"Kin" is the fifth episode of the
fourth season of the American
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
* Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
television series ''
Justified''. It is the 44th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer
Fred Golan
Fred Golan is an American television writer and producer. Golan is best known for his work on series such as '' Justified'' and '' Sneaky Pete'', on which he served as a writer and executive producer.
Notable other work includes ''Boomtown'', ''R ...
and story editor VJ Boyd and directed by
Peter Werner
Peter H. Werner (born January 17, 1947, in New York City, New York) is an American film and television director.
Biography
Werner was born to a Jewish family, in New York City, New York, one of three children born to Elizabeth (née Grumbach) ...
. It originally aired on
FX on February 5, 2013.
The series is based on Elmore Leonard's stories about the character
Raylan Givens
Raylan Givens is a fictional character created by American novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard.
Givens is a Deputy U.S. Marshal and initially appeared in the novels ''Pronto'' and '' Riding the Rap''. (''Pronto'' was adapted as a TV movie ...
, particularly "Fire in the Hole", which serves as the basis for the episode. The series follows Raylan Givens, a tough deputy U.S. Marshal enforcing his own brand of justice. The series revolves around the inhabitants and culture in the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...
area of
eastern Kentucky
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
* China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
* Eastern Air ...
, specifically
Harlan County where many of the main characters grew up. In the episode, Raylan realizes that Arlo intends to use his knowledge of Drew Thompson to be released from prison and sets out to find him first. Boyd is also looking for Drew Thompson while Colt struggles in finding Ellen May.
According to
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.42 million household viewers and gained a 0.9 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received very positive reviews from critics, who praised the writing, character development and cliffhanger.
Plot
After Ellen May (
Abby Miller) disappears, Colt (
Ron Eldard
Ronald Jason Eldard (born February 20, 1965) is an American actor.
Early life
Eldard was born on Long Island, New York. He is the sixth of seven children, and has four sisters and two brothers. He is of Irish and Scottish descent. Eldard's mothe ...
) uses his
military police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, Screening (tactical), ...
status to gain access to the grocery store's surveillance cameras. Footage shows Ellen May walking off the camera's range and a police cruiser entering the frame.
Raylan (
Timothy Olyphant
Timothy David Olyphant ( ; born May 20, 1968) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in an off-Broadway theater in 1995, in ''The Monogamist'', and won the Theatre World Award for his performance, and then originated David Sedaris' '' Th ...
) accompanies Winona (
Natalie Zea
Natalie Zea (born March 17, 1975) is an American actress known for her performances on television. Zea began her acting career in theatre. Her first major role was on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Passions'' (2000–2002), where she played the r ...
) to the doctor's office for an ultrasound but he is forced to leave when Rachel (
Erica Tazel
Erica Tazel (born 1977) is an American theatre and television actress best known for the role of US Deputy Marshall Rachel Brooks in the FX television series '' Justified'' (2010–2015).
Life and career
Tazel holds a B.A. from Spelman College ...
) calls him. Arlo (
Raymond J. Barry) has been taken to the office, where he intends to hand them Drew Thompson in exchange for early release. This infuriates
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
Agent Barkley (
Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky (born May 30, 1951) is an American character actor. He is known for film roles such as insurance agent Ned Ryerson in ''Groundhog Day'' and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in '' Memento'', as well as such television characters a ...
) and motivates Raylan to find Thompson first as he wants Arlo to stay in prison. Barkley later meets with Duffy (
Jere Burns
Jere Eugene Burns II (; born October 15, 1954) is an American actor who has appeared in theatre productions and on television. He played the roles of ladies' man Kirk Morris on the television series '' Dear John'', DIA psychiatrist Anson Fuller ...
) and criminal Nick "Nicky" Augustine (
Mike O'Malley
Michael Edward O'Malley (born October 31, 1966) is an American actor, writer and producer. Born in Boston and raised in New Hampshire, O'Malley hosted the early 1990s children's game show '' Nickelodeon Guts'' before moving to Los Angeles later ...
), revealing that he is on their payroll. When he finds that the FBI no longer investigates Thompson, Nicky kills Barkley and assigns Duffy to find Thompson for his employer, Theo Tonin.
Colt questions Shelby (
Jim Beaver
James Norman Beaver Jr. (born August 12, 1950) is an American actor, writer, and film historian. He is most familiar to worldwide audiences as Bobby Singer in ''Supernatural''. He also played Whitney Ellsworth on the HBO Western drama series ...
) about being involved in Ellen May's disappearance but Shelby claims not to be involved. He returns to the bar, where he lies to Boyd (
Walton Goggins
Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. (born November 10, 1971) is an American actor. He has starred in a number of television series, including '' The Shield'' (2002–2008), '' Justified'' (2010–2015), '' Vice Principals'' (2016–2017), '' The Righteo ...
) by telling him that he killed Ellen May. Duffy shows up at the bar and offers money to Boyd if he can find Drew Thompson. Bob (
Patton Oswalt
Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom '' The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
) later calls Raylan as he arrested Roz (
Alexandra Kyle). Raylan allows her to go if he can help him with Thompson's location. Roz states that she was sent by her step-father Josiah Cairn (
Gerald McRaney
Gerald Lee McRaney (born August 19, 1947) is an American television and film actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows '' Simon & Simon'', '' Major Dad'', '' Promised Land'' and '' House of Cards''. He currently sta ...
) to retrieve the bag from Arlo's dilapidated house. Raylan forces Cairn (who is under house arrest) to confess everything he knows; Cairn reveals that Thompson broke his legs while jumping out of a plane and asked for help from Arlo and Bo Crowder, who sent him to live with the "hill people" so that he could recover while hiding.
Raylan notifies Tim (
Jacob Pitts
Jacob Rives Pitts (born November 20, 1979) is an American television, film and stage actor. His most notable performances were as Cooper Harris in the film '' EuroTrip'' (2004), as Bill "Hoosier" Smith in the HBO miniseries '' The Pacific'' (2010) ...
) of his location and goes into the woods, where he is taken by the hill people. They lock Raylan in a barn and it is revealed that Boyd is also locked there. Boyd is taken out of the barn but he overcomes his captors and allows Raylan to escape and get a rifle. The hill's leader, Cope (
Tom E. Proctor), arrives and takes them hostage again. Raylan claims to be kin of them, as his mother's cousin Mary (
Bonita Friedericy
Bonita Anne Friedericy (born October 10, 1961) is an American actress, best known for her role as Diane Beckman in the NBC series ''Chuck (TV series), Chuck''. Her husband is actor John Billingsley.
Early life
Friedericy was born in Charlottes ...
) is part of the hill people. Mary recognizes Raylan and allows him and Boyd to go, telling them that Drew Thompson left the hill years ago. Raylan leaves Boyd handcuffed on a tree and leaves with Tim, who was talking with Colt in the outskirts of the colony about their military services.
After being released, Boyd calls Duffy for a new deal, in which he will bring him Thompson within a week in exchange for half of Kentucky's heroin business. Duffy agrees, but he tells Johnny (
David Meunier
David Meunier (born David Miller; February 5, 1973) is an American actor.
Early life
Meunier was born in Woodburn, Oregon. He played football in high school, and a teammate convinced him to try out for a school production of ''Guys and Dolls''. ...
) that when Boyd finds Thompson, he will have permission to kill him. Boyd also meets with Arlo's attorney, Sonya Gable (
Romy Rosemont
Romy Rosemont (born October 28, 1964) is an American actress, who has appeared in multiple television series, including ''Shark'', ''Grey's Anatomy'', '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''Prison Break'', and ''Private Practice''. She got her bre ...
) and bribes her to tell him everything she knows about Arlo's statements. Colt once again visits Shelby for Ellen May's whereabouts. Shelby claims that his officers saw her boarding a truck, possibly heading to
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
. After Colt leaves, Shelby is revealed to be giving asylum to Ellen May, who now knows that Boyd and Ava (
Joelle Carter
Joelle Marie Carter (born October 10, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for playing Ava Crowder in the FX series '' Justified''.
Early life
Carter was born in Thomasville, Georgia. Her father, Jimmy,[ankle monitor
The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joi ...]
removed. He questions how he wasn't alerted and is then shocked to find Cairn's severed foot.
Production
Development
In January 2013, it was reported that the fifth episode of the fourth season would be titled "Kin", and was to be directed by
Peter Werner
Peter H. Werner (born January 17, 1947, in New York City, New York) is an American film and television director.
Biography
Werner was born to a Jewish family, in New York City, New York, one of three children born to Elizabeth (née Grumbach) ...
and written by executive producer
Fred Golan
Fred Golan is an American television writer and producer. Golan is best known for his work on series such as '' Justified'' and '' Sneaky Pete'', on which he served as a writer and executive producer.
Notable other work includes ''Boomtown'', ''R ...
and story editor VJ Boyd.
Writing
Series developer
Graham Yost
Graham John Yost (born September 5, 1959) is a Canadian film and television screenwriter. His best-known works are the films ''Speed'', '' Broken Arrow'', and '' Hard Rain'' and the TV series '' Justified''.
Early life, family and education
Yo ...
teased that Arlo's actions in "
Hole in the Wall" would heavily impact the season starting on this episode, confirming Barry's return after a brief hiatus.
Yost commented on the progress on the Drew Thompson storyline, "We just liked the idea in episode 5 of kicking the Drew Thompson mystery up another notch. Raylan in episode 4 was dealing with Lindsey and Randall, and now he's back on the job that he should be doing. And Boyd and Ava, having had their adventures with Preacher Billy and Cassie and the threat with Ellen May, as far as they know, they're done with all that, and now they can focus on the hunt for Drew Thompson as well."
The episode featured Winona's return to the series. Yost said, "We just couldn't imagine why Winona was still hanging by Raylan if his life was this dangerous and that's not what she wanted. It also gave us a chance to make Raylan a ladies' man." Star
Natalie Zea
Natalie Zea (born March 17, 1975) is an American actress known for her performances on television. Zea began her acting career in theatre. Her first major role was on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Passions'' (2000–2002), where she played the r ...
commented, "I think in some shape or form, they will always be together. Whether that means they're physically part of some exclusive union, I don't know. That obviously hasn't worked well for them."
Casting
The episode was
Natalie Zea
Natalie Zea (born March 17, 1975) is an American actress known for her performances on television. Zea began her acting career in theatre. Her first major role was on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Passions'' (2000–2002), where she played the r ...
's first episode of the season and the second overall as guest star. This was due to Zea's commitment to new series ''
The Following
''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
The first season follows former FBI agent Ryan Hardy ( Kevin Baco ...
''. Yost said, "We're feverishly negotiating with Natalie Zea and the people who are scheduling ''The Following'' to make sure we can get her back at least once."
The episode also had
Patton Oswalt
Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom '' The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
returning as Constable Bob Sweeney, whose return was teased by Yost.
In January 2013, it was announced that
Mike O'Malley
Michael Edward O'Malley (born October 31, 1966) is an American actor, writer and producer. Born in Boston and raised in New Hampshire, O'Malley hosted the early 1990s children's game show '' Nickelodeon Guts'' before moving to Los Angeles later ...
was joining the series in the recurring role of Nick "Nicky" Augustine, "a proxy to mobster Theo Tonin." The role was originally intended for Theo Tonin, played by
Adam Arkin
Adam Arkin (born August 19, 1956) is an American actor and director. He is known for playing the role of Aaron Shutt on ''Chicago Hope''. He has been nominated for numerous awards, including a Tony (Best Actor, 1991, '' I Hate Hamlet'') as well ...
in the series. However, due to Arkin's directorial commitment to ''
The Americans
''The Americans'' is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also serve as showrunners a ...
'', the writers created Nicky.
Filming
All of
Gerald McRaney
Gerald Lee McRaney (born August 19, 1947) is an American television and film actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows '' Simon & Simon'', '' Major Dad'', '' Promised Land'' and '' House of Cards''. He currently sta ...
's scenes in the episode were filmed in a single day.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "Kin" was seen by an estimated 2.42 million household viewers and gained a 0.9 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. This means that 0.9 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. This was a 16% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 2.08 million viewers with a 0.9 in the 18-49 demographics.
Critical reviews
"Kin" received very positive reviews from critics. Seth Amitin of ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...
'' gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 and wrote, "Overall, 'Kin' sent us back to what makes ''Justified'' great: slice of life Kentucky, greater plots at hand building toward something, the drug business in rural and city Kentucky and development of great characters. There's a lot of good stuff to go in this season and now that I see the clearer vision for where Season 4 is heading, it looks like it's going to be a good one."
Scott Tobias of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cr ...
'' gave the episode an "A−" grade and wrote, "The flexibility of family ties is a major element of 'Kin'. Raylan ultimately skips out on a chance to see the latest ultrasound of his child because he gets some news about his own father, who's about to be released from prison if he can hand over Drew Thompson to the FBI." Kevin Fitzpatrick of ''
Screen Crush
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
'' wrote, "'Kin' escalates the season's pace significantly, and provides a big improvement over the previous four episodes, even finding ways to include Winona! To be fair, the first four episodes of the season still crackled with ''Justified''s usual dialogue and a number of intriguing characters, but a repositioning episode like 'Kin' sets a much higher standard for the season going forward."
Alan Sepinwall
Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with '' The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He ...
of ''
HitFix
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
'' wrote, "There's restraint at work even in an episode like this that's overflowing with memorable performances and big plot moves, and I am very excited to see what happens next – and who turns up to be a part of it." Rachel Larimore of ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'' wrote, "For the second week in a row, we end on a mysterious disappearance. I think, as with Ellen May, we're not supposed to know yet whether he ran off or was taken. I suspect either Thompson came to get him, or he's so afraid of Thompson that he made a run for it. On foot."
Mandl Blerly of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...
'' wrote, "Are there Team Raylan and Team Boyd T-shirts and mugs? Because after this episode, the battle lines have officially been drawn (again). Though this being ''Justified'', we suspect they'll curve (again)." Joe Reid of ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North a ...
'' gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "I love that a show like ''Justified'' can be at the top of its game while delivering nothing more than a story line bridge of an episode, taking us to the next level of the Drew Thompson story line, transitioning Ellen May's disappearance into the next threat to Boyd Crowder, and, as always, putting Wynn Duffy in a position where both Boyd and Raylan are going to be coming after him soon. That guy is a glutton for punishment."
Dan Forcella of ''TV Fanatic'' gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "''Justified'' continued its strong fourth season with the help of some of its friends in 'Kin'. Whether it was those we knew, a la Agent Barkley and Constable Bob, or fresh faces like Mike O'Malley and Gerald McRaney, the onslaught of guest stars was a welcome treat as the search from Drew Thompson continued." Jack McKinney of ''
Paste
Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to:
Science and technology
* Adhesive or paste
** Wallpaper paste
** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water
* Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
'' gave the episode a 8.7 out of 10 rating and wrote, "The entire scene, with the two of them working together while simultaneously trying to double-cross each other was a microcosm of their complete history. Fun stuff. It worked out well in the end and was worth our patience, but hopefully we won't have to wait so long for their next encounter."
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kin (Justified)
Justified (TV series) episodes
2013 American television episodes