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

Catch Weight Title Fight: Errol vs. Constable Bob

Despite Errol’s belief that getting shot changed him, circumventing Ava’s attempts to pull one over on him goes to show he’s still a cool customer. Similarly, Constable Bob’s new ride and attitude (how great is the straight razor misdirect?) suggest he’s toughened up a bit since the last time Raylan called him into action. But it’s to the benefit of all that Patton Oswalt still gets to play loveable loser Bob as just a dork with a badge. His self-described “Death Star”-sized balls notwithstanding, Bob’s way out of his league while trying to run interference on Errol. With Hardware Mike (a less notable, but still frequent series regular) as referee, it takes a little courage, a lot of bluffing, and a Taser for Bob to complete the most pathetic arrest in county history. As with Limehouse, Errol and Bob could disappear after tonight’s episode, so let’s hope this isn’t our final outing with these characters, hilarious as it was.

Winner: Bob “Beef Stew” Sweeney by excessive force

Fight of the Night: Ava Crowder vs. Raylan Givens

This is another two-rounder, and another route that has a surprising finish. Raylan is, to put it mildly, upset with Ava’s decision to go AWOL. The whole season has seen Raylan’s normally composed manner chipped away at by the stresses of the Rico case, so a lack of sleep and a wayward C.I. aren’t helping. When he does rescue Ava from the mess that nearly ruins the whole case, he lets her have it with both barrels (“Honestly, I’d kinda like to yell at you some more.”). About the only useful thing to come out of his initial dressing down is Raylan getting to practice lecturing a despondent ward, which might come in handy with Willa a decade or so from now.

The real negotiation later that night proves just as one-sided: every time Ava tries to make a demand, Raylan knocks her down. $100,000 in cash becomes $50,000; a choice of locations to runaway to becomes anywhere Raylan deems safe. “The truth is, is that you don’t give a shit about me. You just care that I don’t jeopardize your case against Boyd,” Ava accuses, Raylan himself jeopardizing the case by having followed Ava back home. Considering the tumultuous nature of their relationship over the years, Ava has every right to be distrustful of Raylan. From childhood crushes, to lovers, to enemies, to accomplices, Ava and Raylan have been many things to one another over the years, but Raylan’s desire to get Boyd is still outweighed by Ava’s own need for self-preservation.

“I’m finishing the job, what you and me started together,” Raylan reassures Ava, appealing to her, and our sense of nostalgia. Justified began with two killings, both of them legally justified. But the law of the courts and the law of the land aren’t always the same: Raylan’s had to pay a debt for killing Tommy Buck, just as Ava has had to deal with the repercussions of killing Bowman. These two were bound together from the moment Raylan showed up on Ava’s front porch, all the way back in the pilot, and of the many callbacks to the days of old in “Sounding,” Ava kissing Raylan was the most impactful.

Back during the season premiere, Ava said she couldn’t remember the days after shooting Bowman, but did remember the woman she had to be to kill him. If Ava has to play a part, it’s only fair that Raylan do likewise, and pretend to be the answer to Ava’s prayers that she needs right now. Even as it brings out the full texture of Harlan in its final days, Justified continues to hone in on the trio of relationships at its core. Ava, Raylan, and Boyd are all tied together by history, blood, and oaths. “There’s got to be a place in hell for a man who breaks a promise to a woman,” Ava tells Raylan, reminding him that, one way or another, he’s going to be held accountable for what’s to come. Seems fitting that, just like in the pilot, Raylan and Ava’s story should end with a draw.

• Stray Thoughts

-The undercard bouts with the folks from TigerHawk security were fun, but ultimately a blow-out. The Marshals and Boyd ultimately win, thanks to Choo-Choo giving Calhoun a lethal ride on the Amtrak before he can give up who has the list of arable properties. Meanwhile, the once-domineering Ty is becoming a full-blown crony, with Avnet’s camera placement, and the words of Andron and Chang making him look more and more like a bug under Avery’s boot heel.

-“Anymore fighting and grandma’s going to lock y’all in the closet.” Katherine clearly graduated from the Lucille Bluth school of grandmother-ing.

-Featured on Bob’s “warrant” for Errol’s arrest: instructions to feed Hanna. Sorry Bob, but at best, I’m guessing that’s a pet turtle.