Ms. Malarkey's ending involves a kind of showdown among the contending parties.
Each side says the showdown, which involves a strike and a lockout, has reached a critical stage, and each insists that the other is suffering badly and may soon soften its position.
And the Associated Press put the situation this way: "A family previously involved in a showdown with the federal government has occupied a building at a national wildlife refuge in Oregon and is asking militia members to join them".
But the real showdown of the episode, which involves a shattered glass, more vodka, and some chicken, is the climactic fight between Annalise and her mother.
They even get involved with an extraordinary showdown involving a gun and a woman - yet the narrative style is so indirect, so gnomic, that this event occurs in a dramatic zero-gravity.
It's a rambunctious farce that includes zombies, a lot of slapstick, comedic violence, allusions to the Bible and Spinoza, and a climactic showdown involving a stoned Desert Storm veteran and a samurai sword.
For the uninitiated, "Iron Chef America" (based on the Japanese "Iron Chef" TV show) saw chefs from around the world challenge various Iron Chefs to a 60-minute showdown involving a secret ingredient.
But some customers dispute the charges on their bill, which can lead to legendary showdowns, like one involving a man who has battled Con Edison in court since 1986.
The French showdown in January between Free and Google involved a dispute over the carriage of YouTube, Google's video-sharing service.
It means that whatever else happens inside Syria — and it will be ugly, for sure, and involve a great deal more killing — there is also an international showdown taking place.
