The Hammer

"The Hammer" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American Neo-Western television series Justified. It is the 10th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Fred Golan and executive story editor Chris Provenzano and directed by John Dahl. It originally aired on FX on May 18, 2010. The series is based on Elmore Leonard's stories about the character Raylan Givens, 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. Following the shooting of a mob hitman, Raylan is sent to Lexington, Kentucky to investigate an old childhood friend Boyd Crowder, who is now part of a white supremacist gang. In the episode, Raylan is assigned to guard an eccentric judge, but Raylan takes time off from the assignment to track down an old lead connected with the Crowders. Despite being credited, Erica Tazel and Natalie Zea do not appear in the episode. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.08 million household viewers and gained a 0.8/2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received positive reviews from critics, with critics praising the performances (particularly Olyphant, Goggins and Root) as well as character development. Plot Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) finds Boyd (Walton Goggins) in the woods, having formed a church to help drug addicts and other spiritually reformed criminals, threatening them to quit their habits. Raylan uses the moment to expose Boyd's crimes as well as offering a reward to anyone who can help putting him back in jail and then leaves.