The Oklahoma Wildman – The episode opens with a throwback to Detroit, Michigan 2017. Sweetie (Vondie Curtis-Taylor) and the gang smoke blunts while discussing the Pistons. Entering through an unlocked door, Clement Mansell (Boyd Holdbrook) berets the gang before ordering Sweetie to change the music. Not realizing he made a grave mistake by referring to Sweetie by his name, the gang now knows the culprit responsible for the unlocked door. He executes the entire gang except for Sweetie.

Three days later,  Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) conducts a raid at a motel room where Clement and Sandy Stanton (Adelaide Clemens) are holed up. Clement issues a threat to Sweetie before he is put in the back of a police cruiser. A short time later, he meets with Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) meets in lockup.

Present day in a hotel room, a waiter (Keenan Odenkirk) delivers breakfast to Raylan and Willa Givens (Vivian Olyphant). He orders her to not go anywhere before leaving. She enjoys breakfast until a news segment about the assassination of Judge Alvin Guy (Keith David) and Rosie Doyle (Rae Gray) turns her stomach.

Penthouse – In so many words, Clement admits to killing Guy and Rosie. The doorman alerts her of visitors, Raylan and Wendell Robinson (Victor Williams). Clement hides as they make their way to the posh apartment owned by Del Weems. She demands to see the warrant but relents, allowing them entrance. Wendell asks where she was at last night. She claims to have been at the casino and Skender Lulgjurai (Alexander Pobutsky) will vouch for her. She tells them that the Ranger Rover utilized in Guy’s assassination was possibly stolen. When they broach the keys, she retrieves them from the bedroom where Clement says the Range Rover was involved in a collision. After handing over the keys, she is stunned when Wendell asks about Clement. He reminds her of the motel raid that resulted in Clement being apprehended, all while she was present. Raylan leaves his business card before they depart. Clement asks her to pay Rouge a visit for him.

Penthouse Parking Garage – Raylan and Wendell realize the Range Rover sustained damage much worse than Sandy’s claim. Wendell collects paint samples, hoping to get a match to Guy’s Cadillac. He explains Clement’s crimes from Oklahoma to Detroit. He says the “Wrecking Crew Case” is as close as they got to snagging him. Raymond Cruz (Paul Calderon) invested much of his time tracking Clement. They pursue Sandy in the Range Rover to a bridge where she considers disposing of the murder weapon but changes her mind. Carolyn contacts Raylan to invite him to a meeting at her law office.

Sweetie’s Bar – An anxious Sandy asks Sweetie for some cannabis. He questions her motives after resupplying just yesterday. She returns Clement’s gun to its previous hiding place in the restroom.

Wilder Law Office – Raylan enters the office to see Clement for the first time. He tells him that he was in the bedroom while they questioned Sandy. Carolyn asks if Clement is a suspect in Guy’s assassination. Adding Rosie’s name to the mix, he says there are witnesses that put him at the scene. He asks if Clement drove the Range Rover last night. She demands factual evidence when Willa calls to inform him of her outing. When Clement leaves, Raylan returns to the office to check on her. He reminds her of how dangerous her client is before leaving.

D-Town Casino – Rick (Ravi Patel) scolds Sandy for being late when Raylan and Wendell arrive. They question her visit to the bridge. She immediately leaves to deliver drinks to a table. When she returns, Raylan asks if Clement sent her to Sweetie’s. She admits to visiting Sweetie’s for cannabis. He reminds her of the ruthless murder of Rosie and Guy. Rick watches the interaction. After their departure, she calls Clement to inform him of their asking questions about him. In the parking lot, Raylan suggests Clement sent her to dispose of the murder weapon.

Clement arrives at Raylan’s hotel room as Willa is returning from an outing. Preparing to charge her phone, the room phone rings. She can be heard saying getting stuck with him instead of her father.

Sweetie’s Bar – Sweetie is surprised to see Wendell and Raylan. After a bit of back and forth about music, Raylan asks about Sandy and Clement, a former “The Wrecking Crew” member. He informs him of her stop at the bridge over Rough River before the bar. When they mention a murder weapon, he displays an array of legal weapons on the counter. He asks if one of them could be what they are looking for when Carolyn arrives. She accuses them of harassing her client before demanding a search warrant. Outside, Wendell says they may be able to get a search warrant. Raylan assures him that they would get rid of it in the meantime. Back inside, Carolyn questions Sweetie’s relationship with Clement. She claims he threatened Sweetie if she denied him as a client.

Raylan stresses over Willa not answering her phone. Arriving at the hotel room, he discovers her and Clement having lunch. Clement fabricated a story about knowing Raylan from “Glynco” where he was known as “Chicken Fat.” Raylan urges her to return to their room but she is determined to enjoy their reunion. Back and forth leads to Clement claiming Raylan shot an unarmed man 20 years ago at a bar. Physically forcing him outside, Raylan beats him while Willa watches in tears. The episode ends.

 

Justified: City Primeval Review

The storylines are coming together intriguingly well. Is the series perfect? No, but hardly any are today. It would seem more evidence could have been extracted from the street CCTV cameras. Willa is an unlikeable, unbelievable, and annoying character. Knowing Raylan is investigating a violent murder, she ventures out into the city  against his wishes.

A major downside is the show’s hidden agendas. Raylan sleeping with Carolyn is just one example. The Carolyn character doesn’t feel like his type.

If Raylan suspected Sandy was in possession of the murder weapon, why not immediately obtain a search warrant? No, they visit the hiding place, Sweetie’s Bar. Even worse, shared their suspicions with Sweetie who is involved with Clement and Sandy.

It is worth noting, the dozens of embedded ads. More discretion would have been preferable.

The throwback to the Justified Season 1 opener, Raylan shooting the unarmed mafia boss was especially cool. While not familiar with Raylan Givens books, I watched the TV series several times. The episode deserves a 5.4. Get more Justified: City Primeval recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating to our platform. Our onsite advertising is an effective method of building brand awareness.