[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Justified: City Primeval” Episode 8, “The Question” — the season, or series, finale.]
In the end, Timothy Olyphant’s scrupulous U.S. Marshal wants what every other beleaguered public servant wants at the end of a long, hard day: a good night’s sleep. That’s it. That’s all he asks. Yet whether it’s his conscience stirring him to action or the recurring call of duty blaring from his phone, Raylan Givens isn’t resting easy — not yet, anyway. The enduring assumption that one more case closed, one more bad man cuffed, or one more just act in an unjust world will allow him to hang up his hat for good lingers over the “Justified: City Primeval” finale, as well as its preceding episodes, in a way that suggests satisfaction is little more than a myth. Even when he’s not just doing it for himself (he’s doing it...
In the end, Timothy Olyphant’s scrupulous U.S. Marshal wants what every other beleaguered public servant wants at the end of a long, hard day: a good night’s sleep. That’s it. That’s all he asks. Yet whether it’s his conscience stirring him to action or the recurring call of duty blaring from his phone, Raylan Givens isn’t resting easy — not yet, anyway. The enduring assumption that one more case closed, one more bad man cuffed, or one more just act in an unjust world will allow him to hang up his hat for good lingers over the “Justified: City Primeval” finale, as well as its preceding episodes, in a way that suggests satisfaction is little more than a myth. Even when he’s not just doing it for himself (he’s doing it...
- 8/30/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
This article contains spoilers for Justified: City Primeval.
When FX announced a new limited series featuring Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), fans of Justified were excited, but skeptical. The original run of Justified from 2010-2015 was some of the greatest television in recent memory, separating itself from the rest of the pack. Based on the works of Elmore Leonard, the series was equal parts country-fried charm and law-and-order procedural, where viewers could often find themselves cheering for the criminals as often as they did law enforcement.
Justified also ended as powerfully as it began, with arguably one of the most satisfying finales which not only sewed everything up, but was downright touching as well. Which means that new showrunners Dave Andron and Michael Dinner were playing with Kentucky fire – if Justified: City Primeval was a let down, it could ruin the hard work the original series put in for six years.
When FX announced a new limited series featuring Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), fans of Justified were excited, but skeptical. The original run of Justified from 2010-2015 was some of the greatest television in recent memory, separating itself from the rest of the pack. Based on the works of Elmore Leonard, the series was equal parts country-fried charm and law-and-order procedural, where viewers could often find themselves cheering for the criminals as often as they did law enforcement.
Justified also ended as powerfully as it began, with arguably one of the most satisfying finales which not only sewed everything up, but was downright touching as well. Which means that new showrunners Dave Andron and Michael Dinner were playing with Kentucky fire – if Justified: City Primeval was a let down, it could ruin the hard work the original series put in for six years.
- 8/30/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
I admit that Justified: City Primeval Season 1 Episode 8 leaves me with some intense feelings.
Mostly, I feel incredibly cheated by a revival that promised to carve out a new path for Raylan Givens -- one where his sensibilities as a father would temper his quick trigger, shaping his renegade spirit into an inspiring leader.
Instead, Detroit breaks him. Then, all the ghosts of the past return. And does everything that happens in Detroit even matter at the end of the day?
Seriously. Are we meant to care about Robinson, Bryl, and Downey? Do the Detroit Pd deserve to have their resources tied up investigating Downey?
If she was Clement's mole in the department, there was Nothing in the script to even hint at a connection between the two. That's not good gotcha writing; that's bad plot planning.
Instead, I offer this interpretation.
Downey is in the book and is...
Mostly, I feel incredibly cheated by a revival that promised to carve out a new path for Raylan Givens -- one where his sensibilities as a father would temper his quick trigger, shaping his renegade spirit into an inspiring leader.
Instead, Detroit breaks him. Then, all the ghosts of the past return. And does everything that happens in Detroit even matter at the end of the day?
Seriously. Are we meant to care about Robinson, Bryl, and Downey? Do the Detroit Pd deserve to have their resources tied up investigating Downey?
If she was Clement's mole in the department, there was Nothing in the script to even hint at a connection between the two. That's not good gotcha writing; that's bad plot planning.
Instead, I offer this interpretation.
Downey is in the book and is...
- 8/30/2023
- by Diana Keng
- TVfanatic
Well, that's more like it.
While Raylan still doesn't pull a trigger -- literally or metaphorically -- on Justified: City Primeval Season 1 Episode 7, the pacing and building pressure of the action has a familiar edge to it.
The showrunners do seem intent on making it painfully obvious that Detroit ain't Harlan. They subvert every expectation at every opportunity. It's both a novel and frustrating approach, narratively speaking.
Let's get the business of the Detroit Police Department out of the way first.
Downey's decision to pin the judge and Rose Doyle's murders on the Pcp-using war vet is the shoe Raylan was waiting to drop on the case.
He's felt for a while that the case was being hobbled by something or someone. Seeing Downey take the murder weapon and use it to convict a mentally unwell bystander indicates that she's been working at cross-purposes, possibly because she's in the judge's book.
While Raylan still doesn't pull a trigger -- literally or metaphorically -- on Justified: City Primeval Season 1 Episode 7, the pacing and building pressure of the action has a familiar edge to it.
The showrunners do seem intent on making it painfully obvious that Detroit ain't Harlan. They subvert every expectation at every opportunity. It's both a novel and frustrating approach, narratively speaking.
Let's get the business of the Detroit Police Department out of the way first.
Downey's decision to pin the judge and Rose Doyle's murders on the Pcp-using war vet is the shoe Raylan was waiting to drop on the case.
He's felt for a while that the case was being hobbled by something or someone. Seeing Downey take the murder weapon and use it to convict a mentally unwell bystander indicates that she's been working at cross-purposes, possibly because she's in the judge's book.
- 8/23/2023
- by Diana Keng
- TVfanatic
[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Justified: City Primeval” Episode 7, “The Smoking Gun.”]
Before handing over the long sought-after murder weapon, Trennell (Joseph Anthony Byrd) asks Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) a simple question: “You sure you can use it?” Can Raylan take this gun, a gun that could’ve saved Sweety (Vondie Curtis Hall) on more than one occasion, and use it to, if not avenge his death, then bring his killer to justice? Raylan says he can. He’s sure he can. Except, by the end of Episode 7, “The Smoking Gun,” that firearm isn’t locked up in an evidence locker or even held by law enforcement. It’s at the bottom of a river. And how it got there neatly sums up Raylan’s continued frustrations with the maddening depths of a labyrinthine Detroit legal system.
Of course, the most straightforward use comes and goes the quickest. Raylan turns the gun over to Maureen Downey (Marin Ireland), as he should,...
Before handing over the long sought-after murder weapon, Trennell (Joseph Anthony Byrd) asks Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) a simple question: “You sure you can use it?” Can Raylan take this gun, a gun that could’ve saved Sweety (Vondie Curtis Hall) on more than one occasion, and use it to, if not avenge his death, then bring his killer to justice? Raylan says he can. He’s sure he can. Except, by the end of Episode 7, “The Smoking Gun,” that firearm isn’t locked up in an evidence locker or even held by law enforcement. It’s at the bottom of a river. And how it got there neatly sums up Raylan’s continued frustrations with the maddening depths of a labyrinthine Detroit legal system.
Of course, the most straightforward use comes and goes the quickest. Raylan turns the gun over to Maureen Downey (Marin Ireland), as he should,...
- 8/23/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
It's hard to get too excited about Justified: City Primeval Season 1 Episode 5 when it feels like a lot of wheel spinning.
Sure, Raylan and Carolyn get complicated, and Clement and Sweetie start their extortion endeavor together, but the governor's not the only one wondering why the judge's murder investigation isn't progressing.
I appreciate that Carolyn's not impressed by Raylan and Jamal's cockfight posturing. Still, if the purpose of piling the pain on her is to push her to use the judge's notebook to secure her judge appointment, I'm not feeling it.
I'll allow that trying to put Jamal in her rearview is a challenging process.
It took over a year to clear out his office in their law firm. He's still collecting alimony. They have A Lot of history together.
So it's understandable if Carolyn's conflicted about how surgical she can be cutting him out of her life.
Jamal: Marriage.
Sure, Raylan and Carolyn get complicated, and Clement and Sweetie start their extortion endeavor together, but the governor's not the only one wondering why the judge's murder investigation isn't progressing.
I appreciate that Carolyn's not impressed by Raylan and Jamal's cockfight posturing. Still, if the purpose of piling the pain on her is to push her to use the judge's notebook to secure her judge appointment, I'm not feeling it.
I'll allow that trying to put Jamal in her rearview is a challenging process.
It took over a year to clear out his office in their law firm. He's still collecting alimony. They have A Lot of history together.
So it's understandable if Carolyn's conflicted about how surgical she can be cutting him out of her life.
Jamal: Marriage.
- 8/9/2023
- by Diana Keng
- TVfanatic
A “storm warning is in effect” this week on FX’s Justified: City Primeval, as seen in TVLine’s exclusive sneak peek at Episode 5 of 8, airing tonight at 10/9c.
When last we tuned in, Mansell’s brutal crushing of Skender’s leg led Raylan (played by Timothy Olyphant) and Bryl (Norbert Leo Butz) to have a sit-down with Albanian crime boss Toma (Terry Kinney). Alas, Bryl got the idea to name-drop Mansell, effectively putting a big fat bull’s-eye on their ruthless recurring nemesis.
More from TVLineSex Education's Final Season Trailer Teases Loads of Raunch and Feeling, Including Big Otis...
When last we tuned in, Mansell’s brutal crushing of Skender’s leg led Raylan (played by Timothy Olyphant) and Bryl (Norbert Leo Butz) to have a sit-down with Albanian crime boss Toma (Terry Kinney). Alas, Bryl got the idea to name-drop Mansell, effectively putting a big fat bull’s-eye on their ruthless recurring nemesis.
More from TVLineSex Education's Final Season Trailer Teases Loads of Raunch and Feeling, Including Big Otis...
- 8/8/2023
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Justified: City Primeval” Episode 4, “Kokomo.”]
A common occurrence in “Justified” sees Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) sit down with someone most people would consider scary, but rather than beg off, back down, or express much emotion (beyond his trademark frustration mixed with mild curiosity), the U.S. Marshall is forced to reflect on the nature of his duties. Past bosses like Mags Bennett (Margo Martindale) and Ellstin Limehouse (Mykelti Williamson) are perhaps the best examples, given the credible moral dilemmas each local leader elicits from Raylan, but challenges of principle can come from just about anyone. Like, say, Toma (Terry Kinney), the Albanian mob boss who invites Raylan for a chat after the “accident” suffered by his nephew, Skender (Alexander Pobutsky).
With a pushy Norbert (Norbert Leo Butz) in tow, Raylan arrives at the meeting planning to convince Toma to let Skender tell the truth: that he didn’t fall down the...
A common occurrence in “Justified” sees Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) sit down with someone most people would consider scary, but rather than beg off, back down, or express much emotion (beyond his trademark frustration mixed with mild curiosity), the U.S. Marshall is forced to reflect on the nature of his duties. Past bosses like Mags Bennett (Margo Martindale) and Ellstin Limehouse (Mykelti Williamson) are perhaps the best examples, given the credible moral dilemmas each local leader elicits from Raylan, but challenges of principle can come from just about anyone. Like, say, Toma (Terry Kinney), the Albanian mob boss who invites Raylan for a chat after the “accident” suffered by his nephew, Skender (Alexander Pobutsky).
With a pushy Norbert (Norbert Leo Butz) in tow, Raylan arrives at the meeting planning to convince Toma to let Skender tell the truth: that he didn’t fall down the...
- 8/2/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
With the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and the fact that we're headed into late summer, there would be a lack of good TV.
AMC's buzzy Dark Winds returns for its second season, Charlie and Nick's relationship continues to evolve on Heartstopper, and it's time to head back to Hope Valley on When Calls the Heart.
Some of these shows have been off the air for a minute, but they're back in all their glory.
Check out what we recommend you watch during the week ahead, TV Fanatics.
Saturday, July 29
8/7c V.C. Andrews' Dawn: Midnight Whispers (Lifetime)
It's time to explore the next generation of this Cutler saga, and it promises to be just as much of a doozy as the others.
With Christie grown up, she's curious about the family secrets and scandals. The darkness of the family's past still lingers and has a hold on...
AMC's buzzy Dark Winds returns for its second season, Charlie and Nick's relationship continues to evolve on Heartstopper, and it's time to head back to Hope Valley on When Calls the Heart.
Some of these shows have been off the air for a minute, but they're back in all their glory.
Check out what we recommend you watch during the week ahead, TV Fanatics.
Saturday, July 29
8/7c V.C. Andrews' Dawn: Midnight Whispers (Lifetime)
It's time to explore the next generation of this Cutler saga, and it promises to be just as much of a doozy as the others.
With Christie grown up, she's curious about the family secrets and scandals. The darkness of the family's past still lingers and has a hold on...
- 7/29/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Betrayal is a tricky path to walk, yet several people choose it on Justified: City Primeval Season 1 Episode 3.
Willa sees Raylan's decision as backstabbing when he's doing what a father needs to do. Sweety is conflicted but desperate about turning over the weapon. Sandy's affection for Skender is purely transactional in light of her relationship with Clement, but even that is negotiable.
As is true with most dangerous options, it is not an easy choice, but it usually looks to be the only one.
And then there's Carolyn Wilder, our acolyte of Lady Justice.
She knows the Law doesn't always mete out true justice, but it's the system she's chosen to work within.
So can she support Sweety in his choice while representing Clement and still be considered pristine in the eyes of the law? Will this be as much of an obstacle to her bid for a judge's position as her ex-husband's tax lien?...
Willa sees Raylan's decision as backstabbing when he's doing what a father needs to do. Sweety is conflicted but desperate about turning over the weapon. Sandy's affection for Skender is purely transactional in light of her relationship with Clement, but even that is negotiable.
As is true with most dangerous options, it is not an easy choice, but it usually looks to be the only one.
And then there's Carolyn Wilder, our acolyte of Lady Justice.
She knows the Law doesn't always mete out true justice, but it's the system she's chosen to work within.
So can she support Sweety in his choice while representing Clement and still be considered pristine in the eyes of the law? Will this be as much of an obstacle to her bid for a judge's position as her ex-husband's tax lien?...
- 7/26/2023
- by Diana Keng
- TVfanatic
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