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"The Lord of War and Thunder"
Season 1, Episode 5
Ep5
Air date April 13, 2010
Written by Gary Lennon
Directed by Jon Avnet
U.S. Viewers 2.41 million
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"The Lord of War and Thunder" is the fifth episode of the first season, and the fifth episode in the series overall. It was written by consulting producer Gary Lennon and directed by Jon Avnet. It first aired on April 13, 2010.

Raylan, Rachel, and Art track a fugitive named Wilson Toomey to his ex-wife's house. Raylan is drawn back into the business of his father, Arlo Givens, when he gets into a conflict with his tenant Stan Perkins, a drug dealer. Arlo manipulates the situation, stealing Stan's stash of oxycontin and then planting it back in Stan's house. Raylan finds the planted drugs and arrests Stan but realizes that Arlo played him to get rid of his tenant and angrily confronts him.

Plot[]

Synopsis[]

Raylan's surveillance job on a fugitive is interrupted when he is forced to deal with his troubled father, who is causing mischief for a drug dealer who is renting from him.

Recap[]

At the beginning of the episode, Raylan, Rachel, and Art are waiting outside of a house for Wilson Toomey, who they believe has been hiding out with his ex-wife. Art is tired of waiting, but Raylan manages to talk him into giving him one more day to stake out the man. Raylan, wearing a ratty baseball hat instead of his usual Stetson, decides to go undercover as an unemployed man who is looking for some work as a gardener, only wanting food as his reward. After a bit of talking, the woman agrees to let Raylan work, but insists that she will not pay him any money.

Meanwhile that night, Raylan's dad, Arlo, breaks into Stan Perkins' house and vandalizes it for the rent Stan owed him that he never paid. Stan says that he paid his rent, and that he wants Arlo to pay for all the stuff that he broke. Hunter finally coaxes Arlo into agreeing to pay, then makes them shake hands. However, during the handshake, Arlo knees Stan in the groin and says he needs his rent, resulting in Arlo being hauled off to jail. Stan then opens up a hidden compartment in the closet to notice that something is missing.

Ava and Raylan begin to make love when Ava's phone starts to ring, and they ignore it. Afterward, Ava calls the number back to learn the phone call is for Raylan. It is from "Aunt" Helen, Raylan's stepmother, who correctly guessed contacting Ava was a good way to reach Raylan.

Helen wants Raylan to bail Arlo out of jail, but Raylan refuses to do it, asking why Helen can't just bail him out herself. Helen admits she got a bit vocal when Hunter and his boys pulled over Arlo for a DUI and has a restraining order and can't go in the jail. Helen then tells him to bring Arlo home, but Raylan suggests getting him a taxi. Helen then tells Raylan to bring Arlo home himself.

Meanwhile, while Raylan is bailing Arlo out of jail, Stan and his nephews show up to Helen's house. Stan says that Arlo took something of his and he wants it back and asks her if she knows where it is. Helen gives Stan a "three-strike warning," telling him, "Get to three and you'll find out." Helen says she wants them to leave, but the nephews start going through their stuff looking for it. Stan then admits how he hates everyone in Harlan, and says in order to get the money he needs to leave, he needs back what Arlo stole or he will kill him. After saying this, Helen picks up a knife from the table in an attempt to stab Stan, but he dodges it and Helen ends up being tackled by one of the nephews.

Arlo and Raylan arrive at the house, and Arlo decides to go after Helen's attackers and goes to look for a bat. Helen tells Raylan to tell his father to leave it alone, to which Raylan replies, "I think you got it under control." As Raylan goes to leave, Helen admits to him that Arlo had a heart attack two years ago and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. She then says he is bipolar, but since being on his medication, he is a lot calmer, but he's still Arlo. Raylan drives away, but after a few miles, takes a U-turn and goes back into Harlan.

Raylan begins talking to Stan, who says he didn't mean to hurt Helen. Stan then says he was trying to get his compensation for the property Arlo damaged, but she pulled a knife on him. Stan says that he owns a bath and kitchen business, and that his nephews handle the shipping, and says he brought his nephews over to protect him. Raylan gives Stan his number and tells him to call him if Arlo comes over asking for the rent.

Ava is then shown with Vincent and talking to Vasquez about the night Boyd Crowder was shot, but his assistant is out. The replacement court reporter turns out to be none than Raylan's ex-wife, Winona Hawkins. After hearing that the case is about Raylan, she walks out and tells Vasquez to tell them she had court work to take care of.

At the diner, Arlo walks in with a bag and finds the nephews saying he has what Stan and them are looking for. Arlo then pulls out a baseball bat and has an upper hand on the nephews, but ends up having another heart attack while in the middle of the brawl.

While picking up weeds from around the Toomey yard, Raylan looks into the bathroom window to see Wilson Toomey, the man that he was staking out. Raylan then asks Sonya if he can use the bathroom, and she tells him she would have made him use it outside but the flowerbeds look good.

After going inside, Raylan talks to Wilson in private, revealing that he is actually a U.S. Marshal sent to arrest Wilson. Raylan manages to handcuff Wilson, but not before Sonya comes into the room with a shotgun aimed at him. Raylan tells her that he has backup, and tells her that if she doesn't put the weapon down, shots will be fired, and that the kids will at least have a mother if she doesn't shoot. Raylan talks her out of it and grabs the shotgun from her.

Raylan learns shortly before going to the hospital to see Arlo, that Stan had been recently released after serving a six-year prison sentence for stolen medicine. Raylan visits Arlo who tells him the story of how he rebelled against his religious father by choosing a path that got to his father. Raylan then tells him about how Helen told him about his heart attack two years ago and his PTSD. Raylan tells him he needs to be careful about Stan and that he needs to leave him alone, and to call Hunter if he sees him again, to which he replies that he can handle Stan, Raylan tells him he can't before walking about.

Raylan locates Johnny Crowder at a bar in order to find out more information on Stan. Johnny refuses to tell him anything unless he manages to hit a baseball. Raylan manages to hit a wild ground ball on his third swing which Johnny decides to count. Johnny tells him that he is moving Oxycontin, but that he doesn't know where he put it. Johnny then tells Raylan before he leaves that Ava should leave Kentucky because Bo Crowder is getting out of jail soon and wants revenge on her for killing Bowman.

Raylan then goes back to Stan's place, and Stan shows him the injuries Arlo gave his nephews in the diner. Raylan then tells the story about how Helen would always bring Raylan to her house whenever Arlo would be unpredictable. Raylan then says of how he would watch TV, play board games, and play hide and seek. Raylan shows Stan his favorite hiding spot, which is the closet with the secret compartment in it from earlier. Raylan kicks out a shotgun from under the bed, and finds the bag of Oxycontin. Stan begins to make a run for it, but Raylan hits him in the back of the leg with a baseball bat and threatens his nephews with shooting them if they come any further, and tells them to get on their bellies.

Stan thinks that Raylan planted the Oxycontin in there himself, and says he would not have let Raylan look in the closet if he knew the bag was in there. Stan says Arlo trashed the place, and when he looked in the closet, it was empty.

Raylan shows up in Arlo's hospital room. Raylan asks him if he is disappointed in raising an idiot, because he believes that Arlo faked the heart attack in order to replace the drugs in the closet. Arlo tells him Hunter found him passed out without drugs on him. Raylan tells him he took the drugs, stashed them, and waited for Hunter, and called the police to report a burglary. Raylan tells him he knows the Oxycontin was gone, and he knows the money is buried under the ground. Raylan says what Arlo didn't think about was what he would do when he found out about Arlo. Arlo replies "Whine?" but Raylan says he got him out of jail at the very least, but he will put him back in.

Raylan then leaves the hospital and has an argument with Helen, believing her to be in on the planting the Oxycontin back in the closet.

Appearances[]

First Appearances[]

  1. Arlo Givens - Father of Raylan Givens, husband of Helen Givens, and known criminal
  2. Helen Givens - Stepmother of Raylan and Arlo's level-headed wife
  3. Stan Perkins - Tenant in Helen's former home and a drug dealer
  4. Johnny Crowder - Cousin of Boyd Crowder who gives Raylan information on Perkins
  5. David Vasquez - Assistant U.S. Attorney investigating Raylan's shootings
  6. Hunter Mosley - Harlan County Sheriff

Deaths[]

No deaths in this episode.

Production[]

Cast[]

Starring cast

Guest stars

Co-stars

Gallery[]

External links[]

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