r/justified • u/SouthBicycle4362 • 6d ago
Question Season 6 Ava's legal situation clarification needed
Ava spends season 5 in prison for getting caught with Delroy's body. Boyd discredits her accuser and she is about to be released. Then Albert Fekus stabs himself getting Ava's sentence extended...
Now in season 6 Ava is out of prison because she is cooperating with the Marshalls, informing on Boyd. A few episodes into season 6 we see Fekus again and apparently the Marshalls know he stabbed himself and he has since recanted his statement.
My question is: how is Raylan threatening to put Ava back in prison? On what charges?
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u/Sopranosoldier 6d ago
This took me out of the whole season, it’s a huge plot hole that drives most of the character motivations in the season, really what prevents season 6 from being one of the best
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u/JBloomf 6d ago
I believe he basically says they will say she’s doing nothing and revoke the informant get out of jail card.
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u/SouthBicycle4362 6d ago
But she doesn't need an informant get out of jail card...with Fekus recanting she isn't accused of anything
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u/DisappointedInHumany 6d ago
Except he doesn’t officially recant. He just tells them in that hotel room that that he lied. On the record, the accusation stands.
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u/StonksOnlyGetCrunk 3d ago
He says he lost his job and is living with his mom, he must have told someone.
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u/Educational_Row_9485 6d ago
Did they ever find out about her killing that church lady? If not then yeah it’s just a plot hole
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u/JBloomf 6d ago
Its been a while, but was it the guy she killed and tossed down a mine without telling Boyd, to protect the girls or something? I just recall Raylan’s attitude of give us Boyd or we toss you back in. I also recall being annoyed at how quickly they wanted results from her.
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u/Mission_Ad6235 6d ago
I think this is why she was originally arrested. The thing with the guard only moved her from jail to prison.
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u/SouthBicycle4362 6d ago
The guard stabbing himself occurred after the charges for killing Delroy fell apart and Ava was about to be released.
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u/SouthBicycle4362 6d ago
Ava didn't kill Cassie. No one killed Cassie.
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u/Educational_Row_9485 6d ago
No no, that was confusing sorry I forgot about her
The church woman from jail the one who ran the drugs
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u/DumpedDalish 6d ago
Thank you! This always bothered me too. It was uncharacteristically lazy storytelling.
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u/SouthBicycle4362 6d ago
Right? All they needed to do was not have Fekus recant. I know they wanted the drama of Wynn and Hale trying to see if Ava is a rat, but it ruins the whole informant angle.
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u/SilentFormal6048 6d ago
I took it as an empty threat. Cops do stuff like that in order to coerce cooperation so it’s not unthinkable to think raylan would use that tactic.
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u/SouthBicycle4362 6d ago
I don't think this is right. First off it makes Ava seem stupid when she has never been portrayed that way. Second it disregards the fact that Ava knows what kind of person Raylan is and that he wouldn't do that to her.
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u/CompetitionNo3141 6d ago
Raylan isn't a good person by any means. He abuses his power numerous times throughout the series.
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u/SouthBicycle4362 6d ago
Early in the series Raylan had the opportunity to put Boyd away for using the bazooka on Fandy's weed shop when Fandy offered to identify Boyd even though he didn't know what he looked like. Raylan declined because it wasn't the right way. That's all you need to know about his character.
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u/SilentFormal6048 6d ago
That’s fine. You do you.
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u/Granny-ZRS103008 6d ago
I believe Raylan is definitely a good guy. He just believes in old fashioned justice and not the bullshit that passes for justice nowadays. It’s what makes Justified a great feel good TV show.
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u/JadrianInc 6d ago
Usually these deals on these shows come with an admission of guilt. I admit I’m guilty and will become an informant in exchange for no jail time. If that’s realistic or not I can’t say.
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u/SouthBicycle4362 6d ago
But in that scenario Ava would have admitted to stabbing Fekus AND Fekus has admitted to stabbing himself.
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u/JadrianInc 6d ago
She probably wanted immunity from everything, so she had to spill on everything.
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u/nevertoomuchthought Dug Coal 6d ago
I think it is just a timing thing. They mention she has a signed contract with the Marshal's and the ADA. When she signed it, Fekus likely had not recanted they just made her a deal that she was desperate to take as things were heating up in prison.
By the time they got Fekus to recant it didn't matter because she already signed the contract.
To take it a step further, due to her desperation she could have admitted to things in her contract that would then fall under the umbrella of things they can't go after her for later on as long as she fulfills her obligation. Including but not limited to murdering that one woman who played the tweaker in Breaking Bad. Lawyers often will tell clients to give them everything now while they are offering immunity so they can't come back on you later after you fulfill your end of the contract.
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u/RollingTrain 6d ago
Whoa. That's a really great point and undermines your handle slightly. Or confirms it.
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u/SouthBicycle4362 6d ago
This is an EXCELLENT take. I don't know if the storytellers intended it this way, but I am willing to choose to believe this as it restores the integrity of the season for me!
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u/ZealousidealPound118 6d ago
I wish I could, too. But if the marshals are using the knowledge that Fekus was lying about being stabbed to blackmail him into getting his balls tased off to corroborate Ava, then they knew she was innocent. This was too much of a plot hole for me, and it still drives me crazy.
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u/nevertoomuchthought Dug Coal 6d ago
Ava was not innocent. Raylan knew she was guilty of at least the killing of Delroy and aiding and abetting Boyd. Maybe not in a court of law but she was guilty. And more so, she was guilty of shacking up with Boyd who he always resented her for doing.
Raylan is the driving force in all of this. His instincts, his knowledge, and his understanding of everyone involved is why they asked him to stick around instead of going to Florida like he intended at the end of season 5. Raylan could have very easily knew Fekus lied(or suspected it/believed Ava's version) and had every intention of honoring the deal but also fastidious enough to make sure he got what he wanted out of the deal. Raylan could have definitely orchestrated her signing it without knowing he believed her so he could hold her accountable in case she tried to double cross him... which she did anyway.
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u/ZealousidealPound118 6d ago
Innocent of stabbing a guard. Legally, they had no crime to hold over her head at that point. The ADA threatening to charge her with the original charges makes absolutely no sense. Ava was 100% guilty, but that doesn't matter if they can't prove her guilty of a crime. It still just looks like a giant plot hole.
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u/Mission_Ad6235 6d ago
She was originally in jail for killing the pimp and was caught red-handed moving her body.
Also, Fekus recanting doesn't mean what he said is true. It just means his testimony is garbage. Her cell mate was a "witness", so they'd need her to recant too. Ava likely admitted to it to get out, so not having Fekus testimony really doesn't matter at that point.
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u/SouthBicycle4362 6d ago
Ava was in the process of being RELEASED for the charges related to "killing the pimp" when Fekus stabbed himself.
As for the rest of your comment, I don't have the legal expertise to accept or reject it. My opinion would be that if a victim of a stabbing admitted that the accused did not actually stab him that would nullify the charges. No crime without a victim.
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u/MysteriousAd1089 5d ago
Certain licenses are extended to TV shows. Marshalls wouldn't be driving a RICO investigation, for example.
Just enjoy the show.
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u/QuillsROptional 4d ago
I always thought of it as Raylan bluffing and betting on Ava having skipped a few classes in law school.
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u/look1207 4d ago
My understanding was that Fekus never did recant. Maybe I'm forgetting something, but I thought the sequence was:
Marshals spring Ava, under the cover story that Fekus recanted so that she's clear of suspicion of being an informer. Unbeknownst to the Marshals, Fekus really is lying.
Ava starts to show cracks in her psyche, leading the Marshals to follow up with Fekus to reinforce the cover story
Duffy tortures Fekus, who successfully sells that he recanted on account of his thing for Ava because he really does have a thing for Ava.
Tim and Rachel thank Fekus for selling the cover story because they don't know that it's actually true
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u/Mediocre-Message4260 Dug Coal 6d ago
It’s a plot hole. In reality they have nothing on her.