Ava Gets Caught Between A Rock And Some Hardware

Block Party

Situation: On their way back to Harlan from Lexington, Ava and Boyd are delayed by a road block state troopers have set up.

What makes it awkward? You'd think it would be that Boyd, knowing he totally just robbed a bank like four days ago, would fear that he might be the target -- but no, it's that Ava is still on edge after her day with Katherine, and her ability to maintain her composure isn't helped by her figuring out that Raylan is the one who set up the road block so that he could use the troopers to extract her if she indicated that she needed his/their help.

How is order restored? Ava lies to the troopers that she's fine, and Raylan and Tim agree that they'd better track down Albert before Katherine and Company get to him first and fuck this whole thing up.

Albert Jobs

Alert Type: Fink Alert.

Issue: Since Katherine and Wynn are suspicious of the official story of how Ava got out of prison early -- that Albert recanted his story about her having stabbed him, out of the goodness of his heart -- they also want to track him down and find out if said official story can possibly be true. Hilariously, their first discussion of the matter in this episode comes when Katherine's grandchildren have had a nanny emergency requiring Katherine to watch them instead.

Katherine, for her part, hopes worse doesn't come to worst.

Complicating Factors: Tim and Rachel are already on the Albert case, and since the guy Katherine and Wynn assigned to watch the house isn't that great, they can tell from all the leaves on his windshield that he's been there a while.

Resolution: Albert is lured to a hotel room for an assignation with lady named Cindy, and while Tim and Rachel watch via hidden camera from the adjoining room, and under torture-by-cattle prod, Albert sticks to his story. Wynn is satisfied that if Albert knew anything he would have spilled it, and leaves Albert to whine, after a safe interval, to the Marshals about their failure to rescue them. Utterly unapologetic, Rachel points out to Albert that now he's free, and Tim daps him for taking it like a man.

Spoiler: I'm pretty sure there's no Cindy, guys.

Never A Cross Word

What's the game? Scrabble -- a popular game on FX of late.

Who's playing? Wynn and Mikey.

What's at stake? Nothing: they're just killing time before they get the high sign to go mess with Albert.

Who wins? We don't find out, but given that Wynn is so bored he lets Mikey get away with playing "aplex," it could REALLY go either way.

'Cause He's A Lime...house

Who called the meeting? Ava.

What's it about? As we saw when she freaked out earlier and called Raylan in a/her latest panic, she's decided it's time for her to light out from her life, and she'd like Limehouse to help her out by giving her a car.

How'd it go? So-so. Limehouse figures she's either on the run from Boyd or from the law, and he's hesitant to draw either one to his own business, besides which, "Running's a mistake: that's how they find you." Desperately, Ava promises that this is the last time she'll come looking for his help, and when he asks what he'll get in return for his hassle, neither her small wad of cash nor her engagement ring is going to do it for him. Even more desperately, she teases him with the promise of way more money, like enough for Limehouse to solve some serious problems and then some. Since Limehouse lives in the world, he heard about the bank robbery and figures, based on this sales pitch, that Boyd was behind that, so when Ava promises to point Limehouse to the stash in exchange for a car, he signals Errol to come be Ava's chauffeur for the day, and sends them on their way with a final warning to Ava that it wouldn't be wise of her to play him. I guess it's a good meeting in that it fulfills Ava's short-term goals and tantalizes Limehouse with the promise of untold riches, but now there's a new potential antagonist in the mix?

Chutes And Badders

If Boyd's going to steal all of Avery Markham's money, he's going to have to get into that vault. And sneakily!

Boom Goes His Dynamite

When it becomes clear to Ava that Errol's going to have to get eyes on this stash of money before she can get rid of him, she has to hatch a cockamamie plan: she claims the money's buried, so they need to go into a hardware store and buy a shovel to dig it up! In the store, he won't even let her go the bathroom!

Outside, Raylan's hooked up with his old "friend," Constable Bob Sweeney, whom he'd tasked with following Ava all day after Ava, in her panic, blew off a meeting with Raylan! In case we'd forgotten what kind of character Bob was, he won't let Raylan get to the matter at hand before bragging on his new car and all the nerd toys he had to sell to get it tricked out like he wanted! GOT IT?! Since Raylan says Errol can't know he was there, he says that Bob will have to go in and apprehend Errol instead! Bob is understandably freaked out about this until Raylan confides that Ava is his CI! He has to get her home and calmed down without anyone's knowing! Bob has to go in and take Errol outside so that Raylan can sneak Ava out the back! Bob stammers a reminder that Errol's a lot bigger than Bob: what's Bob supposed to do if Errol won't go outside with him? Raylan: "You got a badge and a set of balls, don't you? Use those!" I mean, I see the badge, buuuuuuut....

In the store, surprise! It all goes to shit! Ava's still whining about having to go to the bathroom and threatening to pee in Errol's car, but Errol doesn't care: when he gets the money she's promised, he'll just buy another one! Good point! Ava tries to grab a shovel, but Errol can obviously tell where she's going with it and won't let her take it!

And then Bob's there, psyching himself up to confront Errol!

Apparently, this is a key element of his plan! Errol isn't falling for this "warrant," knows his rights, and refuses to co-operate with Bob at all! I know he's a bad guy, but seriously, who would co-operate with the likes of Bob? I mean, when Errol says he's pretty sure Bob's not going to shoot him in the middle of a hardware store, it's not like he's wrong!

And just as Bob panics and tasers Errol, Raylan strolls in.

Run For Your Life If You Can, Little Girl -- The Operative Word Being "If"

Having managed to interrupt Ava's flight from justice without getting her in worse trouble, Raylan decides it's time for a new installment of Real Talk: With Marshal Givens.

Zachariah's supervising Boyd's crew as they try to come at the Pizza Portal bank vault from underground when some sparks from the saw they're using ignite the methane that's still hanging around inside the mine they're trying to bust into, and a pretty big explosion blows (a) an enormous metal cover off the hatch, and (b) two of Boyd's guys into a convenient nearby stream, so at least they both live (though Earl seems to have tinnitus)! Zachariah, laughing at their misfortune as any of us would, tells Boyd he's not sure "these virgins" are going to make it through! And now they have to let the hatch vent for a few hours! As Carl, Earl, and Mr. Handsome are collecting themselves, Zachariah -- a lot more friendly after his $10,000 payout, as any of us would be -- asks Boyd, "After that collapse over in Josephs Valley, didn't I hear you swear up and down on your mama's grave that you'd never go in without a good sounding?" "Indeed," Boyd confirms. Looking into the steaming chasm, Zachariah jokes that he's going to love seeing Boyd head back into near-certain death (I'm paraphrasing)! Boyd looks less certain about it!

Calhoun and his dear friend Caprice have just settled up when Seabass and Choo-Choo stop by! They've finally cracked the case of how the land holdouts might have gotten wind that the operation Ty represents isn't totally on the up-and-up, and they're not happy! And when Calhoun sees Choo-Choo putting on gloves, and hears the story Seabass tells about how he and Choo-Choo survived SERE training, he's really not happy! When Calhoun claims not to know how their list of desired properties got out, Seabass clears Choo-Choo to give him a "starter tap"!

Seems like finesse isn't among Choo-Choo's gifts! "What the hell, man?" Seabass yelps. "Is he alive?"

Apparently not, whoops! But, as Choo-Choo notes, maybe that's a little on Seabass? "You ask me, you get the Amtrak."

Raylan follows Ava into her kitchen, where she's carrying in the groceries for the fried chicken feast she promised Boyd this morning! And even though Boyd is due home any second, Raylan's not leaving until he can be sure Ava's not going to try to run again! She says she won't, but she's also frustrated -- again, still -- that he claims to want to keep her out of danger while continually putting her back in danger! She's SO frustrated, in fact, that she lashes out at him: "You just care that I don't jeopardize your precious case against Boyd!" She challenges him by asking what's in it for him to keep her in this situation. "Finishing a job," Raylan reminds her intently. "What you and me started, together. And that's how we're going to finish it: together." And then what, she asks. Raylan asks what she wants, and she says she'd like $100,000 in cash. "That's a bit much," sighs Raylan. "Aim for fifty." She also wants out of the country, and no WitSec! Without promising any of that, Raylan says he will get her somewhere that she can be safe and happy and start over: "Isn't that what you want?" "There's gotta be a place in Hell for a man who breaks a promise to a woman," she tells him. "I ain't worried," he replies. She has one more question: "You gonna take care of me? Like you did when you came to my door after Bowman? Answer to my prayers." I mean, this is at least the answer to MY prayers?

And then Boyd calls! He's on his way! Raylan should go, Ava tells him!

Oooh, careful standing in front of those sex eyes, Ava: you're going to have a hard time starting your life over if that look gets you pregnant!!!!!