‘Justified’ Season 1 Episode 8 ‘Blowback’ begins with Ava being interrupted at breakfast by the evil patriarch of the Crowder clan, who keeps calling her “daughter in law” despite the fact that she gave his son and her husband a 38 caliber divorce.
Spoilers surely follow.
Crowder even starts to eat Ava’s breakfast pie as he explains how Raylan’s putting down of the sheriff helped to cause his early release. More unpleasantness is interrupted by the timely arrival of Raylan Givens, who tells Papa Crowder to push off. Throughout this exchange, Ava throughout all of this is relatively unafraid. She has Raylan watching her back. Raylan, romantic fool that he is, advises her that he likes to watch every part of her body.
Meanwhile, back at the office, the Assistant US Attorney is there to discuss with Raylan the various shootings he has been involved with. This is interrupted by the sudden escape from bondage of a dangerous inmate who is there to protest his transfer to supermax. He immobilizes one guard and holds a shiv that he has “keistered” (don’t ask) and thus starts a curious hostage negotiation with Raylan.
The thing is, the inmate knows that he is going to supermax because he knows that he is dangerously violent and would in fact send him away himself. But he would rather not go to supermax because conditions inside are very ugly indeed, and he has five consecutive life sentences to serve.
What is more, the dangerous inmate is aware that there is nothing he can offer Raylan that would be reasonable. After all, who is really fooled by an offer of a helicopter or a plane to make a getaway? (It is not mentioned in the episode, but that is how Munich in 1972 transpired and it ended very badly).
Raylan would rather things resolve with everyone alive, though a SWAT team is on its way ready to end it more violently. Raylan hits on the idea of offering the inmate a fried chicken dinner for the extent of his hearing. This is the Sun Tsu style avenue out for the inmate, who then willingly surrenders.
Raylan and the assistant US attorney then have their little sit down. Raylan gets the nasty surprise that Boyd Crowder’s defense attorney has proof that he and Ava are carrying on. This means that they, as witnesses to Boyd’s more serious crimes, are compromised. Boyd is leaving prison as well to join his evil father. The reunion between Boyd and Raylan is touching, in a kind of creepy way.
Meanwhile Winona confronts her husband about the sudden appearance of a “security consultant” in their house. One suspects that the gentleman is in fact one of the husband’s low life business associates and is sending a message. More to occur in subsequent episodes no doubt.
