‘Justified: City Primeval’ Ends On The Highest Of High Notes: [SPOILER] Is Back And Better Than Ever (2024)

*** Spoilers ahead for the season finale of Justified: City Primeval! ***

The final episode of Justified: City Primeval was a tale of two endings. The first delivered a fitting conclusion to the Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) vs. Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook) story. The man known as the “Oklahoma Wildman” seemed to have escaped certain death yet again, killing Skender and breaking out of the sound proof facility (from Episode 3) the Albanians locked him in. But Raylan Givens always gets his man.

After exacting his revenge on the Albanians, Mansell breaks into Carolyn’s (Aunjanue Ellis) house to settle the score, only to find Raylan waiting for him. The two adversaries exchange a few barbs in a scene that’s so reminiscent of the original series it may as well have been scored by “Long Hard Times to Come.”

“I got you something to remember ol’ Clement by,” Mansell says, as he reaches behind his back. Raylan draws and fatally shoots his nemesis. “sh*t, man. You shot me,” Clement says to Raylan, gasping for air. “What’d ya do that for?” While Mansell did have a gun behind his back, his “Seven Nation Army” cassette tape falls out of his hand. Raylan and Carolyn look on, puzzled as to what just transpired as Clement dies.

Six weeks later, Raylan retires from the Marshals Service.

We then see a snapshot of retired life for our favorite gunslinger as Raylan receives a gift, a bottle of Blanton’s Bourbon, naturally, from newly appointed Judge Carolyn Wilder. This is followed by the arrival of the first of two very special guest stars: Winona (Natalie Zea). Raylan’s ex-wife is there to drop off Willa (Vivian Olyphant) and soon learns about her ex’s retirement. “If you couldn’t do it for me, I’m glad you could do it for her [Willa],” she tells Raylan. “Don’t muck it up.”

The season concludes with Raylan and Willa about to embark on a daddy/daughter boat ride. But wait… there’s still eight minutes left! Enter the return of loquacious outlaw poet Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins)!

We find Boyd up to his old tricks at Tramble Penitentiary in Kentucky. While preaching to his fellow convicts, Boyd reveals that his health has “been in decline” and that he’s being “transferred to a hospital” so doctors can “identify the source of [his] malaise.” You know, vintage Boyd Crowder sh*t.

Would it surprise you to learn that Boyd’s illness was a ruse? During his transport, Boyd begins screaming, forcing the two officers, Ramirez (Luis Guzman) and Gerret (Ahna O’Reilly), to pull over. Turns out that Boyd, as rakishly charming as ever, has a secret romance with Officer Gerret. The two lock Officer Ramirez in the truck, have sex, and drive off in their getaway car, presumably to Mexico.

After Boyd and Gerret speed away, we’re back with Raylan and Willa on the boat. Raylan receives an emergency alert on his phone stating that a “federal inmate escaped from Tramble Penitentiary.” He places his phone down and attempts to continue his conversation with Willa when his phone begins to ring. The caller? The Marshals Office in Lexington, Kentucky.

The phone continues to ring as we fade to black.

So… okay… deep breath. What does all this mean? Justified: City Primeval is technically a limited series, but there have been a few hints that we haven’t seen the last of Raylan Givens, which could mean a second season or, more likely, a whole new limited series.

“I do think there’s a third chapter, in success, if the audience comes to this,” City Primeval co-showrunner Michael Dinner told The Hollywood Reporter in July. “We’re waiting to see how that happens over the next couple weeks, and if FX wants to do another chapter, I think that Tim would want to do it. Dave and I would want to do it. [Justified showrunner] Graham [Yost] is in an Apple deal, but he acted like the uncle on this. And whether he is still in an Apple deal or not, he would probably give it his blessing. The rest of the writers would also want to do it, so it’d be great to do another chapter.”

The show’s ambiguous ending (a contemplative Raylan receiving a call from the Marshal’s office in Lexington, Kentucky) could be interpreted as Givens finally embracing retirement and focusing on a simpler life as a family man. Is that possible? Sure. Fans would be gifted with a satisfying coda as Crowder, the outlaw they love to hate, rides off into the sunset.

Is it probable? Hell no.

The creative team knows precisely what they’re doing. First, reintroducing Crowder is a brilliant way to secure more episodes. Second, the brain trust behind Justified is well aware that the heart and soul of the series is the Raylan/Boyd relationship. They dug coal together, for goodness’ sake! You don’t tease your ace in the hole without intending to follow through.

The ongoing actors’/writers’ strikes likely mean it’ll be a minute before we receive any definitive answers, but a game of cat-and-mouse between Raylan and Boyd in Mexico (Elmore Leonard’s first novel, The Bounty Hunters, takes place in Mexico, btw) is simply too enticing of an idea to pass up.

It’d be difficult to top Raylan and Boyd’s final encounter, but, hell, let’s give it a shot.

The season finale of Justified: City Primeval premieres Wednesday, August 30 on Hulu.