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 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, Raylan partners with a maverick DEA agent whose bad behavior feels uncomfortably familiar, while Boyd makes a hard choice to protect Ava.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.24 million household viewers and gained a 0.8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
In Texas, Dewey (Damon Herriman), Danny (A. J. Buckley) and Carl (Justin Welborn) receive the drug shipment from their contacts and depart for Kentucky.
While talking with Daryl (Michael Rapaport), Boyd (Walton Goggins) tells him he knows about the set-up in the desert, which he doesn't deny.
He goes to Memphis, Tennessee, meeting with DEA Agent Alex Miller (Eric Roberts), asking for his help in finding Hot Rod (Mickey Jones).
Rowena visits Boyd at his bar, intending to smuggle drugs into prison and wants his help in getting revenge against a person who killed her partner.
While driving back, Miller spots the tow truck driven by Dewey and Danny, knowing it’s a method to smuggle drugs.
"[3] In its original American broadcast, "Wrong Roads" was seen by an estimated 2.24 million household viewers and gained a 0.8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Seth Amitin of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7.9 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "As we close in on the end of what's been a rough season for Justified, the elements of the story are coming together.
"[7] Kevin Fitzpatrick of Screen Crush wrote, "It's hard to tell exactly where it all leads in only 4 episodes, though 'Wrong Roads' clearly provides the most cohesive story breaks we've had all season, with plenty of excitement promised in the coming weeks.
"[8] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "It's not that I especially care about the heroin shipment, but that so much of the season has been about this one problem that I just want it resolved already so we can move onto something more interesting.
"[12] Dan Forcella of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.1 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Overall, this was a depressing hour and that's saying a lot for Justified.
I won't look forward to the middle section of this season when I watch it over again later this year, but the anticipation of this episode will smooth over a lot of edges.