  • He also serves as one for his frequent partner Bo Crowder. They're both Abusive Parents who despise their children for trying to be better men than their fathers, and both are notorious criminals. However, Bo is genuinely Affably Evil where all of Arlo's charm is entirely false. And where Bo genuinely loves Boyd and can't bring himself to kill him, Arlo has no qualms about murdering Raylan for his own gain.
• Freudian Excuse: Arlo is undoubtedly a horrible person, but he was in turn abused by his own father and fought in the Vietnam War, which deeply traumatized him. He's diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD, which are implied to fuel the random fits of aggression and erratic behavior that makes him so dangerous.
• From Camouflage to Criminal: Arlo served in the Vietnam War before becoming a full time criminal. Subverted as he didn't really bring any skills with him, as he's outright incompetent as a criminal.
• Genius Bruiser: When he was younger, he was a conman and an enforcer for Bo Crowder. As Art notes, it's not every criminal who can claim to have been both a grifter and a legbreaker.
• Hallucinations: In "Coalition," Arlo speaks to a hallucination of his dead wife Helen. Earlier episodes show him talking to himself, suggesting that he may have been hallucinating at the time.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: As his senility creeps in, and he stops taking the medication for his bipolar disorder Arlo becomes increasingly willing to fly off the handle. Raylan notes it's not a new thing, as Arlo would frequently and randomly fly off the handle and beat both him and his mother over minor inconveniences.
• Hate Sink: There is literally nothing likeable about this man. Arlo will backstab and betray anyone at a moment's notice, and then blame them when it fails. There is no one Arlo won't sell out, not even his own son. No one can seem to stand the man, to the point that when he is killed horribly in prison, no one seems to care that he's gone. Even his son, who only manages a brief bit of remorse at the senselessness of the situation.
• Hidden Depths: During his conversation with Raylan in "Belleville", he admits he regrets his treatment of Raylan and how their relationship has fallen apart during a moment of seemingly genuine sincerity. Admittedly, he did so while plotting to have Raylan killed, but he does seem to be trying to reach out to Raylan in his own way.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: He was a powerful mover-and-shaker in Harlan back in the day, but by the time of the series he's just a petty crook barely making ends meet.
• It's All About Me: His basic attitude. After Helen's death, he doesn't care about Raylan's feelings, even blaming him for Helen's death despite knowing full-well that it was retaliation for Boyd robbing Dickie Bennett.
• Jerkass: He's aggressive, petty, vindictive, bitter, and treats everyone around him like shit. Not even his own family is safe from Arlo's poor temper and manipulative streak.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Every single time Arlo gets close to showing a softer side, he ends up showing himself to be a bastard through and through.
• Last Words: To Raylan: "Kiss my ass."
• Like a Son to Me: Arlo wants this relationship with Boyd, clearly seeing him as the son he wished he had rather than an upstanding lawman like Raylan. Boyd, for his part, doesn't see Arlo as anything more than a convenient henchman.
• Like Father, Like Son: It's hinted that like Raylan, Arlo had a troubled relationship with his own father and rebelled against Grandpa Givens' hinted abuse. They also have several shared traits, such as stubbornness, a poor temper, and a propensity for violence.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: While they do have similarities, Raylan and Arlo are very different beats. Raylan grew up to become a lawman, while Arlo is an unrepentant criminal.
• Loan Shark: He worked as one for Bo Crowder back in the day, and one of his most frequent scams is to try and extort money out of unsuspecting victims.
• Manipulative Bastard: Being a Con Man, Arlo is manipulative almost by nature. Not even his own son is safe from Arlo using him as a patsy for one of his cons.
• The Millstone: He's a competent enough henchman, but it's revealed that the second he had financial control over Bo's operation, Arlo ran it into the ground almost singlehandedly. Much of the conflict in the latter half of Season 1 is sparked by Bo trying to force Arlo to pay his debts, or kill him if he can't.
• Mirror Character: To Raylan. For all that Raylan justifiably hates him, the two are remarkably similar. Both men have poor tempers, a propensity for violence, a tendency to make enemies unnecessarily, and a biting sense of humor. The only difference is that Raylan still has the capacity to care about other people, where Arlo is a selfish bastard down to the core.
• Mood-Swinger: Is noted to have been like this when he was younger, nice one moment and enraged the next. According to Helen he has since been diagnosed as bipolar, which helps to explain it.
• Morality Pet: He doesn't show it often, but Helen is one of the few people he genuinely cares about and he lashes out violently at anyone who threatens her.
• More Despicable Minion: To both Bo and Boyd. Both Crowders have sympathetic and at times noble traits, whereas Arlo is a spiteful Jerkass to his core.
• Never My Fault: Arlo always blames other people for his own mistakes. It's especially notable in his relationship with Raylan, as he puts all the blame for their turbulent relationship on Raylan. Never once does Arlo own up to how his own abuse and manipulative nature is what made Raylan hate him so much. Sadly, this is Truth in Television for most abusers.
• No Medication for Me: Arlo goes off his medication at several points in season three, with very unpleasant consequences. He also refuses to take the medication for his PTSD and bipolar disorder due to not believing them to be real conditions.
• Not Afraid to Die: He claims this in "Veterans" after deciding to work as an informant on Bo for the Marshals. It's quickly subverted, as Arlo immediately betrays them and later tries to murder Raylan just to save his own skin.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: He might be a senile old man, but he's also a cunning and capable killer, as Tom Bergen and one unlucky inmate discovered.
• Offing the Offspring: He tries to do this to Raylan, twice.
• Parental Betrayal: He betrays Raylan multiple times, including attempting to walk Raylan into an ambush where he would be killed by Cartel hitmen, convincing Raylan on multiple occasions that he and Helen (Raylan's stepmother) are being targeted by criminals only to later be revealed as the aggressor after Raylan uses his official capacity to intervene, and later shooting and killing a highway trooper he mistook for Raylan at a distance.
• Perilous Old Fool: After going off his medication, Arlo storms into Noble's Holler and demands that Limehouse bring him his wife Frances, who died years before. In "Coalition," Arlo insists that he's as strong and tough as he was in his youth. After hallucinating that his dead wife Helen was chiding him for being cut out of the loop, he locks Ava in a cellar at gunpoint and runs off to prove himself.
• Pet the Dog: He was saving his own skin in the process and was at least partially lying about the events in question, but he did talk down a suicidal soldier burdened with Survivor's Guilt due to his entire unit and friends being killed after he was taken off for "weak lungs" and everyone called him "Lucky", and being unable to qualify for service again because of them, by regaling him with a story from Vietnam.
• Preacher's Kid: In his debut episode he recalls his father as a preacher whose god was 'the lord of war and thunder' and Arlo says he rebelled 'as boys do'.
• Redemption Rejection: He has a chance to make at least partial amends with Raylan on his death bed, but he refuses to do even that.
• Reverse Mole: The U.S. Marshals recruit him to work as a mole in Bo Crowder's organization, but he quickly reveals the truth to Bo and instead starts informing Bo about the Marshals' activities.
• Sanity Slippage: He was never the most stable of individuals but with Helen's death he stopped taking his medication and his grip on reality seems to be loosening. He forgets that certain people are dead and goes looking for them.
• Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Arlo will always say whatever's on his mind, no matter how crass or uncouth it is.
• Settle for Sibling: After the death of Raylan's mother Frances, he married her sister Helen.
• Shadow Archetype: Arlo is essentially what Raylan would be if he abandoned his better qualities. A mean, bitter man with a poor temper and a propensity for making enemies who only cares about himself, and treats his family like tools.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: His Hair-Trigger Temper is attributed to undiagnosed PTSD from his time as a soldier in the Vietnam War, on top of his preexisting bipolar disorder. It's generally agreed that he was already an asshole before he joined the Army.
• Stupid Evil: Arlo is- to put it plainly- not a very good criminal. He's been scheming his entire life, but has next to nothing to show for it. Any money he has completely vanishes, any scheme he engaged in blew up in his face due to his incompetence, and he constantly needs others to bail him out of trouble.
• They Really Do Love Each Other: Arlo admits to Raylan that his years with Helen have been the best years of his life.
• Too Dumb to Live: After Bo gets out of prison and discovers Arlo ran his loan sharking business into the ground, Arlo refuses to leave town despite all warnings from everyone around him. Helen had saved up money to pay the debt Arlo owed Bo, but Arlo had already stolen it and wasted it on booze.
• Tragic Villain: Arlo isn't a good person by any means and by all accounts he was always a Jerkass, but he suffered from severe mental illness and trauma during a time where such things weren't understood. He's undoubtedly a bad man, but it's not difficult to see how he ended up like he did.
• True Companions: With Boyd, whom he sees as a son. In "Slaughterhouse," he takes the fall for Devil's murder so that Boyd would be spared prison time. Unfortunately for Arlo, it's one-sided. Boyd has no problems with Arlo staying in jail after he has a chance to get out. He doesn't visit Arlo and isn't even aware of his death until Raylan tells him.
• The Vietnam Vet: Arlo served in Vietnam, and he still suffers from PTSD in the present day. He was apparently a Jerkass even before serving, but the trauma he experienced there drastically affected his mental health and contributed to his abuse of Raylan.
• Villainous Friendship: With Bo Crowder and Drew Thompson. Whatever their problems with each other, Arlo and Bo were a highly effective partnership, and after Bo's death Arlo tells Boyd that he was sorry his father went out like that. In Season 4 we find out that Arlo covered up Drew Thompson's whereabouts for decades, and even at the end it isn't clear if he was going to sell him out or not.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Bo Crowder. The two don't necessarily like or even trust each other, but they're an efficient partnership and they do have a genuine bond - even if Bo does try to kill him.
• What You Are in the Dark: In "Bulletville", Bo offers to renew their partnership and forgive Arlo's debt to him if he helps bring Raylan to Gio Reyes so the cartel leader can torture Raylan to death. Arlo decides to go through with it, albeit reluctantly.
• When Elders Attack: He severely beats a man with a baseball bat for threatening Helen, though he suffers a heart attack midway through he beating.
• White Hair, Black Heart: Arlo sports entirely white hair, and he's so ruthless and self-centered he's willing to kill his own son.
• Why Are You Not My Son?: He views Boyd as his son over his actual son Raylan.
• Wild Card: It's unclear what Arlo is going to do in any situation, and his increasing dementia make him even more unpredictable.
• Wise Old Folk Façade: Arlo is in his early 70s so most strangers regard him as an adorable, harmless old man, and Arlo takes advantage of that assumption whenever he can. However, anyone who actually knows him, including his son Raylan, knows Arlo to be a dangerous, hot-tempered, petty, and violent criminal.

Helen

Helen Givens

Played By: Linda Gehringer

Raylan: Why can't you bail him out?

Helen: Those are the first words out of your mouth?

Raylan: I'm sorry, I'll start again. I see you're still smoking.

Helen Givens is a Harlan County native, having never really left the small Kentucky town. She is the sister of Frances Givens, long deceased, and the aunt of U.S. Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens. She is also his stepmother, having married her sister's widower, Arlo Givens. She is kind and loving, especially to Raylan, but perhaps a bit too indulgent of Arlo's less-than-upstanding behavior — the kind that pits father against son.

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• Abusive Parents: Downplayed, especially in comparison to Arlo. Helen is genuinely loving towards Raylan, but she also has an emotionally manipulative streak and she tends to hold him as just as responsible as Arlo for the poor relationship between father and son.
• Action Mom: Helen expertly brandishes a shotgun, and she was a mother to Raylan in many ways.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Averted. She married Arlo after her sister Frances, (Arlo’s first wife and biological mother to Raylan) died not out of any love for Arlo, but because she believed Raylan needed a mother figure in his life. It’s clear that she was among the only positive influences on him during his childhood.
• Anti-Hero: Much like her stepson, Helen is a forthright, stubborn woman who won't give up her position if she thinks she's right. This makes her a reliable ally and prone to standing up for those in need, but also forces a rift between her and Raylan because she'll never admit to being wrong.
• Antics-Enabling Wife: Played for Drama. Helen frequently enables Arlo and lets him perform his various scams and indulge in his many vices. She acknowledges Arlo's flaws, but never really makes an effort to curb them and expects Raylan to easily forgive Arlo for everything just as she does.
• Apron Matron: She's an elderly woman who deeply loves her son. She alternated frequently between criticizing Raylan for not stopping by more and threatening local badmen with her shotgun.
• Big Damn Heroes: When Johnny threatens Ava in a hardware store, Helen responds by pulling out a shotgun and threatening him with it until he backs off.
• Character Death: Dickie Bennett shoots Helen in her kitchen, killing her instantly.
• Cool Old Lady: She's a badass older woman with a sharp tongue.
• Deadpan Snarker: Resulting in many cases of Snark-to-Snark Combat with Arlo.
• Destructive Romance: With Arlo. The two genuinely love each other, but Arlo is perpetually dragging Helen into danger with his scams and he wastes most of their money on booze. She in turn always enables him and forgives him for most of his actions. It eventually gets her killed by Dickie.
• Easily Forgiven: Helen always forgives Arlo for his transgressions no matter what. She acknowledges his faults, but accepts them nonetheless. She draws the line when he attempts to kill Raylan, however.
• Everyone Has Standards: For as enabling as she is of Arlo, she draws the line when he tries to murder Raylan to save his own skin.
• Extreme Doormat: She tolerates everything Arlo does and lets him get away with the worst of his behavior even if it harms her. As she puts it, she had the bad sense to choose him, so she doesn't mind the inevitable consequences. However, she draws the line at him outright betraying Raylan.
• Fatal Flaw: Helen is a generally good woman, but she constantly enables Arlo's bad behavior and refuses to acknowledge Raylan's trauma from Arlo's abuse. She won't tolerate Arlo's emotional abuse of Raylan, but she clearly views the two as equally in the wrong.
• Foolish Husband, Responsible Wife: Played for Drama. Helen is a wise, practical old woman who generally abides by the law. Arlo, meanwhile, is an abusive drunkard and con man who spends most of his days running harebrained scams and then dodging the inevitable consequences he faces.
• Good Counterpart: To Ava. They're both husbands to local criminals and they have a close relationship with Raylan. However, Helen is, for all her faults, deeply loyal to her family and has moral lines she won't cross. Ava has no such lines, and betrays both of the men she claimed to love.
• Good Stepmother: She raised Raylan well and he loves her very much; about the only flaw she has is that she does indulge Arlo.
• Lovable Rogue: Helen is involved in the criminal underworld at least by her close proximity to Arlo and occasionally aids in his schemes. However, unlike her husband, she's a good woman and tries to look out for innocent people, as well as genuinely loving Raylan.
• Maiden Aunt: Arlo and Frances technically raised Raylan, but Helen was the only stable parental figure in his life and treated him like her own son. She eventually became a Good Stepmother when she married Arlo to look after Raylan.
• The Masochism Tango: Her relationship with Arlo could charitably be described in these terms. Both of them continuously insult each other and are always at the other's throat, but they do genuinely love each other.
• Morality Chain: To both Raylan (as she was one of his few and most notable positive influences growing up) and to Arlo (who despite his usual attitude actually does love her even if he sucks at showing it), to the point she's probably the only reason things didn't escalate between father and son much sooner. When she dies, it essentially marks the point both men start spiraling into particularly darker territory (though it's far more gradual in Raylan's case) and more or less marks the end of any real chance of reconciliation between them.
• Morality Pet: She's the only person Arlo treats kindly or cares about nearly as much as himself. She also serves as one for Raylan, who treats her with a good deal more respect than he does most other people.
• Never Mess with Granny: She takes no flack from a pair of thugs who storm into her house. Also, when Dickie breaks into her home, she confronts him while holding a shotgun.
• Nerves of Steel: Much like Raylan, she never shows any signs of panic when put in danger. Her general reaction is to grab her trusty shotgun or any other weapon as quickly as possible.
• Nice Girl: Helen's a tough woman, but she's not mean in any sense of the word and is quite altruistic. It's her presence that keeps Raylan and Arlo from giving in to their worst traits.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Raylan accuses her of being just as manipulative as Arlo after believing she helped Arlo manipulate him as part of one of his cons.
• Parents as People: Helen is Raylan's only healthy parental figure and she deeply loves him, but their relationship is strained because she tolerates Arlo's behavior. She frequently downplays his abuse and tries to force Raylan to forgive him despite Arlo doing nothing to earn it.
• Parental Substitute: To Raylan, when her sister was Arlo's wife, providing him with a safe refuge.
• Rage Breaking Point: She tolerates a lot of Arlo's antics, but she draws the line when he tries to have Raylan murdered and threatens to shoot him if he steps foot in her house. Unfortunately, he's under house arrest, so Raylan has to force her to let him in.
• Revenge Before Reason: When Arlo tries to have Raylan murdered, Helen forces him to sleep in a trailer outside her property despite the fact he's under house arrest. She also threatens to shoot him if he steps foot in their house, until Raylan persuades her into doing it so Arlo won't be arrested.
• Shotguns Are Just Better: Her favourite weapon seems to be a shotgun, which she keeps handy.
• Token Good Teammate: For the Givens family. Arlo is a ruthless criminal and Raylan, while on the side of the law, is violent and ill-tempered. Helen meanwhile is staunchly moral and rarely engages in their worse behaviors.
• The Topic of Cancer: We learn that she is a cancer survivor during an argument with Arlo in Season 2.
  Arlo: I hope you get cancer!
  Helen: Already had it!
  Arlo: I hope you get it again!
• White Sheep: She's one of the few members of the Givens family who doesn't brazenly break or bend the law, and to only use violence in self-defense.
• Women Are Wiser: Downplayed. She's just as flawed as the rest of the cast, but she tends to be portrayed as the most reasonable of the Givens clan. She advises against picking fights pointlessly and tends to be dragged into conflict more by Arlo's senselessness than her own decisions.

Frances

Frances Givens

Played By: N/A

Raylan's biological mother and Helen's sister. Frances suffered abuse at the hands of Arlo and died prior to the series.

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• Country Cousin: Frances descended from hill-folk stock and was the cousin of Mary, the matriarch of Cope's clan. Arlo was embarassed by her lineage and discouraged her from talking about it.
• Deceased Parents Are the Best: Raylan adored her in contrast to his abusive father Arlo, although he did alao love her sister, his aunt Helen, who became his stepmother.
• Domestic Abuse: Arlo physically abused her. She fled to Noble's Holler at least once to escape his abuse.
• Missing Mom: On account of her dying early on in Raylan's childhood.
• Peace Conference: She arranged a peaceful meeting between Arlo and a man who had insulted her to stop their feud from escalating.
• Posthumous Character: Frances is long-dead before the series begins.
• Turn the Other Cheek: She arranges a peaceful meeting between Arlo and a man who insulted her, even though she was within her rights to be angry.

Willa

Willa Givens

Played By: Eden Henderson

Raylan Givens

See Main Cast

Hillfolk

Mary

Mary

Played By: Bonita Friedericy

A cousin of Raylan, Frances, and Helen Givens who lives up in the hills of Harlan County.

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• Character Death: Cope reveals that she's passed away off-screen when he reappears in Season 6.
• Country Cousin: To the Givens family on Frances' side.
• Mama Bear: To her fellow hillfolk.
• Never Mess with Granny: Her kin are terrified of her, and fall in line with her orders, no matter what.

Cope

Cope

Played By: Tom Proctor

A leader of the hillfolk, Cope hates city dwellers, viewing them all as swindlers. He tries to execute Raylan and Boyd when he captures them on their territory, and is only narrowly stopped by Mary.

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• Beard of Barbarism: His wild hair and beard are indicative of his rejection of civilised life.
• Beard of Evil: A truly spectacular one.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Loves his son Daniel, in spite of his mental handicap.
• Even Evil Has Standards: That said, he knows better than to hand Daniel a functioning firearm. Raylan is somewhat put out when he learns this, as it makes their Mexican Standoff look very one-sided.
• Evil Is Petty: His entire objective is to be left alone. To achieve that objective, he'll kill anyone who finds him or his family.
• Murder Is the Best Solution: Thinks that killing people is the best way to stay isolated.
• The Patriarch: Subverted. He appears to hold this role, but Mary outranks him.
• Thicker Than Water: Despite his tense run-ins with Raylan, Raylan still sees Cope's clan as family. When Cope and his sons are forced to abandon their old land due to contaminated water, Raylan gives them Arlo's home.

Daniel

Daniel

Played By: Christopher Douglas Reed

One of the hillspeople who hold Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder hostage.

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• Beard of Barbarism: Like his father.
• Manchild: A rock fell on his head when he was a child, and as a result Daniel seems to be mentally handicapped.