The latest installment of Southern crime drama "Justified" saw the forming of unlikely alliances and shocking revelations.  

In "Kill the Messenger," Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) doesn't have any regrets about helping kill Nicky Augustine, but he feels terrible about lying to Art (Nick Searcy), so he comes clean. Now, Art can either retire with that information, or disclose the information and wash his hands of the cover-up. 

Meanwhile, the Crowe family is coming increasingly undone. Daryl (Michael Rapaport) does not buy Danny's (AJ Buckley) story about Jean Baptiste and why he went back to Florida. Danny was also not told to run Allison (Amy Smart) off the road; Danny did that on his own. Daryl may not be able to stand Danny's behavior for much longer. 

Ava (Joelle Carter) is about to be released from prison when a guard frames her for assault after she denies his inappropriate advances. 

Boyd's (Walton Goggins) attempt to have her protected by the Women's Auxiliary branch of the Aryan Union backfires. Gunnar (Branton Box) sees Boyd as a traitor to the cause, leading Boyd to form an unlikely alliance with the Crowes. 

Boyd and Duffy's (Jere Burns) meeting with the Mexican connection goes well, but before they can cash in on it, Boyd has to take care of Johnny (David Meunier). 

Joelle Carter spoke to TVLine about what's in store for her besieged character. 

Carter said the guard is exacting his revenge for rebuffing his advances. "But the consequences he's going to have to face are coming down the road at some point, I'm sure," she said. 

She explained that Ava is hopeful in thinking there's a reason for Boyd's absence, but a lot of damage has already been done, putting a big strain on their relationship. 

"[Being apart] was tough on them, " Carter said. "But now, I think it's all about self, basically. He's on this journey to help Ava, but he gets pretty wrapped up in it and becomes more of a kind of internal journey for him and then for her. He's out there scrambling, and he just keeps getting road-blocked, while she's imprisoned discovering a whole new world. We will get to see how she handles it and then what that means for them."

She also shared that in the next episode, Ava will make a "really defined choice" because of her circumstances. 

"She realizes that she's kind of on her own and now she has to step up, and what does that mean to her?" she said. "Who is she going to have to become to do that? People are saying, "Oh, the old Boyd's back," that it's kind of a new version of the old Boyd that's even darker and more dangerous, and I've said it before: At the end of the season, neither of them will be the same people. I don't know what that means as far as their union, if it's savable or if it's going to be redefined also."

On the next episode, "Raw Deal," "Raylan pursues a grifter. Meanwhile, Boyd and the Crowes head south for business."

"Raw Deal" airs Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 10 p.m. EST on FX.