Kin (Justified)

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 and written by executive producer Fred Golan and story editor VJ Boyd.[2]

Series developer Graham Yost 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.[3][4] 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."[5]

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."[6] Star Natalie Zea 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."[7]

The episode was Natalie Zea's first episode of the season and the second overall as guest star.[8] This was due to Zea's commitment to new series The Following.[9] 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."[5] The episode also had Patton Oswalt returning as Constable Bob Sweeney, whose return was teased by Yost.[10]

In January 2013, it was announced that Mike O'Malley was joining the series in the recurring role of Nick "Nicky" Augustine, "a proxy to mobster Theo Tonin."[11] The role was originally intended for Theo Tonin, played by Adam Arkin in the series. However, due to Arkin's directorial commitment to The Americans, the writers created Nicky.[5]

All of Gerald McRaney's scenes in the episode were filmed in a single day.[5]

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. This means that 0.9 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[12] 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.[13]

"Kin" received very positive reviews from critics. Seth Amitin of IGN 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."[14]

Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club 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."[15] Kevin Fitzpatrick of Screen Crush 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."[16]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix 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."[17] Rachel Larimore of Slate 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."[18]

Mandl Blerly of Entertainment Weekly 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)."[19] Joe Reid of Vulture 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."[20]

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."[21] Jack McKinney of Paste 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."[22]