Cut Ties

"Cut Ties" is the second episode of the third season of the American Neo-Western^[1] television series Justified. It is the 28th overall episode of the series and was written by co-producer Benjamin Cavell and directed by Michael Watkins. It originally aired on FX on January 24, 2012.

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. The series revolves around the inhabitants and culture in the Appalachian Mountains area of eastern Kentucky, specifically Harlan County where many of the main characters grew up. In the episode, the Marshals work to investigate the death of a federal Marshal and puts Raylan into contact with a figure of his past. Meanwhile, in prison, Boyd tries to reach Dickie to confront him. Despite being credited, Jacob Pitts does not appear in the episode.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.71 million household viewers and gained a 0.9 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received positive reviews from critics, despite the main case receiving a lukewarm response, critics were enthusiastic about Carla Gugino's performance in the episode, reprising her title role from the 2003 crime drama Karen Sisco.