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.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.83 million household viewers and gained a 0.5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The episode received universal acclaim from critics, who praised the writing, the night shootout scene, character development and acting as strong points.
Boyd (Walton Goggins) stops the truck driver, Hagan (Shea Whigham), ordering him to drive him somewhere.
Meanwhile, Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) visits the hill people, forced off their land by mining pollution.
However, while finishing with digging, they hear on a police scanner that Boyd has escaped custody and deduce he will come for them, causing Ava to suffer a nervous breakdown.
Duffy (Jere Burns) is released from custody and picks up his stuff from Vasquez (Rick Gomez) in the Marshal's office, stating he plans to leave Kentucky forever.
Loretta (Kaitlyn Dever) and her ex-boyfriend Derrick (Riley Bodenstab) are hiding in a barn when Boon (Jonathan Tucker) finds them.
As night falls, Boyd and Raylan find themselves in a shootout where none of them hits their intended target.
She tries to blackmail them to escape but the officers are revealed to be working for Avery (Sam Elliott) and plan to take her to him.
Raylan manages to get Bob to the hospital but as he turns to leave, he is cornered and held at gunpoint by state troopers.
[2] Star Walton Goggins struggled with the storyline involving his character and the driver, particularly during the scene where he kills him.
Series developer Graham Yost said, "Shea just brought a truth and a weight and a reality to it that just meshed well with where Boyd was and is.
"[4] The night shootout between Raylan and Boyd was originally 8-pages long in the shooting script and involved more action.
Co-producer Leonard Chang suggested that the series could apply Aristotle's Poetics for the scene, highlighting the motivations of the characters.
Questioned about his fate, Yost said, "Dave Andron and I had a moment where it was all over where we went, 'Wait a second, we forgot to say that Bob's alive!'
In its original American broadcast, "Collateral" was seen by an estimated 1.83 million household viewers and gained a 0.5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
"[12] Jeff Stone of IndieWire gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "Ava's only able to get away when Boyd shows up, and even then she gets picked up by Markham's crooked cops.
With that said though, this is still Justified, which means that even the cool-down episodes are packed to the brim with high-stakes chases and the establishing of brand new consequences.
You can seriously wrap up Wynn, Boyd, Raylan, Ava, Avery and the feds all angling for those duffel bags with $10 million in ONE SHOW?
"[16] James Queally of Los Angeles Times wrote, "On a second watch, I realized how necessary this episode was.
In all the chaos of the last two or three episodes, we haven't had time to return to the central questions that drive this show.
It is a painfully fast hour that leaves me wondering if my biggest complaint with the final episode next week may be that it simply went by too quickly.