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.
Following the shooting of a mob hitman, Raylan is sent to Lexington, Kentucky to investigate an old childhood friend Boyd Crowder, who is now part of a white supremacist gang.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.13 million household viewers and gained a 0.8/2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The episode received very positive reviews from critics, who praised the writing and the inclusion of all storylines towards the season finale.
Talking with Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) and Mullen (Nick Searcy), Arlo (Raymond J. Barry) confesses his association to Bo Crowder (M. C. Gainey) through skimming operations.
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars offices, a man named Lucky (Joshua Bitton) threatens to detonate a grenade in the building.
In its original American broadcast, "Fathers and Sons" was seen by an estimated 2.13 million household viewers and gained a 0.8/2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Seth Amitin of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.6 out of 10 rating and wrote, "The connection between Bo and Boyd and Raylan and Arlo was brought up a second time and we got it, it's just not as interesting as the story itself.
The show survives without harping too much on this and the season's main story arc is finally coming to a wrap next episode.