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Nelson Dunlop, played by guest star Mel Fair, is a recurring character in the FX series Justified. Dunlop is a US Marshal assigned to the Lexington Field Office.

Biography[]

Background[]

Dunlop is a US Marshal assigned to the Lexington Field Office.

Season 1[]

He appears in "The Hammer".

Season 2[]

He appears in "Blaze of Glory".

Season 3[]

He chastises Raylan Givens for having his phone off when Bill Nichols is murdered.

Season 4[]

In "Money Trap", Raylan wishes him a happy birthday on his way out when Nelson comes into the Marshal's office. This prompts Tim to apologize for forgetting.

In "The Hatchet Tour", Nelson escorts Hunter Mosley out of Tramble and releases him into Raylan's custody. Art Mullen then berates Nelson for allowing Hunter, who killed Arlo, to be put in Raylan's custody on his transfer to a supermax prison. According to Nelson, Raylan taking Hunter off of his hands was a "belated birthday present". Art threatens him with a "bright future in mall security".

In "Decoy", Agent Dunlop borrows Raylan's hat, checks out a vehicle that Raylan usually checks out and helps out on the convoy duty with SAIC Mullen, Tim Gutterson and the KSP troopers and tow crew.

In "Peace of Mind", Nelson gives Raylan a pat on the back for his capture of Drew Thompson.

Season 5[]

In "Shot All to Hell", Nelson is briefly seen along with the other Marshals when they discover Theo Tonin hiding out in a crate. 

In "Raw Deal", Nelson is briefly seen asking Raylan if he wants anything for breakfast and also informs him that Art has placed him in charge of morning walk-ins when Larry Salmeron arrives.

In "The Toll", Nelson tells Raylan that Wendy Crowe called and said that Daryl Crowe Jr. is surrendering, but that he will only talk to Raylan. At the end of the episode, Raylan takes over his shift of watching over Art at the hospital.

Season 6[]

In "The Hunt", he helps out fellow Marshals on the manhunt for Ty Walker and later asks Raylan if he can hold Willa at the Marshals office, to which Raylan tells him no.

In "Fugitive Number One", he is seen at the hospital watching over Boyd Crowder who is now in Marshals custody. Dunlop leaves his post however when Deputy Stiles tells him that Raylan is waiting there to talk to him, unaware that this is really a ruse to escort Carl to Boyd's hospital room so that he can find out where Avery Markham's money is and execute Boyd. Nelson rushes back into the hospital when he goes outside and realizes that he fell for the trap. 

In "Collateral", Vasquez angrily confronts Dunlop over the bulletin he saw about Raylan, tossing all of Nelson's paperwork off his desk. Dunlop replies "You having a bad day, David?".

In "The Promise", Nelson tells Raylan that he is going to miss him before he leaves the Marshals' office for good, which Raylan replies "no you won't". 

Relationships[]

Memorable Quotes[]

Trivia[]

  • The character of Nelson Dunlop started out in the scripts as "Marshal Non-Descript". That led to him getting the initials N.D. which then gave him his name. According to showrunner Yost, Dunlop has always been Justified's "whipping boy", the marshal that is allowed to screw up in a way that would be inappropriate for Gutterson or Brooks (and of course Givens and Mullen).[1]
  • Showrunner Graham Yost considers the scene in "Collateral" to be one of Dunlop's nicest moments.[2]

References[]

Appearances[]

Season one appearances
Fire in the Hole Riverbrook Fixer Long in the Tooth The Lord of War and Thunder
The Collection Blind Spot Blowback Hatless The Hammer
Veterans Fathers and Sons Bulletville
Season two appearances
The Moonshine War The Life Inside The I of the Storm For Blood or Money Cottonmouth
Blaze of Glory Save My Love The Spoil Brother's Keeper Debts and Accounts
Full Commitment Reckoning Bloody Harlan
Season three appearances
The Gunfighter Cut Ties Harlan Roulette The Devil You Know Thick as Mud
When the Guns Come Out The Man Behind The Curtain Watching the Detectives Loose Ends Guy Walks Into a Bar
Measures Coalition Slaughterhouse
Season four appearances
Hole in the Wall Where's Waldo? Truth and Consequences This Bird Has Flown Kin
Foot Chase Money Trap Outlaw The Hatchet Tour Get Drew
Decoy Peace of Mind Ghosts
Season five appearances
A Murder of Crowes The Kids Aren't All Right Good Intentions Over the Mountain Shot All to Hell
Kill the Messenger Raw Deal Whistle Past the Graveyard Wrong Roads Weight
The Toll Starvation Restitution
Season six appearances
Fate's Right Hand Cash Game Noblesse Oblige The Trash and the Snake Sounding
Alive Day The Hunt Dark as a Dungeon Burned Trust
Fugitive Number One Collateral The Promise
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