Justified Review: “Sounding” (Season 6, Episode 5)

So, who came out ahead at the Brawl in the Holl(er)? Let’s break it down:

Exhibition Match: Ava Randolph vs. Ellstin Limehouse

The first, and biggest returning name of “Sounding” is Mykelti Williamson as the champion of Noble’s Holler, who we last saw near the tail end of Season 4. Really more of a bargaining than a proper bout, Ava’s meet with Limehouse marks a welcome return (and hopefully not farewell) for one of the county’s most interesting players. Limehouse is a more cautious fixture of Harlan’s criminal element, so simply tempting him with Boyd’s (fake) score from the bank job isn’t enough to get Ava the new set of wheels she desires.

Unlike many of Justified’s more ambitious schemers, Limehouse’s survival has been the result of knowing when, and when not to interfere with other people’s affairs. There’s a nice touch where Avnet highlights, and Limehouse dismisses Ava’s ring before she has the chance to put it on the table; meddling with another man’s home life can invite worse catastrophe than touching their business. But Limehouse isn’t made of stone, either, as evidenced by his eventual acquiescing to the clearly desperate Ava, and his re-employment of an even more long-absent character, Errol (Demetrius Grosse). Justified has always been smart about humanizing even the most bit of players, so Limehouse taking a chance on an acquaintance in need, or Errol and Ava briefly bonding over gunshot wounds, makes this one of the more nuanced negotiations of the evening.

Winner: Ava by deception

Grudge Match: Boyd Crowder vs. Zachariah Randolph

Funnily enough, Boyd’s own attachment to Ava proves just as much a roadblock to his objective, as a subterranean point of ingress to Pizza Portal puts him in need of a man who knows his way around Harlan’s mineshafts. That man just happens to be Ava’s uncle (and Jeremy Davies’ fellow Lost-alum, Jeff Fahey) Zachariah Randolph. Whiskey and a wire transfer eventually overcome the bad blood Bowman Crowder put between the two (“although Ava taking Bowman’s life should have ameliorated the situation,” Boyd allows himself, amid his otherwise grovelling proposition), and Zachariah guides Boyd to an abandoned proximity vent for his henchmen to open (the three of whom get a little more shading through their advanced mining knowledge, or nearly getting blown up).

Full-circle endings often make for satisfying closure, so last week’s revelation that weed could become the new coal industry for Harlan was a brilliant turn for the final season to take. It seems fitting that Boyd can only reap that which might be sown in Harlan by returning to the last boom industry that connected his beloved county. As we look up at Boyd while he stares into the black, dangerous pit he has to navigate to steal his fortune, there’s as much a Daniel Plainview look of enterprise to him as there is legitimate fear.

“Sounding” is littered with these kinds of callbacks to Justified’s past: the first time we saw Boyd in a mine was back in the pilot, during a flashback showing him and Raylan nearly dying during a cave-in. “After that collapse over at Joseph’s Valley, didn’t I hear you swear up and down on your mama’s grave that you’d never go in again without a proper sounding?” Zachariah taunts Boyd. Vows mean a lot on Justified, so if Zachariah’s intent was to invoke bad omens, well, mission accomplished.

Winner: Boyd in the second round by bribery

Tag Match: Albert Fekus and The Marshal Twins vs. Wynn Duffy and Mikey

Like the other match-ups that breakout in violence tonight, Duffy and Mikey prod-examining the man responsible for getting Ava in and out of prison is a one-sided affair. But the result is an upset. Much as we might enjoy seeing a psycho like Fekus get some electroshock therapy, it’s a tad endearing to see the little snot hold under interrogation, backing up the story of Ava’s suspect early-release. What was also a treat was seeing Tim and Rachel back in action together, even if only in a surveillance capacity. “You took that shit like a man,” Tim offers, along with a fist-bump, as consolation for Fekus’ ordeal. It’s about as much as the guy deserves.

Winner: Fekus by endured “aplex”-ing