The Moonshine War

"The Moonshine War" is the first episode of the second season of the American Neo-Western television series Justified. It is the 14th overall episode of the series and was written by series developer Graham Yost from a story by Yost and executive producer Elmore Leonard and directed by Adam Arkin. It originally aired on FX on February 9, 2011. 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, after fixing all loose ends with the Miami mob, Raylan works with Rachel on a case involving a sex offender who is connected to a powerful crime family in the area. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 3.47 million household viewers and gained a 1.3/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received very positive reviews, with critics welcoming the new characters, highlighting Margo Martindale and Jeremy Davies as standouts. Plot In the aftermath of the cabin shootout, Mullen (Nick Searcy) and his officials take Ava (Joelle Carter) into custody while it appears to be no sign of Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) or Boyd (Walton Goggins). The last gunrunner alive, Pilar (Alexandra Barreto), forces a truck driver to get her to the airport to escape. In the landing zone, she is confronted by Boyd, who intends to kill her. Raylan arrives and incapacitates Boyd and takes Pilar to get to Miami in the airplane.